You know why I love DIY weddings?  Other than the fact that I am decidedly non-crafty and find myself in a serious state of awe every time I meet an oh-so-talented bride and groom?  It’s the personalization – the little pieces of YOU that you manage to tuck away into each and every moment of your big day; the details that scream “us” that only you can make.  And in the case of this darling Paicines Ranch affair captured by Justin and Keary Weddings, those details are plenty.  From the popcorn bar (!) to the lawn games to the favors, every gorgeous moment was a labor of love by two very sweet (+ very talented) individuals.  See so much more right here.

 

From the Bride… When Les and I began planning our wedding, we knew that we wanted it to be special and unique to who we were. We knew we wanted a beautiful outdoor venue where we could enjoy the warm sun in the afternoon, and then dance the night away under the stars at night. After checking out a few venues, we finally found our location and it could not have been more perfect. The venue was in Paicines, California– it had a beautiful rustic look to it, lush green grass, picturesque backdrops, and a stunning house. We loved everything about it!

Once the location was taken care of, we started dreaming about the decor, colors, music, food, and all the other wedding day essentials. This was where the real fun began! We were excited to work together on DIY projects such as our seating chart, guestbook, lawn games, wedding favors, banners, and even a popcorn bar! We began realizing that in order to create a wedding that was unique to who we were, all we had to do was incorporate the things we loved into our big day! We both love popcorn, lemonade, BBQ, dessert, guitar, playing games, and the color blue, so we found a way for all of those things to became a part of our day! With lots of help from our amazing family and friends, every little detail turned out perfectly and made our day everything we had dreamed of and more!

A beautiful sunny day cooled off nicely, and we enjoyed a wonderful meal, shared toasts, danced, and exchanged loving embraces with our family and friends who traveled from near and far to share the special day with us. We enjoyed every minute of our wedding, and can’t wait to enjoy every minute of our lives together now as a married couple!

Wedding Photography: Justin and Keary Weddings | Venue: Paicines Ranch | Catering: Mansmith’s BBQ | Cake: C’est Si Bon Bakery | Floral Design: Sherry Eager | Gown: Oleg Cassini | Makeup: Amanda Isabelle | Hair: Brittany Yturralde

A Los Gatos love-fest.  That’s what I am calling this stunning day captured by Tyler Branch Photo, because, well… it sooo is.  The perfect combination of nature-inspired details, laid-back elegance and beautiful cultural traditions, it’s a breathtaking Nestldown setting meets gorgeous florals from Lisa Jack Giudicelli meets sweet DIY details, all wrapped up in some of the brightest smiles you will ever see.  Care to join me for some stop-you-in-your-tracks lovely?  Click here for all of the pretty.

 

From the Bride… Our Indian – American fusion wedding ended up being the best day of our entire lives and we are so very thankful that we decided to have a wedding celebration.  It was quite the challenge trying to incorporate multiple cultures while still making it personal and meaningful to the both of us.  Taking the advice of many brides past, we compiled a list of what was really important to us: honoring our families and bringing them together, incorporating our cultures, being in nature and having a laid-back & fun atmosphere.  On top of that, we were really trying very hard to maintain a budget in the crazed Bay Area bridal industry.  After visiting quite a few venues, we stumbled across Nestldown and it was hands down unlike anything we had seen before.  This venue was a private residence in the Santa Cruz Mountains, an area where we love to hike, and the staff were the most helpful and positive people we had ever met.  This place hardly needed any dressing up, it was beautiful as is.

We took your average American “spiritual” ceremony and made it our own, adding advice from my Uncle (the officiant) and other family members, along with poems and a Unity Tree.  I grew up in the Midwest and Jimmy in Northern California; we both brought soil from the yards of our childhood homes and combined them together as we planted our unity tree during the ceremony to symbolize the coming together of our lives.  After the ceremony, we went out to the property’s orchards for some photos where we were greeted with the most red fall leaves we had ever seen!  It was truly magical.

We really wanted a laid-back environment where everyone felt comfortable and at home. We didn’t want everything to be matchy-matchy, yet wanted everything to go together. The bridesmaids picked out different cream colored, eclectic dresses from ModCloth and ASOS.  We tied their look together with bright orange shoes, sweaters, and Indian bangles.  Jimmy’s groomsmen had cufflinks featuring vintage maps of the towns where they were from, orange paisley ties, and orange socks.  

Our wedding came together because of two reasons: We had the best vendors, they were genuine people & fun to work with; and our family & friends helped out big time. Everyone chipped in and offered to play quite significant roles leading up to the big day.  A few pieces of advice, TAKE IT ALL IN on the wedding day (thats the biggest one), make sure to have moments alone with your hubby.  During the planning process, take advice from everyone, internalize it, then make it your own.  Don’t forget.. while it is an action packed, totally awesome day, it is just one day, put everything in perspective and have a blast!

Wedding Photography: Tyler Branch Photo | Wedding Venue: Nestldown in Los Gatos, California | Wedding Cinematography: Matt Moresco Productions | Floral Design: Lisa Jack Giudicelli (lajgiudicelli@gmail.com) | Event Planning: The Bride | Food Catering: The Mynt | Event Catering: Thomas John Events | Favors: Maritess Bandoy | Ceremony Violinists: Kieran & Lincoln Arora (Bride’s Cousins) | DJ: Woody from Big Fun DJ | Wedding Invitations + Stationery: Bride’s Sister | Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham via Nouvelle Vogue | Bride’s Sari: Artesia | Bride’s Jewelry: Amrita Singh | Henna: Henna Lounge | Bride’s Hairpiece: BLHDN | Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade | Bridesmaids’ Attire: ModCloth + ASOS | Hair: Amanda from Trio Salon

Breathtaking backdrops?  They live in California.  They set up home in every last acre of The Golden State, from drop-dead gorgeous cliffs overlooking the ocean to majestic forests to rolling hills of beauty. And when you add in a couple as stunning as these two sweeties (rightly nicknamed “Ken & Barbie”), a cute pup and the oh-so-talented Love & Lemonade Photography to all of that CA lovely, magic happens… in ways you can’t even begin to imagine.  So sit back, get cozy and click here for all of the pretty, because this, my friends, is a definite must-see.

 

From Love & Lemonade Photography… Kara and David couldn’t be more happily in love if they tried! We spent the afternoon with the gorgeous couple and their dogs (hello English bulldog!) in the hills of Malibu and ended the day in the Hollywood Hills. They’ve been described as Ken and Barbie but I think Ken and Barbie have nothing on these two. They are one of the nicest couples I’ve ever photographed and their loveliness knows no bounds. I hope you love their photos as much as I loved capturing them. Thank you!

Wedding Photography: Love & Lemonade Photography | Locations: Malibu + Hollywood Hills, California | Bride’s Lace Dress: Free People