I hope you are sitting down, because you are about to be blown away by fabulousness. Not only are these San Diego nuptials by Michelle Sullivan Photography absolutely gorgeous in every way possible, but the stunning bride and groom planned every last bit of pretty in a mere three months. Yes, this vintage chic, uber-elegant, I could literally die I love it so much wedding was all planned in three months. Three. Months. Now this is a wedding after my own heart. And with beautiful florals by Embellishmint, super sweet bridesmaid dresses by Dolly Couture and a pair of incredible Jimmy Choos, what’s not to love? Thomas Bui Lifestyle was there to make sure it all ran smoothly day-of and, oh my goodness, did it ever. This soiree literally made my day in all of its awesomeness. Don’t miss a single breathtaking image in the gallery!
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From the Bride… James proposed in May and the wedding planning began. We both knew that we wanted a summer wedding, but didn’t want to wait another year, so we chose August, only three months away! This also allowed our family and friends from out of state to enjoy a mini end of summer vacation in San Diego. With the support of our families, everything came together without a glitch. Picking vendors ended up being one of the easiest aspects of the planning phase, they all were so easy to work with and had such passion for their jobs, it was amazing! We weren’t really fans of “themes”, but we did know that we wanted it to be classic and timeless.
Once I picked my dress, which was only the fourth dress I tried on, the whole vintage theme started to come through. My grandmother had also worn a tea length dress that was very similar. Since my only bridesmaids were my sisters, I let them completely pick their outfits! Happy bridesmaids make for a happy wedding! They went with similar styles, which we had custom made at Dolly Couture, which they able to wear again to a black tie event! We didn’t pick “colors” instead we chose the venue and let that be our guide. It ended up being a pallet of gold, royal blue, and neutral cream tones. The minute we walked into The US Grant, we were in awe, because it was just so beautiful. Once we chose the venue, my sister, who also served as my Matron of Honor, and my brother began to work on all of our paper products. She designed; he printed, then they both assembled all of the invites, ceremony programs, name cards, place cards, menus, and thank you cards. Basically every paper product was them! It was truly a labor of love. We even based the cake design off of the invites and incorporated our “crest” which my sister designed.
My father officiated and my brother-in-law spent hours creating playlists for the evening. One song that was very important to us was the song I walked down the aisle to, Maria Elena which had been my paternal grandparents “song.” Since both had passed away years before, this was a way for us to remember them and add a little family tradition as well, since my sister had walked down to the same song only a year prior! The day of the wedding my sister did all of our hair and we all did our own make-up. It was just so relaxed and perfect for us, with a couple of cocktails to start the celebration. Three and a half months definitely flew by faster than we could have imagined, but we wouldn’t have changed a thing. We didn’t have time to flip flop on our choices, once we made a decision, we went with it! At the end of the day, we married our best friend and celebrated it with our closest family and friends! It was truly perfect and a night we will never forget!
Wedding Ceremony + Reception Location: The US Grant Hotel / Day of Coordination: Thomas Bui Lifestyle / Floral Design: Embellishmint / Wedding Photography: Michelle Sullivan Photography / Wedding Cake: Sweet Layers Cakes / Wedding Dress: Justin Alexander / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridal Head Piece: Bel Aire Bridal / Bridesmaid Dresses: Dolly Couture / Bridesmaid Shoes: Yves Saint Laurent / Groom’s Attire: Hugo Boss / Hair + Make-up: Bride + Sister of the Bride / Officiant: Father of the Bride / Wedding Invitations: Bride’s Sister + Brother