I totally want to be friends with this bride. She is sassy in the best possible way and undeniably stylish. The proof is definitely in her super fun and vibrant wedding which is almost completely DIY right down to the gorgeous flowers. Yellow and grey have been a hot color combination for a long time and I don’t see it going out of style any time soon. It is used perfectly here to create a fun-loving, modern vibe. Each detail captured by Blue Chair Photography is just plain awesome! Click here to see it all!
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From the Bride… We knew right away that we wanted to get married in San Francisco. It is the city where we met, where we fell in love and where we currently live. There was just one small problem: money. The question loomed — how do we get married on less than $20,000 in the country’s third most expensive city? By splurging only on a few items, Etsy.com, and DIY DIY DIY! By combining those elements we succeeded in getting our dream wedding and a day that really looked and felt like us. Oh, and we maybe called in a few favors as well.
Where we spent the most: the caterer! We used Graham Zanow of the Napa Valley Country Club. The food was amazing and one of the stand outs of the night — money well spent! The next big ticket item was the venue. Knowing we already had the caterer, we would need to find a place that would let us bring in an outside vendor. Luckily we stumbled upon the Randall Museum in Corona Heights and they allowed us to do just that. Our color scheme was gray and yellow so we did yellow and white flowers on the tables, gray table cloths, white chairs, and let the breathtaking views of downtown San Francisco do the rest. Etsy was another way to not only keep us in-line with our budget, but also helped provide a more personal feel. And every item fit the yellow and grey theme.
You only get married once, so call in your favors! I had a friend of mine reach out to the Director of Photography at the Academy of Art here in SF and he introduced us to Blue Chair Photography based out of Vallejo. Since they were just beginning the wedding arm of their company, we got a great introductory rate and got to try out some cool things too. One of my girlfriends created our Save-the-Date and the heart image from it was also used on our photobooth pictures. Another girlfriend did my and all the bridesmaids’ hair, and by using referrals, we got a discount on the DJ, lights and wedding makeup for the bridal party and me. My dad works in the wine industry so we got some great wines at industry prices and used our Costco membership for the beer and liquor. The biggest savings HANDS DOWN was on our photobooth. We used Polite in Public which was so much fun and produced amazing pictures. Since one of my bridesmaids is friends with them, we got an amazing rate! In the end, we really had a backyard wedding. Both the church and the museum are less than a mile from our Cole Valley apartment. It was nice to get married in our neighborhood. To have the boys get ready in our apartment, walk to the church, and even stop at Magnolia Pub & Brewery for a beer on the way. We even went to Murio’s in the Upper Haight after the reception and got a drink before retiring to the honeymoon suite at the Hyatt. We ended our wedding day exactly as we expected: as husband and wife and exhausted.
Wedding Photography: Blue Chair Photography / Ceremony: St. Agnes Catholic Church in San Francisco, California / Reception: The Randall Museum in San Francisco, California / Flowers: DIY via San Francisco Flower Mart / Bridal Bouquet: Church Street Flowers / Catering: Graham Zanow of the Napa Valley Country Club / Cake: Whole Foods / Cake Topper: Ready Go / Cupcakes: Cups and Cakes / Wedding Dress + Belt: Novella Bridal / Veil: Tiffani Saxton Designs / Bridesmaids’ Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar / Bride’s Robe: Vintage from Japan / Makeup: Beauty by Natasha / Bride’s Glasses: Vintage via Alameda Pointe Antiques Fair / Men’s Ties: The Tie Bar / Bride + Groom’s Shoes: Banana Republic / Button Favors: Off the Record / Photobooth: Polite in Public / Photobooth Image: Em & N Designs / DJ + Lighting: QMEP / Frames: IKEA / Rentals: Bright Event Rentals / Ball Jars: Cole Hardware / Table Numbers, Table Assignments Board + Signs: DIY / Table Runners: The Groom’s Mother / Photo Booth Sign: Em and N Designs