California is naturally beautiful, and the city of Ojai is no exception. This wedding, which drew its bold green, blue and orange color palette from its surroundings, is full of beauty, too, with touches like the Bride’s sequin gown, vintage Airstream, bright pops of orange flowers, and rustic wood details. And the gorgeous photos from Marissa Maharaj in the gallery make it even prettier.
From Marissa Maharaj…Hannah and Jay chose Lake Casitas as the background for their gorgeous wedding, where everything was in full bloom and bursting with color. Their day was marked by laughter, stunning details, and the warmth of family, friends and the California sun. Hannah’s custom dress was also very unique. Hannah and Jay also chose to invite their families to stand with them in lieu of a bridal party, which is a lovely and heartwarming idea!
From The Bride…Jay and I love to host parties and entertain, and we wanted our wedding to feel like one big dinner party with everyone we love. We pulled from the natural color scheme in Ojai (blue water from the lake, green from the trees, orange from the surrounding groves) and tried to integrate that throughout. I’m not a very DIY person, but we picked a few projects (the wine bottle table numbers, our paper goods and signage) and tried to make those sing. Jay’s family is much more religious than mine, so we had to be very thoughtful about finding a middle ground that would speak to the traditions of both families. We tried to create moments that would make people smile and laugh and have the whole weekend feel like a great big hug.
Stealing away with Marissa during the golden hour after our ceremony was one of my favorite parts of our wedding day. The whole day was such a rush and the sun setting over the lake was so beautiful – if she hadn’t pulled us away for pictures we easily would’ve gotten caught up in cocktail hour and saying hi to everyone we know, so it was so special for us to have that moment of being forced to stop and take in the sunset together and really appreciate how stunning everything was. Also, right after our ceremony we had a scheduled few minutes of alone time in the airstream – and our planner was smart enough to coordinate a delivery of apps and cocktails to us. We were so giddy and happy and excited – and those feelings grew by 10x with the addition of fried chicken and waffle bites :)
You have to pick your battles! It’s so easy to get hung up on details that seem REALLY important – but you have to really think, out of the whole weekend, will anyone notice if we have 3 candles on the table instead of 6? Or if their goody bags aren’t sparkly? Details like that can seriously make you go crazy (Pinterest is a blessing and a curse!) – but we tried to focus on the weekend as a whole and what would make people look back and smile, and that helped us let go of the small things. Also, if you can swing it, having a planner is amazing. Our planner, Jessica, saved our butts in more ways than I can count, and kept us (and our families!) sane the entire weekend—highly recommend.
Photography: Marissa Maharaj | Event Planning: Onyx & Redwood | Floral Design: Curly Willow | Invitations: Jay Judah | Catering: Whoa Nelly | Hair: Jennifer Blanchard | Venue: Lake Casitas | Airstream Rental: Silver Safari | Getting Ready Venue: Ojai Valley Inn | Rentals: Nicole Classic Party Rentals | Vintage Rentals: Pretty Vintage Rentals