Yesterday was a whirlwind of a day full of loving family and fun! I was so blessed to be able to work with Jordyn and Drew for their day. Jordyn was actually a college friend of my sister’s and ended up hiring me through the grapevine after getting engaged. We really clicked and she’s become a great friend to me throughout the wedding stress! I arrived early and got to take a few shots of the bride getting ready:
The bride and her mom, Tami, who is too much for words- she was amazing and envisioned the entire event!
Detail on Jordyn’s dress was actually taken from her mother’s wedding gown. It’s a piece of lace [not sure how well you can see it]. Jordyn also wore her mother’s veil.
Her family had Jordyn’s “new” initials embroidered onto the inside train of her dress. The photographer got a great picture! I got not a great picture, but you get the idea. :)
They really went all out with some great details, so we’ll start at the ceremony and work our way through the evening with them. They had programs [which doubled as fans], bubbles, reserved signs, and a gorgeous ceremony table all with the design set up of professions. She used black berries and greens as aisle decor and it was so tasteful in her outside garden setting. Oh yes, I didn’t mention prior to this but Jordyn and Drew were married at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. So beautiful!
Setup of the table [the ceremony was so gorgeous and really tapped into Jordyn, Drew, and their families so so personally. Not only did the couple light a unity candle, they chose to take communion, share their first prayer as husband and wife, and they also had a worship song for the whole group to sing along with the musicians they brought]:
[Monogram napkin for the communion...]
The cocktail area was around The Inn’s pool and it was intimate and perfect. Tami, my MOB [mother-of-bride] made these CUTE black straws with white “I do!” flags in them for their tray-passed lemonades and arnold palmers. She also packed individual cups of tray-passed potato chips and mixed nuts for the cocktail hour. It was a great way to save money by having The Inn allow them to bring their own items for appetizers, and they were super cute too.
All of the flowers were a group effort by Jordyn’s family and friends. A bridesmaid put together the bouquets, Jordyn’s amazing aunt Kim arranged most of the flowers, and with a little help from Tami’s Interior Design pals, every table was decadent and truly unique! Here’s a picture of the cocktail centerpieces:
The cocktail hour also spilled over into the pool cabana, which housed the bar and a few tables in the shade to sit down. And also- it housed THESE! One on each side of the gorgeous glass doors [which opened to the reception area], Moss boards with seating cards were such a cute detail:
The theme of the wedding was black and white [with hints of green because of the lush garden setting]. The centerpieces were hurricanes and candles and the favors were herbs so the reception was filled with warmth and inspiration. Here’s some deatils from the evening there. The first picture is mason jars filled with white rocks and candles, which hung from large sheppard’s hooks lining the perimiter of the garden [and mainly, the couple's get-away path for the end of the evening].
[The jars were tied with about 10 different kinds of black, white, and black and white ribbon. It was so amazing and Martha Stewart-esque to see them all together]
These paper lanterns hung on either side of the head table. At night, the lights stuck into the hedge were lit as well and it was so warm and glowy:
This picture table was so great for the guests! It contained pictures of Jordyn and Drew’s engagement session as well as wedding picures from both sets of parents. We later added her toss bouquet onto the table as well. At night, the lamp on the end of the table was lit and tealights were added for glow. It was so romantic!
This is the get-away path that I had mentioned earlier. The two hanging cones from the ceremony were moved and brought over to hang on the gate. At the end of the evening, guests lined up and blew the extra bubbles as Jordyn and Drew walked to their car. It was such a vision. I didn’t get any pictures of it, but the bubbles at night with the candlelight were just too much!
Ring pillow…
Bird cage for cards on the gift table…
Forgive me in advance, but there are about 20 pictures of the cake arrangement that I would like to include. I will try and spare you as much as possible. Jordyn opted for cupcakes displayed instead of an actual wedding cake. They DID get a small tier for them to slice into and feed one another, but the table display that Tami and Jordyn came up with was truly so amazing. Here are some pictures of their decorated cupcakes [just a side note for you- these cupcakes were actually decorated by family the day of the ceremony after the bakery delivered them. They are decorated with a small leaf or mint spring and 2 gummy blackberries!]:
In the box, before the set up:
Details in the women’s restroom:
Now, onto our precious day. We’ll start with the flower girl, who was so cute. She did a GREAT job walking but was totally a wild card. Her mom, being a good and realistic woman, dressed her, and then quickly made a make-shift “cover” for her daughter’s dress out of the plastic bag it came in. It was definately a laugh:
And, with the bag:
The boys during their pre-ceremony pictures:
Jordyn and Drew chose to share a special moment and take pictures together prior to the ceremony. I know it was really special to both of them and helped calm their nerves and prepare one another for the ceremony:
Love this picture of the bridesmaids watching them:
A picture of the girls and moms showering Jordyn with a pre-ceremony prayer:
“The walk”:
This is Jordyn and Drew taking a moment for the worship song with the rest of the guests:
Vows, unity candle, communion, rings…
There was this beautiful moment, from my point of view, where Drew and Jordyn were leaned in praying together and Jordyn’s parents were in the front row leaned and seemingly praying together as well. It was a true moment where you could see what Jordyn’s parents had helped her look for in a husband.
Jordyn’s engagment ring was a flat band and very unique [as you'll see later] and was meant to stand alone. However, during the ceremony Drew suprised everyone- especially his bride- with another band of diamonds and sapphires. He later explained that he chose sapphires because they represent faithfulness- his faithfulness to her from this day forward. It was truly a great moment. They actually went through the entire ring exchange normally before the pastor asked for the third ring!
And now, the Mr. and Mrs. [with bubbles galore]:
Jordyn’s rings. The bottom band with diamonds on either side is her engagement ring, and the band above is her new, surprise wedding band.
The cocktail hour was pretty quick, and was full of pictures, candle lighting, checking in, and running around. The party made their grand entrance through the room which let out onto the outdoor dancefloor. Here’s the head table and the rest of the evening’s events [mixed in with a few extra detail shots]:
The photographer, after dinner, set up a slideshow of images from earlier. It’s always a wedding favorite. And the shots were absolutely gorgeous! Thanks to Andre Niesing for great photography!
[I just love the way they looked at each other and held one another!]
They opted for a polaroid photo guest book [and they had appointed two guest book attendants with polaroids for the cocktail hour]:
One of the two adorable ring bearers!
The cake cutting:
Now, as you can see in the background of some of these, there was a slideshow as well. As it turned out, the slideshow was full of little unpredicted quirks, but here’s a shot of it:
Bouquet and Garter:
And to leave with, one last shot of the path lit up by the candles. As I said earlier, this is the place where the formal exit took place. It was truly a sight!
All in all, this wedding was so personal, so home spun, and so touching. In all of the best ways, the family and friends pitched in and really made this event feel like something that brought the families together for the union. Both fathers gave touching and personal speeches and even the matron of honor and best man poured their hearts out to the group in their speeches. The familie were so full of love and kindness- it truly reflected their character being able to be a part of this day for all of them! I love that I was invited in for just a chapter of their lives. I know Drew and Jordyn are heading off to Jamaica tonight and their honeymoon is going to be full of the love and kindness that their families have shown them! Have so so much fun, lovebirds!!
