Bring On The Beautiful Blues With This Backyard Inspired Wedding!

Bring on the blues! I hadn't even seen the pics but already knew this wedding right here was going to be a favorite as soon as I read the Bride's description of her special day (think chinoiserie vases, long sky-blue runners with a dark blue flourished monogram). But then I looked through Hello Blue Photo'sgallery and well... it was all even better than expected. A fresh color palette, gorgeous blooms and a beautiful Bride and Groom. Start your week off right... right here!

From the Bride... When I was in my early 20’s I was in my uncle’s wedding. His reception was in my now Aunt’s backyard which is a beautiful horse property in Denver, Colo. My cousin got married on the lawn of his family home in Connecticut. My parents were married on my grandparents’ property. A long velvet green lawn, a white tent with music and dancing under the stars pulled at my heart strings, perhaps for family reasons, when deciding on a location for my own wedding. Since homes with acreages are hard to find in Southern California, we decided to have our reception at Shady Canyon Golf Club. Its gorgeous outdoor space gave us the backyard feel we were looking for. Although I like current trends, at heart I am a traditionalist. Silver chargers, beautiful glassware, and chinoiserie vases all spoke to me when styling my wedding. Long sky-blue runners with a large deep blue flourished monogram completed the look on our rectangular tables. For interest, we switched it up on our round tables and placed shear white embroidered overlays on white tablecloths. Those tables had only white flowers letting the blue and white chinoiserie vases make an even stronger statement. We chose periwinkle, lavender, mauve, white and light blue colors for our flowers on all the rectangular tables. It was a palette that married well with our Chinese vases and light blue table runners. I liked that the color palette has not been common for weddings recently, which made it seem fresh. We also didn’t want the flowers to look over arranged. Slightly more relaxed florals was the goal. I looked at hundreds of dresses in many different styles. There was one Carolina Herrera dress that kept coming back to me. It was simple, elegant, timeless and my favorite part was the bow in the back above the dramatic train. When I showed friends some of my gown considerations they kept saying, “That one looks just like you!” In fact, my Mom pulled it from a magazine before I even started my dress shopping. I felt like me in it, which is exactly what I wanted. My cake was super simple. A few flower embellishments was the only thing it needed. To me, wedding cake is all about how it tastes! SusieCakes Bakery is my absolute favorite. Of course, I only had one bite at my wedding! My bridesmaids are everything to me. I have lifetime histories with all of them. If any of them were to have been missing on my wedding day, there would have been a hole in my heart with their name on it. They were unbelievably generous to me during my engagement. From showers, to parties, and a bachelorette weekend, they graced each event with their style, laughter and love. I asked them to be my bridesmaids during Christmas so I gave them an ornament of a gold dress that looked like a bridesmaid gown with a poem asking them if they would stand by my side on my wedding day. I spent hours researching and interviewing many different photographers. I chose Christina at Hello Blue because we instantly clicked. Not only did I love her sweet, bubbly personality and obvious passion for photography, she immediately understood my wedding vision. It was also important that my photographer could shoot in both film and digital. Christina does both extremely well. Her photos are soft and ethereal. She captures the most precious moments in a beautifully natural way.

Photography: Hello Blue Photo | Videography: Triptych Weddings | Coordination: Sugar Branch Events | Floral Design: Paul Fenner Floral Design | Wedding Dress: Carolina Herrera | Bakery: Susie Cakes Bakery | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Dessy Group | Make Up + Hair: Beauty By Melina | Calligraphy: Whitney Forbes | Band: Jordan Music Entertainment | Venue: Shady Canyon Country Club | Bridal Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Groom's Tux: Hugo Boss | Rentals: Signature Party Rentals