“So this is how the story goes…
Let’s start with the morning before the wedding. I was totally prepared. The last thing I needed to do was get a mani and pedi with my girls. I went to pick up my fiance’s sister first. She hops in the car and hands me a baby sippy cup, she has one for herself as well. My mind was already mush from all of the wedding planning so I didn’t question it. I start driving to our nail appointment and take a sip from my sippy cup at a red light.
Whataya know!!! It’s a margarita!”
… is how today’s bride, Randi, starts out her wedding story. So yes, I love this girl. Enjoy her wedding because I did to infinity and beyond.
Thanks to Michelle of Michelle Sullivan Photography for submitting the loveliness that ensues below. Such an inspiring day, so inspiringly captured.
My wedding day was the best day of my life thus far! I poured everything I had into my wedding in the hopes that this day would be fun, comfortable, easy, beautiful and above beyond what I could have ever dreamt up. So this is how the story goes…
Let’s start with the morning before the wedding. I was totally prepared! The last thing I needed to do was get a mani and pedi with my girls (bridesmaids).
I went to pick up my fiance’s sister first. She hops in the car and hands me a baby sippy cup, she has one for herself as well. My mind was already mush from all of the wedding planning so I didn’t question it. I start driving to our nail appointment and take a sip from my sippy cup at a red light. Whataya know!!! It’s a margarita! I have now just broken the law by drinking and driving the day before my wedding, thanks to my Sister to Be! Fast forward to after the mani and pedi, the girls and I decide to get a drink with the five minutes we had to spare before heading off to the wedding rehearsal.
We show up to the wedding rehearsal, a little buzzed. My brother was on the same page with a 30 pack of beer in hand. Maybe we were all a little nervous… well NOT ANYMORE! Few more drinks down, when I’m finally starting to relax, it’s time for the wedding rehearsal! Okay, well, I had opted out of having a wedding planner so it was up to me to tell everyone the drill. I didn’t really think this through all the way soooo I’m drunk now, having to tame what seemed like a circus. Believe it or not (I still can’t) the groomsmen totally stepped up to the plate and took over the rehearsal… why they knew what to do, I still have no idea!
Tip #1: Don’t accept odd drinks from Sister to Be/Don’t get drunk before the wedding rehearsal!
The morning of the wedding, of course I was nervous but mostly excited. All my girls show up on time at the hotel, it’s time for makeup and hair! Turned out to be a stressful morning:
• I sit down to get my hair done by a friend/hair stylist, first thing she says to me, “okay so what are we doing again”! From then on I was pissed and sweating up a storm. 3 hours later, hair is done and it’s not what I wanted.
• All of my bridesmaids had a separate hairstylist, which was a blessing because my hair alone took so long. BUT none of them liked their hair and ended up re-doing it and/or just ripped their bobby pins out. They all looked gorgeous either way!
• Makeup went WAY over time, and we all felt like drag queens so we retouched our makeup ourselves. This was again a friend/makeup artist.
• My bra ended up not fitting underneath my dress, it was too padded which made the front of my dress pucker, we ended up having to sew me and my bra into the dress.
• The highlight of the morning was my mom bringing sandwhich ingredients to the hotel and we all made our own sandwiches which kept us alive and calm for the most part.
Tip #2: Just because you are trying to stick within budget and pinch pennies here and there, doesn’t mean you should accept favors without doing your proper research. AND always bring your own makeup and hair supplies, just-in-case!
Once we arrived to the wedding sight, which was my father’s house (the wedding was taking place in the backyard), I saw what a beautiful job my florist did and everyone who was there to help! Everything was PERFECT! Preparations that went into setting up the wedding included:
• Colors/theme: Since I knew it was going to be in my father’s backyard, which was already so beautiful and colorful, I decided not to add too much color into the decorations. I didn’t want it to look like a garden party. So I stuck with grey and white for mostly everything with subtle accents of blue (vintage blue glass floats, a single blue stripe on the napkins and cobalt blue glass vases in the centerpieces which had the table numbers on them).
• Centerpieces: I was going with beachy touches with the vintage glass floats, lanterns and burlap runners with succulents and small white/ green flowers in wooden boxes. Simple and inexpensive.
Tip #3: Once you arrive at your wedding, just let go! Trust the people you have hired/asked to help. And if everything isn’t perfect, THAT’S OK! If you don’t relax you won’t be able to enjoy any of it.
Some unexpected things that happened:
Awkward: When it was time to walk down the isle, one of the groomsmen kept hooting and whistling at every bridal party couple while they were walking. 1st, I asked him to stop (apparently he couldn’t contain himself) so 2nd, I threatened his life! That seemed to work!
Unique: Our introductions of the bridal party were very unique. The DJ announced each personal individually then said a few things about them before they danced down the entry way to a song that we chose for them. Surprisingly, each person totally rocked out and lived up to each song we chose. For example ‘Brittany has been friends with the bride since diapers, she loves to party, please give it up for Brittany…” Song we chose was Beasty Boys Fight for Your Right to Party.
Emotional: My dad did an unexpectedly great job on his speech, not a dry eye in the house. Almost directly afterwards we had the father daughter dance, my dad had some major moves and knew all of the words to the song I chose. The song started to end and finally my dad broke down on my shoulder and held me so tight and said “he didn’t want to let me go,” then quickly released me and had to walk out of the wedding to gather himself.
Nasty: A group of girls (our friends) kept getting caught in the Portable Bathrooms, showing each other their boobs… why you ask! Well, none of them remember, so we still don’t know!
Hilarious: My brother and some of our friends decided to jump in the pool toward the end of the night. It’s funny alright but the best part was they didn’t have dry clothes so they had to use my dad’s clothes. Imagine a few young, handsome men, on the dance floor wearing sweatpants (with the elastic band at the ankles) and shirts that were way too big, THAT’S FUNNY!
FUN: Since the wedding was “Adult Only”, we had a brunch the day after the wedding, back at my dad’s house. Kids were invited to swim! This was the best idea because we got to spend more time with our closest family and friends on a more casual and stress-less level. We also got to eat the left over BBQ food and desserts!
DIY Highlights:
• Instead of a signing book, we had guests sign a surfboard
• My step dad made the arbor out of bamboo then my mom wrapped it in white chiffon
• In place of a party favor we donated money to a Down Syndrome Association. We made cards (business card size) that were printed with the DSA information and hole punched the card then strung the card through twine and tied it to each napkin at each chair.
• Table numbers were written on sand dollars and tide with twine onto a cobalt blue glass bottle and placed at the center of each table
• To cover up a shed my father had in his backyard we wanted to make it look like a surf shack. We placed fishing nets on the roof and stuck sea shells in the net. We hung a lantern from the roof. My mother made a sign that read “surf shack” to cover the shed window and we leaned an old surf board up against it.
• Lighting was difficult because everything we quoted was so expensive. We decided to gather as many white Christmas lights as we could and hang them in the tree and strung them around. Once it got dark, the lights went on and it totally set the mood of a romantic warm summer night.
• Garter was easy. My mom threw it together for me with some lace, blue ribbon and elastic.
• Desserts: We had Baskin Robins Ice Cream Pies, Root Beer Floats and a cake made by my Matron of Honor.
Other Tips:
• Don’t skimp on the important things like photographer, DJ, food. This is your crew who will run the show for you!
• If you decide to have a DYI wedding, which I highly recommend, LET PEOPLE HELP YOU! This will help you stress less and actually enjoy each project.
• If you put a flower(s) in your hair, don’t expect it to last all night, they die, especially in hot weather!
Fave pic coming up right here (the color tattoos hurt the most, fyi):
(click here for a larger version you can save to your computer if you’re weirdly obsessed with my dog which I encourage, or take it a step farther (no pressure) and print it out/put on your wall at work. Because vitamin D deficiency is a big reason people get into bad moods. It could be to blame for that one coworker’s horrible attitude..)
Thoughts????!!!?!?!!!??!!!?!?!? I’m pretty in love with this wedding is it obvious. The coloring and obviously THE SUCCULENT ACTIVITY. You had me with succulents, Michelle Sullivan, but you KEPT ME with those fabulous captures of Randi’s exquisite tattoo action (Jared’s too, don’t mean to leave you out Jared). I am positively salivating over the collective tattoo action in your wedding you two, if only I had the courage! And don’t get me started on the idea to collect well wishes on a surfboard, OMGOD. I love that thing. What a neat idea for a keepsake, amirite guys?!
lata peeps!
Alison
Photography: Michelle Sullivan Photography / Florist + Day of Coordinator: Amber Bromiley / Caterers + Rentals: Green Acres / Cake: Heather Miller / DJ: Vox DJ’s KC Campbell / Hair: Frances Knott from Onyx Salon, Sherman Oaks / Makeup: Dennise Esposito from Onyx Salon in Sherman Oaks
