My Wedding Day

Jul 17

My husband and I got married in May of 2022 at a beautiful winery in Temecula, California. The day truly exceeded out expectations and we are still getting compliments from our guests months later. Remember, just because I did something for my wedding does not mean you have to do it at yours! I hope you enjoy reading about our special day and looking at all the beautiful photos.

Overall Design

Pops of pink, blush, and coral really stood out against the already beautiful sea of green from the landscaping, vineyard, and venue. Utilizing the chairs provided by the venue saved us some money, and I really didn’t feel like it took away from the aesthetic.

For the reception, we kept the same color palette throughout. Our tables were so bright, thanks to bright pops of color in the florals, napkins, and chargers. I think this helped keep the mood happy and light while keeping the overall design elegant and elevated.

Our vision for the party was to create our very own gay club out in wine country. Once it was time for dancing, our disco ball installation served as an anchor over the dance floor. We had up-lights surrounding the room and moving lights synched up with the music. Our planner even surprised us with a fog machine and lasers that took our very own gay club to the next level. It was so wild to see the reception space go from a classy dinner with standard jazz music to full-on club mode.

Special Details

During the ceremony we knew we wanted some kind wedding ritual but did not want to pour sand or light candles so we opted for a wine box ceremony to stay in theme with the winery. The way this ritual works is that inside the wine box you have a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. During the wedding ceremony you and your new spouse add a letter that each of you wrote to each other and then seal the box. On your one-year anniversary you will open the wine box, drink the wine, and read the letter your spouse wrote you. We bought our wine box on Etsy.

We also bought our custom wedding vow books on Etsy. We each hand wrote our vows and after the wedding was over we wrote down all our favorite memories from the wedding. We plan to go back and read our vows and memories from the wedding every year on our anniversary!

Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Charlie, was a huge part of the day. After all, he is our child. Our wonderful florist made Charlie a floral leash and collar for the event since he was our ring bearer. We added some clips to his custom leash, harness, and collar set and he was good to go! PRO TIP: Use silicone rings on the clips just in case your dog decides to shake. You don’t want your actual rings to go flying off! The person handling your dog can palm the rings to you and nobody will know the difference. And once the wedding is over you will have silicon rings perfect for working out, going to the pool, or any other occasion where you might not want to wear your actual ring. Charlie could also be seen on our custom cocktail napkins and even taking a bite out of our wedding cake! In our seating vignettes there were nods to Charlie with a human lounge and a dog lounge. The water bowl even had Charlie’s name on it!

For a guest book with we went audio! After the Tone is a wonderful small business that mails a phone to you with a recorder that guests can leave “voicemails” on. All they have to do is pick up the receiver and leave you well-wishes for your marriage. A few weeks after your wedding you get all your voicemails on an audio file to listen back to for years to come. And if you want, you can even get the voicemails put on a vinyl record! This is such a cool way to preserve your friends and families voices and to hear the authentic joy and love coming from the other end of the call.

Guests got to enjoy the beautiful venue some more with outdoor seating vignettes and lawn games. Not only was this fun for cocktail hour but it allowed guests that needed a break from dancing to go outside and get some fresh air during the reception. We suggest looking for lawn games that will add to the design of your event and not just going with cheap plastic games.

Instead of favors that we knew would probably get lost in a junk drawer or find its way to the trash, we decided to do something a little more unique. We created a playlist on Spotify with music heard throughout the event. From classical, jazz, and even the music our guests requested on our RSVP cards. We made a custom playlist cover image on Canva and created a QR code so guests could easily scan and follow the playlist at the wedding. Now our guests could listen to the music that made up our day long after they got back home. And it allows us to have those memories through music from our wedding day. Check out the playlist here!

There were so many beautiful details and I am sure I can go on and on.

Lessons Learned

Hiring a wedding planner to assist us was the best thing we could have done! You don’t know what you don’t know and the knowledge and experience a planner brings to the table is worth every penny.
Trust your vendors. You have to remember that your vendors do this work all the time. They know what works and what doesn’t. Trust the process and know they are going to have your backs. They want your wedding to be as fabulous as you do!
The day of the wedding is going to go by so fast. Don’t stress about the details and no something isn’t going to go as planned, and that is okay.
HAVE FUN! It’s not worth all the stress.