I remember the way Chris’ face lit up when he said it. “I’m picking up her ring tomorrow!” We were at Denny’s, a group of probably eight of the two dozen members of a my friend Lyndon’s music group. He was so incredibly happy. So radiant. And also kind of nervous.
He was going to propose that weekend. He was going to Colorado to propose to his girlfriend at her family’s house.
“What if she says no?” he asked. We all assured him that she wouldn’t, of course, but I think we all were holding our breath all weekend. Until he posted on his Facebook wall: “SHE SAID YES!!!!”
Even though we all knew that it would happen, there was so much happiness in that simple statement. I know there was some squealing in my household. Chris came back from the trip and asked Lyndon to be his best man, and two other members of the group to be groomsmen. Shortly thereafter, Chris asked if I’d be interested in planning their wedding day. Of course I said yes too. 😉
What followed was one of the most challenging wedding planning experiences I’ve had to date (how do you create a beautiful wedding for 200 people, essentially at under $30 per person including food, cake, and florals?), and one of the most rewarding. And at the end of it all, I got to celebrate a fantastic love story between two genuinely beautiful people (inside and out, as you’ll soon see!).
I hadn’t actually met Emma yet when I took on planning for this wedding (a rarity), but when I did, I immediately loved her – she’s got such a genuinely sweet spirit and a gorgeous smile! I hope she had as much fun planning her wedding with me as I had with her! 🙂
We came up with a quirky, whimsical teal and lime color scheme full of fun touches and music details, since both Emma and Chris are musicians and since the wedding reception was at an amazing music venue. Blue and green tend to be the hardest two colors to use in wedding design, since very few flowers are found in either color, but Emma also loves colorful touches (we flirted with the idea of doing a rainbow cake – it was ultimately nixed by Chris!), so she asked for a super colorful bouquet, and she got one that delivered on both color and texture!
The dynamic duo behind We Heart Photography captured some gorgeous photos (and had a slideshow available that night at the wedding reception!), so I’m going to let them mostly speak for themselves. 😉
Starting with the gorgeous details!
Emma bought the fabulous boutonnieres (featuring sheet music roses and scripture leaves) from Etsy seller HBixbyArtworks, but the gorgeous bouquets were made by Desiree at Penny Blooms Floral Design! Love how they are full of different textures and colors – Emma told me that day that they were nothing like she’d ever dreamed; they were better!!! Love the little music note detail on each of them, too! 🙂
Emma also ordered the fabulous flower she wore in her hair from an Etsy seller, PetalBlushLove.
Gah… Just LOOK at those two!!!
Anyway, using Emma’s favorite Pinterest invitation as an inspiration, she and I created a fun, quirky, and Typography 101 rule-breaking invitation that has gotten more compliments from people who just know that it shouldn’t work… but does! I love it to bits. 🙂
Can you count how many different fonts were used? I’m seeing nine.
I made a coordinating program, too, and you’ll see other bits and pieces I designed (I did all the printed materials for the day, from the Save the Date on).
I created a small display in the entrance to the ceremony, using the programs and some fun items Emma had given me. It set the tone for the whole day!
The reception details were just as whimsical and modern (although they didn’t get as much photo love – I’ll explain why later, and I promise it’s a good reason!). Because we were on a strict budget, I had to get seriously creative when it came to centerpieces. They had to coordinate with our mix-and-match whimsical style and while not clashing terribly with the colorful, quirky decor at the House of Blues San Diego. In the end, I painted the inside of forty eight glass vases of various sizes collected from WalMart and Dollar Tree and my assistant Rachael and I carefully placed a mixture of different textures of white flowers and succulents (the latter came from Chris’ mom’s garden and my front yard!) into each vase. I loved that no two were the same – in my mind, it mirrored the stationery. I’m no florist, but I AM pretty happy with how these turned out. Especially with the addition of the fun sheet music- and kraft- paper mache shapes that I got from Michaels!
Emma hand crafted a special card box just for the occasion, featuring sheet music!
San Diego Desserts created a massive three-tiered chocolate cake frosted in white buttercream, which I decorated with a topper that Emma hand made for the occasion. It tasted just as good as it looked!
And while I was at the offsite ceremony, my amazing assistant Rachael styled their entire sweets buffet (featuring pastel candy purchased by Chris’ mom) herself! I am so proud of her for knocking this one out of the park:
Come back next week to see more from their ceremony, portraits, and fabulous party!!!!
Emma + Chris’ Whimsical Music-Themed Wedding at House of Blues San Diego Wedding Details:
Events by Elisa 