A Whimsical Bohemian Wedding in La Jolla

Bride Tammy wanted a wedding day that was colorful, bohemian, and glamorous, with a bit of nerdy thrown in for her husband-to-be — which came in the form of 75 glow-in-the-dark lightsabers for the post-ceremony dance party. Tammy and Nadav’s wedding day came together better than we could have ever imagined, thanks in no small part to the talented team of Orange Owl Photography, Coastyle Events, and Abby Barbrick of Sugar Rose Flowers.

From the bride, Tammy: Nadav and I knew that we wanted our wedding day to be a celebration of our love for each other, our family, and the people who matter the most. We tried to keep things simple, and wanted our guests to have a really great time. Our culture and religion are also really important to us, and we wanted to incorporate Jewish and Israeli traditions into our wedding wherever it was possible. Many of our guests were not Jewish, but I didn’t want them to feel left out, so I made programs from Wedding Paper Divas that explained each tradition we incorporated into our ceremony. Nadav and I always knew that we wanted an outdoor beach-y wedding. We fell in love on the beaches of La Jolla, and when we found the Martin Johnson House at the University of California San Diego we knew that it was perfect for us. Incredible ocean views, huge trees, slightly rustic, and exactly where we fell in love. It was also an almost blank palette and I loved that we could turn it into the bohemian-colorful-glam-unique-fun wedding I had always envisioned.

Our wedding could best be described with a few contradictions: traditional, but totally nontraditional at the same time. Bohemian, yet glam. Colorful, and simple. Hip, but nerdy. I guess it was a big kerfuffle, but it was so us, and that’s what made it perfect. Nadav is a big computer nerd, and it was really important to me that he didn’t get lost in the girly wedding shuffle. A few months before our wedding we were talking, and I asked him if there was anything he wanted at our wedding. He jokingly replied, “Oh you know, light sabers”. Well, that day I went online and ordered about 75 glow in the dark light sabers. You know what? those light sabers pretty much made our dance party amazing.

The month before our wedding Nadav and a few of his friends built our chuppah. In Jewish tradition, the chuppah is symbolic of the home that the bride and groom will build as they share their lives together. How cool is it that Nadav built our chuppah? Nadav and his friends also built an oversized Jenga for our guests to enjoy during cocktail hour. We still bring out the Jenga whenever we have friends over. Instead of traditional favors I ordered tambourines and had a hamsa printed on each one. Hamsas originate in the Middle East, and are said to keep away “the evil eye”. Well, I’m not sure if they actually keep away the evil eye, but I think they’re beautiful and hang them all over our house. My friends and I spent hours attaching colorful ribbons to each tambourine. They turned out beautifully and were the perfect dance floor prop.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Remember that this is about you and your soon to be spouse so don’t sweat the small stuff. In the end, the centerpieces will be really pretty but don’t matter, your mom’s opinion on the favors doesn’t matter, and whether or not you walked down the aisle with your parents too fast really doesn’t matter either. What does matter is that you’re marrying the love of your life, and starting a family together. It’s such an amazing thing, but it’s so easy to lose sight of that. Also, don’t feel like you have to follow any traditions. Do what feels right to you as a couple. Early in our engagement Nadav and I decided that we did not want to have a wedding party and instead had our immediate family stand at the chuppah with us. It was the best decision for us, and I would highly recommend it for anyone that does not want to deal with finding bridesmaid dresses. 😉 Take your time and find a photographer and a videographer that you love. Not only will you spending the entire day with these professionals, but you’re trusting them with capturing the moments of what will be one of the best days of your entire life. It’s a big deal, and I think Orange Owl Photo and Jack & Hannah Photography and Videography stepped up to the plate. If you can afford a wedding planner, GET ONE. Ashley of Coastyle Events kept me sane, was organized when I was confused, and made our day absolutely amazing. It was truly the best day of our lives and I am so thankful.

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Wedding Music:
Music was really important to us. We wanted to have an awesome dance party, while playing a mix of American and Israeli music at our wedding.
Processional: “Erev Shel Shoshanim,” The Dudiam
Recessional: “Happy Together,” The Turtles
Family Entrance: “Mi’aaa’makim,” Idan Raichel Project
Newlywed Entrance: “Let’s Raise Hands,” Eyal Twito
First Dance: “All Of Me,” John Legend
Father/Daughter Dance: “Od Lo Tamu,” Rami Kleinstein

Watch the video by Jack and Hannah Film & Photography below:

Wedding Location: La Jolla, CA / Photographer: Orange Owl Photography / Event Coordination: Ashley Noack of Coastyle Events / Floral Design: Abby Barbrick of Sugar Rose Flowers / Venue: Martin Johnson House / Wedding Dress, Veil, and Necklace: Nicole Miller / Wedding Shoes: Seychelles / Clutch: Anthropologie / Hair: Franco of Koda Salon / Makeup: Gustavo of Koda Salon / Groom’s Suit: Jos. A. Bank / Desserts: Sprinkles Cupcakes and Uncle Biff’s Killer Cookies / DJ: DJ Will of Dancing DJ Productions / Lounge Rentals: Pow Wow Vintage Rentals / Vintage China: Cheri’s Vintage Rentals / Tables, Chairs, Benches, and Lighting: Allie’s Party Rentals / Photo Booth: Pixster Photo Booth / Wedding Invitations: Coastyle Events / Wedding Programs, Menus, Personalized Napkins: Wedding Paper Divas / Videographer: Jack and Hannah Film & Photography