Rustic Romantic California Wedding

I dream of going to weddings with as many games available to guests as in this vintage California reception. What better way to celebrate in someone’s big day than with a nice game of croquet? There’s even more to love in this wedding than the lawn games — just take a look at the tulle fabric dessert table backdrop! We have Brad Claypool to thank for taking such wonderful snaps.

From the bride, Sarah: One of our first dates was spent in an apple orchard so we wanted to try to incorporate that into the wedding somehow. It was very important to both of us for our wedding to be a fun, happy celebration! We wanted our guests to enjoy themselves and not feel like they were at another boring wedding, so we had ragtime music playing and games set up (horseshoes, bocce ball, croquet) and lots of food to eat. We also made our guest book interactive so our guests could have fun and be creative with that, too.

Our wedding was rustic and romantic. I found a page in a Martha Stewart wedding magazine that had a peachy, dusty rose, cream, and brown theme on it and I planned my entire wedding with that in hand! I fell in love with the vintage/romantic feel of the colors and tried my best to use only those colors for our wedding. I searched every wedding blog imaginable for weddings with those shades and got a lot of my inspiration and ideas from weddings I found in the blogs.

The arch we were married under and the arch we used for our photo booth were made by my mother-in-law (she searched high and low for the perfect colors and textures). I decided to go with vintage frames and mirrors for our centerpieces because I already had a large collection of them at my house and I found a ton of great vintage perfume trays and mirrors at a thrift store in Dallas while I was on a work trip shortly after I got engaged.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Try to enjoy every second of your engagement. It goes by so fast! Don’t be afraid to ask for help; your friends and family will be happy to help you. I could not have done it without them! And remember to be flexible!

A Bold Berry-Colored Vallejo Wedding

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Wedding songs:
Seating of the Family: “Grandma Mary,” Denison Whitmer
Bridal party’s procession: “First Day of my Life,” Bright Eyes
Procession: “Hungry for a Holiday,” The Album Leaf
Communion: “Give Me Jesus”
Recessional: “Flowers in the window,” Travis
First Dance: “La Vie En Rose,” Louis Armstrong

Wedding Vendors (Oak Glen, CA):

Wedding venue: Riley’s Farm / Wedding photographer: Brad Claypool Photography / Wedding dress: Watters / Bridesmaids’ dresses: Anthropologie / Bride’s jewelry: Whitley Designs / Wedding hair: Jessie Holiday / Makeup: Lynn Simpson / Groom’s suit: Ted Baker / Groomsmen’s outfits: H&M / Floral design: Christa Rose / Wedding invitations: Minted / Wedding desserts: Jacquelynn Swank