San Francisco Wedding with Nature-Inspired Minimalism and Bold Pops of Color

Color + intentionality came pouring through Alisa and Michael’s San Francisco wedding with full force. Backed by an incredible vendor team including our own Ashley Smith Events, their rooftop union was nothing short of a party overflowing with fun. Contagious smiles complemented the minimalist nature-inspired reception decor in a way only emotion can, and you may just find yourself pinning Alisa’s off-the-shoulder gown (and flower-clad bridal party) for months to come. We can’t wait for you to see for yourself below!

history of us //
Our love story has taken many twists and turns along the way and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Meeting in college among beer and new faces, Michael and I quickly became “platonic” guy/girl friends. Fast forward 11 years, and here we are — making out on NYE “by accident”, giving a proclamation our new found relationship at graduation, surviving a long distance stint in different continents, enduring two foundational breakups, creating a home to call our own, experiencing challenges and adventures with laughter, and all the while appreciating an amazing tribe of people that have helped us along the way. We originally planned to elope but soon realized we wanted nothing more than to celebrate this special union with our family and friends. And so, our vision of a carefree celebratory wedding came true, down the street from our San Francisco apartment, with zero bullshit, lots of storytelling, and everyone dancing on tables by the end of the night.

why you selected the vendors you did //
Our number one rule in selecting vendors was that we felt ourselves around them. We wanted to share this special day with them as well as our friends and family. It was important to us to get to know them and for them to get to know us as individuals and a couple. Ashley Smith and Jenn Emerling did just that. Their talent is undeniable – Ashley when it comes to impeccable execution and style; Jenn with the ability to capture moments in their true form. Most importantly, they listened to our story and understood what we wanted to get out of this day. Ashely recommended and assembled an amazing catering, floral, and glam team, while bringing our talented friends into the fold. Jenn danced the night away with us to Lucky Devils Band with Sharkpig by her side capturing everything on video. These people no longer were our vendors, but rather became our friends – we look back on the night in awe and are incredibly grateful to have met each and every one of them.

any design notes or special touches //
As a wedding gift, our friend Tommy designed and built our alter with his own two hands – a gorgeous wood-crafted backdrop with white trim details. We were in awe of craftsmanship and could not have imagined a better work of art to ground our ceremony in. It now serves as our bed headboard! Ashley’s boyfriend took it upon himself to set up an awesome step and repeat, capturing our guests as they arrived. We printed all these pictures and sent them along with our thank you cards as little something extra special.

favorite moments of the night //
Hands down our vows. We were adamant about writing our own and kept them secret from one another until the big day. Truth be told, we each wrote them the day before and of course almost forgot them in our respected groom cave and bride headquarters the morning of – typical. When I started walking down the aisle I was overcome with emotions, seeing everyone surrounding us and Michael standing at the altar. I stopped right there, dead in my tracks, ugly tears and all. It wasn’t until my Dad gave me a little squeeze that I was able to pull it together and continue walking down. Our two best friends officiated the ceremony and our mom’s surprised us with a reading from “The Prophet, their beautiful interpretation of a mother’s blessing. We looked straight into each other’s eyes, read our vows through tears and laughter, with all our loved ones bearing witness, everything else seemed to fade away, and that’s when we realized this was just beginning of something extraordinary.