DEBBIE LAYNE PHOTOGRAPHY: our wedding story: part three // venue and DIY details

January 17, 2014

our wedding story: part three // venue and DIY details

i know what you guys are thinking - part 3?! how many are there? but i just can't help myself, k? i just love all of the beautiful images we received from our wedding day, and i at least want to document it all for my sake. i'm just glad you're here too!

there were so many little nuances and details that went into making everything crafted specifically for us. when we started wedding planning we knew two things: we were on an extremely low budget, and we wanted our wedding to reflect us, honor God, and serve our community (is that 4 things?). on the day of, many of our friends came up to us and said, "this is just so you guys!" which is exactly what we were shooting for.

i'm forever grateful for the help of so many girlfriends, and my handsome groom and some of his friends, and our endlessly supportive family. without all of them, we could not have pulled this off. my mom and best friend/MOH came into town a few days before the wedding, and it was a DIY workshop up in this house! they both saved my butt and brought peace and sanity to everything i was doing.

on the day of, i had no idea exactly what the final result would be, but when i saw the reception area for the first time, i gasped, and then smiled uncontrollably. it was exactly what i had imagined, even better actually. the whole day i kept mentally pinching myself - did we really pull it off?! and with a lot of love and a ton of grace, we did.

the locket on my bouquet was given to me by my grandmother when we were in germany last year. it was originally gifted to her by my dad and his sister when they were kids, after my grandmother had once had a long, tough day. it was almost an apology gift of sorts, a "please be happy again so we can enjoy our vacation." anyway, i wanted to include it as a tangible reminder of my dad who, though he was in all of our hearts that day, was deeply missed.

for the longest time, i'd always wanted sparklers at my wedding. but 90+ degree weather and a hot california summer in a park just don't work with fire. so instead, my mom slaved away and made these ribbon wands (what else would you call them...?) - just a dowel, hot glue, and a few pieces of ribbon. i still have them all over the house, and am so glad they worked perfectly for the send-off!

each table was numbered and then named after a place we've visited together. travis and i have been blessed with many opportunities to travel, and though Temecula is obviously not the most exciting destination on the list, it was on the road to Temecula where travis asked me to be his girlfriend. munich, buenos aires, salzburg, and china were just a few other places on the list...

these coasters! i can't believe we actually made that happen. my darling husband spent a hot summer morning slicing branches we brought down from my brother's back yard in northern california, and then i individually stamped every letter on them to create place settings for our guests. it's been so fun visiting our friends' homes and seeing these everywhere! they worked as a coaster, a place setting, and a favor - win-win-win!

way before we even started planning, i knew that i did NOT want to spend hundreds of dollars on a cake. it's just absolutely ridiculous. plus, i don't like the look of traditional wedding cakes. too symmetrical and perfect for me! to match our outdoor wedding, i wanted a simple cake with a rustic look. our family friend made these delicious cakes from scratch and i just adore the way they turned out - plus, they were delicious (at least that's what i hear... ;])!

mmm those stringed lights. travis and i had been talking about having lights like these at our wedding since we first knew we wanted to marry each other. many thanks to the strong, tall men who strung all of these up and truly made the space magical!