our wedding story: part six // the grand finale!

let's be real, behind your screens you probably all look like these ladies with your hands up in the air, because i've finally reached the END of our wedding story! (hopefully not, but i just love this photo of my best friend's mom and mine - aren't they the most precious thing?) 

let's back up. if we're being honest, the reception is probably the part of the day that you invest the most planning & money into. hopefully, you've also invested seriously into your marriage, which then finally takes root during the ceremony. but the reception is all about the food, the fun, the music, and the love. we are so glad so many friends & family could celebrate and dance the night away with us...it was truly THE BEST. 

rachel & my sisters gave the sweetest speeches i've ever heard. i was so blessed by their words of encouragement and affirmation! 

i'm also so glad that we had the time to walk around and hug our guests! though we weren't able to make it to every table, it was a wonderful way to thank them and personally connect despite all the flurry and excitement of the day. these people have all been influential in our relationship, in some big or small way, and we would not be where we are or who we are without them. 

BAHAHA see that fat cold sore on my lip?! again, proof that not everything about our wedding was perfect. i remember waking up with that monster just a few days before the wedding, and all i could do was laugh. those dang things always show up at the worst moments (like my senior yearbook photo, the first day of school...you know, little things). i usually take them as a warning sign: stop stressing, deb. like, now. and then smear toothpaste all over it praying it'll disappear. but i was a bride with a cold sore (windex anyone?!) and it wasn't the end of the world. laugh life in the face sometimes, put a little lipstick on, and party on, friends. 

THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE WORLD / THE SWEETEST PEOPLE / FRIENDS I WISH LIVED CLOSER SO WE COULD ACTUALLY GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER EVEN BETTER! i adore Jillian and James and still love telling the story of how our paths crossed. they made the most important part of our wedding day (the photographs) a reality, and i will never forget their generosity, kindness, and overall awesomeness. 

cheers to a wonderful weekend, friends!

photography: Jillian Zamora Photography

part one: getting ready | part two: bridesmaids & groomsmen | part three: venue & DIY details | part four: the ceremony | part five: a bride and her groom

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! 

have the happiest weekend, friends! 

photography: Jillian Zamora Photography

venue: Bommer Canyon

bridal shoes: Steve Madden

dress: W1 at Jinny's Bridal

programs and wedding stationary: Zest & Lime

floral design: Elementals

wedding cake: homemade

day-of styling/wedding coordinator: Erin Marrero at Simply Sweet Weddings & Events (she's the best. hire her, NOW!)

DJ: DJ Rev

part one: getting ready | part two: bridesmaids & groomsmen

our wedding story: part one // getting ready

this past weekend marked our 5 month anniversary - 5 months since the most magical day of our lives. i've wanted to share our wedding photos for a while now & finally got around to choosing our favorites and organizing them! all of the photo credit goes to our incredible wedding photography duo, Jillian & James Zamora. the night before our wedding day, they were shooting another wedding in texas, and hopped on a plane the next morning! when they arrived in long beach on sunday morning, they literally stepped off the plane, drove over to the salon, and geared up for another full day of shooting - talk about the most hard-working and dedicated people on the planet. besides marrying Travis Lane, i was also so excited to finally hug and meet these two after months of talking online! it's like we had known each other forever...their presence just made our day even more special, along with all of the other vendors and friends who worked tirelessly to make this day all we had ever dreamed it would be. we are forever grateful! 

the girls and i started the day with wedding starbucks (of course) and then a trip to the hair salon, before all the make-up and dressing madness started at our little apartment. it was absolutely perfect. 

this picture is one of my favorites - all of my favorite women, in one place, primping, pampering, feeding and hydrating me, laughing, and filling the air with glitter and butterflies!

i went into our wedding day expecting at least ONE thing to go wrong, and this moment was the first. 

deb, we can't get it closed.

no seriously. 

did they alter this correctly?! 

deb IT'S NOT GOING TO CLOSE!

breathe in. MORE. 

 i have never seen women pull and squeeze and stretch something so tightly, but we muscled our way through. and then i couldn't breathe for the rest of the day. 

and this next moment is the sigh of relief when everything snapped into place. 

tomorrow i'll be sharing photos of our incredible bridesmaids and groomsmen. these best friends of ours made our day ten thousand times more special! 

photography: Jillian Zamora Photography

dress: W1 Barcelona

hairstylist: Jordan at George Oliveri 

make up artist: Brianna Middleton