postcards and pretties: {real wedding} veronica + mack

When Krystel of Couture Events sent over this lovely California shot by Teale Photography, I was instantly in love with all the DIY touches. They are vegan and were introduced to each other by a mutual friend because they were vegan, little did they know they would end up getting married! They wanted their entire wedding to be vegan from the appetizers to dessert and we were able to make it happen. We also had a wonderful time with the styling of this wedding. Most of the decor was DIY and the rest was vintage! Every detail was carefully considered from the lace runners to hand made fabric yo-yo's that covered every inch of the wedding to the the sock monkey pie toppers, it was a California DIY Dream.

What was your inspiration for your wedding? Or where did you get inspiration from?

Mack and I are both fortunate enough to have enormous families that are tightly-knit, which often results in wonderful family gatherings with tons of people, amazing food, and lots of love. We wanted our wedding to be just like another relaxed family party, only difference being that I'd be walking around in a big ol' white dress. At the same time, we both love the ocean, so we knew we wanted to hold the celebration near the beach; this was an extra bonus for my out-of-town families who don't get to see the ocean as often as we Californians do. Finally, I wanted the entire event to reflect our design aesthetic, which tends toward a antique, handmade, eclectic feel. Some of our ideas didn't seem like they would pair together well at first, but to my delight everything came together beautifully!

Tell us about your ceremony decor.

We wanted to keep the entire ceremony on the simple side, and this was reflected in the decor as well. When we first saw the tree on the lawn of our venue, we knew it needed to be a focal point. It was Krystel's wonderful idea to hang pretty things from the tree, and I think it worked out beautifully! For seating, we chose to rent simple white benches from our florist, Tara Wheaton. The benches were crafted by her husband for their daughter's wedding, which coincidentally was also held on the lawn of the Ole Hanson Beach Club. They were lovely, and added a country feel to the ceremony. Finally, Tara had placed hanging mason jars full of lovely blooms down the aisle, which added a pop of color.

How did it feel to walk down the aisle?

Walking down the aisle was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. We were lucky enough to have a friend drive us to the ceremony in a pristine 1930 navy blue Cadillac. My dad and I were driven directly to the site, so I walked right out of the car and down the aisle. It must have been unexpected, as we were given a standing ovation! What was most incredible to me, though, was how overwhelmingly happy I was - I felt as if I could burst! Seeing the faces of so many loved ones who had traveled so far was amazing, trumped only by the sight of Mack standing there waiting. It was unbelievable!

Tell us a bit about your reception decor/style.

For reception decor, we wanted to capture a vintage eclectic style that also warm, homey, and casual. We knew we wanted to incorporate lots of handmade items as well, as well as old family photographs. I'm very

nostalgic, and wanted to make sure that our family histories were reflected in some way. We decided to create a memory table, which gave us the chance to display our favorite family photos. It was a charming way to introduce our backgrounds to the guests and help our close family members to feel included. Meanwhile, I had been dreaming of having fabric yo-yos everywhere throughout the wedding. Unfortunately, yo-yos are very time consuming, and I found myself biting off more than I could chew. Luckily, I have incredible (and talented) family and friends - so many of them spent hours sewing them for us, and some of them even traveled across the country to be a part of our wedding! My cousin Lauren sewed our ring bearer pillow for us just days before the event, and my mom glued silk flowers and pink tulle to our paper umbrellas. My maid-of-honor Gwen, however, truly took the cake when it came to craft projects: she created the guest book, the place cards, zillions of yo-yos, and some truly amazing sock monkey cake toppers.

Tell us about your vegan menu.

For the meal, we searched far and wide for the perfect vegan caterer. We knew we wanted food that was fresh, seasonal, and creative; and something that didn't scream "vegan" (i.e. Tofurkey). Luckily, Rose Wade Events stepped up to the plate, and really did an incredible job. Their chef had grown up with two vegans in his life, and learned to cook great vegan food at an early age. He created some truly unique and delicious flavors that didn't disappoint. It was a hit for sure.

Why did you choose a Vegan menu for all of your guests?

As much guff as we got along the way about choosing to serve a vegan meal to our guests, I wouldn't have done it any other way. Mack and I met in the first place because we're both vegan, so this lifestyle is something that's deeply ingrained in our relationship. At the same time, we both feel that vegan food is *just food* - it just so happens not to have any animal products present. It would have been a disservice to our beliefs and our way of life to serve meat at our wedding, so we chose not to. And you know what? Everyone loved it.

What was your favorite part of your wedding?

My favorite part of our wedding was how seamlessly our families joined together. We were worried that a group as varied as ours wouldn't blend well, but to our delight, they did. My relatives from Louisville, Kentucky danced alongside Mack's Lebanese family to foot-stomping Arabic music, and our friends from Philadelphia do-si-doed with the Venezuelan side of the family. It was amazing, and everyone had *so* much fun.

What was your favorite decor detail at your wedding?

Hands down, my favorite detail were Gwen's amazing sock monkey cake toppers. Just a short time before our wedding, she had asked what other things we could use help with. I explained that we had wanted a cake topper of some sort, but between being burned out from work and wedding planning, I just couldn't come up with anything that could be done in any reasonable amount of time. Gwen, clearly not willing to let my secret monkey cake topper dreams die, took over the project, and within a few short days had created two insanely adorable sock monkeys dressed like Mack & me. They even have wire inside them so they're completely poseable. Amazing. I'm still in awe of the whole thing.