Cool Garden Wedding in California

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It’s quite fitting in this week of romance, that today’s real wedding was quite literally a dream come true.

Our groom Nate pictured this wedding day in a dream, with his bride Lindsay by his side, and her uncle as their officiant, and that’s exactly what they had.

Their cool backyard wedding was held in Lindsay’s cousin’s home, and with the help of her cousin, Alexis Garrett, and a troupe of friends and family, they created the most wonderful celebration.

An intimate ceremony and a taco feast under a beautiful Banyan tree, with streams of ribbons and lanterns swinging overhead and all their loved-ones by their side. Their style, Lindsay in her gorgeous boho Flora Bridal gown and Nate in his blue Hugo Boss suit, was fittingly cool.

This is the kind of relaxed, romantic, authentic wedding we just adore, and John Newsome Photography, with his candid style, captures it perfectly…

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Our Love Story

We were introduced by Lindsay’s cousin, who is also one of Nate’s best friends since the 3rd grade.

Our first meeting was on the beach. We very quickly established a relationship that centered around mutual respect, adventure, and joy.

The love that emerged from our meeting is indescribable.

Our Wedding

Lindsay’s cousin played a big part in our love story and it was very fitting that the wedding be at her home. She is an incredible designer and had great vision for the wedding.

Under her plan and direction we created a wedding that reflected our personalities and personal aesthetics.

The wedding drew from the talents of many of our friends and family. The decorations were crafted and hung through the efforts of many different people that are special to us – work parties fueled by Mexican food and cold beer were the norm for several weeks before the wedding.

The centerpiece of the location was, in our opinion, the large Banyan tree that we were married under.

The tree was decorated with sheets found at local thrift stores that were then ripped to size. There were also paper lanterns hung throughout the tree and the yard. All these things gave the space an immediate sense of magic and whimsy.

Hanging the sheets and lanterns was an adventure itself, involving ropes, harnesses, and helmets.

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The Ceremony

The ceremony was officiated by Lindsay’s uncle. Music was played on a ukulele and a cello during the ceremony by a friend of Nate’s and his girlfriend.

As stated above, the ceremony was underneath an old banyan tree.

Early on during our relationship during a road trip to the Oregon coast to visit Lindsay’s aunt and uncle I had a dream that she and I were married, and her uncle was the officiant.

So, in many ways the wedding ceremony was the realization of a dream.

The Decor & Details

Nearly all the details were the result of a loved one’s efforts. Even the napkins represented hours of work. Lindsay and her sister and mother spent a couple days cutting old sheets to size and dip dying them before hanging them to dry on an elaborated series of clothes line spread throughout our yard.

The tables were a collection of dining room, kitchen, and picnic tables borrowed from friends and from our own house. They were decorated with found table cloths and the flowers that were so expertly arranged by Lindsay and her friends and cousins.

Our wedding was made so special by all the efforts of those we love. The bonding through the shared work of making the wedding possible made the night of celebration that much more meaningful and just fun.

The Refreshments

MIHO Catering Co. and Barcon Cocktail Co. provided the food and drink services. We did a taco bar and margaritas, and blackberry brambles. They did an outstanding job.

The staff was respectful and engaged, and the food was amazing. Their style and menu were consistent with the feel that had been created for the wedding. They were the perfect choice.

The cake was made by Twiggs Bakery and Coffeehouse. The two lower tiers of the cake were carrot and passion fruit, respectfully. Delicious cake.

It was completely consumed at the wedding with only the small top tier remaining for Lindsay and I to eat later. Which we did on our honeymoon in Sedona.

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The Music & Photography

John Newsome was our photographer. We can not say enough good things about John. He and his assistant, Esteban, captured incredible images that illustrated the love and emotion of the night.

And they captured these images with incredible personal style and emotional connection that was genuine and felt. He delicately navigated the sensitivities of our blended families during the posed photos, and mysteriously captured deep and heartfelt candid photographs throughout the night.

John exhibited an almost preternatural ability to grab the art and story from the night.

Lindsay and I spent many hours choosing our music. We created several playlist with Spotify and shared this with our DJ, DJ Danny from On the Go DJ Pro, who mixed the music and delivered it with great timing that kept people dancing until the police came (yes, the police came).

The night was held together by another good friend, Bianca Wickers, who acted as the night-of-coordinator, bouncer, and professional party starter/dancer.