Planning a backyard wedding? Take inspiration from this sweet Cali party!

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Why search endlessly for a wedding venue when your parent’s backyard is a California dreamscape? This is what our sweet real couple ask themselves (and we wish we could ask ourselves) before ultimately planning their heartfelt, sun-drenched backyard wedding in the countryside.

Beyond the obvious win of not having to book an expensive venue, Lexi and Jon knew if they married at her parents’ home, they could sit in the yard for years to come and reminisce on their beautiful wedding day.

And beautiful it was, Essence Photography captured this sweet wedding during golden hour and the results are so dreamy. Lexi’s boho dress and overskirt fluttered in the setting sun, and her bridesmaids’ blush toned gowns complimented the scene perfectly.

Little shout out from a fellow West Coast bride begging her mom to bring maple bars and donuts from Safeway to her wedding (that would be me) – I am so jealous Lexi! The donut bar is a major win.

Our Love Story

Jon and I dated for a little over four years before getting engaged on October 3rd, 2015. He proposed at the Muir Beach Lookout which had the most incredible view of the ocean. Jon had told me that we were making a trip out to the city to do a little shopping. I was really excited because I had been wanting a pair of over the knee boots for fall.

As we started towards the city, Jon said we were taking the scenic route up Highway 101. I remember jokingly telling him ” I just want to make something clear…the only place I’m hiking today is up the stairs to Nordstrom to get my boots.” Jon said that at that exact moment he knew how oblivious I was about the proposal.

When we got to the top of the lookout, it was so windy and cold but I will never forget how beautiful it was. Jon and I were standing and looking out at the ocean and decided to take a picture. The next thing I knew Jon was on one knee asking me to marry him and I had completely forgotten about the over the knee boots. We spent the rest of the evening in San Francisco celebrating with close friends. The whole day was so special and will forever be one of the most memorable days of our lives.

The Dress & Attire

For our wedding day attire, we decided to have the groomsmen and Jon wear charcoal grey suits. I wanted something that was a little softer and more rustic looking than black.

My bridesmaids wore simple blush dresses from Lulus. I loved how soft and flowy they were.

I wore a backless, lace dress with a vintage embellished belt. For the ceremony, I wanted something a little more elegant looking so I had a custom detachable tulle skirt made. It was really fun because it almost felt like I got to wear two different dresses for the ceremony and the reception.

The Venue

Jon and I got married on May 20th, 2017 at my parent’s home in Vacaville, California.

After looking at several different wedding venues, we opted to get married on their property. We loved the idea of being able to sit outside in my parent’s backyard and reminisce about our wedding in the very spot that it took place.

Although having our wedding at a private estate was a ton of work and took an immense amount of planning, when the day finally arrived it was more beautiful than what I could have imagined.

The Design & Flowers

When I started planning, I really didn’t have a set vision but I knew that I wanted to have a neutral tone wedding and I was set on having a lounge area with Victorian furniture. I built the rest of my wedding vision off of those two ideas.

I went to a vintage sale and found a lot of great pieces that I ended up using to add some special touches to our day. I also rented some additional furniture from Blossom Farm Vintage Rentals. I am a very detailed oriented person, so by nature, our wedding had lots and lots of details.

For the floral arrangements on the tables, I wanted to keep things simple so our florist did flowers in vintage bottles with greenery laid across the tables. My bouquet, the bridesmaid bouquets, and the arrangements used for our ceremony were more elaborate and had a variety of flowers including peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, hydrangeas and astilbe. I am a big fan of greenery so I ordered some additional Italian ruscus from fiftyflowers.com to accent some of our decor.

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Photo by Essence Photography via Bridal Musings

The Photography

When Jon and I first began the planning process, it was important to both of us to find a good photographer and videographer. We found our photographers, Essence Photography, through The Knot. I immediately fell in love their photos and once I spoke with Betsy on the phone I was even more sold on booking them.

Our videographers, Classic City Films, were recommended to us by our wedding coordinator. Booking Classic City Films was an easy decision as well, as their work is amazing.

Photo by Essence Photography via Bridal Musings

Favorite Details

I really loved our dessert table. We had mini cupcakes, donuts, and donut holes. We also had a fire pit and a gourmet smores bar that all of our guests really enjoyed.

Advice for Other Couples

Pinterest was extremely helpful throughout the wedding planning process – mostly because it really helped me to communicate my vision to each of the vendors I was working with.

I also used the Knot (the app) to help manage timelines, budgeting and searching for vendors.