This San Diego wedding shows why gardens make the best venues...

Eclectic San Diego Garden Wedding – Barrels and Branches – Lets Frolic Together 40

Just as our gardens are brimming with peonies, irises & roses, we thought it was perfect timing to share with you this charming nursery wedding – filled with flora & vibes for a good time.

Not wanting sand at their wedding (too cute) Lindsey used her romantic proposal as an opportunity for an oceanside engagement. As soon as Deven said yes, the couple went to work on finding the perfect place for “I do’s” and landing on Barrels & Branches, a garden nursery – while not accustomed to weddings – perfect for their floral-filled wedding.

Being the practically-minded gall I am, I’m all for the idea of finding a venue that doesn’t need too much decoration and a nursery is exactly that! Filled with greenery, cacti & florals alike, Deven & Lindsey could focus more on the aspects they cared about most, like fine food & plenty of dancing.

Want our advice on hiring & decorating a raw wedding venue space (ie. not a wedding venue)? Here’s our expert guide.

Out Love Story

We met in San Diego through the local rugby club. Lindsey joined the team just before I tore my ACL, which would sideline me for the rest of the season. Lindsey and I lived a couple of blocks apart in the same neighborhood and the surgery gave her an excuse to carpool and be a friend when I needed one. Our friendship strengthened and became something more in the months after that…

THE PROPOSAL: Lindsey woke me up early one Saturday morning to go on a seaside cliff hike. According to Lindsey, she knew I liked the idea of an ocean wedding, but hoped an ocean engagement do (she didn’t want sand at the wedding…). She didn’t have much to say, but I figured out pretty quickly what was going on once she dropped to a knee. I said, “Of course!” and the rest is history!

The Venue

After saying yes to Lindsey’s proposal, the first things we needed to decide were a date and a venue. We wanted something non-traditional that reflected the vibe of our life in San Diego, which we found at an Encinitas nursery called Barrels & Branches.

The Photography

We wanted a photographer who was really committed to capturing the story of us and our community at our wedding. We liked that Jasmine‘s portfolios included more candid shots than posed, and got plenty of pictures of the guests having as much fun as we would. There was one particular photo of a bride’s grandmother watching her granddaughter at the alter that really stuck with us. The love and emotion in that photo sealed the deal – we knew that Jasmine was the one.

The Colors & Style

We chose to go with navy blue and gold palette because we liked the thought of a little pop of gold and we thought it would complement our bridal parties’ outfits. Lindsey’s bridal party wore shades of olive and Deven’s wore a collection of pink and gold hues.

The Planning & Vendors

Because our venue was a working nursery that didn’t host weddings as its main gig we had to choose all of the vendors – it was a daunting task. One of Deven’s friends suggested our caterer, Chef Joann, and it was a perfect fit right away. She had done weddings at Barrels & Branches before and had lots of suggestions for wedding coordinators, desserts, DJs, rentals, etc.

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Favorite Moments

Lindsey’s grandmother officiated our wedding and, with her help, we wrote our own ceremony. This was more work, but we ended up with a just-right ceremony that we loved. No extra bells and whistles (though we did throw in a short handfasting ceremony!), just a chance to say the important stuff in front of our loved ones.

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Eclectic San Diego Garden Wedding – Barrels and Branches – Lets Frolic Together 43

Advice to Other Couples

Some advice that I would give to other couples is to have a discussion early on about your budget and to discuss aspects of the wedding that each of you might really care about. Lindsey was really keen on getting the perfect photographer so she took lead on that and I’m so happy she found Jasmine!

Also once you settle on one vendor, use their network as a resource – they’re in the industry and often have great referrals. Plus it makes everything smoother when your vendors have existing relationships and can work seamlessly together.

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Photo by Let's Frolic Together via Bridal Musings

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Eclectic San Diego Garden Wedding – Barrels and Branches – Lets Frolic Together 39

The Honeymoon

We went up to Napa Valley for a few days and then drove over the coast to spend a few days in Mendocino, California. It was all relaxing and beautiful – exactly what we wanted after a hectic few days of wedding wrangling with our families.

To wrap up the trip we spent two nights in San Francisco and rented a Vespa for a day to explore the city. That turned out to be a fun and efficient way to get around and might have been the most fun we had the whole trip. We would definitely recommend it!