Jesse & Nicole were so excited to get engaged that they started planning their “dream wedding” the very next day – even booking their venue and photographer! Just a few weeks later however, Nicole’s Mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer. So they put planning the wedding on hold and decided to get married in Nicole’s parent’s backyard in San Diego, just 2 weeks later.

Nicole explains…. “To keep things simple, we decided to keep the guest list just to just a few relatives and a couple of my family’s closest friends. Even though many friends and family couldn’t be there, the evening was magical and couldn’t have been more meaningful. I’m grateful that my mom got to be there to see me marry the man of my dreams.”

Sadly Nicole’s mom passed away a couple of months later, and when a few months after that Nicole discovered she was pregnant she and Jesse felt that they wanted to involve all of their friends and family in a special celebration, so they got back to planning calling it “Wedding 2.0”.

“We spent a lot of time discussing what 3 things were most important to us about the wedding and that really helped us decide where we spent our money and put the most attention. It was essential for us that we have all of our friends and family there to celebrate, that we have gorgeous photos to help remember the day, and that we have tasty local food. Since we were already technically married, it was incredible to be free of all formality and pressure to do something just because it is part of a traditional wedding. We just did what felt comfortable and meaningful.” 

“From the moment we got engaged, I knew that we wanted Rifle Paper Co. to do our invitations. We sent them pictures from our first wedding and had them customize an invitation to include a picture of the barn where we had the celebration and the train up to Bear Mountain.”

“We really wanted to take as many aspects from our first wedding and integrate them into Wedding 2.0 as possible, and the invitations showcased that connection. We also had a guitarist play the same songs when we were walking down the aisle “I Will Always Love You” from the Cure, did the same first dance song “Falling Slowly” from Once, integrated succulents into our flowers, and read the same (but slightly updated) vows.”

“Both of us are foodies and wanted to focus on showcasing the amazing produce and food that Santa Cruz and the greater Bay Area has to offer. Everything our guests were served, was as local as possible and in season. Also, we fell in love over many important food memories and experiences surrounding food. We included some of those memories (french macarons, pies from Gizdich Ranch, and horchata) into our drink and dessert table.”

“We decided to have our ceremony out in nature among a circle of huge redwood trees. One of the aspects that we love about the city of Santa Cruz, where we live, is the focus on being outdoors and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. We love walking and running around the town and spending time outdoors. Between beaches and redwood forests, Santa Cruz has natural beauty everywhere you look and our wedding venue really showcased that. The florist we chose also took our color palate, and love of nature and beautifully integrated that wherever possible. “

“I am kind of obsessed with confetti and wanted to have a very summery outdoor game vibe to our cocktail reception, so I bought a cornhole game on etsy, and decorated it with tons of confetti I had been collecting over the years. It was super fun to make and it was great seeing everyone playing with it.” 

“Jesse and I loved my mom dearly and since she was such a huge part of my life and wasn’t able to be at “Wedding 2.0”, we wanted to find a tangible way to integrate her and her vivacious spirit into the day. We made a memory table full of pictures and remembrances of my mom’s life so that people could get to know her and understand how much of an influence she had on me. It was incredible to look through all of my old family photos and to see how much my parents were in love and how beautiful and full of life my mom was. We also wanted to share the experience of the first wedding with our guests, so we had a photo album out on display with pictures.”

“Simon (The Best Man) speech was one of the definite highlights. He had everyone rolling on the floor laughing and told a hilarious anecdote about he and Jesse getting lost on the way to a Spice Girls concert. The best.” 

Such a beautiful day! I love how Jesse & Nicole remembered Nicole’s Mum throughout the day. I am sure she would have been smiling down on their gorgeous celebration. Huge and heartfelt congratulations to them both! Plus a big thankyou to them and of course to the fabulous Onelove Photography who, as always, captured the whole celebration so perfectly. If you love their photography as much as I do, and would like to see more of their work, take a peek at Kayla & Matt’s romantic winery wedding, this magical Winter wedding or this sweet celebration with a vintage travel themed reception and this garden inspired wedding full of boho vintage elegance. Or head over to their website www.onelove-photo.com and don’t forget to follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

VIEW THE GALLERY

Or if you love Jesse & Nicole’s bright & beautiful celebration and are looking for more inspiration for your own wedding, then you should see Betsy & Joel’s floral affair in the prettiest fall palette, Aaron & Amy’s country meets city wedding all the way from Australia, or Kate & Wes’s dazzling celebration in bright Summer hues! Oh and Shelby & Zachary’s vintage garden wedding is an absolute must see!

Amy

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Contributors & Credits

Photography – onelove photography // Venue – Roaring Camp Railroads, Felton, California, USA // Co-ordinator –  Wylie Weddings // Floral Design – Eothan Floral // Wedding Dress – Loho Bride // Dress Customization/Alteration – Tailor Maid // Bride’s Shoes – Charlotte Olympia // Bridesmaid Dresses – Sohomode // Hair & Makeup – Kala Ketchum // Jewelry – Ariel Gordon Jewlery // Ring Box – Laiva Art // Stationery – Rifle Paper Co. // Catering – Five Star Catering // Cakes & Desserts – Buttercup Cakes // Macarons – Kelly’s French Bakery // Cupcakes – Buttercup Cupcakes // DJ – DJ Von Woo Scratch Weddings