There is so much to swoon over in today’s gorgeous garden-inspired, wine country wedding from Onelove Photography, from the soft palette of romantic neutrals, to the organic just picked florals and lush reception decor; it is a sight to behold from the very first image – so have your pinning finger ready!

I love seeing couples create a celebration that is unique as they are, and the beautiful McKenzi and her beau Blake gave their romantic Paso Robles wedding an unforgettable personal spin with the most lovely personal details. Against the backdrop of the fabulous Croad Vineyards, and with a little help from Lotta of  Mint Design, they created an intimate and lush, summer garden feel, with the most perfect floral design by Uniquely Chic Florist Boutique. I will let McKenzi take over from here to tell you about it…..

“When planning a wedding it is very easy to become distracted from what the true purpose of the day is. I have been to many weddings where it felt more like we were at a party thrown for the guests, than a celebration of the couple and their relationship. More than anything we wanted our guests to feel the love that we have for one another. The purpose of the day was to celebrate us and the joining of our families; so although we wanted a beautiful day that reflected our relationship, we also wanted a day that remained true to its purpose.”

“Since the theme of our wedding was romance, our style was simple, we wanted it to be romantic and intimate. We accomplished this through some all important little details: It was important for us to find someone who could create a ceremony specifically for us, this not only made us very comfortable during the ceremony but it also allowed our guests to get to know more about our relationship. We also took the opportunity to personalize a welcome message for our guests that we had printed and placed on their ceremony chairs; this was a great time to thank friends and family who played a role in our wedding day. Another way we created an intimate feel for our guests was to include our family in the process in any way that we could; Blake’s aunts made our desserts and wedding cake and my close family friend painted our wooden signs.”

“When searching for a venue, we knew we wanted something intimate and romantic and Croad Vineyards exceeded our expectations. The view from the venue was so beautiful! It was important to us to have a great view for the ceremony, and it also made a great backdrop for our photographs! Also, by having our wedding at such a beautiful location, our decor could be simple, which actually saved us money.Oh and, no grass! Which was great because it meant, no sinking in heels. This was a nice feature of the venue as well.”

“We made sure to include a few photos on our welcome table of our recently passed relatives who couldn’t be with us.” I love the note they had printed, such a lovely way to remember those no longer with us, and to have them still be a part of your celebration.

“Although we were at one venue, we had separate locations for our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception which helped keep the intimacy we desired. This also made it simple for the design of each event to flow together. Each event area being quite small meant we did not have to fill a large amount of space. This was important because it not only saved us money but also it created a more intimate feel.” 

“In order to incorporate romance throughout our event design, I included several candles, hanging candles, lanterns and candelabras. I also chose neutral colors (lots of white, cream, pale pink, light grey and tan) and garden style florals. Many of the furniture items we chose were antiques to give off a feel of old romance, some of which we were able to borrow from my parents antique collection.”

Wow, what a clever aunt Blake has….. I think she may have found her calling!

Pearls of Wedding Wisdom from the Bride…

“Take your time in finding the perfect vendors! I spent weeks looking for each vendor individually because finding vendors who were experienced and professional made our wedding planning experience that much more enjoyable. Our photographers made one of the biggest positive impacts, the amount of detail they paid attention to prior to the wedding made me feel relaxed but also cared for as a couple. Over the months approaching our wedding day, I received various wedding day tips, questions about our photography preferences and even quick emails expressing their excitement about our wedding day approaching. Finding vendors that take the time to get to know you and care about you will make your wedding that much better!”

A favourite moment was…..

“It is hard to say there were any single memories that I enjoyed the most….. When I walked down the aisle, when we said our vows and were announced as husband and wife – those were the reasons we were celebrating that day and those were the memories I will cherish the most.”

*sigh* such a swoonfest isn’t it?? Huge and heartfelt congratulations to gorgeous couple McKenzi & Blake – you really did create a day I am sure no guest will ever forget! Big thanks to them and to their fabulous photographers Onelove Photography who captured all those little details so perfectly. If you would like to see more of their beautiful work, take a peek at this magical Winter wedding for something completely different, or head over to their website www.onelove-photo.com. You can also find and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Or if you loved McKenzi & Blake’s wedding and would like to see more boho vintage inspiration, why not take a peek at this beauty in red, green & gold, and this Spring delight in pretty shades of purple, or this romantic Backyard affair!

Amy

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Credits

Photography ~ Onelove Photography // Venue ~ Croad Vineyards // Designer & Coordinator ~ Lotta Alexandersson, owner of Mint Design // Floral Design ~ Uniquely Chic Florist Boutique //  Rentals ~ Found Vintage Rentals & All About Events // Bridesmaids Dresses ~ Annabelle by Jenny Yoo from BHLDN // Wedding Dress ~ Rivini from Lovella Bridal // Veil ~ Lovella Bridal  // Jewelry ~ BHLDN // Bridal Shoes ~ Steve Madden // Ribbon ~ Silk & Willow // Fans ~ BHLDN // Wedding Stationery ~ Minted & Matinae Design Studio // Groom’s Attire ~ Suit Banana Republic Shoes Steve Madden // Makeup ~ Ricci Watt & Maria Aguilar //  Hair ~ Jacob Hernandez // Wedding Cake ~Cristina Burtchaell (Blake’s aunt) // Caterer ~ Something’s Cooking Catering // Videography ~ Well Spun Weddings // DJ~  Giuseppe & Adriana // Officiant ~ Reverend Clint Hufft

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