DIY Tropical Wedding in Santa Cruz, Ca | Erika and Peter
Erika and Peter had the most unique Do It Yourself (DIY) wedding at a families residence in Santa Cruz, Ca. Between ordering the flowers online from Hawaii to create their arch and bouquets, or staying up all night creating hand waxed place setting- everything about this wedding was straight out of Erika and Peter’s dreams. It was such an amazing experience to get to photograph their wedding day and see everything we had talked about to come to fruition. I took some of their quotes and added them to their photos below, and it’s so beautiful to read about their day.
“We got married at my brother and sister-in-law’s private residence, right outside of Santa Cruz, CA, where I grew up. Their property is about 11 acres, with the most beautiful oak trees and when they offered their land to be our venue, we were overjoyed… but I don’t think any of us knew what we were getting ourselves into!”
“My most favorite memory was when we said our vows. We chose to write our own in addition to reciting the traditional vows. I could barely get through mine… and I really had convinced myself I wouldn’t be a blubbering mess! Writing our own vows and declaring them not only to Peter, but also to everyone we love was so special to us.
It was so much more to us than making a promise to each other. It was a holy moment where we chose to make a covenant with each other and with God in front of everyone. There was so much weight – a good weightiness – and it felt like we were suspended in time as the gravity of it all settled around us. I’ll never forget that moment and I’m so grateful we decided to write our own vows.”
“The second biggest DIY undertaking was probably our flowers and greenery. From the very beginning, I knew my color palette and knew that I wanted cream and blush flowers, with greenery everywhere. I didn’t want to hire a florist because I knew I wanted everything very imperfect and unstructured. I didn’t feel like I needed a professional to make perfect bouquets, and I knew my friends were talented enough to make our dreams come true!”
“Another fun DIY element were our place settings. Instead of assigning guests to a specific seat, I decided to assign everyone to specific tables, where they could sit wherever they wanted at that table which was so.much.easier. Since we were placing our menus inside napkins at each place setting, I wanted something to hold it down that would look elegant.
I found 3-inch hexagon shaped marble carrera tiles on Amazon that would be perfect for the task, but since I wasn’t writing guests’ names on each place setting I wanted to add something to the tiles to personalize them. One day, it clicked and I thought, OH! I’m going to stamp them with the same personalized wax seal stamps we used for our invitations! It ended up being one of my favorite elements, and I’m forever grateful to my friends for stamping each and every tile the weekend of the wedding!”
Vendors //
Venue : The Ramsey Farmhouse
Greenery : Wholesale Tropical Flowers
Flowers : CamFlor, Inc.
Catering : Kiss Catering
Cake : Freedom Bakery
Pies : Gizdich Ranch
Invitations : Wedding Paper Divas
DJ : All Occasions Entertainment
Transportation : Shuttles by The Santa Cruz Experience
Rentals : Alexis Party Rental
Engagement Ring : Rosado's Box
Bridal Boutique : Aria
Bride's Shoes : Betsey Johnson
Bride's Jewelry : Catbird
Bridesmaid's Attire : Union Station
Hair : Erik Hagen
Make-Up : Caitlin Anderson
Groom's Attire : Topman
Groom's Shoes : ASOS
Groomsmen's Attire : H&M
Table Numbers : Oriental Trading
Hexagon Placesetting Tiles : Amazon
Reception Terrariums : Hobby Lobby
Welcome Sign : Paper Minx
Seating Chart : INKKPrint
Bouquet Ribbons : Natalie Stopka Studio
Vow Books : Custom Crafted Studio
Guest Book : Starboard Press
Wax Seal Stamp : Zoe Craft Supply
xx,
Jennifer Lourie