Simple environmentally conscious Southern California wedding

Kristen & Cary were focused on remaining true to themselves when it came to their ranch wedding captured beautifully here by Northern California wedding photographer SARA WEIR. It was the beautiful drought tolerant landscape, large trees and old Spanish style buildings of LEO CARRILLO RANCH in Carlsbad, Southern California that appealed to the couple and the fact that there were beautiful peacocks roaming the property was an added whimsical bonus. The couple tell us, "We had a very laid back, practical approach to choosing our wedding style, and just wanted it to be reflective of us as a couple and environmentally sustainable. Most traditional wedding “necessities” seemed silly to us so we chose not to have them. We did not want a stuffy, traditional, formal wedding, and cannot count the amount of confused and concerned looks we were given when people asked us what our wedding colours were going to be and how many people were in our wedding party and we told them we weren’t doing that. The main reason we chose our venue was for its beautiful landscaping, and we wanted to let that be appreciated so we had minimal decorations. We also did not want to buy a bunch of things that would not have a use after the wedding. For our centerpieces, Kristen bought some succulents from Home Depot that complemented the landscaping at the venue, and could be repurposed as decoration for our patio at home afterwards. She used our washable wine glass markers to write table numbers on geode coasters that we were planning to buy for our home anyways and that coordinated with our wedding invitations. For the rest of the venue, Kristen’s grandma loaned her some vases and candles to use as decor and we displayed some of our engagement photos."

HOW DID YOU MEET? We met in 2011 working summer jobs at a mortgage company where Kristen’s dad is the CFO. We kept our relationship a secret for a few months because we didn’t want him to find out, which seems silly looking back. Kristen moved back to Santa Barbara to finish school at the university there, and with the help of daily Skype conversations and weekend visits we dated long distance for 3 years until she moved back to San Diego.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: On July 1st, 2016, we went hiking along the scenic John Muir Trail in the Sierras near Mammoth Mountain. Intending to propose, Cary found the perfect secluded spot with a spectacular view and kept trying to get Kristen to stop for a “water break”, but she forged on ahead insisting they should wait until there was shade. Fortunately, a tree was up ahead and while Kristen attempted to photograph the beautiful expanse of nature in front of her, Cary pulled a ring out of his backpack and asked Kristen to turn around. He proposed and she agreed to continue this adventure we call life with him until the end of time!

TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: I went wedding dress shopping by myself because I was getting overwhelmed with all of the opinions everyone I talked to had on how the wedding should be and I wanted to choose a dress without anyone’s influence. I unceremoniously drove to BHLDN in the Anthropology store 10 minutes from home and selected some dresses to try on. I tried on a variety of styles, but felt so unlike myself in the dresses that when the woman helping me put a veil on my head I lost it and started laughing uncontrollably… she probably thought I was crazy. I wanted something timeless and comfortable, and most importantly I wanted to feel like myself. We went back to the showroom and I ended up finding a dress that was actually a bridesmaids dress that was just what I was looking for. It was simple, elegant, comfortable, and only the only alteration needed was to shorten the hem. Plus, it was on sale for only $240 which was a great price compared to most wedding dresses!

DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY ELEMENTS? We created our invitations ourselves on minted.com. I honestly did not care much about our centerpieces, so I just bought some succulents from Home Depot that complemented the landscaping at the venue, and could be repurposed as decoration for our patio at home afterwards. I used our washable wine glass markers to write table numbers on geode coasters that we were planning to buy for our home anyways and that coordinated with our wedding invitations. I also made our guest list bucket list by printing and framing instructions and using a vase from my grandma’s house as the “bucket”. We used another vase of hers as a place to put cards in and those handy washable wine glass markers to write “cards”. Kristen bought the letters and flowers for the cake decorations, and Cary’s mother put them on the cake while we got dressed for the wedding.

DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS: I adore nature, and my wedding flowers were possibly the only part of the wedding I was truly excited to plan and not stressed out about. I gave the florist a Pinterest board of bouquets I liked, and only the guidance of saying that I wanted something loose and wild looking, with some dahlias and anemones in it if possible. Magically she created the bouquet of my dreams and I absolutely loved it. It was worth having sore arms the next day from carrying it around!

DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY ELEMENTS? We created our invitations ourselves on minted.com. I honestly did not care much about our centerpieces, so I just bought some succulents from Home Depot that complemented the landscaping at the venue, and could be repurposed as decoration for our patio at home afterwards. I used our washable wine glass markers to write table numbers on geode coasters that we were planning to buy for our home anyways and that coordinated with our wedding invitations. I also made our guest list bucket list by printing and framing instructions and using a vase from my grandma’s house as the “bucket”. We used another vase of hers as a place to put cards in and those handy washable wine glass markers to write “cards”. Kristen bought the letters and flowers for the cake decorations, and Cary’s mother put them on the cake while we got dressed for the wedding.

DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS: I adore nature, and my wedding flowers were possibly the only part of the wedding I was truly excited to plan and not stressed out about. I gave the florist a Pinterest board of bouquets I liked, and only the guidance of saying that I wanted something loose and wild looking, with some dahlias and anemones in it if possible. Magically she created the bouquet of my dreams and I absolutely loved it. It was worth having sore arms the next day from carrying it around!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? Don’t overthink everything! There are so many decisions to make and most people won’t even notice the details that you spent hours stressing out about. Those are not the parts of the wedding that you or anyone else will remember, and as long as everyone is comfortable and having fun they will remember your wedding fondly. If there are traditional wedding elements that your research on weddings convinces you are necessary but you don’t understand the point or they don’t feel reflective of you, don’t be afraid to skip them! Everyone will question your choices and have an opinion no matter what you do, so just choose to incorporate elements that feel authentic to you as a couple. For example, coordinating members of a wedding party seemed overwhelming so we ended up deciding to just have the two of us up there during the ceremony. Our friends appreciated being able to wear what they wanted and to watch the ceremony from their seats instead of awkwardly standing next to us. One of Kristen’s best friends officiated the ceremony, which made it much more comfortable than a stranger who did not know us. We didn’t choose wedding colours, but our family all unintentionally coordinated by wearing shades of blue and pink. Also, if you have more than probably 15 guests, you won’t be able to spend much time visiting people you want to catch up with between pictures and greeting everyone else and dancing, so make sure to plan some quality time before or after the wedding to spend time with those you want to see! The day goes incredibly quickly, so make sure you choose a wonderful photographer to capture everything and provide you with beautiful memories.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? We were so busy coordinating all the elements of the reception and wanting everyone to enjoy themselves that we didn’t put much thought into our ceremony. In fact, we only wrote our vows the night before. Surprisingly, it ended up being the most special and memorable part of the day! One of Kristen’s best friends from high school officiated the ceremony and did a fantastic job. Kristen was overwhelmed with emotion and could barely get through her handwritten vows, but then the peacocks started making loud noises, adding a welcome moment of levity and allowed her to get herself together. Cary’s brother read a poem that was read at his parents wedding, which was very special. Everything was very personal to us as a couple which made the ceremony really memorable.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR HONEYMOON: We went to Thailand, which was amazing until Cary got severe food poisoning and ended up being hospitalised and unwell for the rest of the trip. We had to cancel some of our remaining plans but tried to make the best of it and still had some fun experiences during the remainder of the trip.

Thank you to SARA WEIR (Northern California wedding photographer) for sharing this gorgeous wedding with us today and letting us share these images with our readers today.

If you're a bride looking for a Northern California wedding photographer be sure to check out more of Sara's work in our Vendor Guide and you might want to check out this feminine & romantic bridal inspiration.