After reviewing over seven venues for their big day, Marissa and Kyle settled on SERENDIPITY GARDEN WEDDINGS, located in the mountains of Oak Glen, California. It's beautiful mountain views as well as the garden filled with white roses made the perfect spot for their intimate celebration, captured here by Southern California wedding photographer XO & FETTI PHOTOGRAPHY. Styled by THE OLIVINE COLLECTIVE the overall vibe was very classic and timeless. Florist FLOWERS BY MAEMAE created a beautiful garden-picked style bouquet in vintage tones.
HOW DID YOU MEET? Kyle and I met while both working at a stater brothers grocery store. He worked in produce and I in the bakery department. I would always find an excuse to go talk to him because I had the biggest crush on him.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: Kyle and I are home bodies so on our six year anniversary we had planned a night of Thai food and movies. To my surprise I came home to find a candle lit dinner, red roses and s’mores by the fire in our backyard. When Kyle asked me to pass him some graham crackers I felt a ring box. We were happily engaged, eating s’mores and toasting champagne with family who came to visit that night.
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS/ATTIRE: Finding my dress was so much fun and like many brides-to-be I went in thinking I wanted a ball gown styled dress and after four different shops the stylist at arlet bridal in dos Lagos put me in a fit and flare dress that I fell in love with. Kyle went with the black tux for his suit due to the convenience and easy process. He picked black to continue our timeless theme and opted for a white tie to set himself apart from his groomsmen.
DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY ELEMENTS? Kyle and I put together our favour boxes for the donuts which were just too cute and my brother in law helped with applying an Etsy bought overlay on our mirror for our seating chart.
FAVOURITE DETAIL OF THE DAY: This is tough but I would have to say my favourite detail was the donut boxes because they were also the name plates.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? Have fun with it and make a list of the most important details so those take priority and you don’t get too stressed towards the end.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? Our grand entrance kyle and I did the hammer time in honor of me taking his last name “hammers”. We had a lot of fun with that.
WHAT ASPECT OF THE WEDDING WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU BOTH? Definitely our vows and promising ourselves to one another forever in front of friends and family.
ANY OTHER DETAILS THAT HELP TELL THE STORY OF YOUR DAY? Kyle and I did opt out from a lot of traditional wedding formalities and were happier for it. It was important that our wedding embodied who we are and made us feel comfortable despite expectations of others.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR HONEYMOON: Kyle and I will be going to Europe late this year due to just getting our new puppy, Jack Hammers, and we will be visiting London, France, and Italy.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD CHANGE OR DO DIFFERENTLY? The weather is something we really took a gamble on when booking in December and I would have loved if it didn’t rain but ultimately that was a risk we took to keep our anniversary date. When I think glass half full, the weather made for gorgeous photos that will last forever.
A big thank you to Southern California wedding photographer XO & FETTI PHOTOGRAPHY for sharing this lovely wedding with us. Owner Vanessa documents love for the wildly romantic, believers in magic, soulmates and true love. "Combining fine art styles with a documentary approach, we are dedicated to expertly capturing the unforgettable moments of your unique fairytale. XO & FETTI believes in building relaxed, comfortable photography sessions for every client so that each shot is authentic and natural. We do this by valuing the individuality of our clients, getting to know both their personalities and their story before the camera ever steps into the picture." Head over to their portfolio to see more of their work.
