It’s not everyday we get to share a wedding where the bride sewed all of her bridesmaids’ dresses by hand… And embroidered the burlap table runners… And crafted those fun crepe paper streamers over the altar entrance doors… And hand stitched all the groomsmen’s neckties with the help of her groom. Emily + Ryan’s DIY list goes on and on. And with Matthew Morgan Photography capturing all the beautiful light and handmade details, there’s a whole lot of pretty going on here.
Emily’s gorgeous jewel-toned bouquet recipe: dahlias, ranunculus, hydrangea, poppies, amaranth, succulents, roses, bougainvillea, and purple Joe Pye weed; Emily’s flower crown recipe: ranunculus, hydrangea, roses, succulents, craspedia, silver brunia, and protea leaves
The design for the bridesmaids dresses was based on the serape wrap dress from Harvey Faircloth’s first collection. Remnants of each bridesmaid’s groomsman escort’s tie fabric were used for each of the dresses, which was a fun little secret detail.
From Emily… My paternal Grandma came to the U.S. from Scotland to marry my Grandpa in the ‘40s, and we still have so many wonderful relatives there. I’m very proud of this part of my heritage, and since neither of them could be there (my dear Gran suffers from severe Alzheimer’s now, and my Grandpa passed away in late 2010), I thought bagpipes would be the perfect way to honor and include them in some way. For my walk down the aisle, our bagpiper played “When Irish Eyes are Smiling.” For our recessional he played “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles (Ryan and I are both huge fans).
We both love being outdoors. For our honeymoon for instance, we ended up going back to our favorite country, Iceland, where we enjoyed grueling hikes in sub-zero temps… because we might be a little nuts, but also because we love this wild and beautiful planet we all call home. That love of the outdoors and nature really informed our venue search. When we saw pictures of The Parker Ranch, an amazing looking open site with majestic old oak trees and prickly pear cactus in abundance, we both fell in love with what we saw. It’s a gorgeously remote little place.
When I reflect back on everything, I think in a lot of ways the unofficial theme of our wedding day was “home.” A lot of the decorations we had at the site were either brought from our apartment in NYC, or picked up at thrift stores in Southern California, which is where we’re originally from. I think for people who have seen our home, a lot of the wedding décor made sense. When I look back at pictures of the day, I basically see our apartment splashed all over our desert site.
Major congratulations are in order. Best wishes, Emily + Ryan!
Photographer: Matthew Morgan Photography / Event Planner: Bride & Groom / Venue: The Parker Ranch / Hair: Jazmin Marcos from Flip Salon / Makeup: Irena Segarich / Floral Crown & Bride’s Bouquet: Honey and Poppies / Cake: Friends and family of the couple / Catering: Tamarindo Taco Truck / Invitation Designer: Jon Klassen DJ: Madison/LST / Dance Floor Rental: Atlas Party Rentals / Chairs & Glassware Rentals: Signature Party Rentals / Table Rentals: Baker Party Rentals / Airstream Trailer: RentAnAirstream.com / Event Staff: Life of the Party / Bride’s Dress: BHLDN / Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs / Brooch: Gift from groom’s mother / Engagement & Wedding Rings: Mociun / Lipstick: MAC Lady Bug / Groom’s Shoes: J. Crew / Wedding Band: Monciun / Tie: DIY by bride & groom / Bridesmaids Dresses: DIY by bride / Groomsmen’s Shirts: Theory / Pants: Banana Republic / Ties: DIY / Bagpiper music: Stephen Wilkinson
