It may be impossible to *briefly* intro this Ojai wedding given all the deets the bride, groom, and photog Cara Robbins Studio gave us, but here goes: Joya is an illustrator (see this presh first b-day featured on Cakelet); Jesse is a gallery director + curator. They got engaged in late summer, decided on a fall wedding a month later, and created what could’ve been a $40k wedding in half that. How, you ask? All we can say is never underestimate the power of a creative couple + a talented posse of friends/fam who want to create a meaningful, handcrafted wedding. Here’s how it all came together:
Joya says, Our venue already had lots of character and greenery, so we felt all we had to do was add the practical things to make a wedding happen. We love the objects in our lives to have a story—to be made by our hands, or by hands we know, to feel and look like the materials they were made from. The first year we were together we built a table (it took us 6 months) that still sits in our kitchen. We wanted our wedding to have the same elements we love about that flawed table, and the meals we share with friends in the back yard.
Basically everything was handcrafted, starting with the birch wedding arches that the groomsmen made the day before. Then there’s Joya’s pearl headpiece made by a friend, the soap favors Jesse’s mom made, florals by Joya + her ‘maids, 12 bags full of greenery foraged from friends’ houses, vintage dishes collected by Joya’s mom, the ketubah that they wrote and groomsman Todd Roeth designed, lavender from a friend’s farm…
For both of us, saying our vows to the other, and receiving theirs, was a completely transcendent experience. We could never have anticipated the calm we would feel, or the way our focus and love would wrap us up and block out everything else so we could fully mean what we said, and fully hear the gifts that were our partner’s words. It was an incredible moment, and one we will never forget.
Would you believe that this entire yummy spread was made by family? Right down to the charcuterie made by friends and the cocktail that Jesse created.
Yup, that would be the second family handcrafted cake we’ve had up this week. This was made by Joya’s mom + sis, Jody and Jordan Thomas. The bride painted the topper from Jody’s vintage collection, and it’s on a stand by groomsmen Gabe Strycharz (wood-burned with their initials + the dates).
Oh and that suit? They bought it from ASOS, had it tailored, and replaced the buttons with leather ones they found on Etsy. Such a good idea.
Cheers guys!
PS: Find more from photog Cara Robbins in this Santa Barbara wedding.
Photographer: Cara Robbins Studio / Venue: Ojai Rancho Inn / Event Designer: Bride, Joya Rose & mother, Jody Thomas / Day of Coordinator: Percy Sales / Florals: Bride, friends, & bridesmaids / Hair & Makeup: Bride / Paper Goods: Joya Rose / Letterpress Printer: Norman Clayton / Cake: Bride’s sister, Jordan Thomas & mother / Rentals: Vintage Vignettes, The Tent Merchant, & Town & Country / Favors: Groom’s mother, Rachel Groves / Officiant: Ceremonies by Nanette / Website: Ojai Fidelity / Bride’s Dress: Shareen in DTLA / Vintage Coat: Rented from The White Peacock in Santa Barbara / Shoes: ModCloth / Engagement Ring: Antique from Sweden / Jeweler: Ormachea Jewelry / Necklace: Cygnet Bay Pearls / Chain: Harp Designs / Suits: Charcoal Gray Wool Tweed from ASOS / Groom’s Shoes: Aldo / Ring: Etsy / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: BHLDN, Vera Wang, Boden, Yana K., Adrianna Papell, Vintage
