So Cal Blue And Yellow Backyard Wedding Reception

Jay and Shannon wanted to make sure that their wedding had four major components: family, friends, food, and music. All the while keeping under a 10,000 budget. In order to do this and stay true to their wish list they had to get crafty. Luckily they run Parallel-Play, a design firm, so these types of tasks came naturally to them.
They made everything from the letter-pressed invites, to the cake decorations, table settings, and floral arrangements for the center pieces—you name it, they made it. Read on to hear how they ended up having a backyard reception, and see the entire gallery here. All beautifully photographed by Shaun & Skyla Walton.

Groomsman Gift:
Each groomsman received a box with their super cute bow-tie, suspenders and sunglasses and a little gesture. Super cute ... right? Although Jay and Shannon did the table and flower decor, they had Honey and Poppies design the bouquets and boutonnieres for the wedding party.

We struggled when it came to the venue search as most places have a 10PM curfew (when our family is just getting started). We really did not want to miss out on the spectacular family moments—sloppy speeches, off key singing and inappropriate dancing—these are things that happen after 10PM. Ultimately we decided the perfect reception venue was in our own backyard! The money we saved on a reception venue went into installing lighting, a gazebo, and landscaping. We were especially happy knowing we would be able to enjoy these things long after the wedding was over. The ceremony of our dreams was still very story book though, so we reserved a ceremony only rental at Heritage square museum in Los Angeles (which was 1/3 the price of full rental).