Dreamy Beachside Wedding: DIY Decor, Golden Hour & Helpful Bridal Tips
Emily and Joey's beautiful wedding was a magical affair, complete with sweeping ocean views, charming DIY touches, a live band, and a laid back group of yogis and surfers. The decor complimented the natural landscape, utilizing fresh herbs and succulents and a beautiful sunset golden hour atop the bluffs overlooking the ocean leaves us stunned.
This bride is a fountain of knowledge for all of you soon-to-be-bride's and shared so many secrets with us so don't forget to check them out to help you out! See more of this absolutely gorgeous golden hour beachside wedding in the full gallery here, captured by Jess Roy Photography.
Organize and coordinate
My advice for future brides isn't necessarily about what I would have done differently. We had a pretty perfect day. My dress was really simple and comfortable and I wore flat sandals so my feet were happy! I definitely recommend having a day of coordinator. I was so lucky to have my friend's from Hive Events making sure that everything went as planned so I didn't have to worry about anything the day of except getting ready. It is a big job so it is nice to actually hire someone to do it. I tried to be as organized and prepared by doing as much as I could in advance and happily accepted help from our my amazing friends and family. We had a lot of help. Because I was organized I could tell them exactly what I needed. They all worked so hard to help create a spectacular day.
take a moment
I also recommend taking a moment during your reception to step back together and look at what you have created and the love that is surrounding you. We had the opportunity to do this when we hiked up to the top of the bluff at sunset with our photographer where we could look out over our reception. We just took some time to appreciate everyone that come to support us, our hard work, and the beauty of our surroundings. I feel like this love and appreciation is captured in the beautiful photos. Each time I look at them I am filled with gratitude.
focus on the big picture
With a DIY wedding, it can be really easy to sweat the small stuff. I definitely had my moments, but I found it most helpful to keep my focus on the big picture. I was marrying the man of my dreams, surrounded by those closest to our hearts. It is a slippery slope to pressure yourself into perfection. I also recommend a daily exercise and Yoga practice to prepare for your wedding. I don't recommend fad diets, but I definitely ate really clean healthy food and cut out alcohol and refined sugar. This helped reduce stress, kept me energized for long days of wedding preparation, and I felt great.
keep it simple and diy
We were very careful about what we spent and knew our biggest expenses would be food and drinks. We saved money by providing all of the alcohol and mixers and chose a very simple menu of fresh yummy food, but opted for fun picnic style vs. a fancy cooked meal. This worked really well for our venue. We did all of the decorations on our own. Luckily we have friends who sew and are amazing artists. We used succulents clippings from our garden for the potted table plants, and up-cycled the terracotta pots and the potted herbs and milk jars from a friend's wedding the month before for the potted table arrangements. My husband did all of the lighting and now we have all of our patio lighting for our home from the bistro lights he purchased for our wedding. He also built the marquis light, cake slabs, and every sign himself all from up-cycled wood. We really didn't want to have a lot of waste. My advice for decor is to keep it simple!!!
- Jewelry: Hushed Commotion
- Cake: Cakes A Las
- Caterer: Country Catering
- Dress Designer: Cynthia Vincent
- Flowers: Hogue & Co.
- Groom & His Men: J.Crew
- Hair & Makeup: Justine Hosseini
- Live Band: Sparrows Gate
- Photography: Jess Roy Photography
- Prop/Furniture Rentals: Discount Party Rentals