Vintage European-Inspired Barn Wedding
Heather and Garen met and fell in love while they were both living abroad in Spain, so it wasn't a big surprise they wanted to incorporate the European culture they grew to love in their big celebration. Their venue, an old barn in Oxnard, California, was decorated both inside and out with rustic and vintage furnishings and embellishments to create the old-world, laid back atmosphere they were looking for.
Be sure to read on to hear so much more from Heather about their special day — especially their full budget breakdown. Don't miss any of the inspiring details from this vintage European-inspired barn wedding in the full gallery here, all stunningly captured by Vis Photography.
From the Bride:Since Garen and I met and fell in love while we were living in Spain, we really wanted to incorporate Spanish culture into our wedding. We were also looking for something unique, rustic, elegant and intimate. We wanted to have an outdoor wedding and an indoor reception that was filled with candles! We found all of that at the Graf Barn!
It was even better that Laina, the owner and caterer, lived in Portugal for some years with her family because she appreciated European culture and was able to capture the look and feel of what we were aiming for (basically an old-world charm/laid-back California vibe). The food was Mediterranean-inspired and we were lucky that Laina was familiar with Spanish cuisine and cooked some of our favorites for the cocktail hour!
Garen and I would spend the weekends leading up to the wedding checking out the local flea markets in search of vintage postcards. We looked for cities that we had visited and ended up using those as our "table numbers." So instead of Table 1, a guest would be at the Madrid table (for example). We also brought back the wine corks of bottles we had shared together and put the place cards in them. We wanted to add little, special touches to the wedding that made it more personal.
Laina had an old monastery table and a French stained-glass church door which we absolutely loved (again little details like that which complimented the whole look).
We absolutely love all of the stunning vintage decor and the little antique touches that wrapped everything together into one gorgeous wedding. One simple detail that accentuated the romantic atmosphere, gave a pop of color and would be easy to do yourself was the addition of lavender sprigs to the table settings. To hold it in place tie it with a cute complimentary ribbon!
I think if we had more of a budget, I would have hired a wedding coordinator. While Garen and I did a great job of managing everything ourselves, I think it would have alleviated a bit of stress to have someone help with the planning and organizing.
Luckily we have AMAZING friends and family that we were able to delegate tasks to which really helped in the end. Other than that, everything was truly perfect. I wouldn't have changed a single thing! Okay maybe perhaps eating before the wedding — they always tell brides to do that, but we never do and end up starving by the time the reception rolls around :)
Can't get enough of this vintage European-inspired barn wedding? Then you simply must watch the wedding film from Nick Radford Photography below!
https://vimeo.com/49332911
Read on to see how much this vintage European-inspired barn wedding cost. Please note that costs change as the years go by, and prices are subject to change. This is just one couple’s breakdown to give you a rough estimate on how much a wedding like this may cost you.
The total cost of our wedding was approximately $29,00 which was split between the families and Garen and I.
The venue (which included space, catering which included dessert table and wedding cake, tables, chairs, linens, etc.) was approx. $16,000
Videographer was approx. $3,500
Photographer was approx. $3,000
DJ was approx. $1,200
Flowers were approx. $700 (my friend did the design and we sourced a local floral wholesaler)
The remaining was split between printing and sending invites (we had a friend design them in Spain), misc. decor and details, gifts for family and bridal party, etc. Let me know if you want more of a breakdown - happy to provide!
- Cinematography: Nick Radford Photography
- DJ: DJ Mister Bill
- Flowers: Far East Wholesale Flowers
- Groom's Attire: Hackett London
- Hair: Salon Rouge
- Jewelry: Nadri Jewelry Group
- Mr & Mrs Paper Goods: Paper Source
- Photography: Vis Photography
- Shoe Designer: Enzo angiolini
- Stationery Design: Lawerta