Hayley + Sam met at an Earth Day festival, they’re both vegan, and they love to go hiking together. It’s no surprise that their wedding day at Big Sur’s Ragged Point Inn was all about celebrating the beauty of Nature, while also celebrating the love they share for each other. If you’re looking for authentic wedding inspiration and ideas of how to show off your personalities on wedding day, this is the one for you! Elyse Events helped H + S plan a day filled with music, nature-inspired color palettes, family, and DIY personal details. H shares more about how they made the day all about them:
For starters, that was our key word, “authentic”. Every single aspect of our wedding was dedicated to something that had personally touched our lives and we didn’t give in to pressure to include anything just because it was expected or trendy. In many ways, less was more as we chose to eliminate fluff and instead kept the focal points to ideas and things that had truly touched our union, heart, and lives. It left our guests genuinely exclaiming that it was the most personal and beautiful wedding they had ever attended, but also that it represented us as individuals and as a couple perfectly.
Bruno Rezza was there to capture every authentic moment and candid pic. Ready to check it out? Let’s go!
Bride + Babes
Heyyyyyy Ladies!! H and her girls got wedding day ready thanks to Shai Amiel hair and Lauren Wilde makeup looks. These adorable pink bridesmaids shirts come from E.L. Riley Gifts, and H’s getting ready robe is MondeNoble.
H was all about mixing the classic with the modern. She loves the striking beauty of the African king protea, so she chose to make that her focal bloom with gilded Italian ruscus surrounding it. The Petal Pirate totally nailed this modern design!
Can’t get over these cuties!!
S is the lead singer of an indie folk band, so he serenaded guests as he walked down the aisle.
Meanwhile, Hayley, who is an actress, made an entrance in the coolest vintage Volkswagen van. She and S are total creatives, so they definitely used their talents as they planned their day!
Nature-Inspired Ceremony
We got married on a pagoda nestled in a cliff overlooking a black sand beach. Our color palette was bright but native to the land, plucked from the nature present in the landscape of the area. Complete with shades of purple, pink and turquoise we also were inspired by the free growing lavender in the area and our florist placed a sprig on each plate.
During the ceremony, S surprised H with a song he wrote for her about how they met and why their wedding day was everything he’d ever dreamed. We have to admit, we shed a few tears when we heard it! It’s the background song for their wedding video, so be sure to check it out below!
The Wedding Party
H told her girls that she wanted sparkle and she wanted sunset colors and they all nailed it! We’re loving these gold and rose gold sequin gowns!
NOW, and I get excited just writing it- but one of THE most exciting parts for me was a surprise dance my bridesmaids and I performed for my husband. My bridesmaids Taisha Monique Clarke and I met when she was hired as a dancer on a cheerleading movie I was starring in called Fired Up! Taisha went on to dance and choreograph for Missy Elliot, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, the hit TV show Glee, and many more. Taisha offered to choreograph a dance for me and my bridesmaids to surprise my husband with. First of all, I was stunned and humbled that my bridesmaids were willing to attend rehearsal. Haha. I had promised them beforehand that I was going to be the most chill bride ever and ask almost nothing of them- cut to a month later and I’m like, ” hey guys….can we talk about dance rehearsals?” HAHAH!
Personalized Reception Decor
The nature-inspired details continued into the reception! Remember how much H loves king protea? She commissioned an Artisaire wax seal that featured a protea surrounded by their intials, and featured it on the invitations and paper goods.
H + S went next level with their wedding day signage! Cait Raif Art drew a custom piece featuring H + S and their beloved dogs that passed away. H + S say that their pups had a lot to do with bringing them together, so they honored them with their wedding day hashtag: #LucyandBohoForever. (Here are some more Creative Ways to Include Your Dog in Your Wedding Day!) Palette and Ink created all of the signage for the day, including this cute printout of some of the couple’s first text messages.
Posing in front of their Beach Bus Photo Booth, H + S show off their classic wedding attire. H looked breathtaking in a Stella York gown from Bridal Elegance Studio which she accented with a Kate Spade belt. S looked handsome and dapper in black and white attire from The Black Tux.
Sweet Details
H + S celebrated the sweetness with a cute cutting cake that the venue created, and a Donut Friend donut bar.
A total VISION!! H shared more with us about her bridal style:
It was important to me that I felt like a “bride” on my wedding day instead of just another day at work. To me this meant, classic and timeless but with a modern edge. This greatly influenced my wedding dress, makeup and jewelry choices of course, but also my bouquet- which is where I chose to incorporate the modern touch.
My advice for brides planning now would to to: ENLIST YOUR TRIBE! Using the skills and talents of our friends and family made our day so incredibly special because they felt even more connected to our event and were honored that we had chosen them to be part of our day in a unique way.
My other piece of advice would be to choose vendors you vibe with. This will likely be one of the most memorable days of your life, you don’t want a scrooge or someone whose energy doesn’t match yours in an effective way. I chose vendors whose personalities would only add to our day and can say that I still keep in touch with every single one of them!
Congratulations Hayley + Sam! We loved seeing the personalized details of your wedding day. Everything from the nature-inspired decor to the cute custom prints that showcase your love story- it’s all perfection! The GWS team is wishing you both many adventures to come!
Be sure to catch the day in action and hear Sam’s song for Hayley in this sweet SPF Studios film!
photography: Bruno Rezza // venue name: Ragged Point Inn, Big Sur, California, USA // planning: Elyse Events // florals: The Petal Pirate // wedding dress: Stella York // wedding dress boutique: Bridal Elegance Studio // bride’s ring: Anye Jewelers (custom made) // getting ready robes: MondeNoble // hair stylist: Shai Amiel // makeup artist: Lauren Wilde // groom attire: The Black Tux // groom’s shoes: The Black Tux // groom’s ring: Vintage // videography: SPF Studios // paper goods: hanmade by us with some help from Vista Print // calligraphy: Bride’s mom // handmade details: Palette & Ink // catering: Ragged Point Inn // cake: Ragged Point Inn // desserts: Donut Friend // tabletop rentals: handmade + sourced by the couple // officiant: Bride’s cousin // photo booth: Beach Bus Photo Booth // custom wax seal stamp: Artisaire // artwork: Cait Raft // vow books: Paula Lee Calligraphy Heirloom // cornhole bags: Lollipop Stitches // bridesmaids getting ready shirts: E.L. Riley Gifts // signage: Palette and Ink // wolf cuff links: Moon Raven Designs // bridal belt: Kate Spade