Real Wedding | Alexa + Jordan

Tell us a little about yourselves! 

Jordan and I live in San Diego and met here in 2019. We met each other a few months before we started dating - one of Jordan's friends was roommates with one of mine. We connected over our love of food, music, nature, and traveling.

Why did you decide to get married where you did? 

Beach Plum Farm is my favorite place in my hometown of Cape May. Cape May is a small little beach town in the southernmost part of New Jersey. Not many people grow up there, and not many people from the West Coast (where Jordan is from) know it exists. But it's the most charming, beautiful place.

As soon as Beach Plum Farm opened years ago, I knew I wanted to get married there. It's like a Nancy's Meyers set, plus the food is fantastic and our families would be able to stay onsite. It's a working farm, with tiny pigs, free range chickens, and the venue set among lush vegetable and flower gardens. I always felt this was where I'd get married, and it was love at first sight for Jordan too. I can't quite explain how special it was to be able to share a piece of my childhood, of the place that made me who I am, with all of our friends and family. I couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else!

How many guests did you have?

125.

What was your budget?

Around $125,000.

Tell us about your outfits. 

I've wanted a Vivienne Westwood wedding gown since I was in high school, maybe younger. I did love some other dresses, but once I put the Vivienne Westwood on, that was it. The draping. The corset. The silk. It's a work of art. And it's actually kind of funny, Vivienne Westwood is the only designer Jordan knows because she basically invented punk rock style with Malcolm McLaren (no relation though!). I tried a bunch of heels but the Mach & Mach were the most comfortable and added a little bit of a funky element to my look. 

I am still obsessed with my reception dress too. I wanted something fun and sexy but also a classic silhouette. The Clio Pepiatt mini checked all of my boxes. Besides being insanely flattering, it was so comfortable! The beading is beautiful, it hugs in all the right places. 100/10 

Jordan wore a tuxedo from Gary's Newport Beach. His shoes were Magnanni. A friend of his dad's is a stylist and went with him to Gary's for a full experience. Jordan decided on a white jacket, which I just loved. It's such an Old Hollywood look! 

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

My answer to the below can probably answer this as well, but ultimately we wanted to just have a big party that felt uniquely us. Good food, music, drinks, service. An outdoor venue with elements you won't find just anywhere. I also found and selected all my vendors to ensure they saw our vision. There are so many different elements to plan, and Shawna (our planner from Ella Events Co) kept me organized and on schedule. She met with us often; did walkthroughs for us; provided thorough documents, spreadsheets, and schedules; and listened patiently as I obsessed/stressed over tiny little details. Jordan and I promised each other that we would keep it light and fun, and we did for the most part! Organization and setting specific times to work on or talk about wedding planning also helped.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

The food and the music were super important to both of us. Part of the reason we loved Beach Plum Farm so much was because of the farm to table family-style dinner and the level of service. We live for a great meal! We wanted that to be reflected and for our guests to have an intimate, familial experience. 

For music, we wanted a DJ + live music so Dart Collective was our first choice. Their process leading up to the wedding was stellar (shout out to Sam, the NYC manager!) and our DJ Isaak delivered exactly what we had envisioned. We did have a slight hiccup with scheduling a second musician, but Sam handled perfectly and I would recommend Dart a hundred times over. 

The other most important thing was that our families have time to connect and that all our guests feel appreciated. We planned a fun welcome party to give everyone a warm welcome to the Jersey Shore, an afterparty to keep the wedding night going, and a pool party brunch for the day after. We ended up skipping some of the smaller details I originally wanted to prioritize these additional opportunities to celebrate with our people. 

Besides that, I wanted to let the natural beauty of the farm shine. I tried to stick to organic shapes, textures, and materials for the decor. For florals, Lauren from Glimmer Floral used buds and greenery from the farm and baby green tomatoes for enoki centerpieces. We had a lot to work with, even in the rain, and I felt that all of our decor decisions and vendor decisions complemented the venue.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Just enjoy it!!! Focus your energy and budget on the elements you love and you and your guests will all have an incredible day. You only have so much control, things will go off script, just roll with it and have fun.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

They were all fantastic! If I had to do it all over, I would work with them all again. Every vendor delivered perfectly on our vision. Shawna (Ella Events Co) allowed me to feel relaxed leading up the wedding. Loho Bride and the tailor they recommended were beyond. My invitation suite from Charlie Whiskey Design was exquisite. I'm obsessed with the fact that there were tiny tomatoes in my florals from Glimmer Floral. The reception music from Dart Collective was a vibe. And José and Karla from Los Ébano captured our day with the most chic and elegant style.

Photographer: Los Ébano @losebano | Ceremony + Reception Location: Beach Plum Farm @beachplumfarm | Celebrant: Maddy Cole (Groom's sister) | Entertainment: Dart Collective @dartcollective | Planner: Shawna Rockey at Ella Events Co @ella_events_co | Hire: South Jersey Party Rentals | Ceremony Space: The Hoop House at Beach Plum Farm @beachplumfarm |  Flora: Glimmer Floral @glimmerfloral | Makeup: Blush Brides @blushbridesnj | Hair: Veronica + team from The Color Room Philadelphia @thecolorroom| Catering + Beverages: Beach Plum Farm @beachplumfarm | Cake: Bakeworks via Beach Plum Farm @beachplumfarm | Stationery: Charlie Whiskey Design @charliewhiskeydesign | Banners: Ettie Kim Studio @ettiekimstudio | Gown: Vivienne Westwood @viviennewestwood from Loho Bride @lohobride | Reception Mini Dress: Clio Peppiatt @cliopeppiatt | Getting Ready: Petite Plume | Jordan's Tuxedo: Gary's Newport Beach | Engagement + Wedding Rings: Custom from local jeweler in San Diego, The Diamond Shoppe | Shoes: Mach & Mach @machandmach | Tennis Bracelet: borrowed from Alexa's aunt | Diamond Earrings: borrowed from Alexa's mother | Wedding Party Attire: Shona Joy @shonajoy and own tuxedos