Tell us a little about yourselves!
Myles and I have been together for 9 years–we met at our alma mater (Cal Poly) back in 2012 and were immediately smitten with one another. Over the years we’ve adventured and lived across 9 different zip codes (CA, LV, CO, WA), but currently call Seattle home with our two pups, Mabel & Stella. We have a mutual passion for design and renovation. When we weren’t wedding planning we were rolling up our sleeves working on our 1949 mid century home that we got engaged in two years ago.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
San Luis Obispo holds a lot of sentimental value to us both since that’s where our love story began. Situated halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, it has always felt like a little slice of wine country heaven to us. We love it’s well preserved small-town charm, and knew the Madonna Inn, Sunset Drive-in, and Granada Hotel would make the perfect backdrops to our off-beat microwedding.
How many guests did you have?
While the pandemic made the decision easy for us, we’d always dreamt of an intimate wedding. We had just 11 guests that were our immediate family–vibes were light, pours were heavy.
Tell us about your outfits!
No doubt this was one of the best parts of wedding planning! We both wanted outfits that didn't feel too predictable and played well with the hot pink decor, golden cherubs, and ornate lighting that is iconic of the Madonna Inn. As a lover of all things vintage and fabulous, I initially had my eyes set on wearing a vintage relic for our wedding but with covid and the unpredictability of vintage sizing, I knew it would be difficult to find “the one” virtually. When I stumbled across the works of Taller Marmo I couldn’t get enough of their nostalgic 60’s glam with a twist of contemporary flair. I immediately knew it was meant to be when I first laid eyes on their ostrich feather one-shoulder gown. I topped off the look with Gucci platform sandals and a pearl clutch. For Myles’s suit, he opted for a white tuxedo jacket from Jcrew, bowtie, and cropped black pants. The elevated vintage hollywood vibes were a perfect juxtaposition against the zebra carpet featured in the “Lucky Rock” hotel room he got ready in.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Keepsake photos from our big day were such a priority for us, that we spent almost 2 hours before our ceremony romping around the Madonna Inn with our amazing photographer Jake from Love & Wolves Co. Not only did this time melt away nervous jitters, but Jake's upbeat presence, professionalism, and vision truly blew us away. Our photos are like a timeless party favor gift that keeps on giving and we still get happy tears looking back at his work and reliving our big day.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We didn't want the casual nature of our wedding to take away from how special it was. Since we opted out of a larger, formal wedding, we still wanted the ceremony to have it’s own flair and personality–every decision we made came back to the question “does this feel ‘on brand’ to us?”. From the velvet couch seating and wisteria branch archway to the most epic afternoon light dappling through the rose garden trees, the Dallidet Gardens was the perfect setting to tie the knot at. It was important to us that we walk down the garden aisle hand-in-hand, and share the depth of our love through our vows with our immediate family. To top it off, my sister Alma was our appointed crowd wrangler and master of ceremonies. She did a phenomenal job speaking to our union and setting a light, relaxed, and humorous tone for the day.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
If you’re a visual person like me, it can be especially challenging planning an event virtually (often sight unseen), let alone communicate that vision across vendors. Since I did the planning, styling, and stationery myself, I put together a slide deck to help visualize the day and how all the pieces would flow together. It helped vendors get a feel for the overall vibe, as well as getting virtual approval for how I wanted the different spaces decorated. Saved us from several headaches and allowed for a relaxing, worry-free wedding day!
Photographer : Love & Wolves Co. | Jake Murphy @loveandwolvesco | Getting Ready Location : Madonna Inn @madonnainn1958 | Ceremony location : Dallidet Gardens @historyslo | Reception Location : Granada Hotel + Bistro @granadahotelandbistro | Celebrant : Bride's Sister Alma | Styling + Planning : by the Bride | Ceremony Space : Avenue Twelve @avenuetwelve | Flora : Mauna Florist @maunaflorist | Makeup : The Queens Bees @thequeensbees | Hair : Hair by Skylae @hair_by_skylae | Cake : Madonna Inn Pink Champagne Cake @madonnainn1958 | Stationery : by the Bride | Bride's Dress : Taller Marmo @tallermarmo | Groom's Suit : Jcrew @jcrew | Rings : Family heirlooms + modern stacking bands. Grandmother’s diamonds were reset into a simple band and paired with Artemer stacking rings @artemer | Shoes : Gucci Platform Pumps @gucci | Bracelet : Myles’s Grandmother’s heirloom (and 'something blue') bracelet | Earrings: Vintage rhinestone waterfall earrings from Bride's sister (Alma)