I’ve been having a sordid love affair with Matt Miller’s photography for a few years now. I’ve tried to quit it but then he keeps luring me back with emails like “Heygirl, you’re gonna LOVE this wedding!” and then I’m right back again…all smitten and stuff.
That’s exactly what happened when I saw Christina & Paul’s epic wedding. I’ve died and gone to Rock n Roll wedding heaven.
“We don’t know any other way”, Christina told me when I asked her about why they had a Rock n Roll wedding. “We make all of our decisions based on the lives that we have formed for ourselves, and for better or for worse, we have spent that time trying to tow the line between ‘punk’ and ‘traditional.’ Sometimes one side wins and one side loses, luckily they came together to create a great amalgamation for our wedding to let both sides of our characters shine. We really wanted to center our wedding around just having a good old fashioned Rock n Roll time. The majority of our guests were friends, so that alone gave it a youthful (and heavily tattooed) vibe. We picked lots of oldies soul music to which guests of every single age range loved dancing to.”
“Our wedding was a big family affair!” she continued. “Aside from pinwheels and paper flags, most of the decorations were from extended family members who were more than happy to let us borrow things for the day – tablecloths, carnival glass, candle holders, just about everything on display! If they didn’t lend items, they lent time – tagging pinwheels as table markers, printing invitations, mason jar candles as guest favors, etc. We really planned out every minute detail over the course of our two year planning (one of the best parts of a long engagement!) and really felt it reflected our simple love of nature and antique collecting, and it was great to have the family members look around and feel at home with us.”
The pair wanted to include some special touches that meant things to them as a couple. These included DIY elements to reflect things that defined their relationship and pre-wedding tattoos!
“We met online while I lived in LA and Paul lived in Oakland – so we actually fell in love as real life pen-and-paper pen-pals. We knew for our guest book we wanted to have a mailbox so people could drop in post cards we had collected together over the years. I found the red post box on eBay – and neither of us realized Paul’s parents have the exact same one in blue at their house, which they had received as a wedding gift! We chose our wedding date because it was also their wedding anniversary, so it was awesome how much everything tied together, and that our love was also a public celebration of their love.”
“Paul and all his groomsmen spent the day before the wedding getting matching tattoos from our great friends at Tattoo 13 in Oakland, and getting traditional Gentlemen’s haircuts at the best barbershop in Northern California, Temescal Alley Barber Shop. These neighborhood institutions and amazing friendships made the day that much better for the males involved in the festivities.”
“Was there anything you would have done differently?” I asked the couple in closing, “Not really”, they replied, “but we should have spent more time in the photo booth! So much time goes into planning portions of the wedding around your guests so they’ll enjoy themselves, so many sure you take time to be a guest at your own wedding as well. Don’t get caught up in feeling obligated to spend lots of money on certain items just because it’s for a wedding – we made great friends and saved a lot of money working with local vendors who were excited with us. Pool resources, and take people up on offers to help. We had a great web of family and friends who were eager to help with various wedding tasks. It all truly couldn’t have come together without them, and the best part is we didn’t have to hire a wedding planner.”
AAAAH-MAZING. Truly. Huge love and thanks to the gorgeous Christina & Paul and the epic Matt from Our Labor of Love for sharing these today.
The Gallery
Supporting Cast:
Photography Credit: Matt for Our Labor of Love
Venue: Hacienda de Las Flores, Moraga, CA
Bride’s Dress: Wtoo by Watters, ‘Ariane’
Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade
Bride’s Headpiece: Fabric flower from Sephora (customised)
Groom’s Outfit: J. Crew
Boutonnieres: Reflect Glamour on etsy
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: The Wedding Party, Berkeley, CA
Bridesmaid’s Parasols: Art Wedding
Cake: DIY
Flowers: Crimson Hort, Oakland, CA
Hair: Milagro Salon, Oakland
Make Up: Morgan Gates
DJ: Golden State Productions
Stationery: Design by Will Geddes (http://isaidicanshout.com/) – printed at home
Caterers: Picante, Berkeley
Reception Decor/Props: Family heirloom tablecloths, various decorations from BHLDN, Steamers from craft up your life on etsy