Real Wedding - California

ABC Member Planner: Cynthia Alexander, PBC™, CGWP, ABC LNG director, An Enlightened Event, Port Hueneme, Calif., 757.358.0723,
cindy@AnEnlightenedEvent.com, 
www.AnEnlightenedEvent.com.Photographer: Sara Allen, One Love 
Photography.
ABCBusinesses: Ventura Rental.
Non-member businesses involved: Tenley Erin Young, In the Mix Events, In the Pix, and LaStarr Bakery.The Couple: Michael Ajuria, the groom, and Kathryn Smith, the bride, met on Match.com. They chose to wed in Ventura, Calif., with family and friends traveling to the wedding from all over the country. They personalized their wedding by having wedding pictures of their grandparents and great grandparents incorporated into the design. Table numbers were pictures of the bride and groom at that particular age. They had nine clotheslines with pictures of their family and friends. The vintage furniture and accessories all belonged to Kathryn’s grandmother.Inspiration: The bride chose a vintage chic element for her wedding. Burlap, lanterns, and 500 hydrangeas were set throughout the décor. The couple wanted the food to be served family-style because it brings everyone together.Color palette: Sage, ivory, and chocolate.Approximate budget: $60,000.Most unique design element: Since the wedding was on New Year’s Eve, the couple wanted to have a New Year’s celebration as part of their wedding day.Biggest challenge: The couple wanted furniture to be moved from the ceremony location to the reception location. Then, it started to drizzle and all items had to be moved into the reception room, which didn’t have much storage space.Hindsight: The venue was holding its own New Year’s Eve party, which was planned three weeks before the wedding. This created a resource issue and, in the future, I will ensure that the venue provides the appropriate number of employees to help. In the end, the wedding was amazing, and the couple rode off on their beach cruiser.[nggallery id=21]