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With the gorgeous blue Pacific Ocean as their backdrop, Ryan and Stefani tied the knot on a beach in San Clemente with 60 of their closest friends and family.
Although the couple knew they didn’t a large wedding from the get-go (they initially wanted to elope!), whittling down the guest list wasn’t easy. The couple had lots of friends and family members, so they had to come up with a rule that would prevent their guest list from getting out of hand.
“If the person hadn’t met both Ryan and I, then we wouldn’t be able to invite them,” says Stefani.
The rule did the trick, and they couldn’t have been happier with outcome.
“The best part was that because it was a small group, we got to hang out with everyone for the entire weekend instead of only one night. We had a huge family style dinner on Friday night at our friend’s rental house, a beach day on Saturday morning, and woke up to a group breakfast and great stories on Sunday morning,” explains Stefani.
Thanks to Photography by Ben and Kadin for sharing this gorgeous little wedding with us!
Stefani, 29 & Ryan, 30
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
Wedding Date: September 24, 2016
Number of Guests: 60
Wedding Cost: $9,200
Wedding Ceremony Location: Maid of honor’s aunt’s beach house on Capistrano Beach
Wedding Reception Location: Maid of honor’s aunt’s beach house on Capistrano Beach
Why did you have an intimate wedding?
Originally, Ryan and I just wanted to elope, get married on a beautiful beach in Hawaii with our two best friends and our moms as our witnesses. However, with our friends and family’s encouragement, and their fear of missing out on a great party, we decided to have a smaller wedding, filled with our dearest friends and our closest family members.
What are some the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?
Because we both grew up out of state, it was hard narrowing down which family members we invited to the wedding, since we only had space for 60 people. And because we didn’t have our wedding at a huge venue, we had to source our own vendors and rentals, which in the end worked out in our favor because we paid less for a “party” instead of a “wedding”.
Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?
Extremely! We have so many amazing friends and family involved in our lives, so ultimately we had to come up with a rule: if the person hasn’t met both Ryan and I, then we wouldn’t be able to invite them. We still hope to have a party in Texas and Georgia for our family and friends that weren’t able to make it.
Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?
There were times when we really didn’t know how we weren’t going to invite a couple of people, and kept going back and forth with adding chairs and food orders. But we worked it out knowing that those friends would still be happy with us either way.
What were the highlights of the ceremony?
The moments leading up to the actual ceremony. There I was with all of my best friends and brother, peeking out of the door to see and watch everyone waiting for us, and I just realized that all of the people there had a part in me and Ryan’s relationship and were there to see our lives come together.
What were the highlights of the reception?
The speeches and dancing, of course. The maid of honor, best man, and my mom all gave speeches, and we loved being there with everyone to experience all of the laughs and tears they gave us. And of course dancing the night away was the best part. At one time, my maid of honor was going up to any person standing around talking, and dragged them onto the dance floor. We had to end the party a little early because we didn’t want to upset any neighbors, so we carried the party down the road to a local beach bar, which actually ended up being one of my favorite parts of the night!
What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?
The best part was that because it was a small group, we got to hang out with everyone for the entire weekend instead of only one night. We had a huge family style dinner on Friday night at our friend’s rental house, a beach day on Saturday morning, and woke up to a group breakfast and great stories on Sunday morning.
What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?
Do what makes you happy! Don’t feel like you have to have a huge wedding just to make sure you invite your fourth cousin, twice removed. Also, if you splurge at all, do it on the photographer. Ben and Kadin made our wedding look even better than real life!
Vendors:
Photographers: Photography by Ben and Kadin
Dress: Katie May
Shoes: Steve Madden
Groom Suit: Express
Cake: Jimmie’s Cakes; made by my grandmother
Hair and Makeup: LePique Beauty, Corona Del Mar
Flowers: You + Me Floral, Dallas, TX
Rentals: Baker Party Rentals, Costa Mesa
Food: Soho Taco, Orange County
Bartender: A Shot Above
Wedding Coordinator: Jessica Lauren Events
Today’s farm-to-table styled shoot in the Finnish countryside will have you pining for a bucolic setting for your intimate wedding
Blush, a newly established wedding design and coordination company from Tampere, Finland, submitted this rustic styled shoot to IW. Here’s what Heidi from Blush had to say about the shoot:
The idea for the shoot was born when we got the chance to visit a beautiful horse farm in Kangasala, near Tampere, Finland. The farm was very well kept and beautiful, with old oak trees surrounding the main house. The nearby lake was shining in the sunlight and the fields next to the farm were slowly waving in the wind. That’s when the idea was born.
We wanted to portray a bride who grew up here on the horse farm and was now getting married on the same farm she had held dear for so many years. She and her sweetheart chose only the closest people in their lives to spend their special day with them. They celebrated with a wedding dinner consisting of the local products from their own yard and nearby farms. The flowers were collected from a neighbor’s garden and the bread was baked from their own grown corn – farm-to-table.
After the idea was complete, we gathered a skillful and enthusiastic team to help us bring our vision to life. The young and gifted photographer Minttu Saarni was chosen because her style represented perfectly the theme we were aiming for. We’ve admired Minttu’s work before and we were very happy to have the chance to work with her.
The day of the shoot itself was beautiful, with a bit of sunshine, but the wind on that day was crazy! The morning paper actually warned people to carry things inside that could be in danger of blowing away. Our stationery had to be glued to the table and trying to take pictures of the dress hanging from the tree was almost impossible!
Kudos to Blush and Minttu Saarni for creating and capturing this event so beautifully – despite the breezy conditions!
Vendors:
Shoot organization & styling: Blush
Photographer: Minttu Saarni
Place: Lauvala Horsefarm, Kangasala (private)
Model: Varpu Vähätalo
Hair: Maarit Koistinen
Make-up: Ninja Von Rutenhjelm
Flowers: Erika, Helmivillakko
Prints: Annika Välimäki Creative
Cake: Purppurahelmi
Dishes: Pentik
Furniture: Boknäs (chairs), Mirantik
Dress: Asos
You’ve got your outfits picked out for your honeymoon. This is the trip of a lifetime, and you want to look dazzling. You’re packing light (just a carry on!), but you’ll make sure to sneak in your favorite rose gold dress for a special night out with your sweetheart, along with the gorgeous diamond necklace and matching bracelet that look so magical when they catch the light. And then, of course, there is the brand new engagement ring lighting up your left hand.
Thankfully, traveling with that gorgeous jewelry isn’t the risky venture that it used to be – if you’re insured. If your jewelry is lost, stolen, damaged or mysteriously disappears, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company has got your back. Jewelers Mutual ® which was started by jewelers, for jewelers over 100 years ago, exclusively insures jewelry, which means they do it better than anyone else.
With worldwide travel coverage and optional $0 deductible, Jewelers Mutual offers the most comprehensive protection in the business. Unlike many homeowners or renters’ policies, Jewelers Mutual encourages you to work with the jeweler you prefer, striving to replace your piece with “same kind and quality”, making sure your new ring is virtually indistinguishable from the original. As you can imagine, this is especially important if you have name-brand jewelry.
Even with the best insurance, no one likes to lose a piece of jewelry when vacationing. What are some tips to keep your jewelry safe?
First and foremost, wear your jewelry or pack in carry-on, never place it in checked luggage.
Also, always make sure you handle your carry-on luggage yourself.
If you decide to head out without your jewelry, use the hotel safe instead of the safe in your room.
When wearing your jewelry, try not to make it conspicuous. Tuck that gorgeous necklace into your shirt or turn a ring around to minimize exposure.
Last, but by no means least, give yourself peace of mind by insuring your precious gems with a company who understands what your jewelry means to you. Who knows better than Jewelers Mutual, a company that has been exclusively insuring jewelry for more than 100 years?
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