Southern Weddings

We’ve been saving this California wedding from Nate + Jacklyn Kaiser at The Image is Found for some time now, and think it’s finally close enough to summer to share it with y’all!  (Technically, Stacie + Todd exchanged vows at the W Hotel in San Diego last October, but I think their lime green + brown color palette has just the right vibe a summer soiree.)  The bride wore a classic lace Casablanca gown that looked even better next to her hubby’s light suit.  (Summer grooms, take note: you don’t have to wear basic black, especially in the warm weather months.)  Come back soon for their West Coast reception!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.  Todd and I met surfing in front of our houses in 2003.  What we didn’t know is that we were next-door neighbors!  That didn’t last long: we moved in together and stopped paying double rent after about 3 months.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding?  I wanted a modern un-wedding.  I’ve been to too many weddings where I sat at a table and met a few people also sitting at my table and then went home.  I love modern décor and I love the idea of a big mingle party instead of a typical wedding reception, so I brought in a bunch of lounge furniture and had passed hors d’oeuvres with food stations, an open bar and a fabulous band.  After the wedding was over, everyone told us about how many great people they met at our wedding and even the older guests (who we were concerned wouldn’t “get it”) told us it was the most fun wedding they had ever been to!
What was your favorite design element of your big day:  I’m a graphic designer, so I didn’t want to buy anything off the shelf that I could design myself (including the invitations, save the date, programs, stickers, napkins, etc).  I’m used to working for clients and doing what they want so it was awesome to do what we wanted… okay, what I wanted since Todd gave me full design control!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  I’m not much of a dressy-dress girl and the thought of a typical wedding gown didn’t feel like me.  My aunt convinced me to check out this huge sample sale at this couture bridal boutique.  We got there when they opened at 9 a.m. and found people who had literally camped outside the night before.  We grabbed as many dresses as we could fit in the dressing room and the very last one I tried on was perfect. (Not entirely perfect, because it was a size 14 sample and I’m a size 2, but we saw the potential.) The best part was the price, which was $300 reduced from $2000; the $1000 worth of alterations (including cutting off the whole train and making the dress tea-length) were all worth it!