A Perfectly Vintage Wedding

I shot Zola & Derick's engagement session early last year at their super sweet 50's/60's decor home here in San Diego. Their wedding, as expected, was ABSOLUTELY stunning. This is a perfect example of a beautiful vintage-inspired DIY wedding. You can view more photos of their wedding on my blog here.



There are some really clever, tasteful & creative ways to do things for original & cost-conscious couples with an old-timey flair... Here's what Zola had to say about how she planned her big day...

After dating for five years, we were engaged and married within seven months, so there wasn't much time to dawdle over all things wedding related. I wanted to keep a mid-century aesthetic, but also make sure that everything was simple and not too themed; we wanted the feel of a family picnic more than anything else. Eclectic Vintage it was!

Some advice for anyone planning a vintage (or not) wedding:
1. Use what you have. I collect vintage Mexican owls and have amassed quite a collection of succulents in the last twelve years. For that reason, using owls and succulents in our wedding was an obvious choice and one that people seemed to really enjoy.
Vintage Brass Owls: Etsy and Ebay, usually sold in trios.



Succulents and growing materials: Hillcrest Farmer's Market and Walter Anderson Nursery
Glass bowls for Terrariums: Michael's



2. Ebay and Etsy are your friends. If you can think of it, you can find it. And of course, if you have several months to do it in, collecting specific types of vintage tableware, vases, knick knacks, etc. can be done through regular visits to thrift stores.
Cake Stands and small turquoise vases: Ikea

3. Buy online. I was able to limit the amount of running around town, and stress I felt as a result, by doing the majority of my purchasing by computer. I did, however, vow I would never step foot in a Michael's again after my seventh trip there!

4. When people offer to help, accept. Planning a wedding, even a simple one, is a lot of work. We are so grateful to our many friends and family members who pitched in to help, both by taking on major crafting projects beforehand and by setting up and decorating for the day's events. I don't know how we would have done it without them.


Fabric for napkins and banner: Amy Butler's Nouveau Trees from FABRIC.COM
Vintage Wallpaper used for photo wall and flower cones: Ebay
5. Forget the favors and just share. As the wedding wound down, our wedding party started collecting and packing away the terrariums and table displays. When I hollered, "Hey, people are supposed to take those home!," everybody ran over (Really. People were excited!) and ended up with something. And now when we visit our friends and family, we'll see a little reminder of the day they shared with us.

My attire
Veil: Something Bold Veils on Etsy
Vintage Brooch: borrowed from our friend (and officiant), Lisa
Earrings: J.Crew
Vintage Homemade Dress: Vintage Castle on Etsy
Shoes: Frye (I found them for 30% off at Shop Bop, but they still cost more than my dress!)



Best Women's Attire
Dress: the Kate dress from J.Crew via Ebay
Shoes: Modern Vintage
Derick & Best Men's Attire
Linen Summer Suits: Banana Republic
Black & White Gingham Ties: Kenneth Cole
Flowers: zinnias and dahlias from Alfredo at the Ocean Beach Farmer's Market

Also, Zola got her Owl Invitations from Ello There on Etsy, and her DELICIOUS cakes from Extraordinary Desserts.
Thanks for sharing the details of your gorgeous wedding with us Zola! It was an absolute dream to shoot :) You can view more pics from Zola & Derrick's wedding on my blog here: featherlove.com/blog

Noa