Shabby Chic, Garden-Inspired California Wedding: Miriam & Eddie

Today’s wedding was planned and designed by a very detail-oriented bride - and I recently had the pleasure of collaborating with her {among other amazing vendors} on the concept of our Valentines Day inspiration shoot!  The oh-so-amazing Miriam Corona of Glam Candies was the mastermind behind the lovely little details that went in to her gorgeous wedding day, and I feel so honored to be able to share it with you!

From the “make a wish” “take a wish” mason jars, escort cards placed on shutters, and DIY ceramic pitcher centerpieces with handmade crystal details, to the fluffy, romantic peonies and sweet, homemade merengues, this wedding was a true labor of love.

So as we do every Wedding Wednesday, sit back, grab a cup of your favorite tea, and soak it all in :)

From Miriam, the bride:
Eddie and I knew that we wanted a have low-key; semi-formal wedding that would be a reflection of us. We had a small wedding party and an intimate reception that we shared with 100 of our closest friends and family members on a warm, sunny, summer day.

I have always been drawn to “shabby chic” details, especially in decor. Partly, because I love to mix and match what I call “treasures” (because I look high and low) with modern pieces to create a unique look. I find inspiration in just about everything I come across from colors to chandeliers, flowers to cake stands and ruffles.

I knew I wanted to incorporate a “Shabby Chic” garden theme in to our wedding day. The golf club we had our reception at was the perfect venue for all of the pieces I had started to make and collect and not to mention the food was scrumptious!

My inspiration for my wedding, however, really began with the stationery. As I tried to print my own wedding invitations and after having the ink smear on the shimmery paper I just had to have, I knew it was time to call in an expert. Together we were able to create the perfect sage green and gold color palette for our save-the-date magnet with the crystal chandelier accent to send out to our guests.

Although our reception was held at the golf club, we had a traditional Catholic ceremony at a local church I had been attending for years. I had always dreamed of wearing a gown with a cathedral train & veil. My Casablanca gown converted from a day to night look by removing the crystal beaded bolero for the strapless look and as the train was bustled to make the perfect bow which matched our wedding cake.

We lined the aisle in the church with (silk) roses in mint julep cups which we re-used at our reception. Yes, I said silk!, but we blended them perfectly with natural roses, calla lilies and my favorite of them all, peonies, at the reception. My florist said that I received the last bunch of peonies that was shipped to the US for that season, which made me feel ecstatic.

A couple of details that I loved incorporating into our wedding day were the candy station that doubled as our wedding favors and our flowers. At the time, candy stations were just starting to trend. Today, I own my own candy favors business (www.glamcandies.com) and I love being able to design candy/dessert stations for other brides and being able to sweeten their most special day. Since our wedding, I have also crossed-over into the planning and design aspects of weddings as an event planner.

As for the second detail, our flowers, which were the most precious gift we received from my aunt, I created a unique “shabby chic” inspired ceramic pitcher centerpiece. Each table used a different vintage ceramic pitcher in either sage green, white or pink that I provided to our florist.

To compliment the centerpieces, I included mason jar votives with personalized labels and “wish” tickets that matched our “wishing-well”. The idea behind our wishing-well was for each guest to “make a wish” and to also “take a wish”. I found inspirational quotes in a book and wrote them on the back of each wish ticket. I found inspiration in the mason jar label that stated “If I had a hundred wishes, I would give them all to you”. Perfect for our hundred guest wedding!

The overall ambiance for our wedding was semi-formal and romantic, exactly what we had hoped to achieve. We wanted our entire guest to feel comfortable, eat the best food they had ever tasted, dance the night away and have fun! For our grand entrance, we danced our way in to the Black Eyed Peas (Let’s get it started) and danced the last song to True by Spandau Ballet. We are most grateful to our wonderful vendors who helped us execute all of the details perfectly.

Photography: David Torralva Photography & Liz K Photo
Ceremony Décor Rentals & Wedding Coordination: Unforgettable Events
Floral Design: KM Floral Design
Venue: Sierra Lakes Golf Club
DJ: Visions Entertainment
Desserts & Event Design: Glam Candies
Stationery: Paper Blend
Wedding Gown:  Casablanca
Bride’s Jewelry: Nadri Pave QVC.com
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Jim Hjelm Occassions
Flower Girls Attire: Bridalelegance.com