this just in

If you are sick of wedding posts then click away but if you aren't and would like a little Black Friday distraction you may want to watch this sweet movie .  Alex and B's friend Dayten (he's the guy right behind B) made it as a gift to them. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. It is super sweet for sure.  I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving.

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dialing it back

Thank you all so much for the beautiful comments you left on all my wedding posts.  I am so grateful to have readers that are so into details.  Not a single thing went unnoticed by you.  You are wonderful, wonderful friends.

So now that the wedding has come and gone in a split second it's on to the holidays right?  The last couple of days I've found myself getting angry while driving because the traffic has been so ridiculous.  It's not even Thanksgiving and the shopping centers are packed and it seems as if the worst drivers in the world are on the loose.  The Canadians have it right putting Thanksgiving in early October.  It's all just too much.

So in an effort to dial it way back I'm swearing off any and all retail centers for the holidays.   I will go to the market and will make a trip to the yarn store but that is it.  I don't know of any other way to avoid the crowds and the marketing b.s.  I think my family will be okay with knit scarves for Christmas. They are all grown and really need nothing so a handmade present will be nice.  Anything home baked is good too.

The image I chose for this post really says it all to me.  What else is needed?  A little food, a few friends or family and you are set.  I really think pulling off a wedding for 100 people in just 2 weeks really put things into perspective for me.  How much hype is put into the planning of things?  How much hype is put into making things perfect.  I've fallen for it for years myself.  I'm ready for a change, are you?

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biker wedding chic

Well a lot of you are interested in just what all these bikers wore to the wedding.  I know I couldn't wait to see either. Like I said in my previous post, they were the most gracious group with impeccable manners.  I loved seeing what they wore and how they wore it.  Before we get to them though, lets first look at the bride and groom.

B was stunning in her 1940's crochet chemise.  They purchased the dress at Raggedy Threads in downtown Los Angeles.  this is her facebook page in case you can't make it into LA.  Jaimie is a lovely person and I spent some time talking vintage fashion with her at the wedding.  B's beautiful sister Bre did her makeup and hair and isn't it gorgeous?  I mean B always looks great but when she walked down the aisle I was like...wow.

Alex wore a suit from a company called Western River in Japan.  Believe it or not, vintage Harley Davidson's are incredibly popular there and they love Alex.  A and B have done several magazine shoots for their company and they sent Alex this suit as a gift.  He wore it with a RRL white shirt and this J.Crew bow tie and these J. Crew Ludlow Wingtips.

Here's the rest of the gang...

And I was worried about wearing black...


All photos courtesy of BEN

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an old california wedding

Boy was it hard to narrow down this post. I didn't want to leave anything out because I know there are some of you planning weddings and would like to see all the little details. In fact I should probably break down different elements like the flowers, food, clothing, etc. into different posts. What do you think?  

This wedding is one for the books as it was planned in under 2 weeks and swelled from 40 guests to 100.  I will admit that it was not easy giving up control but when I saw it all coming together I got it and was on-board.  This really was more than just a vintage themed wedding.  We had Old California and Vintage Harley bikers going on too.  And not to mention that Alex and B do not buy anything new. Everything is vintage or antique, which is awesome but when planning a wedding, it can be challenging. I really didn't know what to expect with 100 bikers coming but let me tell you they were the nicest, most gracious group of people.  Omg, they were awesome.  The whole day was done on a small budget (I believe the whole thing was just shy of $2k, oops that should read closer to $3k) but the details were big.  So in no particular order...

Chairs were set up for family and then the guests just squeezed in

I spent a total of $75 on flowers from Trader Joes.  That includes the brides bouquet too.

B's sister made the cheese platters.  The main menu was bbq and assorted salads.  It was a lot of work but B's dad did an excellent job!

I made lunches that consisted of pbj's, chips, cookies and juice for the kids in attendance

Guests arriving

The guest book was placed on an antique drop-leaf desk.  I wrapped an ordinary pen in twine and stuck a pheasant feather in.

Everyone loved Alex's 49 pickup truck.

Candy apple action for the kiddos.

B's mom generously took care of all the rentals, champagne and cake!

I loved the antique rug runner.  A and B have been collecting them for 2 years.  Each one was at least 100 years old.

It was so strange to see this many people in my yoga garden

This dress.  1940's crochet chemise - stunning.

Her $11 bouquet

A big thank you to everyone who weighed in with what I should wear.  I went with Melissa from All Things Simplified suggestion of this dress and my boots.  Turns out it was perfect as I was so busy I never sat down and yet didn't have to wear an apron.  That Tory Burch dress I loved would have been ruined.  But Mary, I will never forget your offer.  I think RL would be ok with this.:)

This is probably my favorite photo of the whole event.  It was taken with an iphone!  It has such a romantic feel to it, and my carport has never looked this good. Those panels were cut from plain old burlap and staple gunned up. Total cost $120.

Would we have changed anything?  Probably.  Although we didn't go with a caterer, we should have hired a few guys to help bus tables and clean up.  I don't know what I was thinking?!  I wish I had taken more family photos but didn't think of it til the next day.  None of these are big deals and everything worked out.  Just some things to consider if you are planning an old California biker vintage wedding in 2 weeks. :)

PS - Would you be interested in seeing some of the LA fashion from this wedding?  Would you like more breakdown of anything particular?  Let me know.

*Most photos credited to BEN

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