Rob and Kelley’s yellow sunshiney wedding is a new favorite of mine. I love the navy accents, the croquet games, and I especially love that the couple brought in a cake shaped pinata. Rob and Kelley planned such a personal backyard affair, that I felt it really important to get Kelly’s point of view. So be sure to read what she had to say about their planning process.
Very special thanks to Sophie of Mike Larson Inc. for letting us share such lovely images!!!
From Kelley:
We had our reception in the back yard of our Santa Barbara church building. Robbie and I are fairly casual people; we both grew up in Santa Barbara and are avid surfers. We wouldn’t feel comfortable at an overpriced, luxury wedding but instead preferred a day where everyone could join in the fun. We wanted all of our friends and loved ones close to us in the type of party we felt most comfortable. We hosted a backyard barbeque in celebration of our matrimony. It was the best wedding I’ve ever been to.
We knew that weddings could be boring and awkward and so we wanted to move the program right along by chosing traditions that we felt were meaningful to us. We didn’t dance because we never have been big on dancing ourselves…why would we choose our wedding day to do something we don’t enjoy? Instead we had a piñata. At first my mother was very against this but in the end, it turned out to be one of the best parts of the day. Our nieces and nephews loved it. We also had a bocce ball set and croquet out for a more relaxed feeling. The décor concept was easy. I knew that we wanted a casual wedding.
I really like yellow flowers and I wanted a flattering color for the Mom’s and my sisters to wear. I chose navy because it’s looks good on everyone and it’s nautical–we are people of the beach. My Mom and my older sister were the masterminds behind the decorations and used old glass bottles that we have had sitting in our garage. They pulled the umbrellas from our backyard. I love the pinwheels (they hung in the trees.) My sister made them out of paper. My Aunt created the flowers for the bouquets and boutonnieres. We got the fake flowers at the fabric store and she arranged them herself. Robbie’s grandmother made the cake. My dad, baby sister, and my dad’s friends played bluegrass music. My mom’s friends made salads and we hired a friend we know to barbeque. My best friend Sophie did the photography.
My sister’s Mother-in-Law arranged the real flowers in the vases on the tables. She has a knack for that. There was much collaboration and help provided by those we love. We are so blessed because it was the perfect wedding for Robbie and I. It was everything we had envisioned and more. We are lucky to have so many friends who are in the photography business. Our friend Mark Lee from Hawaii took our engagement photos. We were going to school out in Hawaii at BYU on the North Shore when we got engaged. We were able to have fun taking water shots and then we sent our engagement announcements in Postcard form—they were like the old vintage postcards that read Aloha from Hawaii.
Something that I realized through my wedding was to never underestimate your resources. We used a bunch of things that had been sitting in our garage or the garage of our friends. Also, many people that love and support you on your big day are willing to help out. We couldn’t have done the wedding without all of our friends and family members. This is what made our wedding so special. It was a group effort and a group success. There wasn’t anything done by any vendors. We saved a ton of money and it was more meaningful in the long run.
My Mom made my dress. I loved it. It was perfect for me. I didn’t need to go dress shopping because we were able to tailor it to exactly what I wanted and the fabric alone cost about $30.00. I’m so fortunate to have so many gifted and talented people in my life. They made my wedding.
