When you find your Schmoopie, a dreamy Spring wedding with colorful florals, a dramatic fabric backdrop, and a yummy pie bar is just a bonus! This happens to be the case for major Seinfeld fans, Aly + Gavin, who wed at the stunning Darlington House in La Jolla, Calirfornia! They had quite a team to help make their wedding day dreams come to life. Timeless Event Planning and Shindig Chic designed and planned the day which according to A, had to have flowers, flowers and more flowers!! She shares:
We kept saying we didn’t want a generic wedding, so we tried to make it as personal to us as possible. We created our own ceremony and had one of our hilarious, well-spoken best friends (who used to be our roommate) officiate. Gavin had a custom suit made and we filled the living room of the Darlington house with dozens of framed photos from our relationship. My favorite part was that we had a subtle Seinfeld theme with obscure quotes scattered about. We played bingo after dinner & opted for lots of Julian Pies in lieu of cake. When I saw the decor and florals I actually gasped because it was straight out of my wildest dreams.
Mary Costa Photography captured the beauty of the day. Let’s take a look!
Beautiful Bridal Look
A loves flowers more than anything, so Shindig Chic designed a gorgeous and colorful bouquet of ranunculus, anemone, lilac, scabiosa, garden rose, tweedia, sweet pea, astrantia, and garden roses.
Are you loving A’s off-the-shoulder lacy gown as much as we are?? We just had to get the story behind it! A shares:
After a full day of dress shopping our last stop was the Claire Pettibone castle in LA. I had a clear vision of what I wanted & I tried on about 30 dresses that day and felt underwhelmed. Let’s just say, my dress was the complete opposite of what I thought I would be wearing. I said many times the only thing I know for sure is that I won’t be in a form-fitted silhouette. When I put it on we all knew right away that it was my dress. Adding beautiful sash gave it the pop of color/detail I wanted & sealed the deal.
The First Look
The Wedding Party
A’s bridesmaids wore stunning floor-length ASOS gowns in a sage green color. They are perfect for a Spring wedding and featured the most adorable embroidered floral detail on the sleeves! We’ve sought out some similar styles and linked them below:
Spring Wedding Ceremony
How about this rad fabric backdrop that A + G had for their ceremony decor?? Learn how to DIY Your Own Dyed Fabric Backdrop Here!
We didn’t think the ceremony would be the most memorable part, but since it was so specific to us, it was our favorite part! We wrote our own vows and had readings of the poem “I carry your heart with me” by E.E. Cummings & the Mr. Rogers song “It’s you I like” in poem form. We laughed, we cried- It was perfect.
Wedded Bliss!!
The Newlywed Photoshoot
Spring wedding photos by the sea? Yes please!! Loving how A’s dress drapes beautifully behind her!
There are so many wonderful options for every aspect of the wedding and all you need to do is pick the things that you two love the most. Take conscious moments during the ceremony, your first dance & every chance you can to stand still for a second & say to yourself “this is happening right now- take in this moment & remember it” because it is true what everyone says…time will never go by faster than this day. Plus, the post-wedding blues are real & remembering those specific moments will help you through it! If things don’t go perfectly (like if your bartender creates their own version of the signature cocktail Moscow Mule with coke & other surprises), it’s okay because you got to marry your schmoopie with your favorite people in one spot.
A Flower Inspired Reception
A + G decided against traditional table numbers and instead named each table after a favorite flower. Such a cute idea!
More Rentals provided a mix of wooden rounds and wooden farm tables for the outdoor reception.
Nothing says Spring wedding like a tablescape of luscious flowers!!
Culinary Concepts catered the event and went with some of A + G’s favorites like Rosemary Chicken and a Mac n’ Cheese + Mashed Potato bar!
Seriously, the Seinfeld fans out there will be loving these quotes that are sprinkled throughout the day!
Something Sweet
A + G set up a yummy dessert table full of Julian Pie Company pies. We would have to try a bit of each!
Also, who doesn’t love a touch of gold leaf on a wedding cake?! This adorable dessert by Elodie Daley looks too pretty to cut!
Processional: Family & Groomsman walked out to the Sonny & Cher (from This is Us) Goldspot cover, Bridesmaids walked out to Gavin Degraw’s Overrated (Stripped), Aly walked out to the Sleeping at Last cover of I’m gonna be (500 miles) originally by The Proclaimers.
Recessional: The original I’m gonna be (500 miles) by The Proclaimers
First Dance: All My Life by K-Ci and Jojo (K-Ci and Jojo are also the names of our cats)
Happily Ever After
Find yourself a team that understands your vision. Our team put so much heart & effort into our wedding. I can’t recommend them enough. Lastly, we were both completely against doing a first look, but it was one of the best decisions we made & it didn’t take away from the grand first look at the aisle moment one bit.
And be sure to watch their video by 823 Media below…
Congratulations to Aly + Gavin from the GWS Team! Your Spring wedding is so dreamy and colorful. Perfect inspiration for the flower lovers out there!
photography: Mary Costa Photography // venue name: Darlington House, La Jolla, California, USA // event design: Shindig Chic // planning: Timeless Event Planning // florals: Shindig Chic // wedding dress: Claire Pettibone // bridesmaid dresses: ASOS // videography: 823 Media // catering: Culinary Concepts // cake: Elodie Daley // desserts: Julian Pie Company // furniture rentals: More Rentals // photo booth: Pixster