Throughout the wedding planning process, Sam and Pat (well, mostly just Sam) sent me just a hundred or so photos taken directly from the oh-so-famous Ruffled wedding blog – featuring the best of the best in ideas for a unique, handmade vintage wedding.  As I collected their ideas, I began to understand more and more the intimate, sweet, romantic, filled-with-a-chic-whimsy ambiance that they wanted to create for their guests, and we couldn’t have been more pleased with how the day turned out!

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Sam and Pat planned a “first look” at their hotel early in the afternoon and then arrived at the wedding venue before any of their bridal party or guests and were able to walk through the wedding setup and really take in all the fun details that awaited and surprised them!  The look on Sam’s face as she took it all in was absolutely priceless and made every single second of our work on this wedding more than worth it!

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

The wedding ceremony took place on the beach, and a beautiful wooden platform with fabric bunting blowing in the breeze welcomed the bride and groom and was the perfect stage for them to exchange their vows.  The aisle was lined with bottles and single blooms and just a few handmade pinwheels which spun perfectly in the afternoon breeze!!! Two antique-looking furnishings stood at the step of the wedding canopy with vintage-style decor (a hint of what was to come in the reception area!)

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

(A chair was set at the entrance of the aisle with a bouquet in memory of the bride’s mom who passed in the year prior to the wedding.)

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

We were privileged to work with a really responsible and eager go-to guy to announce the major wedding day events!  He did an incredible job!!!

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

An evening of simple and lovely delights followed as guests gathered in lounging areas on the beach and nearby garden.

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

As an alternative to a guest book, Sam and Pat brought quilting squares and fabric pens with them and asked guests to each scribe a note on the pieces – which will be sewn together into a quilt!   Just days before the wedding, I stumbled upon a vintage Singer sewing machine table and instantly knew that it just had to be the station for this activity!  It turned out perfectly and brought tears to the bride’s eyes when she spotted it!

We placed a hand-painted sign saying “to keep them warm” on the table with the quilting squares and a similar hand-painted sign saying “to keep you warm” nearby where gifts were placed for the guests – pashminas for the ladies and tequila for the men!

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Waiters passed around a full menu of appetizers, and each item was featured on a vintage door turned chalkboard menu!

And drinks were served from a bar decorated with its own fabric bunting hand-painted with a book title that has a special place in Sam and Pat’s relationship!

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Sam and Pat were amazing at collecting wedding dates and photographs of their family members, and we wanted to do something really unique with them!  We came up with the idea of creating a literal love timeline.  We strung twine between two trees and hung hand-painted signs with the decades on them and clipped up the photos and other fun “love facts” along the line.  Right before the ceremony, we took a polaroid shot of the bride and groom together and hung it up while they exchanged their vows – they were the newest addition to their family history of love!

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

As the sun set over the ocean, candles and exposed bulb lighting cast a warm glow across the entire villa grounds!  Seriously . . . as if this wedding wasn’t romantic enough already!

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Guests toasted the bride and groom, boogied on the dance floor and gobbled up bags and bags of fresh popcorn popped in a vintage-style popcorn machine – a bit of a surprise for our popcorn-loving bride!

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

And just before the evening came to a close, an authentic tacos al pastor cart offered guests a chance to appease their appetites once again!

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland

A seriously amazing night.

Photographed by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography Associate Photographer Kiersten Rowland – thank you Kiersten for being so great to work with and for sharing these lovely images with us.  You are the best!!!

A few of the photos above (with the watermark) were taken by photographer Paulina Ulloa who worked at our portfolio photographer at the wedding!  Thanks Pau!

And a huge congratulations to Sam and Pat who are blessed with lots of love!  We will miss planning with you!

Samantha and Pat – Casa La Playita Estate

Samantha and Pat’s wedding was oh-so-vintage, airy, fresh and personal with unique touches woven throughout to create an amazing wedding-day ambiance.

Photography by Kiersten Rowland with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Guests arrived to the beach and were greeted with refreshing watermelon water and an area to stow their shoes for the rest of the evening!

The ceremony decor was kept simple to really allow for the natural beauty of the beach to shine through.  Pearl chiffon sheers were draped from bamboo, and monochromatic Gerber daisy arrangements lined the unique wooden-plank ceremony aisle.  At one point during the planning process, Kimberly shared a quote that she feels reflects the very sentiment of this couple’s relationship.  Incorporating these meaningful words into the design became the focus of the ceremony decor, and we hand-painted the quotation on to the actual aisle – a beautiful surprise for the bride as she made her way toward the groom!

Following the ceremony, while the bridal party took photos, guests mingled in beach lounge areas and awaited the arrival of the new husband and wife!

Guests found their hand-stamped escort cards (to match the hand-stamped ceremony programs and menu cards!) in boxes highlighted by limes (another request by the bride and groom), and then found their way to candlelit tables set beneath an elegant canopy structure with draping chiffon sheers and romantic evening lighting!

The bride and groom really wanted wine set on the tables for guests to serve themselves al gusto!, so we took the liberty of creating personalized labels with their monogram, wedding location and date!

Following a dinner full of heartwarming toasts to the bride and groom, more fun ensued – bubble blowing, late-night dancing and hours of laughter and love on end.

The love between these two is as uncomplicated as it comes, and the beautiful simplicity of their wedding day was a perfect reflection of the two of them.  Congratulations Kimberly and Tyler!

From the bride:  Tyler and I loved our wedding so much and I am not sure if we expressed this in person to you or not. Everything was so perfect and I am still in awe as to how it was executed from our very first ideas of what we had wanted! The end result was the exact vision we wanted from the beginning. The overall effect was so stunning and beautiful. Everyone kept saying it was the best wedding they had been to, even better than their own! Your team is definitely hands down creatively the best with equally the best service and execution around!

 Photos by Elizabeth Lloyd Photography
Thank you Beth!

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Nate Broshot

The ladies spent the day getting ready, beautifying and giggling!

Photo by Nate Broshot

The bride fell in love with a palette of navy blue and fuschia, and the day was infused with pops of the colors at every turn.  Steffani carried a lush bouquet of pale pink roses and spray roses, slightly more muted in tone than the rest of the flowers that day!

Photo by Nate Broshot

Meanwhile, the gentlemen played at their own version of getting ready.

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Nate Broshot

With everyone dressed and set to go, guests were invited to take their seats (and a refreshment!) for the garden ceremony.

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Throughout the process of planning with this couple, they placed a great deal of importance on the support provided to them in their relationship by other couples in their close-knit group of family and friends.  From the very beginning, Steffani wanted to incorporate wedding photos of these people into her own wedding, and we really wanted to take this idea a step further than just setting the photos on a table as we understood the significance of this detail to them.  So in lieu of beneath a traditional ceremony canopy, the bride and groom exchanged their vows while standing between two bookshelves filled with vintage nick-knacks, flowers, a chandelier and, of course, the family photos.

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Nate Broshot

Then it was time for the bride to walk her walk!  The emotion the groom showed as she walked down the aisle was truly moving!  Aaaah, love!

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Nate Broshot

Once the vows were recited and the groom kissed the bride, the party began!  A nearby cocktail area provided guests with different seating and mingling areas as well as a very popular photo booth that kept them smiling all night long!

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

As darkness set in, guests were invited to the lower level beach area for dinner beneath an elegant white tent.  Steffani wasn’t shy about her obsession with shoes (she has over 200 pairs!), so we knew that we absolutely had to incorporate this passion of hers into the day.  Dinner tables were named for famous shoe designers, with the bride and groom sitting at her favorite designer’s table, and the kids sitting at the Converse table, of course.

Photo by Nate Broshot

A shoe-holding area was set at the bottom of the stairs, and ladies kicked off their high heels to feel the sand in their toes!

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

The bride and groom’s chairs each had an arrangement hanging from the back with their “title” hand-painted on to the tin pails we refurbished and utilized throughout the wedding area.

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

The four youngest guests had their own table and their very own set of decorations!  Place mats with their names written on them invited them to the table; crayons were supplied for the little artists, and a bag of activities hung on the backs of their dinner chairs to keep them entertained and busy throughout the meal!

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Once the dinner, the drinking, the laughter and the toasts had come to a close, wedding cake (and a few surprises) awaited the group back upstairs on the terrace level of the villa.  Floating lanterns, two dessert stations and endless candlelight filled the pool, gardens and terrace.

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

The day before the wedding, in conversation, Steffani told us that Ashaunte had woken in the middle of the night to proclaim that they should have contracted the fireworks show.  Nevertheless, the budget was spent, the day was set and the clock was ticking – less than 24 hours to showtime – so fireworks were just not a possibility.  But as we pulled out of the driveway after our meeting, we just knew that this couple needed a great surprise!  We pulled some strings, and with the help and flexibility of our fantastic vendor, we were able to surprise them with fantastic fireworks at the cutting of the cake, and honestly, this photo says it all.  So worth it.

Photo by Nate Broshot

In the romantic setting, with desserts galore, the guests were grinning from ear to ear and dancing like mad!

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Nate Broshot

Photo by Nate Broshot

And by the end of the night, the line had been filled with new photos of happy moments and wedding memories.

Photo by Yanen Ali with Elizabeth Lloyd Photography

Congratulations Steffani and Ashaunte!  A very special thank you to Nate Broshot with License to Still for being so great to work with and sharing his images with us!  And thank you to Yanen Ali who joined us as staff photographer and creeped around when no one was looking to shoot all the little details!

See the inspiration board for this wedding design!

The ladies spent the day relaxing and beautifying in the master suite of stunning China Blanca.  The entire celebration would include a stunning display of three dresses for this bride!

This is one of my favorite photos!  I LOVE that her girls are literally on the floor, underneath her, fluffing the layers of her dress!

Before the guests arrived, Davina and Daniel saw each other for the first time that day.  That moment, like so many others that day, was so beautiful and filled with love!  These two are infectious!

As guests arrived to D + D’s wedding celebration, they weren’t invited to take seats for a ceremony.  Instead, they were immersed in an immediate ambiance of celebration with music, appetizers, yummy drinks (including a fun “Mojitos on the Move” cart) and the grand entrance of the bride and groom to the party.  After a while of mingles, eats and drinks, everyone gathered round for some seriously tear-jerking toasts on the villa terrace.

Once the toasts (and tears) were finished, the bride disappeared for wardrobe change #1 and the party continued on!

After a cocktail or two, guests were led to the nearby garden for a ceremony that drew at least as many tears of joy as the toasts did!  The bride walked with her mom to the beginning of the ceremony aisle where her groom awaited; then Davina and Daniel walked together down the aisle and took their places beneath the tree to say their vows.

Davina and Daniel exited the ceremony and led their guests directly to the dance floor . . . and spent the next three hours grooving to the tunes of Davina’s father’s band!!!

The night, however, was not complete without the cutting of a cake at 11pm(!), another wardrobe change (at 11:30!) and aaah! . . . so romantic . . . the departure of the bride and groom through a hallway of sparklers!

Thank you Ben and Erin Chrisman for sharing these amazing images with us.  And congratulations, hugs and the very best well wishes to Davina and Daniel with whom we hope our paths again will cross!  (The great thing about being involved in the wedding of wedding professionals is that we sometimes get to work together on someone else’s wedding!)

Bailey and Chad shared with us that they really wanted their wedding to feel natural, simple and beachy.  They loved the idea of incorporating fruit and succulents in to the celebration as well as using their purple and coral color palette as a pop of color against a more neutral background.  And the design that resulted from email after email of collaboration was so pretty and chic it almost hurts!

Challenged  in their vows (particularly “in sickness and health”) just moments after saying them, Bailey and Chad escaped to their hotel room in an attempt to nurse Bailey back to health.  Guests below on the pool terrace mingled with cocktails, enjoyed the sunset and yes, repeatedly asked with concern about the bride and groom.  When it was clear that they wouldn’t be returning to the reception before dinner, the bride’s father made an announcement to guests and asked them on behalf of the bride and groom to enjoy themselves, dance up a storm and await the hopeful return of the bride and groom!

Bailey and Chad did eventually make it down to their own wedding reception (with the help of a wheelchair and to grand applause from their family and friends), and Bailey even took a quick spin or two on the dance floor, listened to emotional toasts and ended the evening with laughter and love.  These two were simply meant to be.

Photos by Jillian Mitchell

We wanted the ceremony to be all about the natural beauty of the beach, so a canopy was created with natural bamboo and a simple white linen draped off-center and surrounded with upside-down hanging greenery.  Lanterns filled with florals lined the aisle, and a shoe check area was created to encourage bare-footed-ness!  The bridesmaids carried beautiful mini-bouquets and the flower girl held the most adorable pillow (hanging on a branch) created from the same fabrics used in lounge pillows and embroidered with K + D.

While the bride and groom took a few photos following the ceremony, some guests enjoyed cocktails at the nearby palapa bar to avoid the hot sun while others braved the heat and relaxed in lounge area beneath hotel umbrellas!  Beautiful beach “cabanas” were built with oversized pillows and low tables for those who wanted to relax right on the beach floor with a striking view of the ocean just yards away.

And with a groom that absolutely had to surf the morning of his wedding, well, it’s just clear that surfing somehow had to be incorporated into the decor as well.  We searched and searched and found old surf boards in Sayulita that we drilled holes into, hammered oxidized nails into and hung escort cards on twine right on the boards.  The result was so unique and oh-so-perfect!

The escort cards, which were each marked with a vintage surfing image, led guests to their dinner tables where the same image popped out of the florals.  The tables were topped with burlap centers and decorated with an eclectic grouping of pieces including lanterns, simple jar arrangements, limes, tin stars and twigs.  The result was so natural, stunning and fun!

During dinner, guests toasted, chatted and watched the sun drop in to the evening sky.  And, of course, prepared themselves for the hours of dancing ahead.

The dance floor was created especially for Kara; in the middle of the floor, we constructed a small canopy with upside-down greenery around the perimeter and dozens of star lanterns suspended from underneath to add a twinkling bit of romance to illuminate the dance floor once darkness had set in.

Later on in the evening, cake was cut and served while guests mingled in lounge areas and on the beach.

 Photography by Jeff Newsom

Maggie and Nico gave guests a Dazzling touch even prior to the wedding with their invitations – our South-of-the-Border Romance design.  And their wedding gave us the opportunity to create the rest of this invitation set – a ceremony program, menu and escort cards to accompany the invite!

The very-uniquely-shaped private beach at Casa Cosmos was perfect for the ceremony – providing us with the fantastic challenge of fitting the couple’s wedding canopy amidst the palms – and, of course, ensuring that guests were offered some shade as well as a good view of the bride and groom!  Maggie and Nico said their vows beneath a very natural bamboo canopy draped with white chiffon sheers and decorated with eucalyptus seeds.  And the entire backdrop was made all that more chic by a hanging antique chandelier.

Guests were invited up the many villa stairs for cocktails and appetizers on the villa terrace.   Cocktail tables and lounge areas featured elegant white linens and centerpieces which combined natural textures, tree trunk rings, candles and flowers.

The bride and groom brought photos of themselves and their best furry friend and really wanted those incorporated into their celebration, so we created a natural-style photo display in the corner of the dinner area where everyone could check out the “three of them!”

Place cards were tied to the back of dinner chairs with twine, and guests were seated at elegantly dressed round tables with centerpieces that reflected the natural textures and florals incorporated into the rest of the day.

Notice the hand-made burlap and fabric flowers incorporated into the centerpieces!  These were made to mirror the idea of the fabric flowers on their stationery and turned out beautifully.

Following dinner and some very tearful toasts, there was joyful dancing, delicious dessert, spectacular fireworks, Nico’s requested floating lanterns and to top it all off – a surprise fire dance performance!

Photography by Michelle Turner Photography

This wedding was published.  See more!

Monica expressed her love of butterflies to us long before her wedding, so we wanted to include that as a personal touch for her!  Silver butterfly charms were incorporated into her bouquet as well as the groom’s bout and then appeared again at the reception on the couple’s escort card.

Bridesmaid bouquets composed of groupings of different colored blooms were the perfect compliment to Monica’s bouquet.

Guests were welcomed to the cocktail and dinner reception on the beach by the trumpets of mariachi, the swaying of rich-toned chiffon sheers in the ocean breeze and endless food and fun at every turn.

(Poor mariachi dressed in black in the afternoon heat!)

And the bride and groom sneaked away for a few photos (and smooches) on the beach.

Then re-entered the reception and twirled on to the dance floor for their first dance while the flower girls tossed petals above them while they danced.

The sun set.  Dinner was served.  Candles were lit.  And dancing (and dessert!) ensued.

Photos by Michelle Turner Photography