Emily and Ian have a beautifully authentic kind of love that was seamlessly portrayed through all of the details of their special day. The couple tied the knot at the romantic San Luis Obispo wedding venue The Casitas Estate. They had each special moment captured by Cassandra Isbell Photography, providing a unique, vintage aesthetic that embodies their beloved moments in each photo. I had the pleasure of interviewing the bride about the day.
Keep scrolling to see the lovely photos and hear about their love story.
Their Love Story
"Ian and I met as neighbors over 7 years ago. He was always coming over to fix things and change lightbulbs, and I didn't realize he liked me until the day there were sunflowers at my door. Every day with him was so much fun. After a few years of dating we moved in together, adopted a (very cute) cat, and went through the crazy experience of losing almost everything in a building fire. As awful as things were in the aftermath, we kept each other laughing and hopeful for the future. This sounds so cheesy, but losing our home made me realize our relationship was my home. On the anniversary of the fire we took a weekend trip to celebrate the end of a very stressful year, and that's when Ian proposed. It was 9am, in workout clothes, just us - so perfectly unfussy and special."
The Inspiration
"We wanted our wedding to feel like a backyard garden party - intimate, whimsical, and filled with joy. When we first saw Casitas Estate, we immediately knew this was where we would get married; it felt so special that this was someone's home. I let the natural beauty of the landscaping set the style: simple with pops of wildflowers, bouquets of daisies, and long wooden tables for an intimate dinner party feel. I wanted it to feel magical yet understated, each choice intentional and personal to us without feeling too overdone. We were so glad we kept it under 100 people (which was hard!) but dancing the night away with our closest family and friends was the perfect ending to our little midsummer dream."
Color Palette
"We kept things very natural with a few pops of color - a backdrop of neutrals with wood, greenery, and simple wildflowers in bud vases arranged under the twinkle lights. When I was first looking for inspiration, everything on Pinterest felt so over the top. I really wanted our vibe to feel delicate and organic, and our planner did an incredible job at keeping things really subtle. I'm so glad we didn't try to do too much "stuff". Everything felt personal and true to our personalities."
The Details
"When it comes to little details, I wanted our wedding to feel like a romcom. Music is very important to us and every song in our ceremony had a special meaning. Many of them were from my favorite romcoms and made all of these moments feel magic and cinematic. I was so excited to time our kiss to "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure! I was also very excited for our own little wedding tradition to surprise our guests: right after Ian completed the jewish tradition of stomping on a glass, our officiant said "wait - Emily wants to break something too" and Ian held up a wooden board that I could punch through like a cartoon. We were so excited to pull off that surprise, and luckily I broke the board! It was also the greatest tension relief after the whirlwind leading up to it. Would love to see if anyone continues the tradition."
Memorable Moments
"I will never forget the quiet moment of stepping into my dress with my mom. As she zipped me up, it felt like time slowed down. We just looked at each other after all this build up and felt so much love and gratitude. I feel so lucky that I got to share that incredible memory with her, just the two of us. I also loved my second entrance into our dance party. I changed into a $20 sequin jumpsuit and ran out to ABBA and it was better than I could have ever imagined. We danced and jumped and hugged under cotton candy skies and it really was the best night of my life."
Knowing what you know now... what advice would you have for other brides planning their wedding?
"Don't get caught up in the little stuff! I know it's easier said than done, but no one will remember or care what kind of forks you had. Good music, good food, good drinks. We had the incredible privilege of a wedding planner and I would say that is the most important vendor to invest in. Accept help from the people who love you. And remember that this day is ultimately about how much you love each other - there is no point in doing any of it if you're not going to have fun. Also, put disposable cameras on the tables - instant nostalgia."
What was the most challenging part about planning your wedding?
"The most challenging part of the planning process was probably the guest list - we wanted to keep our wedding relatively small, and it's very hard to do! It was important that we were close with everyone at the wedding and we had a rule that neither of us should be meeting anyone for the first time on our wedding day. This really helped us pare it down and focus on keeping things intimate."
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