Shilo and Joe

San Luis Obispo Real Weddings

April 10, 2023

Amelia Puhek|The Wedding Standard


Shilo and Joe had a magical night at The Penny, getting married in front of all their loved ones. They started the day off getting ready downtown at the SLO Brew Lofts, and made their way to the ceremony and reception area at The Penny. The Penny already had the exact look they were searching for, and they were able to bring their own personality to life at the wedding. San Luis Obispo wedding photographer Cole Garrett Photography captured every gorgeous moment. A unique twist was his additional film photography. I was able to interview the bride about the special day.

Keep scrolling to see the magic, and the additional stunning film photography!



Their Love Story

"Joe and I have been together for 10 years! We went to different high schools, but had a lot of mutual friends. There were multiple times throughout the years that Joe will try to make a move and hang out, but I would turned him down every time. Until 2013 rolled around, Joe and I had finally hung out for the first time thanks to his best friend! At first, I was a little unsure, but from that day forward, we were inseparable! Joe loves to say that I made him "work" to get me to like him, some of our first dates were at the beach and it was soon to know that that was our comfort place and where we could express our love the the most for each other. Over the years, we van-lifed at beaches for a quick trip & and decided we need to take this off the California coast. We did two trips to Oahu and van-lifed around the island. That second trip was the time Joe proposed! At the time it was so unexpected. We constantly talked about getting married, but I never once suspected him getting a ring or anything! We were at our favorite camping spot in Hawaii taking a normal stroll on the beach and that's when Joe stopped to get down on one knee and asked me to marry him and of course it was an easy yes!"



The Inspiration

"We wanted our wedding to really represent us. We didn't want anything super structured, but have it still feel like a wedding. We wanted to feel as if we were just having a big hang out with all of our favorite people celebrating our love! We love all things dark, boho, and minimal. The Penny was the perfect venue for us! We loved how dark and romantic it felt while still having liveliness. It was easy for them to create our vision, and make it better than I ever expected! We knew we wanted dried florals and candles, but we needed a little sprinkle of us in so, that's where all of our crystals and disco balls came in! We felt like the crystals added the perfect touch of us, and a disco ball added all the fun! Because we wanted a more relaxed setting, we had more lounging areas set up! We had a wood-fire pizza food truck that was incredible! (Lucca Pizza) they were there all night for people to munch whenever they got hungry! Overall The Penny was the perfect place for us, and we are so grateful for them capturing our vision!"



Color Palette

"For our colors, we wanted to keep it neutral with black, dark greens, tans, and any neutral tones that went with the rest of our decor!"



The Details

"I'd say our two favorite things at our wedding were our ring warming & wood-fire pizza truck! During our ceremony, we had our wedding rings passed around to our guests, to set good intentions for our marriage and fill the rings with love! It was so sweet and it made our guest feel like they were apart of the ceremony even more! And our food truck was awesome! Lucca is a self served, speciality wood fire pizza truck! They made them at the location in their awesome vintage truck that definitely fit the theme. They catered to all dietary requests and were there all night for people to go back for seconds and even thirds!"



Memorable Moments

"Joe and I made a plan that after our first kiss as husband and wife, we wanted to take a moment at the altar and look around at all of our guests there and really soak it in before walking down the aisle together. It was definitely a great idea to do so. All emotions flowed through us seeing all of our favorite people in one room, witnessing our next chapter unfold."



Knowing what you know now... what advice would you have for other brides planning their wedding?

"It sounds cliché, but don't be stressed! This moment is supposed to be exciting and something you can't wait to happen! Things will happen how they're supposed to, and it will turn out better than expected!"


What was the most challenging part about planning your wedding?

"This may sound funny, but I feel like we got very lucky with our wedding. There was not one moment where we felt that something went wrong or that we would have changed! Our wedding day was perfect and I'm so grateful we are able to say that!"



Shilo and Joe's Wedding On Film


Shilo and Joe

Shilo and Joe

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