Allie & Alan both work in law, both play soccer, and both have mad DIY skills. In the years they’ve spent together navigating the path towards their wedding day, they have cultivate a perfect partnership based on love, respect, laughter, and a mutual cooperative spirit that pulled together one of the best DIY weddings I have ever had the fortune to be a part of. They not only designed all of the subtly-themed beach-y decor and arranged all of the beyond professional-looking florals, they even constructed their own gorgeous lighting that made the night just a little bit more magical.
And to add to the perfection of the day, they were easy-going, relaxed and able to thoroughly enjoyed every moment of their wedding. Basically they were a joy to work with and amazing hosts to their guests. There were so many moments of exuberant laughter and tender affection, that if I showcased them all, this post would be about 10 miles long.
The day started with Allie’s amazing shoes & Alan’s rad socks, along with a guest appearance from their super cute dog Echo.
Allie & Alan prepared for the day separately and then did a first look before their ceremony, a part of the day I love to capture. What sticks in my head about their first look is Alan repeating, “You look so pretty, Allie” about a dozen times. Sweet!
Echo joined in for a few photos with his snazzy bow tie.
More lovely portraits:
The ceremony was on the patio of The San Diego Rowing Club, next to the beautiful bay.
Allie looks pretty even when she’s crying–tears of joy of course!
The reception area was filled with DIY details, including the lighting setup Allie & Alan made for their wedding. I will give you fair warning now, there are a ton of detail photos, maybe a slightly unreasonable amount, but there were just so many good things to photograph, I couldn’t help myself.
The adorable nephew and beautiful sister-in-law of Allie and Alan, perfectly captured by my assistant Jasmine.
Love that Alan & his dad John, who was also his Best Man, were both in stripes.
Allie’s sister, Amy, was a gorgeous Maid of Honor.
I love taking photos of cute & stylish couples at the reception.
And Jasmine captured this future couple.
A great moment between Allie and her parents, also photographed by Jasmine. Thanks Jasmine–have I thanked you for how awesome you are yet?
As the sunset, I snuck off with Allie & Alan for a few more portraits.
Here’s those magical lights in full effect along with some magical pie & ice cream (I can attest to that as a pie expert–I am pregnant after all) that Allie & Alan served in addition to their pretty cake.
Such a fun moment during the first dance:
More laughs plus some pretty amazing dance moves:
The best dance moves most definitely came from Allie’s mom & Dad, Sandie & Joe, though. Um seriously, I don’t think you can get better than that.
And on that note, I want to wish Allie & Alan a happy return from their honeymoon and congratulations to the start of a beautiful marriage. Thank you both so much for allowing me to be a part of your day, be so easy and fun to work with, and having such creativity and vision for your wedding day. As we all know it is the actual marriage that is the most important aspect of the wedding–which I am pretty sure you guys have covered, but it’s also really nice to have such a perfect send-off onto that journey. Cheers!
Vendors:
Venue: San Diego Rowing Club—The Garty Pavilion / Coordinator: Elisa Richards / Musician: Matt Commerce / Catering: California Kebabs / Cake: Katherine Johnson / Rentals: Raphael’s Party Rentals and Audio Design Rentals / Hair & Makeup: Meleah / Officiant: Hon. Bernard G. Skomal / Assistant Photographer: Jasmine Fitzwilliam
(All decor and florals were designed & made by the fabulous bride & groom!)
