COLLEEN+TONY TEMECULA

What was the Inspiration for your wedding day? Our inspiration for our wedding day was making everything 100% authentic to us. Every detail in our wedding from venue to food was something meaningful to us in our lives. We wanted things to be effortless, fun and memorable for all of the right reasons. The pressure to do things, traditional, and how society expects was something we wanted to avoid. Our love story has been anything but traditional and we cherish that. Our total budget for our wedding was twelve thousand and it was a total DIY with exception to a few things. I can tell you I stared at pinterest for hours and in the end ended up doing everything from scratch and from my heart.

How and why did you pick your venue and or wedding details. I fell in love with our venue two years ago when we were staying for a long weekend over my birthday. Our son was three months old. My parents and best friends were with us. I woke up before the sun rose with my cup of coffee and watched as the sun came up over the rolling hills. The venue is also meaningful for us because it is a family property and owned by Tony’s cousins. Its romantic and captures our love for wide open spaces.

What special details did you include in your wedding or reception?? There are so many special details that we included in our wedding. A lot of the pieces you see used for decoration are hand made by myself and my friends. The venue is family owned. Nacho cheese is a favorite food group of mine so a nacho cheese table seemed to be the perfect appetizer idea. We chose St Patrick’s day to get married because it’s fun and holds a special place in our heart and the heart of family. We decided to use greens and jeweled tones to be festive but not to kitschy. We asked our guests to wear shades or hints of green. Bride wore green shoes and earings. Our DJ is a fourth-generation DJ within Tonys fraternity. The rug we got married on was my great grandparents. All of our signage had special meaning (dance magic dance). And of course our St. Pattys day swag was the small tiny touch to add a little flare. Like everything in our lives sometimes you have to roll with the punches. The last minute rain forced us to make changes at the last minute, Moving the reception and adding a tent, lighting, and dance floor. These last-minute touches really seemed to make the ambiance come together.

How did you make your wedding day special and make it about the two of you??! Every little last detail was about us and the most amazing support group we have in friends and family. As I mentioned earlier we have a very nontraditional love story. We wanted to celebrate the love and support we have received from friends and family along the way. We kept our wedding small, intimate and meaningful. We didn’t have a traditional bridal party. It was about us, our love, our son, our family. Our ceremony was one big representation of that. We wrote our own vows and chose our own readings. Every detail from the songs to readings were authentic to us and our love. Even the rug we got marries on was my great grandparents.

Most memorable moment (s) of your wedding day? (From Groom and from Bride)

Bride- Our ceremony. When I walked out everyone was standing in a crowd. It was very nontraditional in the sense we didn’t have seats for everyone. It was like walking through this sea of love. I was so overwhelmed with all these emotions and all the positive energy radiating from everyone.  our first dance. That was by far a moment we had so much fun with.

Groom- Our first look. Seeing Colleen for the first time in her wedding dress. The image will forever be lasting in my memory. It was one of the few times I have ever been speechless. Also being the last people standing on the dance floor at the end of the night.

What was your favorite part about the wedding planning process? Our wedding day was filled with so much love and help from all of our friends. We could not have done it without them. They donated time, services, love, and lots of laughs to help us pull it off. Every detail was something a friend helped with from setting up, decorating, lighting, food, bartending, decorations, flowers, venue. Our wedding brought everyone together and we 100% could not have done it without them.

Any advice for those planning now? Whatever you do, decide to do it for the love of the two of you. Weddings can be so stressful. Ours was stressful to plan as we were moving, buying a home and raising a toddler. I can’t lie and say it wasn’t a lot of work. But when the day came it was magical to be in the moment and know that everything we planned was authentic to us and our love.

Music

o Processional: The Beatles (Here Comes the Sun) Bride-Tom Petty (Wildflowers)

o Recessional: One Republic (Good Life)

o First Dance: David Gray (This Years Love)

How was your experience working with The DeLauras?? Amazing. It was like working with best friends. We felt confident, at ease in front of the camera and knew, without a doubt, they would capture all the precious moments from our magical day. It was such a wonderfully easy process to work with them and would recommend them to anyone who wants dreamy photos to remember for the rest of their lives.

Anything else you want to add???? A huge thank you to everyone who contributed time and services. They all know who they are. Everyone went above and beyond and we couldn’t be more grateful.

dress BHLDN Monica Gown | bridal bouquet MOLLIE BRENNER | floral center pieces WINE COUNTRY FLORALS | rings bride BONY LEVY  groom MOUNTAIN URSUS DESIGNS | dj DJ BUNNY | catering TACOS CORTES