Real Weddings: April + Martin { Vintage Passion With A Romantic Twist! }

posted by April on November 2, 2011

As much as I love adding new inspirational styles and ideas to the Southern California Bridal District, I had just as much fun doing so while planning my wedding this past Summer. I got married in August to my dear sweetheart, best friend, and man of my dreams; so naturally when I started visualizing our wedding I wanted it to mirror precisely how much I loved him.

After scouring wedding magazines, hours of blog browsing, and much inspiration from Etsy, my husband and I decided we wanted our wedding to be whimsical, rustic, and vintage all mixed together with a romantic twist. After scoping out many beautiful venues, we finally decided upon the Bayview Room at Marina Village Conference Center in San Diego. It was the perfect combination of classic California summer with an old wooden rustic charm. We have a lot of very creative and talented loved ones within our families so we relied heavily on DIY ideas using many different perspectives. Here are some highlights of our amazing day:


(dress from David's Bridal & necklace from Macy's)

(shoes from DW Shoes)

(the amazing view of ships docked at the marina)

(our sweetheart table and vintage doors ensemble designed by my amazing parents)

(a hand painted wooden sign I made to direct guests to the ceremony)

(my sister Tawnya designed fans with ceremony details and a custom wordsearch for guests)

(the draped lighting really tied in all the romantic details of the decor)

(my mother's fine china gave our sweetheart table a delicate and feminine touch)

(an old wooden frame dressed with chicken wire and clothespins held the seating arrangements)

(we used an old suitcase brought from Italy in the early 1900s for our wedding cards)

(for our guest sign in, we requested guests leave wedding wishes in a wooden birdcage)

(we used buckets of ice for beer and chilled wine for a casual "help yourself" approach)

(our adorable favors by Vintage Bakeshop and wine label table numbers from Etsy)

(our dessert buffet was filled with yummy desserts lovingly handmade by family)

(our darling cake banner handstamped by my mother)

(we loved our custom personalized champagne flutes provided by my sister-in-law)

(my bouquet was a simple hydrangea blend from my mother's garden)

(my father hand painted this sign to direct guests to our photo wall he designed...)

(...which provided hours of photo fun!)

Wedding Location: San Diego, CA
Wedding Venue: Marina Village Conference Center
Officiant: Joann Lane - Ceremonies De Vie
Caterer: Smoke House Grills
Photographer: Elissa S. - The Pros
DJ: Mark D. - The Pros
Wedding Dress: David's Bridal
Wedding Favors: Vintage Bakeshop
Hair & Make-up: Bombshell Brides