We are completely captivated by the breathtaking wedding photos of Alexis and Andrew’s wedding captured by Ostara Photography. The photos tells a story of uncluttered love. We can feel the love oozing between these sweet love birds. We are also in love with this Spanish styled wedding venue, located here in California – the Casino in San Clemente. We have written about it before, here. It is the perfect destination for intimate and small weddings, perfect for laid-back bohemian brides.
Now on to the Amber gown in all its glory, which Alexis wears so well. Although Alexis lives in California, she first tried the gown on using our home try-on, and fell in love. We were thrilled that she decided to visit the studio, to have her measurements done, and all the final fittings. She is one remarkable gal.
Every photo literally took our breath away.
From the bride:
– How Alexis and Andrew met?
“We met in highschool through mutual friends, plus he was friends with my brother– we were friends for a year or so and then started dating 10 years ago (I was 15 he was 17).”
– Her wedding style, and the type of bride she was:
“Ultimately, I wanted a laid back wedding, without the frills. Rustic or Boho chic was my main goal for the wedding and the venue was perfect for that with the cactus and succulents and what not. I was definitely a really easy-going bride. I was never really stressed even until the moments my bridesmaids and I were getting ready, they were all FREAKING out and I was calming them down. My maid of honor called me “brideCHILLA”.”
-How she chose and decided on the dress:
“The dress shopping was so hard for me at first– i don’t like the traditional look of wedding gowns and I’m also very petite so everything I tried was swallowing me whole. As soon as I came across Dreamers & Lovers I knew it was an instant fit. I knew I wanted all lace, bohemian style, and nothing TOO fancy, but still elegant. That was exactly what Yanique and her team had to offer. The lace was gorgeous, the designs were beautiful, even the boutique was just SO my style. From that point on, it was easy. Once my mind was set on a dress, Yanique was able to create it even better than I had imagined, and to my exact figure.”
-The bridesmaid dresses:
“I really wanted a fun color for the bridesmaid dresses and wanted them to all be comfortable so I decided on my favorite color ever (a certain bright shade of mint green) and allowed them to pick any style from the designer. I am SO happy with the way they looked. And all the girls felt and looked gorgeous.”
-The one-thing, she would not compromise on for the day:
So at my venue, the first dance is ALWAYS held in the ballroom. I had this vision of having the dance in the rock garden, outside, underneath the strung lights at dusk. The venue owner and coordinator both explained how this might throw off the flow and everyone would have to stand, etc etc…but also encouraged me to do whatever I wanted, so in the end I decided to have the dance in the rock garden and it was absolutely magical, I’m so happy with that decision!
– How she skipped tradition:
We were generally less traditional than normal about pretty much everything in the wedding, however, the main tradition skipped that I can think of was the garter removal. We did do a bouquet toss, but I wasn’t really interested in the garter removal part so we did skip that. Oh also, we did not have a seating chart. We did open seating since we’ve been together for SO long that there was really no “sides” to the wedding. Most people knew each other so we felt it would be nice to just allow everyone to pick their tables.
– Alexis’s advice for brides-to-be getting started with the process:
I would advise brides to not rush through the engagement. I think I was so relaxed because we were engaged for a year and nine months so I had so much time to steadily make progress. The wedding shouldn’t be stressful and the easiest way to ensure that is give yourself time. I also advise brides to stay on top of your vendors of course, but allow them to do their jobs. A lot of times I felt that I didn’t have control over certain things which bothered me, but after the wedding day I realized everyone knew what they were doing and made sure they executed exactly how I had imagined
-Best memory of her wedding day:
“I have 2 best memories of my wedding day– the first was when my Dad walked back into the bridal room to meet me and see me for the first time while we waited to walk down the aisle. That’s a once in a lifetime moment and it was so special. The 2nd was just walking barefoot on the beach with a gorgeous sunset taking photos with my husband after the ceremony. Nothing calms your nerves more than a private beach photoshoot with just the 2 of you after such an overwhelming experience.”
– Best source of inspiration for wedding planning:
“Pinterest, duh! Seriously…I’m not sure how I would have planned a wedding if Pinterest didn’t exist.”
Vendor Details:
Photographer: Ostara Photography
Florist- Petite Bouqet
Coordinator- Priscilla Granger
DJ- Soundwave Productions
Catering and cake- Jay’s Catering
Hair- Beauty and the Beach OC
Makeup- Karleigh Perez
Bridesmaid dresses- Donna Morgan
