I knew Stephanie and Bruce would be amazing to work with from our initial Skype meeting, which was basically filled with laughter from beginning to end. This was reinforced when I flew to nor cal for their engagement session {they are huge foodies and picked the ultimate foodie location… coming to the blog soon!} and of course on their wedding day, which was packed with beautiful emotion. One of my favorite moments was during the ceremony when letters that Steph and Bruce had written to their parents were read aloud. Both families have experienced health-related hardships in the recent years, and for their parents to be present there to celebrate with them was so so special and meaningful.

I almost can’t even being to express how thankful and blessed I feel to have been a part of their wedding day, and the journey leading up to it. As Steph and Bruce had also sweetly expressed in a note they slipped to me at the end of the wedding, I feel like I’ve gained not just wonderful past clients, but wonderful friends along the way :)

Such a joy-filled day! Ayumi & Brian are those type of people who radiate positivity & warmth at all times, and their wedding was a perfect reflection of that – the bright pops of color everywhere, the cheerful table settings, the labor-of-love DIY goodness {check out those handpainted signs! the cool toolbox! the invites! the pocket squares!}. Even the retro print fabric that made appearances throughout the day exclaimed, “happy!” Even more cheer – as an alternative to petals or bubbles, they had guests blow up Japanese paper balloons (just like the ones that made appearances in their engagement session!) and toss those during the recessional. The Smog Shoppe, with its quirky backdrops & always intimate vibe, provided the perfect nook to house all this joy :)

As I always say, the most beautiful weddings to me are not necessarily the grandiose ones, with the ginormous budget, or the opulent decor – they are the ones that are by default unique & creative because they incorporate the pieces of who you are, that are naturally stylish because they celebrate your personalities, that can’t help but be meaningful & fun because they focus on your very own special type of love :)

I can’t thank Ayumi & Brian enough for giving me the chance to be a part of this day, and to All You Need is Love Events for coordinating everything perfectly behind the scenes (and designing all the amazing florals!)

{And thank you to Style Me Pretty as well for featuring this wedding! You can see the post & read more about the details straight from the bride here!}

How dreamy is this wedding? Especially since so much of it was lovingly DIY-ed by Liv and Greg! Please brace yourself for this impressive DIY list – with a little help from family and friends, they assembled the bouquets, arranged the gorgeous centerpieces, baked + iced + decorated the cake (which was carrot, and banana, and DELICIOUS!) – Liv even hand-dyed some of the bridesmaids’ dresses to match the soft pink palette.

All the personal touches lent themselves perfectly to this kind of wedding – the kind filled with a relaxed, cozy kind of love, the kind celebrating two people who are amazing as individuals, but even better together. The day ended with lots of dancing, a crackling fire, and the making of s’mores. Perfection.