Blogger’s Weddings: Lace and Likes

Happy Fourth of July everyone!! To keep you all entertained while we are away we thought it would be fun to share some of our fellow blogger’s weddings. Wedding bloggers are constantly inundated with wedding ideas and inspiration, and it’s so fun to see how each of these ladies took those inspirations and turned them into gorgeous and creative weddings that reflected their own personalities.

To start off the Blogger’s Weddings we are going to share with you the gorgeous DIY wedding of Rachael of Lace and Likes. Rachael put together a jaw dropping wedding full of unique details. We love each and every photo, and we thought it would be the perfect way to kick off this series!

Tell us a little bit about your blog and how you got started

“I started my blog as an outlet to catalog my whole wedding planning process. Every time I hired a vendor, found inspiration or finished a DIY project, I’d write about it and it was sort of like my checklist. Then it became something entirely different and special when I started meeting other blogger brides who were going through their wedding planning process on their blogs too. It was like this amazing network of encouragement when each of us would have a wedding planning victory and get to cheer each other on.  Now I do my best to use it to create a source of inspiration for other brides and to continue to share weddings and projects I’m working on for my wedding design business.”

How involved was your husband in wedding planning?

“Honestly, Noah only had a few things he was really particular about: his outfit, the groomsmen’s outfits and the music. He also helped search for venues with me, but other than those things he pretty much gave me the reigns.”

What was your favorite moment or memory from your wedding?

“Oh man, there are so many! Probably taking pictures with our wedding party and Tec (tecpetajaphoto.com) while they were cracking jokes the whole time. And immediately after the ceremony we had a huge group hug with our wedding party/family-that was the best. Also, just turning the corner down the aisle and seeing the look on Noah’s face. Lastly, watching our wedding preview from CanaVP (canavp.com) toward the end of the reception and experiencing the emotion/love of the whole day captured on film like that.”

Do you have any advice for brides-to-be on how to get inspired for their own wedding?

“I think blogs are absolutely an outstanding resource for wedding inspiration. My best advice though is to sit down with your fiancé and really think about the things that make you who you are as individuals and as a couple. Then figure out ways to incorporate those things into your day in a creative way that will speak to those who know you and who are there to celebrate you.”

Wedding planning can turn a lot of perfectly normal girls into emotional wrecks! Any advice you can give for how to stay balanced during wedding planning?

“Focus on the fact that at the end of all of the family drama, mishaps and stress that can occur during wedding planning, you get to marry your best friend. You only get this day once so make it count and make sure to remind yourself that everything will come together and at the end of it you get to spend the rest of your life with the person who means the most to you so it’ll all be worth it.  Another little tip- get everything done at least a week/week and a half before the wedding so you can spend the last bit of time leading up to it relaxed and excited for the big day.”

Lots of brides are on tight budgets nowadays. In your experience, what are three things that are important not to scrimp on, and what are three things that could go?

“I can come up with 2 things not to scrimp on-Photography, Videography – they’ll last you forever and are so worth spending money on in my opinion.

“Three things I think you can creatively work with on a tight budget would be: Florals, Décor, Food.

“Florals and Décor can be DIY and done in ways that don’t have to be expensive. Food at a wedding doesn’t have to be a steak or fish option. It can be a taco cart or bagged lunches for a picnic themed wedding.

“My best advice for brides on a budget is to reach out to family and friends for help, resources, etc. Weddings are all about family coming together around the couple to see this day happen and it may surprise you how many are willing and ready to help if you just ask. Also, I think at the beginning of your planning process it’s a good idea to sit down with your fiancé and go over all of the elements of a wedding (photography, florals, catering, DJ, etc.) and decide which of those matter the most to you, then spend your budget accordingly.”

Do you have any tips or favorite sources for thrift weddings?

“Yes, yes, yes! I did SO much of this. A few of my favorite stores in the SoCal area are Community Thrift, any Amvets location and the Rosebowl Swapmeet in Pasadena. Goodwill is a little pricier but they have some great stuff too. The best thrift stores are the community ones because they are the cheapest and a lot of them have tag sales so certain colored tags will be 50% off on certain days. Once you’ve got those days down you’re getting everything for crazy low prices! And, never be afraid to bargain (especially at the swap-meets). If you go later in the day they are more likely to make a deal because they’ll want to sell more of what they have. Lastly, don’t be afraid to walk away from something if you don’t think it’s worth what they’re asking. You can always check back later for it and see if they’re willing to come down on the price or you might find something you like even better somewhere else.”

As a blogger, you see tons of amazing inspiration daily. How did you narrow all that inspiration down for your wedding?

“Oh my gosh, this is such a good question! I think in the beginning I had somewhere around 3 folders of wedding inspiration photos on my desktop, not to mention all the inspiration I gathered from wedding mags, etc. I think I started with all of that and sort of narrowed it down from there to a smaller folder. The inspiration photos/ideas I absolutely loved just stuck as I weeded through the rest. Finally toward the end, I just had to tell myself to stop looking at a lot of blogs, probably within the last few months, or I would just change my ideas. I had to decide to just be true to the ideas I had that I felt characterized Noah and I the most and stick to those since there is so much incredible inspiration out there.”

Tell us a little about what you’re doing now, and your hobbies

“Well, Noah and I just moved back to San Diego after spending a year in Oregon. Mainly, we wanted to be closer to our families but it was also a business move for me and my wedding and event business. That’s the biggest thing I’m working on right now other than blogging. I’m doing a few weddings/projects right now and am beyond excited to work with brides in an area I’m much more familiar with.  I offer Full Coordination as well as Month, Week and Day-of packages. I’m also available just as a consultant to help you create a design/theme for your day and lastly I rent out my mismatched china, floral vessels and vintage flatware in the SoCal area as well.  Other than blogging, working on weddings and getting settled in to our little beach bungalow, we love going to concerts, cooking together and having cocktails with our friends.”

Tell us a little about you and your husband

“Noah and I met our first year of college, he was actually the first person I met there the night before move-in day. After that we didn’t speak again until we were re-introduced by mutual friends over Christmas break. I even gave him advice about a date he was going on with another girl that week! Luckily for me that didn’t work out and we had a class together second semester. I found out he had a crush on me through a good friend and then he finally asked me out on a coffee date (over facebook!!! Haha)

“We went to coffee and talked for hours and the rest is history. 3 years later we were engaged when he showed up at my house completely unexpected while I was in the middle of a facial mask! Seriously though, in the pictures people caught of the actual thing my face is covered in a white mask. It was a total surprise though which was awesome.

“We got married in August of last year and now we’ve been together over 4 years and we are loving the fun, companionship, and challenges that come with marriage.”