Laura and Jake’s Carmel Valley Wedding

When a Free People girl gets married, you just know it’s going to be gorgeous; even more so when that FP girl is one of the creative minds behind our store displays. So when Laura, our Northwest Visual Display Coordinator, sent along the pics from her recent nuptials, it was no surprise that her day was filled with beauty, light and — most importantly — love. I asked Laura to share a bit about the planning process and the day itself, which she so kindly did:

Jake proposed last year, exactly eight years to the day of our first date, and with the most unique custom-made gold ring I had ever seen, that he had dreamed up for me. And since I pretty much knew we were soul mates by the end of that first date, I of course said yes. After almost a decade together of love and friendship, we tied the knot on a sunny September day in Carmel Valley, California. And it truly was the best day of my life. We were surrounded by so much love and support, the whole weekend was really a dream come true.

When planning our wedding, it was important to both of us that every part of our day felt unique and authentic, and we poured over every detail as a team. We pulled the palette and aesthetic from the style we had developed together over the years, and with a TON of help from our loved ones, we were able to create the day of our dreams. We were fortunate enough to host the wedding at Jake’s sister’s property overlooking the valley, and with the help of much of our family and friends, we spent the week down there turning it into a personalized wedding venue. We transformed their concrete basketball court into our reception space, installing posts and stringing lights. We had hand-dyed table runners, collected bottles for flowers for months, designed a logo and stamped each invitation, and covered the property in textiles, antlers, crystals and tons of eucalyptus.

My dress was a collaboration with my very talented aunt, who sewed the dress I had dreamed up but didn’t actually exist anywhere. It turned out better than I could have imagined. I created a necklace out of vintage pieces and brass coins, my maid of honor made me a crown of eucalyptus, and my FP leather jacket completed the look. I chose a color for each of my bridesmaids and had them pick out a dress they loved, then gave them each hand-made bracelets and necklaces to wear as gifts — A few girls actually chose white Free People dresses that we dyed to get the shade we wanted!

The night before the wedding, we invited the entire guest list to come out to a bonfire at the beach catered by a taco truck in lieu of a rehearsal dinner. Since almost all of our guests had to travel to be there, we wanted to spend as much time with them as possible, and it was so nice getting to greet people in such a relaxed setting. At the wedding itself we had a wood-fired pizza truck cater and serve ice cream for dessert — our favorite date-night eats. Instead of a cake we had a gold piñata stuffed with our favorite candy and guests each got a little bag of our favorite local Seattle coffee (Herkimer) to take home.

Being in the presence of so many dear friends and family all at once, coming together in support of the promise we were making to each other, celebrating life and love, was the most overwhelmingly beautiful experience. And as the sun set over the valley behind our nearest and dearest as they stood and toasted our love, all I could feel was overwhelming joy and gratitude. 

+ Be sure to check out Laura’s incredible wedding video here!

Thank you for sharing your day with us Laura!

CREDITS:

Photographer: Ellie Arciaga, ADarlingFelicity.com, @elliemae85

Videographer: Arroyo Films, Arroyo-films.com, @josharroyo