Claire and Devin’s wedding day was filled with all things meaningful. From walking each other down the aisle and taking full control of their ceremony script, to a reception with time to sit back and visit with each of their guests. We are still in awe thinking back to them soaking in every moment! Below we are sharing some of the highlights captured by the amazing TreCreative Photography!
Take a moment to read Claire’s reflections of their perfect day:
“We flipped our ceremony format and with no bridal party we waited in the ceremony area and then had our guests come to us all together. We got to walk with each other and then put our own spin on our vows. We started by addressing and thanking our guests for celebrating with us - which was so important to us to get to interact with everyone more before the reception. We each told our own stories and then the marriage commitment statements we said, "I Do" to were statements that we read to each other, versus us reciting after our officiant.”
“We realized that a lot of what we felt obligated to do was out of traditional wedding events and it just didn't sit right with us. We knew the most important elements to us were to have a warm and intimate community celebration with lots of time to be with our guests. We also started to identify what traditional elements of a wedding stressed us, and then we eliminated those events so come wedding day we were totally at ease and excited for each portion of the day.
For our ceremony, we decided early on that we weren't going to have a bridal party so that made switching up the ceremony entrance fun! We also put our own spin on our vows, which included our officiant fulfilling a more minimalistic role, and allowed us to have a dynamic and casual vow exchange. For our reception, we eliminated many of the traditional elements including garter/bouquet toss, first dances, cake cutting and formal end of the night send-off.
These events were not a necessity to us as some didn't sit well with us and/or how we wanted the flow of the evening to be. By eliminating these events we found ourselves enjoying a lot of great time getting to mingle with our guests, and we weren't rushing to fit anything in! We were inspired by our community - friends and family, to create our wedding day to flow with ease. We really wanted to maximize our quality time with our guests so we prioritized that goal while planning.”
To Future Couples:
“Have peace in your decisions. Support your partner in what feels right to them as an individual and together as a couple. Remember that you can have a wedding any way you want and celebrate your love in a way that excites you both!”
We are still swooning over the flow and format of Claire and Devin’s special day. Being able to break tradition and make the day your way is so key to a memorable wedding. Think of what is meaningful to you and incorporate those things into your day!
Happy Planning!
Shout out to the whole creative team! : Photographer - TréCreative @chels_diaz @steezdiaz / Venue - White Ranch Events @WhiteRanchEvents / Coordinator - The 530 Bride @The530Bride / Catering - Special Times Catering @specialtimescatering / MUA - Powder Room Beauty Bar @powderroomchico / Hair - Brittney Ritchie - Hairstylist @Brittneyritchiehair / Flowers - Carrie Thengvall Floral Design @carriethengvallfloraldesign / Dessert - Lovely Layers Cakery Chico, CA @lovelylayerscakery / Rentals - Wedo Designs @wedodesigns