I want to become a society lady Rockin' a new rock?!

Chelsea and Lance’s preppy wedding celebration at Nestldown has us grinning ear to ear. We love the details which were a labor-of-love by the bride and her family—she and her mom even gold-leafed every single flower vase! The Thankfully Blueberry Photography was on hand to capture all the cheery details of the day!

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What made the wedding special and unique?

Our wedding was on the 4th of July so the whole weekend just felt like a huge celebration. We had so much fun incorporating the holiday theme into our wedding in understated ways. We had our groomsmen don American flag dress socks and offered backyard lawn games during the cocktail party, including bocce ball and cornhole. The dinner was a southern comfort BBQ menu, including sage-brined fried chicken & mac n’ cheese.

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Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

Funny you ask. I originally bought a beautiful Romona Keveza silk gown, but sadly it got ruined during a final visit to the seamstress. I was left to find a brand new wedding dress just three short weeks before the wedding – talk about stressful! The next day I visited a bridal boutique called Glamour Closet in San Francisco with my parents. Before we even entered the boutique we saw a gorgeous Vera Wang gown on the mannequin in the window. It looked couture with hand-sewn Chantilly lace and it was a showstopper. That was the first dress I tried on that day and I instantly knew it was my wedding dress. It was a crazy week but everything worked out in the end!

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What were some touches added to make it personal?

I come from a long line of creatives so everyone contributed during the wedding planning process. My mom and I worked together to design the whole look and feel of the wedding. We gold-leafed every single flower vase and my aunt hand-painted all kinds of signs. She also designed a custom corn hole set with our initials & wedding date. It was a total DIY wedding which we loved because everything was made from love by members of our family.

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What was the most memorable part of the day?

The ceremony was by far the most memorable part of the day; everything about the moment felt magical. We got married in the middle of a redwood grove surrounded by 130 loved ones, including 21 members in our wedding party. Glasgow Love Theme was playing as I walked down the aisle. It was really important to Lance that we wrote our own vows, and I am so grateful we did. It’s a precious moment we will never forget.

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Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Lance and I met through a mutual friend, my Maid of Honor. The two of them went to UCLA together and after college we were all living in San Francisco. My friend invited me to come with her to a New Years Eve party and it turned out Lance was hosting the party that night. Lance started asking my friend about me and after a couple months we went on our first date. The rest was history. A year and a half later Lance proposed at the Palace of Fine Arts, which was down the street from our first apartment together. When we returned to our apartment that night it was full of flowers, candles, and all of our dearest friends and family.

Photographer: Blueberry Photography // Venue: Nestldown // Dress Designer: Vera Wang // Videographer: Kurtela Video Productions // Hair and Make Up: Red Lipstick Creations // Bridesmaids Dresses: Jenny Yoo // Cake: Gayles Bakery, Capitola CA // Florists: The Flower Shack, Santa Cruz, CA // Caterer: Toast Catering // Ring Designer: Robert Hilton, Jeweler

Lance + Chelsea @ Nestldown Los Gatos from Kurtela Video Productions on Vimeo.