We’re so excited to show you our latest styled shoot! Shot at the beautiful The Victorian in Santa Monica, this shoot was inspired by my parents, who met in Law School during the mid-1970’s. Circumstances kept them from having an actual wedding, so I thought it would be fun to do a modern interpretation of what their wedding might look like today. See it featured HERE on ‘Ruffled’!

Our bride and groom wore fashions that were Vintage-inspired, but modern enough to look at home in a wedding today. For me, adding vintage touches is not about translating a time period exactly, but taking the best elements of eras past and making them work for you here in the now. Personal touches like a family heirloom locket for your ceremony can contrast with statement earrings for your bridal shoot, or a fun new necklace for your reception – just as we have done here.

We couldn’t have asked for a better location – The Victorian in Santa Monica, CA, is the sweetest venue to hold a vintage themed wedding! The upstairs ‘Library Room’, with its’ bookcases, wood paneling and vintage furniture was perfect for our Law theme, and the light overlooking our ceremony space was fabulous. Our ceremony site was flanked by vintage lampshade mobiles, and the sound was provided by an amazing sound system packed into a vintage suitcase, courtesy of our friends over at Hi-Fi Luggage! This is the perfect way to get your groom interested – guys love killer audio systems! And packed into super pretty vintage luggage, they will even match your décor. Our bride was able to have a tiny train case version in her dressing room, as she got ready. All of the pieces from Hi-Fi Luggage are iPod friendly, so you can DIY your wedding music!

One of the ways we played with the legal theme was to make the signing of the marriage certificate a part of the actual ceremony, instead of an after thought as it usually is. We had a large showpiece certificate made to match the invitations, and it can be a beautiful piece for the bride and groom to frame and showcase in their new home. The invitation wording was also a slight play on a court summons, without being too literal.

The ‘guest book’ was actually a table with several small legal note pads in yellow, where guests could leave notes for the bride and groom pinned to a large board covered in fabric. Many of the elements included complementary vintage and new fabrics, used to make the napkins and intricate photo backdrop. The backdrop is actually plastic garden fencing (which comes in big, inexpensive rolls at any home improvement store!), which had ribbons and fabric cut into 1” strips weaved through. Avocado green and mustard yellow were THE colors of the 1970’s – and used here in moderation with other tones they were allowed to shine and feel fresh, giving the shoot an Early Fall aesthetic.

I love floral installations, and thought it would be amazing to have one of the bookcase shelves packed with flowers. Recycled Love Story made it happen! Sitting perfectly behind our table, it was such lovely backdrop. The table itself was beautiful as well, with vintage stoneware from The Vintage Table Co. and place cards attached to vintage brass paperweights. My parents share a love of cookies, so we created an ‘Old School’ Cookie Bar, with such favorites as Oreos, Nilla Wafers and Nutter Butters.

It was a real treat to re-imagine my parents wedding. Next year will be their 40th wedding anniversary, and I’m envisioning an amazing party with some of these elements worked in 🙂

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shoot concept, event design & wardrobe styling: Harmony Creative Studio • photography: Meghan Christine Photography • floral design: Recycled Love Story • shoot location: The Victorian, Santa Monica, CA • invitation & paper goods: Amanda Habbershaw Creative • makeup: Kassandra Karr • hair: Lauren Prohaska Hairstyling • vintage dinnerware rentals: The Vintage Table Co. • custom vintage audio systems: Hi-Fi Luggage • models: bride/Laura Yochum groom/Ryan Poole • bride’s lace dress: Nordstrom • bride’s tea length dress: Unique Vintage • groom’s jacket, tie + pants: H&M • shoes, veil + jewelry: Stylist’s Own