An Intimate Outdoor Wedding, Surrounded by Oak Trees in California
From neutral colors with gold accents to wildflowers and greenery, this celebration embodied modern elegance.
Alex and John entered each other’s lives when they matched on a dating app in February 2017. Three years to the month later, Alex proposed to John, and the pair began envisioning their wedding. The couple admits they were initially overwhelmed with ideas for their big day. Once they hired wedding planner Michelle Garibay, though, they honed their vision and focused on curating an elegant wedding that guests would remember. "We sent Michelle images of our home, vacations, and style, and she used those to perfectly match our wedding to our taste," Alex says. "The wedding design was centered around modern, minimalist elegance, clean angles, and tailored details."
Alex and John invited 95 guests to Temecula Creek Inn in Temecula, California, on May 6, 2023, where mature oak trees set the stage for their intimate outdoor wedding. The grooms wore matching Armani suits, exchanged personalized vows, and shared their first dance around a custom monogram of their initials in lights on the dance floor. They chose a neutral color palette of cream, gray, and beige with gold accents and textural elements for the day’s decor.
Related: 11 Traditional Wedding Vows to Exchange During Your Ceremony
An Invitation to Remember
Alex and John’s invitation suite gave guests the first impression of their wedding day’s design. They chose a luxurious 220-pound cotton paper with a blind impression of a thin-striped pattern to emulate high-end ceramics. The stationer created a pocketed design for the RSVP cards, envelopes, and detail cards and included a custom monogram featuring the couple’s initials.
A Matching Pair of Suits
Alex and John got ready separately at the hotel before meeting up for their first look. They both wore matching Armani suits in Amalfi Blue with white shirts and dark blue dotted ties. "We had extremely long debates about whether we should wear matching suits or complimentary suits," Alex says. But once their attendant at Bloomingdale’s suggested fully matching suits, the couple decided to go for it. "We were super happy with the suits and how the matching looked, and we loved the slightly brighter blue color of the suits, especially in our venue," Alex says. They each wore a white floral boutonniere with greenery as a finishing touch.
The Magical First Look
The couple shared their first look on a private lawn between their respective hotel rooms, where the lighting was perfect for photos. John was excited to see Alex in his suit after getting ready separately that morning. "We were very comfortable with Todd, our photographer, and it was a nice quiet moment before the wedding," John says.
Whimsical and Masculine
Alex and John envisioned a "whimsical but masculine" look for their wedding ceremony. Garibay created an altar with clean angular frames, hanging pendant lights, and flowing organic wildflower arrangements in front of the oak trees.
As guests arrived, they were greeted with a large sign that read "We’re So Glad You’re Here" and included the couple’s monogram. Guests were seated in wooden chairs, and the aisle entrance was flanked with more wildflower arrangements that looked like they were growing right there out of the ground.
All in the Family
When the ceremony began, Alex walked down the aisle with his dad, while John walked down the aisle with his mom to Beyonce’s XO played by a string quartet. Their parents walked them almost to the altar before hugging the grooms and taking their seats. Then, Alex and John held hands and walked the final steps together. "Walking down the aisle, seeing all of our friends and family gathered to celebrate our special day, was perfect," Alex says.
Special Vows
The grooms wrote personalized vows for each other, and exchanging them was the most memorable part of the day for Alex, John, and some of their guests. "Several of our single friends told us that our vows made them want to believe in love," Alex says. They each had a wedding party with siblings and close friends standing by their side. "We asked our wedding party to use our invitation suite colors as inspiration for the neutral tones," John says.
The First Kiss
Once they broke the glass and shared their first kiss as a married couple, Alex and John celebrated back down the aisle to the string quartet’s version of The Beatles’ All You Need Is Love.
Westside Cocktail Hour
Alex and John stepped away for just 15 minutes for portraits before joining their guests for cocktail hour. The string quartet entertained everyone with some of the couple’s favorite modern songs. Guests enjoyed appetizers like spanakopita, crab cakes, bruschetta, and two signature cocktails. The couple served a Campari spritz and an eastside cocktail, renamed the westside cocktail as a nod to the wedding location and to signify it was made with vodka instead of gin.
Find Your Seats
The reception took place outside on the property of The Stone House, with guests finding their table numbers on a large printed sign that read "Our Favorite People." One long table was set up as the head table and paired with velvet chairs while the rest of the round tables were paired with the wooden chairs from the ceremony. All of the tables were dressed in matching blush textured floor-length linens.
Organic Greenery
The head table featured an organic floral meadow arrangement on the ground, and the centerpieces incorporated textured elements and greenery. The tablescape included white pillar candles, taupe taper candles, white plates, and gold-rimmed gray glassware. Each place setting included a custom gray menu with the couple’s monogram in the corner.
A Grand Entrance
Alex and John made their grand entrance to the reception and shared their first dance to Grateful by Mahalia. "We chose it because it was one of the first concerts that we went to as a couple in LA," John says. "The song was sweet and about love, so we thought it was perfect." The couple’s custom monogram was displayed on the dance floor in lights, which became one of their favorite details of the day.
The DJ took over and played some of Alex and John’s favorite music for the rest of the reception. "We sent our DJ a playlist showing our favorite music that we listen to during our everyday lives and he perfectly crafted the music selections based on that," the couple says.
Time for Cake
The couple’s three-tiered square wedding cake featured vertical lines as textural elements inspired by their invitation suite. Alex and John chose vanilla strawberry and chocolate raspberry flavors. The cake was displayed on a marble table with a circular meadow of flowers around the base.
Off to Relax
Alex and John jetted off to Cabo San Lucas for a few days to relax after the wedding and are going to plan a longer honeymoon. To couples currently planning a wedding, they recommend hiring a planner. "There is truly no way our wedding would have been anything close to what it became without our wedding planner," they say. "It was our first wedding gift to ourselves!"
Sources
Venue: Temecula Creek Inn
Planning and Design: Michelle Garibay
Photographer: Todd Danforth Photography
Grooms’ Attire: Armani
Flowers: Soiree Floral Design
Rentals: Adore Folklore, Enticing Tables, Casa de Perrin, BBJ La Tavola
Cake: Laura Marrie Cakes
Stationery: Something Lettered Designs
Social Media: The BTS Bride
Officiant: Bethel Nathan
Groom’s Hair: Doreen Mansour
Wedding Party Hair and Makeup: Salon DLM
Jewelry: Cartier
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