February 10th, 2010
Real Wedding in Less than 3 Months – Heather and Seth
Whenever I receive an email containing wedding pictures, I tend to skip straight to the pictures and read whatever text the person sent with it last. When I downloaded the pictures, I devoured them and was completely impressed by the simple, romantic details. I went back to read what the talented photographer, Annie McElwain, included in the email and my head started spinning when I read that this couple planned their wedding in less than 3 months. You heard me right….they planned their wedding in 10 weeks.
If you’re thinking the same thing that I thought at first – why the heck would anyone choose to plan a wedding in less than 3 months unless they absolutely had to – then you have to read the story that Lauren from Downey Street Events wrote up about the wedding. It tugged at my heartstrings and it made me instantly feel like I could be friends with this adorable couple. I hope you enjoy today’s feature – I certainly did.
The following is from Lauren Geissler:
Not everyone can successfully – not to mention gracefully – plan a wedding in under three months. The ability to pull off a wedding for 130 guests and full of great details is part of what makes Heather and Seth a dream to work with.
Heather and Seth are one of those couples who are always relaxed, take things in stride, and make everyone around them feel happy and peaceful, even in the midst of what can be wedding-planning chaos. They are truly happy people who always have huge grins on their faces. Although they had been engaged for years, they never thought much about setting a date until June of 2009. Happy just to be together and starting their lives in Northern California, in Heather’s words she was ”a girl who never wanted a wedding.” As for many brides, the idea of a big wedding was stressful, so Heather and Seth put it off – why worry when life was so good as it was?
That is until one night, at the urging of family and friends, they finally agreed that it was about time, and boldly set their date – just ten weeks away. With Heather not being the type of bride who has dreamed of her wedding since she was a little girl, and with Seth in agreement, the couple decided that their wedding should happen sooner rather than later, and started spreading the word about their big day.
Needless to say the 10 weeks went by pretty fast, but you would never know it as a guest at the wedding. Heather made some brilliant sanity-saving decisions early on in the process. First, she hired San Francisco based wedding planner Lauren Geissler, co-owner of Downey Street Events to help her plan, design and execute the wedding. Next, she chose a Friday rather than a Saturday, which meant many of her first choice vendors and locations were not booked (and were more affordable). Heather and Seth also had a clear vision of their priorities, which made it easier to pin down vendors and accomplish important tasks. But more than anything, Heather’s relaxed, happy attitude was what made their planning so successful. Even when a venue fiasco forced them to change location six weeks before the wedding (and after the invitations had gone out) Heather handled it with humor and grace, always keeping in perspective that the wedding was just a party and, more importantly, the day she would marry the love of her life.
You can see by the pictures how consumed Heather and Seth were by each other on their wedding day. And because the wedding planning process was so fast, Heather and Seth’s wedding had a sense of purity to it — it really showed off their personalities and what mattered most to them without any filler. Seth is a former chef, and comes from a family of chefs, and so food and drink were their top priorities. The couple hired Barbara Llewellyn to cater their reception at the gorgeous Piedmont Community Center, in a park filled with sky-touching redwoods. They served wine from the Cosentino winery, which they found at an incredible price through a family member who lives in Napa. In the spirit of summer they offered their gusts a frosty watermelon martini which matched the teal, pink, and brown color scheme. Because Heather and Seth love the outdoors and wanted to share that with their guests, they asked Downey Street Events to create handmade envelopes filled with wildflower seeds and sealed with a letterpressed “S” monogram.
Being a part of Heather and Seth’s wedding was such a wonderful reminder that all you need in life is your partner, a great group of family and friends to support you, and to take the time to enjoy the moment.
Pretty unbelievable, right? I have to give a huge thanks to the couple, Heather and Seth, for sharing their special day with us, to Lauren Geissler for sharing their story, and to the exceptionally talented Annie McElwain for the gorgeous photographs. Seriously, I could look through her blog all day – that’s how good her photography is – you need to check it out. You can also get a lot of inspiration from Downey Street Events – I did. And if you’re a San Francisco or Los Angeles bride, these are two vendors that you MUST consider – you’d be a fool not to.
