1. Real Weddings

An Elegant, Vintage Wedding With a Rustic Twist at Green Gables Wedding Estate in San Marcos, California

The elegant space that overlooked the beautiful landscaping of Green Gables Wedding Estate in San Marcos, Ca

The elegant space that overlooked the beautiful landscaping of Green Gables Wedding Estate in San Marcos, California, created the ideal rustic ambience for this vintage-style wedding. “I didn’t want to have a wedding reception in a hotel ballroom or a Chinese banquet hall,” Phuong Nguyen (an interior designer) says of her marriage to Stephen Ross (in sales business consulting). “I wanted something rustic and vintage with beautiful outdoor scenery.” The day began at the ceremony that took place inside the Holy Family Catholic Church & School in San Diego, California, with a skylight illuminating the aisle lined with black lanterns and lush garlands. Phuong embodied elegance through her white A-line fitted dress with a lace overlay, and the bridesmaids matched soft look with champagne-colored short dresses. Stephen matched Phuong's attire with an ivory tie tucked underneath his charcoal gray suit, pinned with a boutonniere of ivory blooms and silver brunia created by Pristine Design. At the reception, guests were seated at rustic wooden tables draped with champagne-colored runners and decorated with pastel flowers arranged inside elegant metal vases. Dear Darling Photography captured our favorite detail of the wedding day, which was the five-tier cake topped with fresh blooms that had layers embodying the blush, gold and indigo palette. "Our cake was by Cute Cakes, and they definitely made our vision come to life," Phuong says. "The top was the only tier flavored peanut butter and jelly, custom-made for Stephen since he loves peanut butter. The rest of the tiers were delicious flavors of carrot cake and lemon cake."

The custom-made invitations were printed on white stationery accented with gray and black designs, accented with a wreath pattern that frequently appeared throughout the set.
The bridal bouquet was filled with ivory, pink and yellow blooms, ranging from peonies to roses and anemones. The bouquet was wrapped with ivory and pink ribbon and accented with a vintage brooch in the middle.
"Three months before the wedding, I decided to go shopping with my sister and we found my dress," Phuong says. "It was light, slim and had lace—it was so simple and so me. My other sister was definitely my fairy godmother, who altered the size 11 dress and added some beautiful details to make me shine. She did quite a beautiful job!"
The ceremonial aisle was lined with long green garlands that rested against the wood of the pews, in addition to black lanterns with candles surrounded by lush arrangements of blooms and greenery.
Stephen wore an ivory tie over his white collared shirt, which complemented Phuong's ivory dress. Stephen wore a charcoal gray suit that was pinned with a boutonniere made of ivory blooms and silver brunia.
Ivory Peony and Silver Brunia Boutonniere
The bridesmaids wore short champagne-colored dresses with matching high heels. The groomsmen wore light gray suits with off-white ties to match the bridesmaids.
Phuong wore an elegant ivory dress with a long train, which draped behind her throughout the day. The A-line dress had a deep V-neckline that was accented with a lace overlay.
At the reception, guests were seated at classic wooden tables that were draped with champagne-colored sequined runners. The tables were set with vintage dinnerware and decorated with pastel-colored flower centerpieces.
Dining tables were decorated with romantic arrangements of roses, hydrangeas and ranunculus accented with greenery. The flowers were arranged inside elegant metal vases.
The cake was five tiers tall, with almost every layer colored differently and representing the blush, gold and indigo palette. The top tier was filled with peanut butter and jelly flavoring, while the others were a mix of carrot cake and lemon cake.