Brides 2016

New Times lifts the veil on planning a SLOcal wedding

just for you

A SPECIAL PUBLICATION

Simply Romantic

2016

EDITOR’S NOTE

photo by ely roberts

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es, Valentine’s Day just came and went. And if you’re single and fancy-free then, not to worry, you’re just like me. But if you’ve got a shiny new ring on your finger and need to get plans started for the upcoming big day, the annual New Times Brides issue will help point you in the right direction. This year we talk about how to make your wedding yours, the little things, the big things, and those feeling type things. We know that a wedding is all about the couple getting hitched: not about your mom or best friend or even that annoying wedding planner you think is trying to take all your money.

It’s about you.

Camillia Lanham, editor

CONTENTS Have a wedd i ng that feels l i ke you ........................ 4 A quick, cheap way to t ie the knot ........................ 7 The great outdoors: Not just f o r h i k i n g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Brides give it to you st raight ....................... 12

One-of-a-kind

Picks for eats, drinks, venue s , a nd mor e . . . . . . . . . 18

Wedding Rings

The lit tle things that break the bank ..................... 22

Custom

COVER DESIGN BY ALEX ZUNIGA

to Classic

Bridal

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COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF SLO POP-UP WEDDINGS

BY APPLEMOON PHOTOGRAPHY

Publishers Bob Rucker Alex Zuniga Editor Camillia Lanham Art Director Alex Zuniga Editorial Designers Leni Litonjua Amanda Romero Marketing & Events Coordinator Dora Mountain

Contributors Ryah Cooley Camillia Lanham Hayley Thomas Graphic Designers Ellen Fukumoto Eva Lipson Dora Mountain Geneé Toy Proofreader Andrea Rooks Account Manager Colleen Garcia

Advertising Executives McKenzie Frame Jason Gann Russell Garner Katy Gray Shannon Kober Rhonda O’Dell Rene Rodriguez Kimberly Rosa Tracey Joyner Scuri

A special thank you to the wonderful wedded couples of the Central Coast who shared their stories and experiences.

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B R I D E S 2 016 — 3

BR IDE S

feeling

More than a

FORGET T H E F R I LL S . HOW DO YOU WA N T YOU R W EDDI NG TO F EEL?

BY H AY L E Y T HOM A S

F

ew things in life are as stressful as planning a wedding.

The minute you think you’ve got ahold of the day, something catastrophic happens. The seating chart must be reworked due to family drama. Your sister decides she’s just “not wearing” that bridesmaid dress. You realize you hate every single one of your friends’ current significant others. Can’t we just call the whole thing off?

I know it’s hard for you to believe at this moment, but most of these “big problems” are completely trivial. When you look back on the big day, you won’t be cursing the baker who mixed up your order (you wanted blush-colored rosettes, not baby pink, damn it).

Instead of fretting over family feuds, clashing bridesmaids, annoying plus ones, and the photogenic nature of your cake, take a moment to get centered on what the day really means to you.

If you’re lucky, you will marry the man or woman of your dreams. Now here’s the only question you need to ask yourself: How do you want the stuff surrounding that moment to feel? I know this sounds like one of those Facebook surveys, (“What ’80s sitcom character are you?”), but believe me, this is a crucial, often overlooked question.

Whether you want to feel like a regal queen or a total badass, it pays to meditate on the vibe behind the hoopla.

To quote Boston, when it comes to planning a wedding, “It’s more than a feeling.”

I had the pleasure of attending my pal Talia and Jeremiah Vasquez’s wedding, held a few years back at the Jack House in downtown SLO. The whole event felt warm, like a cozy family reunion. I wanted to know: How was she able to stay on her own path and forget all that fussy bridal mumbo jumbo?

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HOOKED ON A FEELING Crystal DeLongpre and her bride Coutney Rae DeLongpre aimed to make their day as unique as their love. When it comes to the craziness that is wedding planning, sometimes it’s easier to start from within.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CRYSTAL DELONGPRE

“We definitely wanted the wedding to feel like a happy get together with all the people we love. We didn’t want anything fancy,” Vasquez said.

Instead, the couple went with “lots of sparkly lights and booze and laughter,” which—if you know the pair—is exactly their style.

Hiring their favorite local bartender helped create a Cheers-like vibe (feel free to steal this idea if you love your bartender like kin). That, combined with a good friend DJing tunes and an abundance of comfort food, made the event feel sweet and unfussy. Let’s put it this way: The bridal party didn’t just

walk down the aisle, they wiggled and danced, and all f launted orange and blue in honor of the couple’s fave show, Dr. Who. The point here is simple: If you want “intimate,” think about what that means to you, and if that means “no tiara,” that’s more than fine.

Crystal DeLongpre and her wife Courtney Rae DeLongpre got hitched in Santa Ynez during a “magical and perfect” day that ref lected both of their colorful personalities. Crystal aka “Chef Pink” is the culinary genius behind Bacon and Brine in Solvang and her bride, a fiery redhead with

a penchant for vintage style, is the pickler, briner, and adorable bikedeliverer. For their wedding, the feeling was all about “personal authenticity.”

“We made everything to be unique and beautiful, just like us,” Crystal said.

“We mixed and matched vintage plates and glassware, and the f lowers were grown locally. I made the food and menu to ref lect our personalities and our ties to our community and family traditions.”

When it came to down-the-isle music, Courtney chose tunes that truly expressed her personality. Both FEELING continued on page 6

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FEELING continued from page 4 women wore f lowing gowns: Crystal in graphic black and white and Courtney in a vintage-inspired dress. Everything was DIY save for the fabulous dresses, hair, and makeup. The result? Both women felt like they were sharing their true selves to their loved ones, and that meant the world.

“My cheeks hurt from smiling all day,” Courtney said (her only complaint was that the wedding didn’t last longer).

My advice? Whether you see your wedding day as intimate and goofy or artsy and unexpected, just be sure you’ve spent a sufficient amount of time daydreaming.

Want “rock ’n’ roll party?” Hire your favorite local rock band instead of the standard DJ; invest in a karaoke/fog machine; use thrift-store vinyl records as centerpieces.

Looking for “down-home country?”

Encourage everyone to wear cowboy boots; rent a pony (I did); hire a linedancing teacher for the after-party.

Maybe you want something glamorous and classic? Do what my dear friends the Campbells did and rent the Fremont Theatre in SLO (with your names on the marquee); have bags of rice on hand; and hire a swinging rockabilly band that encourages folks old and young to raise a glass and shake a tail feather.

Before you invest in 1,000 live

PHOTO COURTESY OF CRYSTAL DELONGPRE

doves, invest in a yellow legal pad and a good bottle of wine. Sit down and start letting those feelings out. What may at first seem random (“Quiet.”

“Outdoorsy.” “Natural.”) might turn into the best camping trip/wedding your four closest friends have ever attended.

There is no right way to be wed.

If you need any more creative encouragement than that, take a final tip from Courtney, who maintains that her wedding was nothing short of perfect: “My advice to brides is to follow what matters to the two of you.

Don’t worry about what everyone else wants or accepts. Remember, it is a celebration of love.” ✶ Hayley Thomas is into that loving feeling at hthomas@newtimesslo.com.

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BR IDE S

, poppin

BLUFF BLISS Sam Keo and Adam Arfman said their vows in Margo Dodd Park in Shell Beach with the help of SLO Pop-Up Weddings.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAM KEO BY APPLEMOON PHOTOGRAPHY

Get

W

hat does the Amtrak Station in San Luis Obispo have in common with Margo Dodd Park in Shell Beach? I’ll give you a hint: It’s got nothing to do with the sights, surroundings, or vegetation.

Give up? Both are places where SLO Pop-Up Weddings have happened.

What’s a pop-up wedding? Well, it really depends on where you are. In Hawaii, they’re pretty pricey. In New York, they can be pretty fancy. On the Central Coast, it’s a low-key, quick, relatively inexpensive affair in a beautiful setting, with flowers, photos, wine, cake, and up to four guests by your side.

“I don’t know if it’s a thing yet,” said founder Korinna Peterson, who owns Le Festin Events in Grover Beach. “I think it’s becoming a thing.”

Peterson started doing pop-ups about three years ago and plans between 10 and 15 of them a year. She asks that couples give her a one-month heads-up, but she has also pulled them off in a couple of weeks. She’s a full-on wedding

planner and said that during meetings with couples, someone almost inevitably makes a joke about eloping. So, she looked into it.

“I wanted to kind of take the stress out of everything I go through as a wedding planner and also for the couples I’m working with,” Peterson said. “My goal with this is to make it as intimate and stress free as possible.”

Future married couples start planning their weddings up to a year or more in advance, and the average wedding costs $26,444. That’s according to costofawedding.com. Yes, that’s a real website! The majority of that money is spent on the venue, catering, and rentals—about $11,784.

“Couples typically spend between $19,833 and $33,055, but most couples

A QU ICK ER , CH E A PER WAY TO T I E T H E K NOT ON T H E CEN T R A L C OA ST

BY CA M I L LI A L A N H A M

spend less than $10,000,” the website says. If you get married in SLO, that cost is a little higher: between $21,459 and $35,765. In Nipomo: between $23,314 and $38,456. In Paso Robles: between $22,574 and $37,624. All of those numbers are off the website as well. There’s a handy dandy little tracker that you can enter a zip code into, and it provides the estimated average costs for everything you will be paying for.

The cost of a SLO Pop-Up? For $2,650 during the week and $2,850 on the weekend, you get a ceremony location, a wedding officiate from Olive Tree Officiating, a professional wedding photographer, f lowers from Lori Boe Floral Design, a local bottle POP-UP continued on page 9

Show up, get married Don’t feel like pre-planning or spending $20,000 on a wedding? Korinna Peterson with Le Festin Events has got you covered with SLO Pop-Up Weddings. She can get you ready in less than a month and married in less than an hour. Visit slopopupwedding.com to learn more.

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B R I D E SS

FAST MOVERS You could get married in a train station, too, if you think like this couple (pictured here and below) who said “I do” in SLO’s Amtrak Station under the coordination of SLO Pop-Up Weddings.

FLOWERS INCLUDED Bouquets or boutonnieres, whichever your heart desires,

by Lori Boe Floral Designs are included with the pop-up wedding package.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KORINNA PETERSON BY APPLEMOON PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAM KEO BY APPLEMOON PHOTOGRAPHY

POP-UP continued from page 7 of wine, a cake from Bello Mundo, and a picnic tote.

Packages make for an hour-long wedding and allow space for up to four guests. If you want extra services or a little bit more, Le Festin plans full-scale weddings, so Peterson can make that happen.

“It’s sort of like this one hour of bliss for everyone,” she said. “A lot of people get so super stressed out about what

their wedding should be that they lose track of what a wedding is.”

Basically, a wedding is a commitment of love, the joining of two lives that decided they can’t live without one another, lives similar to Sam Keo’s and Adam Arfman’s from Nacogdoches, Texas, who got married on Jan. 18 on the bluffs of Shell Beach at Margo Dodd Park with six guests in attendance. Keo said the couple travels to the Central Coast yearly for vacation, so it made sense to get

married on its shores.

“Texas doesn’t really have beautiful beaches,” Keo said with a laugh.

Keo comes from a Buddhist background and Arfman from a Catholic one. Keo said they couldn’t get married in a Catholic ceremony because she’s not Catholic, and for her, a Buddhist wedding was too much of an affair—two days—to plan for.

“We didn’t want to do either,” she said. “But we wanted to do a ceremony, and we didn’t really want to get our families involved. We just wanted it to be us.”

So, although Arfman and Keo got engaged last July at Daou Winery in Paso Robles, they didn’t really start planning a wedding right away. Keo said a couple of days before Christmas, she started looking into the concept of pop-up weddings, came across slopopupwedding.com, and got in touch with Peterson.

“She planned everything in about two and a half weeks,” Keo said. “It was just like bam, bam, bam.”

Keo didn’t have time to search for a dress, so she pulled one out of her closet

that was simple, not too fancy, and perfect for the beach.

“There was no time for anxiousness or being nervous,” she said.

The ceremony was short, simple, and everything was over in about an hour. Keo said it was exactly what they wanted.

“It’s kind of like a win-win for everybody,” Peterson said.

The couples don’t have to be stressed out, and they get a wedding that suits them—complete with several options of where they can get married without having to spend themselves into debt.

Peterson doesn’t have to be stressed out.

A photographer gets to make a little extra on a day they weren’t already booked.

And everybody heads home within a couple of hours.

“If I could do nothing but this, I would totally do it,” Peterson said.

“Because every time I do this—a popup—it’s a breath of fresh air.” ✶ Editor Camillia Lanham breathes for fresh air at clanham@newtimesslo.com.

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wedding BR IDE S

Wild

A M ATCH M A DE I N H E AV EN M E A N T GET T I NG M A R R I ED I N NAT U R E FOR T H E SH A F ER S

BY C A M I L L I A L A N H A M

A

ll it took was one look into the meadow edged by rocky peaks and pine trees and the former arts editor of New Times’ sister paper, Craig Shafer, knew Cuyamaca Rancho State Park was where he would marry Linda.

“It just kind of jumped out and said, ‘There it is!’ The valley was just so— when you saw it in springtime, it was full of wildf lowers,” Craig said.

But, that’s definitely not what it looked like when Linda first set her eyes on the spot that snagged her husband-to-be’s heart.

“The first time she saw it, it was [the] middle of winter,” he said.

Linda is as big a nature lover as Craig, but snow wasn’t a great first impression of where she would have her future wedding.

“He’s trying to show us this would be a great place to get married, and I was like, ‘I don’t know about that,’” Linda said.

Several Cuyamaca Rancho hikes later, the couple married on what they call “our rock” about 20 feet above the valley f loor in the spring of 1977.

The couple spent two years looking for that perfect spot. They knew a church ceremony wasn’t for them, but they were looking for someplace that had a spiritual feel.

“It had to be nature; you had to feel like you were out in nature,” Linda said.

Huntington Library’s botanical

gardens and the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden were the first two spots on their wedding wish list. Both were beautiful and natural with walking paths, f lora, and fauna, but neither allowed weddings in the 1970s. But the high school sweethearts weren’t in a hurry and wanted to wait until that perfect spot showed its face.

“We lucked out because we got a better place,” Linda said. “Everyone couldn’t get over how beautiful it was.”

About 70 guests made the 1 1/2 hour trip into the mountains from San Diego over Memorial Day weekend.

Access to the park was first come, first served. Nowadays a wedding permit for Cuyamaca costs $25—which is nothing compared to the Big Sur area, where California State Parks and Recreation charges $550 for a beach affair.

“There’s no way you could reserve that space,” Craig said. “I mean, back then you could pull into a camping spot without a reservation.”

They meant for the wedding to coincide with a colorful wildf lower bloom but missed it by a week. Still, the valley f loor was bright green with springtime and dotted with white f lowers. Wedding guests parked in a small lot and traipsed a half-mile through the woods down a path that led into the meadow.

The only real hiccup was a stream

SPIRIT OF THE WILD Craig and Linda Shafer were married in 1977 on a rock in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park 20 feet above the meadow where their wedding guests stood.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CRAIG AND LINDA SHAFER

running through the middle of the meadow. Usually, it was a one-stepand-you’ve-crossed-it kind of stream, but that year it was more of a one-jump endeavor.

“I figured if I could do it in a wedding dress, then anyone else should be able to do it,” Linda said.

Craig added, “We didn’t know it was going to be as active as it was. People joked about it afterward. They said, ‘We didn’t know we were going to have a cross a river,’ but only in jest. They loved it.”

Everyone made the jump, although a couple of older individuals needed help.

And then a dressed-up Linda hiked up the path alongside the gigantic rock they were to be married on. Wedding guests stood in the meadow below Linda, Craig, the best man, maid of honor, and the reverend.

Because the park didn’t allow amplified sound, the reverend had to project his voice in order for the guests to hear.

Surrounded by nature, Craig said it was a feeling that hit him at his very

core, and together the Shafers relished every moment of their day.

“For years people talked about the most unique wedding they’d ever been to,” Linda said. “People got what we got.”

The Shafers’ love affair with nature hasn’t subsided in the last 39 years, although their ability to get into the thick of nature has changed a bit. Now instead of camping in a tent, they have a teardrop trailer. But the couple still takes four or five long-weekend trips every year into the wilderness.

A couple of years after the Shafers were married, snowmobiles tore up the meadow and it had to be closed for restoration. Linda said they made the trip from the Central Coast to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park 10 to 15 years ago for their anniversary and the meadow was still closed for restoration.

“But we knew the back way,” she added. “And still made it to our rock.” ✶ Editor Camillia Lanham is hoping for a wild man at clanham@newtimesslo.com.

Share nuptials in nature There are three districts that watch over happenings in Central Coast state parks.

Permit prices depend, of course, on where you want to tie the knot. Not all state parks are available for weddings. The Channel Coast District runs from McGrath State Beach to Point Sal State Beach (585-1850). The San Luis Obispo Coast District governs parks from Pismo State Beach to Limekiln State Park (927-2065). The Monterey District manages state beaches and parks in the Big Sur area (831-649-2836).

B R I D E S 2 016 — 11

uncensored B BR R II D DE E SS

True bridal advice,

FOU R SL O BR I DE S GET R E A L A BOU T EPIC W I NS , PIT FA LL S , A N D HOW AW E SOM E IT R E A LLY IS

BY H AY L E Y T HOM A S

Laurie Fraser Muzzy and Phillip Muzzy Where you got hitched: La Cuesta Ranch, San Luis Obispo When: July 4, 2015 Your wedding in two words? Wabi-sabi How did the day ref lect your personalities? We used our friends’ and friends of friends’ services! Our good pals own Whiskey & June in Atascadero and their vintage trailer is refurbished to be a bar, so they helped us figure out the beverages for the day, and had the darling idea for us to serve cocktails to our guests from the trailer as our receiving line. Our friend Carla Wingett is an awesome f loral designer. She told us about her sister Grace Lorenzen, who’s a wedding coordinator.

Our friend’s bike-touring business Whereabout provided the most lovely hang-out spots with her safari tents. Another friend said to get Jessi Skipton Campbell for hair and makeup. My brothers got their band back together to play the ceremony.

Our housemate who works at Morro Bay Oyster Farm offered to shuck oysters during the cocktail hour.

Favorite moments? Skipping down the dirt road after the ceremony with my brothers playing ‘This Land is Your Land’ and all the guests following us playing harmonicas and kazoos and whatever little noisemakers we’d rounded up.

Something you would have done

differently? I rushed home from the rehearsal dinner to finish writing my vows. Um ... rookie mistake!

Something you wouldn’t have changed for the world? The location was so lovely for us. It fit our situation so well!

Being outdoors with a bunch of oaks surrounding us was so gorgeous.

Did you DIY? If so, what? Philip and I love thrift store shopping, so for months whenever I went to Goodwill

CUT SO GOOD A classy Anna Starkey and her husband, Glen Starkey of New Times fame, cut the cake at their friend-filled, feelgood wedding, which ended at McCarthy’s Irish Pub.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNA STARKEY

— B 11 22 — BR R II D DE ES S 22 00 1166

THE JOUR NEY Laurie Fraser Muzzy and her husband Phillip Muzzy start down a new path together during their Fourth of July nuptials.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAURIE FRASER MUZZY

or Achievement House I found a few interesting dinner plates and eventually had 250 different plates at the table settings. (Thrifting friends helped with that too!) It turned out really cute, and afterwards I gave the plates to my friend who’s a pop-up dinner chef. We designed the invitations and paper items together. We made place settings and table assignments with some cassette tapes and vinyl records,

since we had met through the college radio station.

What surprised you about the day?

That we had champagne left over! Yay! Advice to brides? A wedding coordinator is a pretty invaluable person to have. They’ll have experience and contacts. Some things might be best handed off to someone who’s done it before. Oh, and order thank you notes now.

Glen and Anna Starkey Where you got hitched: See Canyon Fruit Ranch, Avila Beach When: Sept. 1, 2012 Your wedding in two words? Starkey celebration!

How did the day ref lect your personalities? We tried to keep it simple and casual, which is very much a ref lection of us. We had friends officiate, play guitar, sing, and do readings during the ceremony, as well as hired local friends for things like the photos and reception music. I think it felt like a big party we would throw in the backyard, only in a nicer locale with fancier duds on. And where does every party end up? At McCarthy’s Irish Pub of course!

Favorite moments? I loved that so many people took the microphone to say something to us, which isn’t something we had planned to happen. Having four generations of my family there meant so much to me, and all the love we were shown by everyone still makes me tear up.

Something you would have done differently? Hands down, no seating chart! I stayed up until 2 a.m. the night before our wedding with my maid of honor folding paper and also delegated the job of typing up names to a bridesmaid. Even as I sat there working my finger pads down to nothing, I thought, “This is stupid! Who the hell wants to be told where to sit?” Looking back, I realize how silly it was to try to tell our bunch of hooligan friends what to do, and I think we would have been better off without it.

UNCENSORED continued on page 14

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BR IDE S UNCENSORED continued from page 12 Something you wouldn’t change for the world? Our guest list and the size of it. We had almost 200 people on our invitation list, most of whom attended.

Being surrounded by a swarm of people who are infatuated with your love is amazing. I grew up in a close-knit, large family, so having them there was really important. Glen also had 30 years worth of friends in SLO, so a big guest list

was pretty inevitable. For us it was all about sharing the day with our whole community and the extra cost to do so was worth it.

Did you DIY? If so, what? I had this great idea to make my own save-thedate cards. It involved a lot of card stock, stamps, string, and beads. It was exhausting, but they came out just as I wanted. We were lucky enough to have friends and family take care of f lowers, our cake, and lots of the little detail

work, like typing up the guest list and making our cake topper. We put out the call on social media to have friends lend us their sun umbrellas to help cut down the cost on rentals, and we were able to save a bundle.

What surprised you about the day?

How things fell into place and how problems were magically resolved. I’m sure there were plenty of people running around like chickens with their heads cut off to make it happen, but for me as

the bride, it was so easy. It’s good to be queen!

Advice to brides? You are never going to get through every single idea you have, so pick a few that are doable and most important to you. Be resourceful, use the people willing to help out, and you can probably save quite a bit. Have fun, stay organized, and don’t kill yourself over mundane details no one but you will notice. It just isn’t worth the stress lines.

Darci and Shawn Hafley aka: DarShawnci Where you got hitched: Cayucos Beach, between the swing set and the port-a-potties, beachside of the dumpsters When: Jan. 1, 2013 Your wedding in two words? Social media How did the day ref lect your personalities? Shawn and I met via Facebook, when we were tagged in a photo by a mutual friend. Several months later, our early courtship consisted of photo likes, tweets, and comments. We were both single parents, and social media made dating easier but also very public. Shawn and Darci became “DarShawnci” and we really stepped up the performance on social media. When we decided to get married we both did not want a “wedding.” It only seemed fitting that we got married under an easy-up on Cayucos beach at the Polar Bear Plunge. We posted a Facebook invite to the wedding less than a week before.

Favorite moments? I asked my brother to marry us and also wanted it to be a surprise. He nailed it, filling it with pop culture and silliness. We each had a vague idea of what our vows would be and just spoke from the heart when the time came.

It was the first time in my life I let go of all preconceived notions and control. People offered to help and I accepted it. We were both completely vulnerable and way outside

FOOLS RUSH IN Darci and Shawn Hafley were wed under a tarp during the Cayucos New Years Day Polar Bear Plunge.

The duo jumped into the waves afterward.

UNCENSORED continued on page 16

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARCI HAFLEY

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BR IDE S UNCENSORED continued from page 14 our comfort zones, but had grown very tired of what other people thought so we did what we wanted. I love the moment when we ran into the water, and I slipped and fell. It was hilarious.

It was also pretty symbolic when Shawn helped me up and I let him.

Something you would have done

differently? I wish some family and friends could have been there, like Shawn’s sister. However, by nature of our secret surprise wedding, they didn’t have enough notice. I think I would have told a handful of people prior.

Something you wouldn’t have changed for the world? Everything else. It was the most authentic wedding I have had.

It also helped me realize that being me is enough.

Did you DIY? If so, what? All of it.

When the invite came up, friends just started offering to do stuff. I was planning on jumping into the water and that was that, but because I have the most amazing group of creative and generous friends, I had a bouquet, a personalized robe, champagne toast,

a megaphone to say my vows into, the best wedding photos ever, and fantastic media coverage.

What surprised you about the day?

The turnout was more than I could have expected, and I had no idea DarShawnci would get that much media attention.

Advice to brides? Do not overthink it.

Be yourself. Do what you want to do, and it will all turn out for the best.

Ben and Maggie Arrona Where you got hitched: The Monday Club, SLO When: May 26, 2013 Your wedding, in two words: Simple, vintage How did the day ref lect your personalities? By giving individual, unrehearsed speeches, playing some choice ’80s music, and serving German beer, a nod to our engagement in Heidelberg, Germany. We’re both romantics who have dry humor and enjoy campiness. We spoke from the heart, danced to “Easy Lover,” and provided a literal taste of the journey of our relationship. We knew if we were having fun and were ourselves that everyone else was likely to feel that energy and authenticity.

Favorite moments? Our guest’s excitement as we got announced into the reception. I could feel the love. It was incredible, and I really felt like a bride at that moment.

Something you would have done differently? I would have accessorized differently!

It’s important to feel like and look like yourself on your wedding day.

Something you wouldn’t have changed for the world? The menu. We chose to have Thanksgiving dinner, which I think was both unexpected and unique.

Did you DIY? If so, what? We didn’t get Pinterest with it and DIY the décor, but we did plan our entire event. We wanted to be hands-on, share ideas, and to manage our budget.

What surprised you about the day?

What a whirlwind it is! It’s so many things at once: joyous, busy, fun ... it’s almost over before you know it.

Advice for brides? Do the thing you

Photo: Ken Kienow

ONE FOR THE AGES Thanksgiving dinner was served in May during Ben and Maggie Arona’s vintage-inspired wedding. Eighties tunes provided a quirky twist, reflecting the humor of both bride and groom.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAGGIE ARONA

are afraid to do! I wanted to do our first dance to something upbeat, which my husband would have been 100 percent on board for. We opted for conventional and got a nice result, but if I’d gone

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Photo: Ken Kienow

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B BR R II D DE E S S FILE PHOTO BY GLEN STARKEY

picks

SLOcal wedding

PRETTY PRINCE Princesses become queens when they get married at Tooth and Nail Winery outside of Paso Robles.

Why settle for a prince, when you can have a king?

PL A N N I NG A CEN T R A L C OA ST W EDDI NG AT E V ERY PR ICE POI N T

BY RYA H C O OL E Y

M

“

awage” is what brings you to this lovely bridal article today. Ah, love is a many splendored thing. It’s what’s motivated you to stand before your friends and family in the not too distant future and declare that no matter how often this person standing across from you leaves their socks on the floor or how much they let that hot gym body go, you will stand by them forever and ever. It’s touching really. And while some may say that your wedding vows are just the beginning of a life together, the words “I do” also signal the beginning of a (hopefully) kick-ass reception for you, your beloved, and, of course, 200 of your close personal friends and family. The wedding planning process can be quite daunting, so while New Times can’t name every superb location, alcohol purveyor, food maker, musician, and cake baker from San Luis Obispo County (because there are a lot of good ones), we did pick a few (call them “examples” of SLOcal bounty) for you at a variety of price points.

You’re welcome.

18 — B R I D E S 2 016

Venues: Picking the perfect place for your perfect moment

$: The Historic Jack House and Gardens in San Luis Obispo Enjoy a government-subsidized wedding to the tune of about $1,900. The lovely Victorian-era Jack House is owned by the city of San Luis Obispo and located downtown. Visit slocity.org for more information or call 781-7222. $$: Spanish Oaks Ranch in Santa Margarita Enjoy a scenic wedding with rolling hills and a pristine lake at the Spanish Oaks Ranch in Santa Margarita.

The site has indoor and outdoor spaces as well as dressing rooms for the bridal party and plenty of parking. Weddings booked here range from about $5,500 to $6,500 depending on the season and number of guests. Tables and chairs are included for up to 300 guests. Visit spanishoaksranch.net for more information or call 591-9411. $$$: Tooth and Nail Winery in Paso Robles If you’re a princess on your wedding day, then you might as well get married in a castle! Enter Tooth and Nail Winery in Paso Robles. This regal stone castle comes with a moat, and weddings here start at about $7,999. The venue comes with indoor and outdoor space, a wine discount, tables and chairs for 200 as well as bartenders. For more information, visit toothandnailwinery.com or call 369- 6100.

PICKS continued on page 20

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BR IDE S PHOTO BY RYAH COOLEY

PICKS continued from page 18

Booze: Because dry weddings are just sad $: Costco in San Luis Obispo While this is obviously not a 100 percent local option, the smart shopper knows that you can get premium quality spirits under the store’s Kirkland brand for a fraction of what you would pay anywhere else. Call 541-700 for more information. $$: Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards in San Luis Obispo People can get a little trashy when hard alcohol abounds at a wedding. Keep it classy with some local wine from Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards.

Couples looking to buy cases of wine for a wedding can get a 25 percent discount, while club members save

30 percent. Visit kelseywine.com for more information or call 595-9700. $$$: Bottles and Ice in Atascadero People came here to party, so show them a good time. Bottles and Ice charges $70 per hour for the top-shelf bartending package, which includes gratuity. You’re paying for just the bartending services and customdesigned cocktails. Alcohol must be purchased separately from another vendor. Couples can expect to drop anywhere from $700 to $1,200 just on alcohol. Visit bottlesandice.com or call 703-0582 for more information.

WINE IS FINE A boatload of money can be saved on wedding booze through buying wine in bulk from Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THOMAS HILL ORGANICS

Food:

Scrumptious culinary fare fit for a king

$: McGees Catering in Atascadero Treat your guests to a variety of delectable offerings from Santa Mariastyle barbecue to an Italian family-style meal. The cost runs from about $14 to $28 per person. Visit mcgeescatering.com or call 462-8048. $$: Taste Catering in San Luis Obispo The good folks at Taste will custom design a menu unique to each couple that books them for a wedding. Fees range from $30 to $45 per person. Their ramequins of

mac ’n’ cheese are all the rage at their brick-and-mortar restaurant on Broad Street. Visit taste2900.com or call 541-5860 for more information. $$$: Thomas Hill Organics in Paso Robles Thomas Hill Organics deals exclusively in local, organic food.

Prices range from $50 to $85 per person and they specialize in creating menus that are vegan, vegetarian, or that cater to other dietary restrictions. Visit thomashillorganics.com or call 226-588.

DON’T PANIC, IT’S ORGANIC Thomas Hill Organics specializes in creating vegan, vegetarian meals that cater to dietary restrictions.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TIPSY GYPSIES

Music: Get your guests grooving $: Spotify Premium Just $10 for a month and all the ad-free music is yours. Carefully curate some loving playlists with your betrothed and then put a friend on DJ duty to make sure all goes according to plan. $$: DJ Modern Symphony DJ Modern Symphony will bring the beats to your wedding. Various DJ packages range from $1,000 to $1,450. Visit modernsymphony.net or call 266-8682 for more information.

$$$: The Tipsy Gypsies This swinging band has made quite a name for itself on the Central Coast. This bunch creates music that could be described as a cross between Gypsy jazz and pop music—a style that is both classic and unique all at once. Booking some live music for your wedding will run between $1,000 and $2,000.

Visit thetipsygypsies.com or call 215-8785.

A LITTLE GYPSY WITH THAT BUZZ Central Coast band the Tipsy Gypsies is a cross between Gypsy jazz and pop music.

FILE PHOTO BY KAORI FUNAHASHI

Dessert:

End the day on a high note

$: Sugar Lips Mini Donuts You might have seen these delectable bites of dough at farmers markets in San Luis Obispo. Well now you can have mini doughnuts at your wedding! They make a great replacement for the standard cake or a great addition as a late-night snack. Prices start at $450 for an hour of unlimited mini doughnuts and can go up to $750 for two hours for a larger wedding. The price includes the traditional sugar topping as well as the cinnamon-sugar topping.

Glazes and other toppings come with an additional fee.

Visit sugarlipsminis.com or call 268-5172. $$: Just Baked SLO in Santa Margarita This place is dishing out cake, cookies, and cupcakes galore.

It runs about $5.75 per serving of wedding cake,

with a minimum order of $175. They also have some scrumptious cookies if you’re going the dessert-table route. Visit justbakedslo.com or call 242-5948. $$$: Madonna Inn Bakery in San Luis Obispo Is there any cake more iconic to the area than the cascading pink tower of chocolate ribbons that is Madonna Inn’s pink champagne cake? We think not.

Wedding cakes start at $6.50 per serving of cake for smaller weddings and $5 per serving for larger weddings. There is an additional charge for intricate designs. Visit madonnainn.com or call 543-3000. ✶ Ryah Cooley is catching the bouquet at rcooley@newtimesslo.com.

CAKE SWIRLS A SLO wedding wouldn’t be complete without decadent swirls of ribbon atop a Madonna Inn cake.

2 0 — B R I D E S 2 016

B R I D E S 2 016 — 21

BR IDE S

thing$

All the small

LIT T LE C OSTS A DD U P BIG T I M E .

H ER E’ S HOW TO AVOI D GET T I NG N ICK ELED -A N D -DI M ED

BY H AY L E Y T HOM A S

O

pen up any bridal magazine and you will see ads for all of the big, sexy wedding purchases. There’s the cake, the venue, and the dress—you know, all the fun stuff you’re probably looking forward to buying and/or shopping around for. Not so likely to be found in those glossy pages are the more annoying, mundane purchases. Don’t give in to the urge to put them off or, worse, forget they’re there altogether: These smaller costs will add up if you don’t make some swift decisions.

Let’s take decorations. Would you rather put your hard-earned funds toward Martha Stewart-brand doilies you’ll use just once or your honeymoon to Australia?

Instead of dropping a wad of cash on a f lorist, SLO local Megan Rivoire started calling cohorts. Her game plan: Spend a little, make a lot.

“I was lucky to have friends who enjoy being crafty, so I decided to pick a few simple items for my decorations and focus on making a ton of them,” Rivoire said. “I would host happy hours with wine and snacks and we would get together and craft for the wedding.”

2 2 — B R I D E S 2 016

Her industrious team of bridesmaids and pals got to work making epic quantities of paper chains and tissue puff balls, both of which cost next to nothing.

The bride’s “flowers” came even easier: succulents were foraged and found from friends’ gardens and displayed in thrifted glassware. Tip: wild rosemary and lavender are free, available year-round, and make for sweet-smelling, gorgeous boutonnieres and corsages.

If the idea of crafting and thrifting makes your palms sweat, don’t worry.

There are plenty of other sneaky costs to consider avoiding now.

Every year, brides spend ungodly amounts of money on shuttling their families and friends here and there. If you’re getting married in a bike-friendly place like SLO County, why not have your pals put their pedals to the metal?

That’s exactly what Rivoire did.

After her wedding, the bridal party cycled to the Elks Lodge for a raucous reception streaming with the paper chains and paper puff balls they had made over so many glasses of wine.

Freaking out over DJ costs? In these modern times, there really is no need.

Rivoire employed the help of a pal with

WE DON’T NEED NO TR ANSPORTATION Megan and Dan Rivoire, their bridal party, and many guests biked from their ceremony to the reception.

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN ROBERTS

iTunes and good taste in music, who referred to a short list of chosen songs for specific wedding dances. The bride also tapped a baking-inclined pal to create her wedding cake. Think about it: How many friends do you know who always bring a delicious baked good to any potluck or event?

“It was amazing to know how many people came together to make our day special,” Rivoire said. “Dancing under paper chains created with friends, watching guests leave with succulents from my friends’ gardens, dancing to the tunes played by our friends, eating cake made by friends ... everything in our wedding was a labor of love.”

Invitations are another big moneysuck. The paper alone raises many questions and costs—eggshell or

matte? What thickness of cardstock?

To emboss or not? Once you hire a “graphic designer,” it can all get out of hand extremely quickly. Do what Rivoire did and invest in a one-time cost that will last a lifetime.

What is this magic investment? Why, a personalized rubber stamp, of course!

Rivoire had her and her hubby’s initials incorporated into a simple design that helped “brand” the wedding across the board. She used the low-fi stamp on everything from invites and savethe-dates to napkins and decorations.

Imagine how many times you would reuse that stamp, too (think of the thank-you card applications alone!).

Seriously. Get a wedding stamp. You will not regret it.

THING$ continued on page 23

PAPER MOON Friends got together to create hundreds of low-cost paper rings and puff balls for Megan and Dan Rivoire’s wedding reception held at the SLO Elks Lodge.

THING$ continued from page 22 A note on postage: When your great aunt asks what she can do to help with the wedding, give her a simple yet extremely supportive task: Ask her to pay for the postage—or better yet, have her deal with stamping and sending out all of the envelopes. Friends who live in the area? Deliver by hand. Who knows, you might even be able to get a few instantaneous RSVPs, too.

And now for beauty. Grooming can eat up a huge chunk of your wedding budget, and—considering the sheer volumes of photos that will live on— you’ll want to look good from your head to your toes. Manicures and pedicures can cost upwards of $50, especially if you spring for acrylics or gels, which are a good idea if you don’t want to worry about unsightly chipping. Get the durability of a gel manicure without the hassle and cost by investing in the new drug-store gel formulations, which work amazingly well.

Have a friend or family member do your nails a few days before the wedding (if they really love you, they might even rub your feet for you). Want all your bridesmaids to have the same bright purple nail color that ties in to your decor? Do it as a group. Congrats. You have just saved your friends a ton of dough, too.

A final word of advice: Don’t read

A Day Like No Other...

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too far into those bridal magazines, OK? They exist to sell you the idea that you need to buy that f lower only found halfway across the globe or that goldleafed cardstock (all invites end up in the same place: the trash bin).

“Don’t feel like you should spend money on anything that isn’t important to you,” Rivoire said. “Trust your gut.

There are a million things that other people think are important, but prioritize the things that truly are important to you and your finance. Skip the rest.” ✶

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Hayley Thomas skips to work through her garden at hthomas@newtimesslo.com.

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