A Whimsical Vintage Destination Wedding in California

Bailey and Dominic

Bailey and Dominic met in 8th grade science class. For him, it was friendship, but for her, it was a crush. But in their senior year of high school, they were set up on a group date. At the end of the night, Dominic took her home and Bailey revealed that their date was all she ever dreamed about at age 13. They made plans for later that week, soon had their first kiss, became boyfriend and girlfriend, and just under eight years later he proposed. On June 28, 2012, Bailey finally married the boy she pined over.

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The Save-the-Date

Bailey is a partner at Antiquaria, a design studio and vintage housewares gift registry, and for a girl who created custom stationery day in and day out, designing something for herself was a bit of a challenge. But it was also exciting and a great way to showcase the couple's story. The save-the-date suite was a small square card designed to look like an old bookplate. A double-sided letterpressed card boasted an illustration of the bride and groom by the water, a favorite Iron and Wine lyric "The Sea and the Salty Breeze", and the story of how they met on the back.

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The Stationery

A simpler design route was taken for the actual invite, which was hand lettered in a Spencerian style script by the bride. The more prominent lines and the couple's names, were inspired by old advertisements and embellished letters. A monogram topped the piece, which was bundled with the reply card and envelope by a light aqua band sealed with an embossed gold foil seal bearing the same monogram.

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The Wedding Rings

Bailey's mom found the perfect tin for carrying the wedding bands at an antiques shop in Austin. The bride embroidered linen to make a cushion that fit inside and secured the rings with a vintage hatpin for their trip down the aisle.

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The Fashions

Dominic sported a Calvin Klein suit and tie, and Bailey wore 1950s Helena Barbieri gown she spotted at the Austin Antique Mall. After not purchasing the dress the first time she saw it, she panicked, rushed back the next morning and bought it. The bride's vintage ensemble was completed by a 1910 cotton lace petticoat and a pair of vintage Bruno Magli shoes.

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The Bridal Party

The groomsmen and bridesmaids were fashionable in crisp suits and sea foam green dresses.

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The Bridal Bouquet

Elizabeth Lewis of The Nouveau Romantics designed all of the floral elements, including the bride's oversized clutch of foxglove, plum foliage, astilbe, umbrella ferns, geranium leaves, thistle, ranunculus, caramel Antike garden roses, white dahlias, and sea grass.

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The Crowning Glory

A wreath of garden roses, ranunculus, and thistle topped the bride's head.

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Pretty Posies

The maid of honor and bridesmaid carried smaller bouquets of dahlias, umbrella ferns, geranium foliage, caramel Antike garden roses, ranunculus, thistle, sea grass, and plum foliage.

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Special Accessories

Another element of the bride's head-to-toe vintage look was a gold clutch, but perhaps her most remarkable accessory was her calligraphed vows.

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The Ceremony Location

The cliffside ceremony in Cuvier Park offered attendees an intimate setting and one heck of a view. It was also a sentimental spot—the groom and his family went on many beach outings on the shores of La Jolla while growing up in San Diego. And for Bailey's 22nd birthday, he took her there and remarked how it would be a perfect place to get married some day. When it came time to find a wedding location, it was the obvious choice.

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Blowing in the Wind

Bailey bought yardage of Alencon lace on Etsy and Coutures by Laura turned it into a one-of-a-kind veil.

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The Ceremony

The couple designed the ceremony to include traditional and non-traditional texts such as an excerpt from A.A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh" and Louis de Bernieres' "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", and music composted by a dear friend. After their I dos, they sealed their union with a kiss.

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All Together

The couple and their 24 guests posed for photographer Kelly Lynn James of Studio Austin Weddings after the ceremony.

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The Certificate

Inspired by old marriage certificates and the Quaker tradition of each guest signing a document to acknowledge the couple's union, Bailey created a wedding license with room for each person in attendance to sign. "I love that it will always hang in our home as a reminder of our union and the support of our loved ones," Bailey said.

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The Reception

The small guest list allowed for an intimate dinner together at one long table in George's At The Cove restaurant. The bride and her business partner, Emma James, made all of the napkins out of a Marimekko fabric.

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The Place Settings

Atop each napkin was a tube of sea salt from Savory Spice Shop. The specialty flavors were Black Lava Hawaii Kai's Island, Grey Sel de Guerande, Red Gold Hawaii Kai's Palm Island, and Pink Himalayan. The printed menus combined vintage etchings and modern typography.

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Another Salty Touch

The foodie bride collects vintage saltcellars and a few were set out on the table. "I thought it was a great way to tie in the ocean theme without being too cheesy," Bailey said.

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Favors for the Guys

The newlyweds' male guests received a box of salt-water taffy (a childhood favorite of the bride's) finished with an anchor stamped in a gold wax seal. The icon appeared throughout the day as a subtle reference to the seaside setting

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