Colette and Spencer’s Bohemian Barn Wedding in California by Onelove Photography

Today’s wedding comes from sunny California and is filled with an abundance of gorgeous bohemian touches, dream catchers, a stunning Rue de Seine gown and the most gorgeous outdoor ceremony, all captured beautifully by Onelove Photography. Here’s what bride Colette has to say about her day. ‘We wanted to show that we are a fun loving couple with two individual ideas but combined them into one magical wedding. We wanted our guests to have a unique experience in a casual rustic setting. The entire day was full of special details that captured our personalities. We knew we wanted an amazing food, a dance party, whisky/cigar bar, and a photo booth to capture our friends on their special day. We also had small references to the Beatles and Harry Potter throughout the ceremony, two of our favorite things. Our bridal party walked down to “With A Little Help From Our Friends.” My aunt also read a passage from Harry Potter. We showed our florist designs and she used her amazing creativity to incorporate beautiful flowers and succulents. I wanted my wedding dress to be unique and fit the rustic tone of the venue. Also, I made Spencer cuff links with his family brand that has been in their family for a long time. Our wedding felt like; a high energy wonderful love filled day.’

Our wedding day was an amazing day filled with family and friends who enjoyed an exciting bohemian rustic party

Colette and Spencer were married on 9th June 2018 at Olympias Valley Estate, Petaluma, California. ‘Spencer and I wanted somewhere that was rustic. We loved the idea of having the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all in one place. When we saw Olympia’s Valley Estate and the amazing barn and pond, we knew we were in the right spot. We had 160 guests and we planned our wedding in a year and a half.’

How they met 
Spencer and I met at a bar called Blue Light in San Francisco. He asked me to sit with him and we discovered we had mutual friends. We have been together for four years. 

The proposal
Spencer wanted to take the dog for a walk down a path near our house. Since it was daylight savings, it was still early in the morning and I did not want to go. He then quickly changed his plans. He asked me to help him change a lightbulb in the backyard. I walked outside in my pajamas and he had put our picture on an old wine barrel in our backyard. He handed me a blue light bulb and then got down on one knee. It was very special because it was in the backyard of our house with our dog just us two. It was perfect.

How did you allocate your budget?
We had gotten many ideas from going to lots of friends’ weddings. We knew what we definitely wanted. Talking to both of our parents and showing them what was important to us, helped us decide what we wanted to spend our money on.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We splurged on the photographer because we had seen their work and knew we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to work with One Love. We also wanted a videographer to capture our special day and have a photo booth so our guests could have fun as well. We didn’t want to have a cake so we saved on that and instead opted for donuts for our guests and a couples cake.

How did you choose your photographer?
When we first looked at Olympia’s Valley Estate, we looked at past wedding albums. We saw pictures from One Love Photography. We also ran into a couple that had One Love take their photos when they got married at Olympia’s Valley. They couldn’t say enough good things about them. 

The dress 
Dress Designer: Rue de Seine Modern Bohemian Bridal. Shoe Designer: Marc Jacobs

The suit 
Mens Warehouse

Theme or color scheme
We wanted a rustic barn wedding. Our venue had so much greenery and amazing flowers, we wanted to stick with those colors. 

Flowers
Our florist was amazing. We showed her pictures and the type of colors we were going for. She put in lots of seasonal green and white flowers. She also added succulents and eucalyptus.

Entertainment
We used Ivy Hill Entertainment. Jonathan was our singer for the ceremony and our cocktail hour. He then became the DJ for our reception. We worked with him to pick out the songs. He learned some Beatles songs for the ceremony. He provided a great atmosphere and party. 

Who supplied the stationery
We used Minted for the save the dates and invitations. Our caterer provided the menus for the reception.

Special moments 
We wrote our our vows. We enjoyed that we had some of the same promises to each other and some of the same ideas for our future together. We loved our personal gifts to each other. Dancing on the dance floor with all our friends and family allowed us to unwind and celebrate with our friends. The pond and the canoe was my absolute favorite! When I first saw the pond I knew that was where I wanted to do my first look and go in the canoe. It was absolutely amazing! The pictures really capture all of the great highlights from the day. We can’t forget Nana in the middle of the dance floor surrounded by all our friends!

Personal touches
Colette and her mom made the gorgeous dream catchers that were hanging behind the cake at the reception! Also – the cake topper was the bride, groom and their dog Gryffindor (yay Harry Potter touches!)

Advice for other couples 
I think going in with ideas is great but being flexible and willing to compromise helps the vendors express their creativity will help make your day that much better. Our photographers were amazing! From the moment we got to the property, I felt like I was in good hands. They already knew the best photo spots and where to get the best light. They truly listened to my needs and wanted to have fun right along with us. Also, it really helped that our wedding planner, caterer, florist, and venue had all worked together. It made it run very smoothly because they all knew the venue and how it worked. Realizing that your wedding is “your wedding” and you can incorporate things that are special to you. It is small personal details that people remember and make your wedding special. Everyone is different and at the end of the day if you and your husband are happy that is what matters. Also, don’t be afraid to speak up and advocate for yourself.

Biggest surprise 
The biggest surprise of the day was that Spencer wrote a message on the bottom of my wedding shoes: “Life is better walking with you.” It was a great surprise and very thoughtful. It made the day that much better. Also, the compliments on my dress was a great surprise. Many people said they had not seen such a unique dress. It really tied everything together and was just the right look I was going for.

Supplier Shout Outs 

• Venue: Olympias Valley Estate
• Photography: Onelove Photography
• Coordinator: Bravo Events
• Makeup: Lauthr Salon
• Catering: Park Avenue Catering 
• Videographer: Petit Four Films
• DJ: Ivy Hill Entertainment
• Dress Designer: Rue de Seine Modern Bohemian Bridal
• Flowers: The Wild Orchid
• Photo Booth: Hitch Photo Bus
• Shoe Designer: Marc Jacobs
• Cake: Moustache Baked Goods
• Donuts: Harveys Gourmet Donut Company

For more information on One Love Photography go to

www.onelove-photo.com / www.onelove-photo.com/blog / [email protected] / 925-360-9755 / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / PINTEREST

I’m an artist to my core. My grandmother was an also artist – she created beautiful paintings that filled her home with color and memory. She interpreted her world through a paintbrush; I interpret mine through a lens. Every artist’s work is a reflection of their own heart, as they interpret their world. I’ve spent over 10 years researching, developing and refining my approach to Neo-Impressionism as a photographer. As a natural style of editorial photography, the onelove aesthetic is an delicate play on light and color. Our artistic model is focused on scenic composition in order to carefully narrate a story in an atmosphere filled authentic emotion.