last wedding post, i promise!!

our reception was FUN (kinda freezing, but fun!).  we wanted it to be a party and not super formal and we are so happy it turned out to be just that!  the barn was a pretty blank slate to work with and left lots of room for scheming and dreaming.  thanks to my amazing parents and friends who put up with my schemes and dreams, there was a wholeee lotta DIY going on in the months leading up to our big day.  i would create extremely detailed mock-ups of ideas for the barn [in hawaii], send them to my parents [in california], and they would get to work and send us pictures of the progress!  they’re pretty dang awesome.  i really wish i could have been a bigger part of the making/crafting aspect of our wedding (more than just the week before!), but the logistics of us being here and our wedding being there made that kind of impossible.  we are so grateful to my parents, however, who spent countless hours laboring over and perfecting everything.  my mom made all of the marquee lighting, the fringe tassles, the curtains for the barn, and my dad handcrafted those edison bulb chandeliers!

it was fun to add personal touches and things that felt really “us” into our wedding day.  coffee has been a big part of reis and my relationship which is why we had coffee escort cards/favors and a coffee bar.  (p.s. our good friend tiana drew all of those menus!  she is a crazy talented artist!).  between undergrad, his med school, my old job, and studying for my cpa exam, we’ve practically lived in coffee shops for a good portion of the past 5 years.

our wedding day really was magical and amazing and all those cliche words that people use when describing their wedding.  it was everything we imagined and a whole lot more.  we are so SO thankful and appreciative for everyone that made our day a reality.  we are still blown away by everyone who helped make it our dream day and for all of the constant love and support that we receive from our family and our friends.

beyond all of the fun details of the day itself, for us, our wedding day really was about the celebration of God joining us together as one in Him.  marriage is such a sweet gift and i feel blessed that i’m experiencing it with a really amazing guy.  we have had so much fun the past 5+ months as newlyweds and are looking forward to lots of new + exciting adventures in the months (and years) to come!  cheers to forever with my loverman reis!  thanks for marrying me!

oh and if you missed our wedding video, check it out HERE!  ryan mcduff did a pretty amazing job!

*photos by annie mcelwain

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since our guests had to arrive pretty early (they had to take turns being shuttled in since our venue didn’t have guest parking), we needed to give them something to do while they waited.  instead of a traditional guestbook, i made various black and white postcards for guests to write us a note or give us a piece of marriage advice.  along with little snacks and lemonade, our programs were a 4 page newspaper spread filled with mini blurbs on our bridal party, the night’s itinerary, a thank you, and a sodoku + crossword puzzle that helped keep people occupied!  our wedding was a dream design job for me.  i went to town on anything and everything i could possibly create!  snack bag labels and  custom pencils were  totally unnecessary, but i just couldn’t help myself with the little details.  instagram also kept  people busy and i loved looking through the #jaymeeandreis hashtag the next day to see all of the different shots people got from the night!  if you are getting married soon and are on the insta-train, i highly recommend you create a wedding hashtag.  it’s so much fun!

our ceremony was fairly short, but the most meaningful part of the day for both of us.  having our good friend from hawaii officiate the ceremony made it really personal and we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.  we have so much respect for him and his own marriage and it meant a lot for him marry us.  thanks, christian!

the cocktail hour was held on the grassy area below the bluffs overlooking the ocean.  we were blessed with the most gorgeous weather (no wind!) and our guests got to watch an incredible sunset right before the reception.  it was such a dream day!

*photos by annie mcelwain

The post OUR WEDDING DAY | part two. appeared first on JayAdores.

*photos by annie mcelwain

our wedding day was surreal.  i remember waking up feeling giddy with excitement that i was GETTING MARRIED!  after 5 years of dating (including 1 year of long distance), a move to hawaii, an engagement, and 9 busy months of trans-pacific planning, i couldn’t wait to finally marry the man that i’m crazy about and who makes me a better person.  he really makes life so much more fun and i’m so, so grateful for him!

everyone says “your wedding day goes by so fast” (and it really does), so i was determined to savor all of the special moments.  getting ready with all of my bridesmaids was one of my favorite parts of the day.  being surrounded by my best friends before one of the biggest moments of my life meant so much to me and i’m so glad i have these photos to always remember that morning.  i’ve mentioned this before, but my mom spent months sewing my dress by hand to fit me to perfection.  she helped put it on me and seeing it all come to fruition from a sketch was amazing and really special (THANKS MOM!).  it was everything i wanted in a dress and i still love everything about it, especially the back with those lace covered buttons!

reis and i chose to do a first look shoot and i’m so glad we did!  i definitely got butterflies before i walked up to him (like the kind i had when we went on our first few dates..those days were so fun!) and we just hugged each other and laughed and smiled.  kinda cheeseball, but after all, it was our wedding day!!

tomorrow and wednesday i have two more posts on our ceremony and reception and then i pinky promise #jaymeeandreis is done.

The post OUR WEDDING DAY | part one. appeared first on JayAdores.

have you guys ever gotten a blowout at the dry bar?  well, the santa barbara equivalent is a salon called shine blow dry bar and it’s where all of my bridesmaids had their hair done the morning of our wedding.  the appointments started pretty early in order to fit all 9 of them in so it was a good thing they served coffee.  one thing for sure is that they do a really good job of pampering you there.  i went and hung out with them for awhile and the sweet stylists made me a mimosa that i sipped on before i headed back to the house to get my hair + makeup done.  we had the whole salon to ourselves since they don’t open until noon on sundays and i just loved the whole experience!

*once we get our professional photos, i’ll be doing just a few more wedding posts.  ha, SORRY if you are getting sick of our wedding!  these posts are actually serving as my digital scrapbook so i can remember our special weekend in more detail than i’m sure my memory will allow in the years to come.

**happy friday and happy weekend!

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the weekend of our wedding, my parents rented a house in montecito for our family and my bridesmaids.  it was really fun to have everyone all together and to have a place where out of town guests could hang out (we had an ice cream party here after the rehearsal dinner!).  saturday before the wedding consisted of a morning starbucks run with my dad, a [heart-shaped] pancake breakfast, manicures + pedicures, a bridesmaids’ lunch at paradise cafe, and my bachelorette party (yes, the night before the wedding)!  meanwhile, the groomsmen were on a day-long hunt for shoes to wear the next day at the wedding, ha!  oh boys.  it all worked out because they ended up finding a major steal on vans shoes that not only had enough pairs AND in everyone’s size, but were only $10!

it was pretty awesome to be surrounded by my best friends in one place at one time because 1) they are all from different phases of my life (some family, some high school, some college) and 2) we all live pretty far apart from each other.  it was also fun to see how well everyone got along!  i totally knew they would, but it’s just cool seeing all of your best friends having a great time hanging out together.  bridal parties are usually a mix of friends, so i love when everyone bonds and it’s just one bff-fest all weekend long!  they sure did an over-the-top job of spoiling me that weekend and making me feel super special.  i am indeed blessed to have such amazing friends and i am grateful for each and every one of them!

*photos mostly by janelle, some by me & my sis – thanks again janelle for being my weekend photog!

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