We recently photographed the wedding of Jessica and Francis on a Monday night in Balboa Park. The wedding was so intricate and personalized from start to finish. Here’s Jessica to explain what inspired the theme of their eclectic and colorful celebration!

As theatre actors, Fran and I have a very colorful group of friends.  Costumes and creativity are part of our daily lives, as well as the daily lives of the guests we invited.  An old vaudevillian/gypsy/Moulin Rouge-y feel seemed like just the thing!  It captured the entertainers in us, and it also captured an artistic and romantic time. So perfect for a wedding between two people, very much in love.

The vibe of our wedding was designed to be very warm, vibrant and celebratory.  We wanted to exalt “love” in all it’s forms and we wanted each element to be touched by art in some way.  Our friends sang songs from shows they’d done. One of my friends even took my favorite song and wrote a musical arrangement to be sung before the wedding began.  My bridal walk was performed by a pianist and cellist who arranged a special version of Il Postino.

My aunt (an artist and a seamstress) made the beautiful beaded table cloths (each one different) that provided the overlay for each table.  My sister designed our sweetheart table down to each candle, napkin holder, charger and vase.

My girlfriend did each unique flower arrangement, corsage and boutonniere (not a single one the same).  Each floral vase was unique, antique, colored-glass found in searches through flea markets and thrift stores. Another girlfriend hand painted the sign at our “guest book” table that consisted of antique romantic postcards (each purchased separately over months and months) to be sent to Fran and me throughout the year.

Each table was named after an old movie and displayed old movie posters, designed by a friend, with Fran and my faces replacing the original actors.  Guest seating cards shaped like old movie tickets were designed to lead guests to their designated movie-themed table.

Our cake was an art project in itself!  After choosing the flavors and size, I simply gave Flour Power images, colors (rich jewel tones) and a request for flowers, birds, feathers, rhinestones and tons of romance.

A friend strung lights and created a rich color palette across the walls of the ballroom.  Sparklers were ordered for each guest to light and celebrate our arrival at the reception.  My friends were invited to dress in any way that expressed themselves (but we encouraged rich jewel tone colors if possible.)  It was a night of love, decadence and artistry.  It depicted our favorite aspects of the life that Fran and I have chosen to live together.

True Photography was the PERFECT company to capture our wedding.  Not only are they as artistic and unique as the wedding we had planned, they fit right in to our group of guests.  Their open, easy, comfortable energy was a great match with our family and friends.  They suggested creative and fun ideas inspired by what they saw around them.  The photos they took brought the whole wedding back to us….  Such a beautiful night, captured so exquisitely by photographers who are truly artists themselves.

To see more pictures of this couple’s wedding and information on the venue/vendors, click here.