Real Bride: Elizabeth Reynolds
Elizabeth and Zackary had a colorful, playful wedding theme! Everything about this wedding, from the cake to the wedding party's shoes, was carefully planned to follow the Fiesta theme. If you like unconventional weddings, you'll LOVE this one!
Your name: Elizabeth Reynolds Partner’s name: Zackary Freitas Wedding date: 10/14/2017 City, State: San Leandro, CA
Tell us more about you!
How long have you been together?
4 years
How did he propose? (Or how did you propose!)
Well the original plan WAS to be backstage at our favorite reggae concert but Mother Nature decided to have the show cancelled due to the band not being able to make it to the venue because of mudslides in Northern California. Zack knew I was getting impatient and decided he needed a Plan B. We went out for drinks with some friends in SF at a bar called the Sky Lounge on the top floor of the Marriott. It was beautiful seeing the whole view of the city and the Bay Bridge lit up off in the distance. I was shocked when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!
What was your favorite part of the wedding?
My favorite part was the fact that the wedding was so US! Everyone said they could see our personal style throughout everything; décor, food, music and atmosphere.
What went wrong with your wedding?
Not enough time to talk with everyone! We made sure to say hello to all of our guests, but I wish we had more time to talk more in depth with them all. Can't win them all, I guess!
Did you find any tricks to save you money?
I had ZERO flowers at our wedding. I couldn't believe just how expensive flowers could be for a wedding. Seeing as how we live in California and succulents are a BIG trend these days (plus I have a decent green thumb), I decided to use succulents for the centerpieces. Also, sticking to our Fiesta theme I made hundreds of colorful tissue paper flowers. I originally wanted a real bouquet for my bridesmaids and myself but then after shopping around for some quotes, I decided that it wasn't in the budget and opted to make a tissue paper bouquet. I was a little embarrassed that people would find it cheap and tacky but they
ended up being PERFECT for the wedding and everyone loved it!
If you could go back and redo it, would you change anything; and if so, what would you change? Honestly, nothing EXCEPT maybe one more hour to talk with everyone more.
Do you have any advice for new brides?
Do what feels right for you and your groom! Some people at first tried to change my mind on some items. My girlfriends wanted me to wear heels instead of Converse sneakers. I'm not the heel type of girl and when I do wear heels, I tend to be miserable by the end of the night. I have never felt so comfortable tearing it up on the dance floor and so glad I went with my gut and ditched the heels.
Did you over-plan or under-plan, or was it just right?
Everything was just right. I tried to keep everything as organized as I possibly could so setting up wouldn't be too difficult. We had lots of little details and pieces to our décor so I labelled the boxes and made sure it was easy for everyone who helped with setting up to know what's what. I'm a little Type A, if you couldn't tell!
Did any of your vendors knock your socks off?
Our vendors killed it! I made sure to check reviews before hiring anyone.
Did any of your vendors disappoint?
Not at all! I don't think I have one complaint for any one of them.
What was one (or more!) special element in your wedding that isn’t in most? We had a memorial setup for our family who are no longer with us. Having my father and my aunt/like-a-mother pass away within this past year made it hard planning such a happy event without them. Seeing as how we were having a Fiesta and Dia De Los Muertos is a big thing in the Mexican heritage, (my fiance/now husband is Mexican) I decided to create an altar for our deceased family members. It was so special for me to have a piece of my family (& his) there for our big day.
What do you wish you’d spent more on (whether you were able to or not)?
Our decorations were perfect for us but it would have been nice to have purchased some nicer, more decorated planters for the succulents. I bought plain terracotta planters and spray painted them to match the colors of our décor.
Where do you feel like you could have saved money or overspent?
I think we did really well with keeping within our budget. The only place I went a little overboard on was the gifts for our bridal party, but that's just because I LOVE to give gifts and make gift bags!
How many guests did you invite vs how many RSVP’ed vs how many actually came?
We invited 75 and had a turnout of 70.
Wedding Venue: Drake's Barrel House Caterer: Drake's Barrel House Photographer: Cindy Hegger (5 stars for her!) Planner: myself DJ/Band: DJ Rikki Dress Designer: Dolly Couture Bridal / Custom Catalina Bridesmaids’ Dress Designer: Torrid Menswear: Dickies pants, non-label white button down, Red Converse high tops Officiant: Friend of the Groom/Russell Rogers Florist: Myself - aka tissue paper master and green thumb experienced Jeweler: Chris Jewelry Hair Stylist: Amy Silveira
Makeup Artist: Amy Silveira Cake: Gala Bakery Cake Topper: Etsy page ChubbyBunnyPegs Invitations: Shutterfly Bartender: Drake's Barrel House
