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DIY Barn wedding in the Santa Cruz Mountains

February 18, 2016
Wedding portrait

K + B opted out of color palettes and design themes, and instead went for one common thread: GREEN. Greenery in her hair, greenery in the bouquets, greenery hanging behind the ceremony, and of course, in the Santa Cruz redwoods that surrounded them. Balanced with black and white and a few well-placed vintage touches, it became known as “organic modern”. Molly Gilholm‘s photo style was a perfect fit too.

Bridal bouquet Wedding dresses Groom portrait

Molly of Molly Gilholm Photography says, Kristen + Blake’s day was a perfect representation of everything they embody and value: community, design, and since they met in Seattle, cloudy weather. Blake is a designer, and designed all the paper goods and signage himself, which was just one of the many heartfelt DIYs of the day. Blake’s mom even made his tie!

Wedding invitation Watters wedding dress Wedding dress Bridal bouquet White Bridesmaids dresses White Bridesmaids dresses Wedding decor

Julie of Willi Wildflower was behind all that greenery magic.

Barn wedding ceremony Wedding portrait Wedding party portrait Wedding portrait Barn wedding reception Wedding favors

Kristin tells it, We were in charge of all the signage. Everything from the menu, programs, escort cards, even down to the guest gifts were all done by the groom. The most time consuming project was our guest gifts. Since we got married close to the new year, we made desktop calendars for each guest. We were very specific with coloring, paper choice and size, so we ended up printing and cutting them all by ourselves. Multiply 250 guests by hmm, about 12 pages per calendar… about 3,000 pages to cut.

I think the biggest hurdle for us was settling on a vision. Blake and I are both artistically-minded people, and he’s a graphic designer… We both were pretty stubborn about our design visions for the wedding and it took a lot of compromise on both of our sides to put together our vision.

Bridal flower crown Fur bridal shawl

The dress: An A-line gown with an illusion neckline, plunging back, French beading, and satin waist ribbon with a bronze-hued lining. The fur was passed down from her great grandmother when she immigrated from Czechoslovakia.

Barn wedding tablescape Escort card display Barn wedding tablescape Place setting Barn wedding reception First dance portrait Sparkler send off

The photographer was actually my only clear decision for my wedding day, and I’m SO glad we used her. She definitely has a knack for capturing even the smallest, emotion-filled expressions on our faces. Plus, I think it’s really important to develop good rapport with your wedding photographer. She clearly understood our vision and was really fun to have around on our wedding day!

  • Wedding favors
  • DIY Barn wedding place setting
  • Wedding favors
  • DIY Barn wedding place setting
  • Groom's boutonnière
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Congratulations, Blake and Kristin!

Photographer: Molly Gilholm Photography / Venue: Roaring Camp Railroads, Bret Harte Hall / Coordination: Family Friend / Florist: Julie of Willi Wildflower / Invitations: Groom, Blake Quackenbush / Cake: Safeway / Catering: Five Star Catering / Coffee Beans: Verve Coffee Roasters / Bride’s Dress: Watters ‘Santina’ from And Something Blue / Fur: Heirloom / Shoes: Steve Madden / Engagement Ring: Joseph Jewelry in Bellevue, WA / Bride’s Wedding Bands: StonesandGold / Groom’s Suit: The Combatant Gentleman / Tie & Pocket Square: Handmade by Groom’s Mom / Wedding Band: Treasure Jewelry in Scotts Valley, CA