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Backyard wedding fiesta: Nate + Michelle

May 5, 2017
San Diego wedding portrait

Happy Friday, friends! Any plans for Cinco de Mayo? Michelle + Nate’s backyard wedding had a colorful fiesta theme that looks like the most fun celebration to be a guest at. When they met at a wedding in 2015, they lived on opposite sides of the country and Michelle eventually moved from Brooklyn so they could call San Diego home together. Naturally a backyard wedding totally resonated. Definitely helps that they’ve got the sweetest digs near the beach, too!

Thanks to Eager Hearts Photography of The Wedding Artists Collective for sending this our way!

Colorful bridal bouquet

Loving this bouquet already. Props to WildFlora on these vibrant blooms.

Backyard wedding fiesta Wedding rings Louboutin bridal shoes Fiesta home decor

Isn’t this space so cheerful and cozy?

Bride getting ready Sarah Seven wedding dress San diego wedding portrait Colorful floral arrangement Mexican wedding backdrop Colorful flowers Fiesta themed backdrop

Michelle says, The wedding took place in our home—a safe and comforting space for the both of us. We love taking care of our many succulents both indoors and outdoors in our courtyard. Living in San Diego, where the weather is beautiful, we use our courtyard, where the wedding ceremony and part of the reception took place, as a second living room and dining room. We’ve also enjoyed creating what we hope is a whimsical and inviting indoor space with touches of mid-century modern design and meaningful objects. For these reasons, we loved the idea of a wedding at home, because it felt like an extension of our hearts and our hands.

Fiesta wedding cocktail Wedding food Pigment wedding favors Summer tablescape Mexican wedding music

Isn’t it amazing how such an intimate space can be transformed for an event? Obsessed!

Mexican inspired backdrop Fiesta themed wedding reception Orange place setting

The shop Pigment, in San Diego, is basically a party AND plant paradise, which is so fitting for M + N to incorporate into their day.

Mexican inspired wedding food Fiesta themed wedding reception

They loved the idea of keeping the wedding small and intimate, so each guest could feel welcomed and loved. And all of that colorful decor and food from A MIHO Experience and music? Such a major bonus!

Mexican inspired wedding cake

Their love story…
Nate’s brother married my high school best friend. Although we lived on opposite sides of the country, we couldn’t stop talking. We saw each other every two or three weeks after my first visit to San Diego, sometimes in New York, sometimes in San Diego, and sometimes internationally, tagging a date onto work trips in Stockholm and Milan. We were having a drink by the beach in San Diego during one of my early visits when I told Nate I was willing to leave New York for us to be together. Less than a year later we moved my books and my cookware from Brooklyn to San Diego. A few months after I moved, Nate proposed to me on the beach by our house.

Congratulations, Nate and Michelle!

Be sure to check back later this morning for another super fun, Mexican-inspired wedding.

Photographer: Eager Hearts Photography of The Wedding Artists Collective / Venue: Private Residence in San Diego, CA / Event Planner: Willow Weddings / Florist: WildFlora / Hair & Makeup: A Toast To Beauty / Programs: JPStationery / Cake: Eat Your Cake Too / Catering: A MIHO Experience / Bar: Snake Oil Cocktail / Waiters: Common Sense Events / Tables: Rustic Events / Music: Mariachi Divinas / Bride’s Dress: Sarah Seven / Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Groom’s Suit: Peter Millar / Tie: Ermenegildo Zegna / Rings: Jangmi