It’s time. I am finally sitting down to document our Wedding! I know you have all been patiently waiting + you have probably forgotten that it even happened, but here it is. One of the best days of my life.
A little back story. Jules and I have been together for almost ten years! I can’t believe it’s been that long! We sort of did things out of the “normal” order, but I absolutely love that this is our story. Of course I have always wanted a wedding. Dreaming of my dad walking me down the aisle, all our loved ones surrounding us. We went back and forth for a while, 5 years to be exact. We originally wanted to make it a destination wedding on the beach in Hawaii. When we thought we were moving there, it was perfect. Then we weren’t moving there and we moved to Northern California instead… I was searching frantically for the perfect home in Southern California that our closest family and friends could come together at, but came up short. Our poor families were asking us weekly where this wedding was going to be. We knew we would have it December 30th, but didn’t know where.
In the mean time we were also trying to find a home to live in here in California, instead of our two room apartment… Deadlines people.
We knew that when we were looking for our house, that it needed to accommodate our wedding as well. I know sounds silly, but at this point we decided the wedding would be in our backyard, where ever that was haha! If you know me you know I don’t stress out too much about things. I truly believe that everything happens the way it is supposed to and that’s exactly what happened. I stumbled upon the cutest 100 year old home in the small town of Sonoma. I made an appointment to check it out, and wasn’t taking any nos from Jules. We looked at two homes that Saturday. I took most of you along with us over on Instagram. In the end we ended up picking the house of our dreams, with a backyard you wouldn’t believe. All of our wedding dreams/vision was coming true.
Okay back to the planning. Since we knew the wedding was going to be outside in December we knew we needed warmth. Whatever home we would end up in, we knew that the majority of the time was going to be spent outside. If you are planning a December wedding take full advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Best deals ever. We scored stainless steel outdoor heaters for a steal of a deal. Ordering tip: If you order online from Home Depot, you can choose pick up in store, and you have 30 days to actually pick the items up. This worked out perfect since we were living in an apartment at the time of purchase. We ended up getting six heaters. I know that seems like a lot, but we needed to heat the dining area that fit 25 people. We are now selling 4 of them, does anyone need an outdoor heater??
Decor inspiration was something that I had gone back and forth with and then finally made my final decision on the theme. Since it was winter I wanted something dark and moody. Think lots of black and deep maroons. Of course I turned to Pinterest multiple times to help me along the way, if you want to check out my “I Do” board just click Here!
Amazon officially became our go to. Basically every item that we thought we needed, amazon was the first place we looked. From linens to candlesticks, to all our plates and utensils. Amazon has everything! We actually went with plastic plates and utensils. I really couldn’t believe how nice they looked for being plastic! We already had all the wine glasses and we scored champagne flutes for a great deal at Macy’s! As for all the bowls and serving platters for the food and cake, I thrifted like crazy! I found all the silver and crystal at all the local thrift and antique stores. I also thrifted all my candlestick holders. Boy was that quite the hunt! Originally my vision was to have only brass, but when I found it more difficult than not to find them, I incorporated crystal and I absolutely love how it all turned out! For our tables we found a great deal online and ordered what we needed, and rented chairs locally, here in Sonoma. Everything pieced together seamlessly.
Let’s talk flowers. I knew we did not want to spend a ton of money on flowers. After watching my three older sisters plan weddings I knew that flowers can cost so much money! Even though we wanted to keep the flower budget minimal, I still had a vision that I wanted to create. For our greenery runners I ordered them through Costco. That’s right. Costco. I could not believe the quality and price of these gorgeous 25′ greenery garlands. We ordered them the Monday before the wedding, so 6 days prior, and they were delivered to our door step that Thursday. They came complete with care instructions and looked like they came straight from the local florist. GORGEOUS! Jules and I were super impressed! Along with the garlands, we ordered 50 white roses. The rest of the greenery that we used for my bouquet as well as the florals on the bride and groom table came straight from our backyard! One of our trees needed to be trimmed, and I saved all the trimmings to add into the wedding florals! The last thing I did was make a last minute run to our local grocery store. My mom and I picked out all the flowers in my color pallet and created my bouquet from there. Everything turned out more beautiful than I could imagine!
Next on the list was the menu. We had a head count of 25 people and we wanted to make things as easy as we could, without actually hiring a caterer. We decided to cook candied carrots and scalloped potatoes in crockpots. Set it and forget it… We grabbed 6 bags of salad, and a giant Prime Rib from Costco! At this point I think Costco should probably team up with me or something. All of the wine and liquor was also purchased ahead of time, and it all worked out perfect! The dinner was so yummy and everyone loved it too! For our cake, you guessed it, we got two Costco cheesecakes and I decorated them with some of the left over flowers. It was perfect!
After dinner we spent the rest of the night celebrating with drinks, and laughs, and all the dancing! We used our soundbar from our tv and utilized the bluetooth feature to connect one of our phones for music. Jules and I had made a playlist and then we were able to play songs throughout the night as they were requested. Everyone had a blast singing and dancing!
What we wore. Finding a dress for me was probably the hardest part out of all the planning. Again, we didn’t want to spend a ton of money on the dress, but I of course wanted something I loved! When I found my dress I fell in love! I did all my shopping online, and read all the reviews like crazy! You can find my dress HERE The shipping was quick and the dress was amazing! I finished my look with my Badgley Mischka heels and my gorgeous jewelry Jules surprised me with. For after the wedding once it got chilly outside I wore my Faux Fur Coat. The kids outfits came from Zara with the exception of Mia’s tights and shoes, and Jules found his shirt at Nordstrom. All of our guests were told kept with the dark moody theme and wore darker winter colors.
All of our amazing photos were taken by my beautiful friend Candice. It was such a blessing to have her be a part of our day and share in all the fun! I am so very grateful to have had such a sweet soul with me that day!
I think that covers it all! I will try and link everything that is still available. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask!
I can’t wait to get some of these prints hanging in our home! I hope you enjoy!
XO,
Corrine Monique (Genereaux)
Dian says
Absolutely beautiFul.!! To see your heart and passion In all the details. So so proud of all you do ❤️