Client Info

Name: ♀Macee McCreery & ♂Matthew Erbes

Album Story

High school sweethearts Macee and Matt were together for 7 years before tying the knot with a mountain backdrop at Serendipity Gardens in Oak Glen, California. Their vision for the day was to play off the romantic garden setting by adding simple, bohemian greenery and DIY decor to create a minimal yet elegant feel. Macee made all the wedding signs, menu cards, table assignments, candle holders, and invitations herself. King protea was the flower of the day; from the bouquets to the invitations, the distinctive flower brought in a pop of color and texture. Creating a special yet simple bridal look was very important to Macee, as she typically doesn’t wear makeup or dress up. She nailed it with a classic lace dress with buttons down the back, a sparkly hairpiece and an understated veil. Macee was great at taking everything in stride on her wedding day. For example their guest book was set to be two magnum champagne bottles, but the bottles were left out in the sun and ended up exploding before the ceremony. The groomsmen improvised, grabbing scraps of wood from around the garden for the guests to sign.

Associated Vendors

Venue: Serendipity Gardens
Dress Store: Allure Bridals
Floral Designer: Flowers etc
DJ: Musical Phunktions
Bakery: Michelle’s Custom European Bakery
Specialty Foods: A la Minute Ice Cream
Dress Store: Ladies and Gents Bridal
Hair Stylist: Kacee Geoffroy
Event Venue: Serendipity Gardens
Photographer: Kaitie Brainerd Photography

Client Questionnaire

Q1: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?
A1: My wedding day was everything I planned it to be. I didn’t have a specific theme, but I wanted the feel to be garden, romantic. I envisioned blush, with hints of gold and champagne. My husband and I wanted our day to be traditional, but also different than other weddings our friends and family had been to. We made our wedding different my choosing to have my husbands cousin marry us. It made our day that much more special.

Q2: Let’s talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
A2: I had a year and four months to plan our wedding. That meant everything was going to be DIY! I made most of our wedding signs, menu cards, table assignments, candle holders, and invitations. For the reception, we chose to have most of our decor very simple. This meant greenery from our florist, and simple flowers to put into the greenery.

Q3: What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?
A3: The florals were my favorite part of the entire day…besides marrying the man of my dreams! I told the florist that we wanted a bohemian look, but also very romantic and simple. We chose to use Protea in much of our decoration, and the bouquets. This flower made everything pop. The Protea added elegance to our simple wedding.

Q4: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
A4: We absolutely loved the ice-cream vendor, A La Minute. Our guests raved about the creaminess of the icecream, and how it was the best tasting ice cream they had ever tasted. The ice-cream helped to cool our guests as the night came, and helped to keep our dance floor full of life!

Q5: Let’s talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.
A5: My wedding day look took a while to come up with! I was very indecisive with looks and accessories, as I don’t dress up or do my makeup very often. It was hard to imagine myself on my wedding day, and how I wanted to be seen by my husband. The bridal shop, Ladies & Gents gave me many tips on choosing my dress, and I can’t thank them enough for all their help! As for the groom, my husband looks great in everything! I had been seeing the navy tuxes all over Pinterest(of course!) and I loved the look it gave-plus it was different than the normal black you would see at every wedding.

Q6: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.
A6: Matt and I met in high school through mutual friends. I can’t say that it was love at first sight- our love grew slowly. Matt graduated from high school and moved to go to college, and I remained in high school. The distance actually brought us closer together. As for the proposal, we went to Pismo Beach, CA for a small weekend vacation. I didn’t think anything of the weekend, as Matt and I had been dating for 7 years at this point, and I didn’t think marriage was even on his mind. That night, as we were getting ready to go to dinner, I slept onto our balcony to see the sunset. Matt followed me and said he had a late birthday present for me. I opened the box and saw a heart necklace. I was partially disappointed because I wanted the engagement ring, but also because I have like twelve heart necklaces! I said thank you and started to put it back in the box, but Matt said to turn it around and read the back. I turned it around and it had the date and said, “Today is just the beginning” As I finished reading, I looked at him and he was on his knees with my ring! I couldn’t believe what was happening, and I couldn’t tell you anything he told me!! It was a perfectly simple engagement!

Q7: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
A7: The most anticipated part of my wedding day was having my sister walk me down the isle. Growing up in foster care, my sister was like both of my parents. Having my sister give me away was very emotional, and something I will never forget.

Q8: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?
A8: I would say to do what makes you and your fiancé happy. In the end, the day is about your relationship. Your day should reflect your life together. Take advice and comments from family and friends, but you will regret not doing what you ultimately wanted. Also, don’t sweat the small things! Its hard to do in the moment, but you have to remember that at the end of the day, you and your fiancé will be married-and thats ALL THAT MATTERS!

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