Sunny California Wedding with Ferns and Potted Plants

This colorful + sunny California wedding is giving us life! We love how they incorporated ferns and potted plants as wedding decor! Ashley Rae Studio captured their Arroyo Grande wedding that the bride + groom designed their own stationery and handpainted watercolor paper goods. Let’s get to it!

From the bride and groom: We wanted to celebrate our wedding day where we grew up and where we met; on the Central Cost. We both work at an architecture and interior design firm, and our design preferences tend to err toward clean and modern. After lots of searching, we found a venue that perfectly encompassed our appreciated for the natural rolling hills of wine country with the clean, elegant structure of a barn. We chose a fun, celebratory color palette of yellow and orange against bright whites, soft grays and lots of greenery. These colors came together in our invites and programs which Logan water colored; my favorite detail of the day.

Our ceremony was held outside under a giant oak tree, dripping with white flowers and greenery to frame the ceremony site. Potted ferns and a large woven rug created an intimate space for our ceremony, performed by Logan’s Aunt Bri. Many of our guests commented (and still comment!) on how special and personalized our ceremony was. We shared tears, but mostly laughs and a glass of Dom Perrignon at the end.

Our cocktail hour took place in an oak grove where guests could take in views of the beautiful Central Coast while noshing on tray passed appetizers. We selected a special bar menu with some of our favorite local wines from Babcock Winery and Claiborne and Churchill. Formerly in the craft beer scene of San Diego, I was able to ask a good friend and brewer to assist us in brewing a custom beer we titled “I Mispronounce You” – a nod to the difficulty people have in pronouncing our last name, Suhrer.

Dinner was set in front of the barn with festive lights strung overhead. We chose a simple tablescape with warm yellow napkins and bright centerpieces of yellow, orange and green. Logan and I are avid home cooks, and we wanted dinner to feel like our guests were sitting at our dinner table. We baked fresh sourdough loaves for our guests, which everyone went nuts for and it was a great way to share our appreciation for everyone being there with us. We had a California summer inspired menu with grilled vegetables, pork chops and butter poached lobster with couscous. After some sweet speeches from loved ones, bellies and hearts were full!

When I first followed Logan down to San Diego, he took me out to see this band called The Routine, and I was instantly a huge fan. We frequented many of their shows over the next couple years And became friends, so when it came time for our wedding day we couldn’t think of a better soundtrack. People were dancing so hard and had such a fun time with it! No top 40 or anything, just a lot of funk, r&b, 90’s hip hop and classics like Bowie and The Beatles. After some dancing we cut our cake, made specially by Logan’s mom, while guests enjoyed strawberry shortcake; a perfect summer night treat. We snuck away to the peak of a nearby hill for an intimate glass of champagne and sunset photos. It was amazing to look back down on our guests and take a mental snapshot of a day we will never forget.

We’re loving the use of potted plants as wedding decor! Such a smart + eco-friendly way to add greenery to the wedding. If you’re looking for more wedding decor ideas, grab this wedding decor checklist we created before you go shopping!

Venue: Private Estate in Arroyo Grande, CA

Planner: Zest It Up

Florist: The Back Porch

Photography and Videography: Ashley Rae Studio

Hair + Make Up: The Queens Bees

Catering: Field to Table

Band: The Routine

Rentals: All About Events

AV Equipment: Bill Gaines Audio Inc

Bus/Shuttle service: SLO Safe Ride

Bar Service: Bottles & Ice

Rings: Leo Hamel