Tell us a little about yourselves!
Rob and I are both concert production designers handling the lighting and set and scenic for bands , musicians and performers. We love animals and live in LA. We’re both relatively introverted and we both like to spend time in nature, hike and camp.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We really wanted a wedding that was informal and true to who we are, and a space that allowed us to do things our own way. Not only is Blue Sky Center aesthetically beautiful, with open welcoming spaces, they seemed to actually get what we were going for. They didn't bat an eye when we said we were doing an all vegan dinner, or that we wanted to get married on the active landing strip where emergency vehicles could have landed at any time, or any other unconventional ideas we had. Rob and I are vegan for ethical reasons, so it was important to us that our money wasn't being spent on animal products. Blue Sky helped us find a local caterer willing to do vegan (not an easy task for that area), a local winery owned by a lovely couple 20 minutes up the road from Blue Sky, our wedding coordinator makes her own mead, which we served as a wedding toast after our ceremony. The flowers were sourced from the wild, from someone who lives in the town.
How many guests did you have?
50.
Tell us about your outfits.
I wanted something true to myself and typical wedding dresses did not seem to fit my personality. I liked the idea of the juxtaposition of grungey bold black Alexander McQueen boots with a feminine BCBG skirt from Bloomingdales - mixed with other black materials. I’m not goth, but I like black. Having a soft pink feminine floofy wedding type skirt with a black top and boots made sense for me.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
The driving force behind the wedding was creating an informal environment that was authentic to our personalities. Like a lot of wedding guests, when I'm a guest at weddings I worry about unknowingly breaking a rule because I don't fully understand wedding etiquette. I didn't want our guests to feel like they were going to offend us if they wore a wrong shade of blue or forgot to bring us a gift. I think couples getting married sometimes feel pressured to follow the stereotypical script of what a wedding should be, and following those scripts can come off as inauthentic or forced.
Like, Rob and I don't dance, so why would we force all of our friends and family to watch us have our 'first dance' at our wedding? It just seems weird for us. There were also no speeches at dinner, no $10,000 wedding dress I'll only wear once, no best man / maid of honor or groomsmen / bridesmaids.
I knew I wanted some type of entertainment after dinner, and I'm glad I decided on buying a cheap karaoke machine online and just watch everyone sing terrible karaoke songs. That type of trashy, DIY, sloppy entertainment is definitely true to my personality... and some of the performances were so amazing I literally thought I was going to fall over, because I was laughing so hard.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Authenticity. I think it was more about what we didn’t incorporate, like slimming things down to what is only necessary. For me it was about the experience and being in the moment. Oh, we also wanted to incorporate the love of our life, and our (dog) son, Rupert Q Rumple. He had a big presence in the wedding as I held him in my arms during the ceremony… and he is featured in a lot of our wedding photos. He’s a very good boy.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Just do you. Don’t get bogged down in details or think things have to be super extravagant. The best parties are usually not 100% fine tuned and put together.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
I can’t say enough positive things about Blue Sky Center I would recommend them to anyone looking to have a wedding or any other type of event for that matter. They were so accommodating, chill and understanding. And the local wine we got from Condors Hope was genuinely so good. Em at Blue Sky did a really amazing job guiding us to the good local selects. And obviously our photographer Elisenda Farison was amazing too!
Photographer : Elisenda Farison @elisendafarison | Ceremony + Reception Location : Blue Sky Center @blueskycenter | Celebrant : James Sinclair (Groom's Brother) | Entertainment : DIY Karaoke | Planner : Em Johnson from Blue Sky Center @blueskycenter | Ceremony Space : Active Air Strip at Blue Sky Center @blueskycenter | Flora : Melanie Shaw | Catering + Beverages : Cuyama Buckhorn @cuyamabuckhorn | Cupcakes : Cuyama Buckhorn @cuyamabuckhorn | Wine : Condors Hope (local vineyard in New Cuyama) @condorshopvineyard | Toast Beverage : Cuyama beverage Co. / JuJu Bee @cuyamabevco | Car : 1983 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia | Bride's Top: Alexander McQueen @alexandermcqueen | Bride's Skirt : BCBG from Bloomingdales (hand dyed from white to soft pink) | Groom's Outfit : Universal Works @universal_works | Engagement Ring : Jennie Kwon 'Diamond Hope Ring' @jenniekwondesigns | Wedding Rings : Jennie Kwon 'Equilibrium Cuff Ring' | Bride's Shoes : Alexander McQueen 'Rave Buckle Boot' @alexandermcqueen | Groom's Shoes : Vegan Blundstones | Hat : Custom Wellema Hats @wellemahatco