Rustic, sea foam green DIY wedding ~ Daniel Cruz Photography

I'm a huge fan of succulents and think they are so underrated in a wedding. Used in a subtle way, these green goodies make a feminine wedding more masculine in a good way. Amazing photographer Daniel Cruz sent over this gorgeous outdoor real DIY wedding of William and Jennyfer for us to swoon over... From Jennyfer: "I wore a Pronovias dress (Patricia) and I had it altered to have the under layer cut to only have a lace overlay floor length, my mother in law gifted me with a bracelet from O KOO RAN, my bridesmaid gave me the head band she had gotten from Anthropologie, my bridesmaids wore summer dresses in shades of sea foam." Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz "I love succulents! I chose to do succulents and all kinds of white flowers. My mother has experience with flowers as her grandmother owned a florist shop when she was a child. She has done a few weddings in the past doing flowers. We went to the LA Flower District and picked out our own flowers. We used: babies breath, succulents, white hydrangeas, eucalyptus, hybrid small statice, and mini statice filler white and purple. The lace and cloth flowers in my bouquet my mother made to represent the special women in my life.  She did this as a surprise. She took pieces from her wedding dress, my mother in law’s wedding dress, my sister’s wedding dress, my sister in law’s wedding dress and my god mother’s wedding dress (my late boyfriend’s mother) and made little cloth/lace flowers that she mixed in with succulents.  I lost my boyfriend five years ago and remain very close with his family, his mother who thought she would never have the chance to experience a wedding that she got to see her child get married in, got to be a huge part of my wedding. Not only did she supply pieces of her dress for the flowers but the wrapping on the bouquet handle is all from her dress. This was my favorite part of the decorations." Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz "We had a longtime friend of the groom as our pastor, he is ordained but not a practicing minister. He became ordained for another wedding for a family member. We asked him if he would perform our ceremony as we wanted it to be relaxed yet personal. My husband is 10 years older and had been previously married did not see himself marrying again, and thought he was going to be “that uncle” that shows up to family events on his mountain bike and live a life of a bachelor. I planned on marrying my high school sweet heart. But my plans were tragically changed when my boyfriend passed in a motorcycle accident while racing. I never thought I would marry. I am a certified welder and thought I would travel the country with my ’72 Winnebago and welder and be a hippie. Our friend Earl who performed the ceremony gave this as our intro, our guests were reminded of just how short life can be and that when you find a person that can take your life path and change it for something that is beyond dreams. We feel extremely fortunate." Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz "My entrance to the ceremony was on the back of my fathers John Deere tractor. He built a platform on the back that held onto the back of his seat as he drove up a hill to the ceremony site. The noise of the tractor surprised my guest as we rounded the corner and they saw me hanging on to the back of it, made it very special and unique for myself and something that I got to share with my father." Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz "We decorated our wedding with almost all DIY projects. We used old fencing wood for signs, by sanding them and using a paint sharpie to leave our guests with messages and directions. We used mason jars of all sizes for drinking glasses, succulent holders, center pieces with babies breath and for hanging in barn window and in the trees at the ceremony site. We used craft paint to write on burlap that we made large signs. I am a welder as a side career and made my own center pieces as well as cake stand, aisle stands and horseshoe hearts. I took wine barrel rings and bent them into hearts for above the ceremony arch and above the dance floor. We built table tops out of 4x6 wood and threaded rods to place on top of whiskey barrels for gift table, sign in table and candy buffet. For wedding favours guests that helped with set up got to tag a center piece that they wanted to take home and keep. For all my other guest I ordered custom beer koozies. My god mother put together a candy buffet as a wedding gift, she themed the candy for myself and my husband as well as coordinated the colors to the wedding colors." Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz "I would recommend for a bride to include something in their wedding for each person they love, it was easier to plan my wedding when thinking of those that meant so much to me to have celebrate my wedding. Every time I thought of who I was inviting and how excited I was to use something they gave me or give them something I made for the wedding as décor and favor, it made planning more enjoyable." Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz Photography ~ Daniel Cruz "I chose to have Daniel capture my wedding day because I wanted to have my memories forever. I wanted to have beautiful images that captured the moments of the wedding that may have been overlooked. Pictures were the one part of my wedding that I did not want to settle with, I knew that having a spectacular photographer would be worth it.  Daniel is a friend from high school that has an amazing talent that I was fortunate in having document my wedding. He did an outstanding job, when I look at my wedding photos I find myself thinking “wow that is my wedding, it is gorgeous!”." A huge thanks to Daniel for sending in this DIY wedding! A hundred and one ideas!! And a massive congratulations to William and Jennyfer on their marriage... Vendor details: Bride’s Dress: Pronovias Patricia dress // Groom’s Attire: J. Crew // Bridesmaid's Attire: Misc summer dresses, Rainbow sandals // Groomsmen’s Attire: J. Crew // Photographer: Daniel Cruz // Wedding Planner/Stylist: Laura Oliver // Venue: Riley’s Farms, Oak Glen Ca // Catering: Riley’s Farms // Flowers: Melissa Carlson, mother of the bride // Cake: Martha Greens, Redlands Ca // Hair/makeup: Riley Elrod