For once in my life, I am going to let somebody else do the talking. I know! Shocking, right? But, when you have a bride who was totally a Bitchless Bride during her planning and on her wedding day, why not let her tell you how she did it, right? Makes sense to me! Bridey, when you scroll down and see the fucking gorgeous details encapsulated in this wedding... OMG!!! From Maddie's absolutely angelic wedding dress to the sensational decor, amazing food and meticulously beautiful wedding cake, you will definitely question how the hell Maddie was so calm.

Pepper, from Pepper Nix Photography, asked Maddie quite a few fantastic questions, and I am obsessed with her responses. So, without further adieu, I encourage you to scroll down and absorb as many amazing details from Maddie and Gray's wedding as you possibly can. But, don't forget to take the lead from Maddie, because she ROCKS!

That bouquet is unbelievable!
Did you do a First Look before the ceremony? We did have a first look and we are REALLY happy we did! We've been to weddings before where after the ceremony, you have to sit and wait for a long time to see the bride and groom, and we didn't want people to have to do that, nor did we want our family/friends who were in the wedding party to miss an hour of our wedding night for photos! We wanted everyone to all be there celebrating right after we said "I do".
Holy smokes batman! That is one HELL of a dress! Maddie, that dress was MADE for you!
It was really amazing to have a few minutes before we saw anyone else to really just focus on each other, for me to show him my dress :), which I was really excited about, and to just connect and really understand how monumental what we were about to do was. We're both really glad we did it! We got married and immediately got to celebrate!
Where was the ceremony held and why? In the West Family's backyard. First we wanted to have the ceremony and reception in the same place so guests didn't have to navigate to two locations. We chose my parents' backyard because not only is it special to us, but my mom has created an amazing garden and it perfectly fit the low-key but romantic vibe we were looking for. We wanted to be able to have guests in bare feet if they wanted, but really be able to do what we wanted with the decor without having it be too much. The backyard venue really let us do that. Also my parents have this incredible gazebo in the back that is totally covered in wisteria and other vines that perfectly fit with what we wanted for an earthy, romantic wedding.

Wedding programs? Our wedding programs were designed by Adrienne Berry at Dingbat Press. We wanted an organic, ivy-like motif and she designed a beautiful program!

I love how they are totally crying... Sniff sniff...

Any advice you have for future brides?I think the most important thing is to hire good vendors and let them do what they are good at! That way, you don't have to worry about the details on your wedding day so you can relax and enjoy your own party! (Um... Can I get a HELL YEAH?!!!!!!)
Talk to me about the decor! We really focused on the feeling of the event. We wanted it to feel subtle, soft, romantic, but still have some fun glitz. I knew we wanted some kind of installation wall at the back of the tent, preferably wood, to ground the whole thing and really set the mood. We wanted rustic, but not burlap or hay....more earthy and romantic... more of an old vineyard or winery kind of rustic.
Food!: Appetizers ~ Apples with Utah "Barely Buzzed" Beehive Cheese, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Coconut Shrimp, Eggplant Ribbon Skewers with Tomato and Ricotta, Asian Beef Skewers. Reception ~ Miso-Glazed Salmon, Forbidden Black Rice Salad, Pork Loin, Grilled Summer Vegetables
Our signature cocktails were also really fun for us. About half our guests drank and the other half didn't, so we came up with two cocktails that we thought tasted really good virgin or not: Sorrel Lime Cooler with Gin and Rhubarb Rosemary with Vodka.
Cake Design? We wanted a cake that tasted really good! I worked at a wedding event venue one summer that Maha usually made cakes for, so I'd tasted all her flavors and they are really fantastic! We fell in love with this specific cake that looked like it was gathered fabric caught with broaches.
Favorite part of the menu: The plated trio--Skewer Caprese Salad, Golden and Red Beets, and Watermelon with feta, mint and pomegranate molasses...YUM.
I mean... Holy shit.
What was the best piece of wedding advice you got? To relax and focus on each other and to really try to make the wedding feel like us.
Favorite reception memory: My favorite memory was dancing with all of our friends and family. My little nieces were dancing with our friends and it was so fun to see all of our favorite people together, having fun.
I am in awe of this gorgeous invitation and even more stunning wedding!!