An Ojai international wedding that slays with style

An Ojai mountain ranch international wedding that slays with style — Photos by Red Anchor Photo

The Offbeat Bride: Reed, Display Artist

Her offbeat partner: Elmer, Rocketman (Aerospace Dude)

Date and location of wedding: Black Walnut Ranch, Ojai, California — August 13, 2017

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

I am half Peruvian/Dutch, and my husband is Indonesian/Dutch, and we've lived in three continents in our lifetime. So despite having only around 50 or so guests at our wedding, it was a multicultural motley crew of beautiful people traveling from all over the world to meet up in the sun-kissed Black Walnut Farm in the mountains of Ojai, California.

We wanted to combine the food of Europe and South America with the wines of California. Our friends are all artists, comedians, and musicians, so the whole day was filled with beautiful live music and laughter.

The whole decor comprised of 300+ Handcrafted crepe paper flowers, handpainted signs, a herringbone re-purposed wood bar, and hand-dyed tablecloths.

Tell us about the ceremony:

We loved our ceremony, from our son-of-a-preacher, officiant to our ceremony pianist, to the hundred of small white overhanging flowers flowing in the wind. I lovedo my 80-year-old father who managed to walk me down the aisle but didn't quite manage to pull the veil over my head so gingerly. I loved the giant redwood that shaded our ceremony and the two giant birds that flew over us while we spoke our vows.

Tell us about your reception:

We didn't anticipate the 100 degree weather. Bless those dapper gentlemen who managed to keep their suit jackets on for the sake of fashion. Luckily, as the sun went down so did the thermometer. And my crafty friends decided to sit on picnic blankets in full elegant wedding attire under the shade of the trees on the ranch instead of our fancy lounge that we made.

At least we had a paella chef on site and lots of beer and ice!

The most heartfelt moment of our wedding was all the speeches. You never know how eloquent (or not) your family will be, but these are the moments they surprise you most. I never cried and laughed so much in my life.