Essense of Australia Bride Ashley

Real Essense of Australia Bride Ashley + Joey

Ashley and Joey celebrated their marriage by throwing a DIY, boho wedding, which paid tribute to the couple’s roots in Orange County, California. Ashley’s long-sleeved, lace gown from Essense of Australia created a flowy, yet stunning look for her walk down the aisle. Congrats, you two!

From the bride: My husband and I both grew up in Orange County, California, our whole lives. We met each other our freshman year of high school and both thought each other was “cute,” but never dated…

Fast forward a few years, and we ended up attending the same college nearby. During our sophomore year, we began hanging out with the same friends and reconnected by playing soccer together, going to church and spending time together at our favorite place, the ocean. It was at our favorite beach in Laguna Beach where we both told each other our true feelings.

Fast forward three more years and we were at that same beach, sitting on a white sheet with rose petals, when my husband proposed to me.

Our engagement lasted a year. We wanted to stay local and we loved the simple, old school vibe of The Orange County History Museum. I got a lot of great Pinterest ideas and started from there. I painted all my own signs for the wedding: the drinks stations, our hashtag sign, and a cool sign that designated our ceremony as an “unplugged ceremony” with no cell phones. Our photographer Dillon Phommasa captured my wedding perfectly, showing all of my favorite details.

It is really hard to choose a favorite memory of the day because there were so many special moments throughout the whole day.

My dad and I were standing behind a big layer of little orange trees before the ceremony so I couldn’t see anything. But what made that moment special, was when I turned and saw my husband at the end of the aisle surrounded by all of our closest friends and family. Everything looked more beautiful than I could have imagined. The big trees standing all around, my flowers that I picked out to decorate the altar, and of course, the man of my dreams looking at me with tears in his eyes is a memory I’ll never forget.

From the dress, to the ceremony, to walking through the tunnel of sparklers at the end of the night holding my husband’s hand- well we were actually kinda running but you get the picture- it was a magical day. And I am so blessed to have experienced it.

Essense of Australia Bride Ashley

Essense of Australia Bride Ashley

Essense of Australia Bride Ashley

Essense of Australia Bride Ashley

Essense of Australia Bride Ashley

Essense of Australia Bride Ashley