Brienne & Adam

Yep it's destination Wednesday folks, and today we're taking you off to the Spanish countryside to enjoy a dreamy outdoor wedding in Mallorca. With stunning white florals and greenery matching the picturesque views and gorgeous venues. It's pure escapism, pretty and love. First I have to mention bride Brienne's wonderful gesture to her husband. I won't spoil too much, but let me tell you it is definitely going to tug at your heart strings, make you mouth a big sigh and maybe cause a few tears. And secondly those bridal headdresses! Totally immense. Feathers, florals, and being the kind hearted soul Brienne is, she even gifted all the lady guests a headpiece too. I SO wish I was there to don a little number.

The Venue

Brienne the Bride: When we decided to get married in Deià, I thought that it would be so incredible for us to be able to get married at the Graves Estate – the home of Adam’s favorite writer when he was alive, and the place we had spent such an amazing day together. I did some digging online, and found out that the estate does not, nor have they ever allowed parties, events, weddings, or anything, as it is now a museum and very sacred spot for so many. I decided to write a letter to the Estate; I told them all about Adam, my brilliant poet/musician fiancé, and how important Robert Graves’ work had been to him, and subsequently, to me. I told them that we had spent the most magical day at the estate the year before, and asked if they would ever consider letting us perform our vows in the gardens there, despite the fact that that had never allowed anything like this. It took me three days to draft an email, and I sent it off into the ether, thinking I would never hear back. The very next day, I received an email back from Robert Graves’ son, William (who now looks over the estate), and he said that he really appreciated the letter, and he thought it was a lovely idea, and would make it happen. I couldn’t believe it!! So I decided to keep this a secret, and surprise Adam. For over five months, I kept the venue a secret. I told Adam we were getting married on the lawn of Ca’s Xorc, where the reception dinner was going to take place. We planned everything as though it were taking place there, meanwhile, I was planning for the ceremony to really take place at the Graves Estate. It was super confusing and slightly stressful, but ultimately SO worth it! Adam and I arrived in Mallorca a week before the Wedding. As we were talking up the street in Deià one day (on our way to meet Williams Graves, which he did not know), I told him about the email, and the secret plans, and that in two days we would be getting married at the Graves Estate. He was actually speechless. So, to make a long explanation even longer, the venue was absolutely the most perfect, incredible, magical part of the Wedding (aside from Adam and me actually getting married of course!). By the time we left, everyone in the little town of Deià knew us and couldn’t believe that we were married at the estate.

Colour Scheme & Decor

The theme/vibe and inspiration really were Deià/Mallorca. The location served as inspiration for practically every aspect of the Wedding; from the colours to the food, to the history and traditions, we wanted the wedding to feel just like the experience of being there, because it is so unique and intoxicating. Also, and ever so subtly, The White Goddess (one of Graves’ most famous works) was an inspiration as well. It is such a mystical, incredible piece of literature, and certain aspects wove themselves into our wedding day. For example, the phases of the Moon and the lunar calendar are major theme throughout the book, and we married on the New Moon. Ceremony, ancient tradition and festival are also another important theme in the book, so by nature our ceremony embodied a very ancient/sacred tone to it.

Favourite Moment

Having our friend Fabian play a song that Adam had written for me (to win me over) many years ago, as I walked down the aisle (Port Song). That was definitely the most overwhelming and special moment, filled with so much love and anticipation.

DIY

We hand painted all of the invitations (after everyone decided that they were coming with us)! We did watercolour and calligraphy, and it ended up being a WAY bigger undertaking than anticipated, but so worth it. Each invitation was hand painted, then tied with twine and a little olive tree sprig to set the tone. We made the welcome bags for each person, and place name cards were written in silver on large magnolia leaves, for the dinner. Bri Ann Michelle (Fools Gold Daughter) made my two feather headpieces, then she and I designed and made specific head pieces for all of the female guests. Each one was made with that person in mind, so everyone from my mom, grandmother and sister, to every single one of my friends, had a special headpiece to wear.

The Dress

I found the dress on the very first day I was shopping. We went to Shareen which is a beautiful vintage store in Downtown LA. She has vintage dresses and her own custom line as well. I saw my vintage lace dress and new I loved it immediately, so we saved it for last. When I tried it on, the dress fit like it was hand made for me. We made a few small changes to the cut of the back, but from the very moment it tried it on, I never wanted to take it off. It’s my favorite outfit I have ever worn. Ha, I wish I was wearing it right now, but that would be weird.

Photographer

Our photographer Katinka Stone went above and beyond both leading up to and during the wedding, making sure to cover what was important to us, and creating a beautiful story with the photos. She made us feel at ease about being photographed, and captured every single person who was there in really wonderful moments. We are so incredibly happy with the photos!

Florist

The flowers were absolutely beautiful as well. The flowers were really important to me, so I sent the florist four pages of notes, and several different Pinterest pages that I had created (none of them were exactly right, so I had to site examples from each with detailed notes). I was so specific, down to the type of pods, size of the eucalyptus leaves and the width of the ribbon. She was able to translate all of that craziness into the most beautiful arrangement and exactly what I had imagined for the bouquet and for my flower crown. And she never complained!

Favourite Moment

Having our friend Fabian play a song that Adam had written for me (to win me over) many years ago, as I walked down the aisle (Port Song). That was definitely the most overwhelming and special moment, filled with so much love and anticipation. Adam the Groom: I feel the same way about that moment. It was the moment of understanding what this tradition really meant. All at once I was filled with a sense of connection to all those who’ve ever gotten married and it felt so good; to be united with my bride, to feel my hands become links in the chain of human history. I don’t think anything could make me feel closer to everything like that moment did.

Rings

Brienne the Bride: My engagement ring was Adam’s grandmothers, and one of my wedding rings had been my great grandmother’s. Wearing those two rings together carries such a great sense of tradition and love from both sides of the family, its really beautiful. We also decided to honor the Mallorquin tradition of sitting down next to one another, for the first part of the ceremony. This was completely new to us, but it was such an incredible piece of the ceremony, and one of my favorite moments. After the bride and groom meet at the end of the aisle, and the officiant welcomes everyone, they sit down next to one another and face the guests. The officiant tells their story, about how they came to be and the brief history that brought them to this moment. To have those few minutes where you get to breathe, and really see everyone who is there to support your marriage to one another is just incredible. It gave me and Adam a beat, to let the rush of the experience wash over us, allowing us to be entirely present.

Advice

Our advice is definitely to do what makes the two of you happy. The day should be fun and filled with love. Things will go wrong of course, but it all makes for a more memorable time. We loved every aspect of our Wedding, and were able to really enjoy every moment of the day. Be clear on what you want, look at a lot of photos and stories to piece together which ideas you like, and suddenly it will become your own version of.

Entertainment

One of our deal friends and favorite artists, Fabian Simon played during the ceremony