Paso Robles Wedding with Mom’s Wedding Gown

Bride Andi wanted her wedding day to beau Ryan to be a celebration of family, and that it was. The couple hosted their reception at a barn belonging to the groom’s grandparents, the bride wore her mother’s wedding gown, and the entire family came together to make a DIY wedding come true. Photographer Kelsea Holder was present to capture the entire day, which she did beautifully!

From the bride, Andi: Both Ryan and I wanted the wedding to be a celebration of our families. The Bassetti’s and Bernal’s have known each other for 50+ years and the day was designed to honor and celebrate them. We were able to transform Ryan’s grandparent’s barn on his vineyard into our ideal reception site and get married in the church where my dad grew up. Ryan comes from a farming family so we wanted touches of his rural roots to be be evident without being overwhelming and I was brought up in the south with a strong focus on faith and hoped to have those touches come through on the wedding day. It was really a mix of casual, charm, faith, family, and polenta and whisky.

I was never to keen on a color scheme or particular theme but the key elements that seemed to keep playing over and over were bicycles (Ryan loves to cycle), vegetables (his farming background), feathers (there were tons on the property that I used to make everything from dreamcatchers to garland for the deer heads), and metallics (I’m a fan).

There were a good deal of DIY projects. I was so beyond blessed to have my mom stay with me in California for three months before the wedding to help do everything from make signs out of salvaged road arrows, design a wall on the barn with all of our family photos and little knickknacks, and figure out how to hang a dozen bicycle wheels from the roof of the tent. I should really be thanking my dad for letting my mom leave him in Kentucky for so long. Nothing would have been done without them. My grandmother and uncle actually envisioned and designed a very cool teepee and Ryan’s grandmother help cut and hand-tie 200 pieces of rosemary and name tags to each spoon. The biggest DIY project was actually done by Ryan. He spent months growing grass on the dirt lot to create a perfectly manicured lawn for the reception. It was perfect. You can actually say that the whole wedding was DIY. All of our families helped in some way or another.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? I hear a lot of people say that they can’t wait for the wedding planning process to be over, but my mom and Ryan and I made it a point to never say that. We laughed a lot and while Ryan was tasked with the majority of the little details that I didn’t want (transportation, catering, logistics, etc.), he was always in a good mood. My mom and I also had a running joke throughout the 3 months that even when we got a little bogged down by the big to-do list we laughed it all off, grabbed another Diet Dr. Pepper, and said “gaw, this is so easy” (totally jokingly).

View all images from this wedding in the gallery

Wedding Music:
Bride’s Processional: “Forever and Amen,” Randy Travis
Recessional: “Islands in the Stream,” Dolly Parton
First Dance: “Into the Mystic,” Van Morrison
Father/Daughter Dance: Original written by bride’s father
Mother/Son Dance: “Loves Me Like a Rock,” Paul Simon
During dinner we had my neighbor from West Hollywood play classical piano and Monty Mills and the Lucky Horseshoe Band played pretty late into the night.

Wedding Location: Paso Robles, CA / Photographer: Kelsea Holder / Floral Design and Flower Crown: The Garden House / Ceremony Venue: St. John Church / Reception Venue: Neil Bassetti Vineyards / Wedding Dress: Mother of Bride’s dress with custom alterations / Wedding Shoes: Vince / Rings: Free People and Tiffany / Hair: Rebecca Garza / Makeup: Carrie McGinnity / Bridesmaid Dress: Adrianna Papell / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew / Groom’s Shoes: Wolverine / Caterer: Plates N Dates / Wedding Cake: Groom’s Sister / Pies: Family and Friends / Music: Uncle Steve Bernal on guitar at the church, Zimo Huang for dinner music, and Monte Mills and the Lucky Horseshoe Band for dancing / Rentals: Unlimited Events / Wedding Invitations: Custom designed and printed by Melinda Redberg (a family friend) / Videographer: Turned Wedding Films / Transportation: personal vehicles and a rad Willys Jeep restored by Ryan’s grandfather