Chelsea & Mike’s DIY Beach Wedding

Offbeat, beautiful and laid-back! Chelsea and Mike’s DIY beach wedding totally rocked! They designed their big day their way and got great results. The smiles say it all.

When you live in California it would be rude not to take advantage of the white sandy beaches and blue skies. San Diego played host to this glorious wedding and cool, creative details made it a rip-roaring success.

There were nods to time-honoured wedding traditions and plenty of contemporary touches too. The perfect balance.

What a setting! Chelsea and Mike exhanged vows under glorious California sunshine and had their reception at the super cool Surfer Hotel.

I love the laid-back vibe! Weddings should be fun, right? There were no scratchy suits or stifling hot dresses at this beach wedding. Respect goes out to the groom for wearing sunglasses to cut the cupcake!

The atmosphere may have been chilled but here were some awesome style details. Mike rocked a summer suit, purple shirt and white tie. The bride’s flower belt was inspired and I’m totally digging the way the groom’s buttonhole matched it. Genius.

Beach weddings don’t really require much in the way of flowers or decor. Chelsea splashed out with her fabulous purple and orange bridal bouquet but kept flowers to a minimum in other areas. Smart work! When  you have a setting like San Diego, why spend a fortune on flowers? Let the beautiful background do the work.

Check Perfect Weddings Without the Debt for money-saving tips and ingenious DIY wedding ideas.

I wasn’t joking about the cool and creative details. Check this skeleton bride and groom - awesome! I like how they used the kooky couple once to showcase the rings and again as a cupcake wedding cake topper.

Cupcakes come in all shapes, sizes and flavours. Try these magically delicious ideas for Cupcake Wedding Cakes

Speaking of which, the cupcakes were first class! Ok, so I do have a serious sweet tooth but just look at these little beauties. I’ve never seen a cupcake with a miniature pie topping before! This is big news.  I want one. Now.

Last but not least, we have the beach-themed tables. Cute little glass jars of sand and candy looked lovely on crisp white tablecloths.

Looking for an alternative to the traditional guest book? Get guests to leave little missives in brightly colored pen.

Vendors for this wedding:

Photographer: Heidi-o-Photo; Reception Venue: The Surfer Hotel; Cake Designer: Batter Up! Cupcakes; DJ: TNT Mobile DJ

Photographs submitted via Two Bright Lights