real wedding – Hadassah and Reshawn’s Relaxed Wedding, with laidback decor and itinerary

2 March 2022

Hadassah and Reshawn got married in sunny San Francisco, and though we can’t promise we can bring you the same weather, we can at least bring you all of their ultimate relaxed wedding inspiration from the day, shot by Melody Joy Co.

“I’ve always loved and adored San Francisco and always dreamt of getting married there, a Cali girls dream.” Hadassah explains. “I wanted it to be timeless and comfortable. The Palace of Fine Arts is a public attraction, and I wanted to marry under the rotunda to one day bring my kids back there and say “Mommy and Daddy got married right here!” They kept the decor at their ceremony minimal, because the Rotunda did so much of the work for them.

After an emotional ceremony, Hadassah and Reshawn chose to do something unusual with their relaxed wedding itinerary. “An aspect that I loved was that our wedding wasn’t your average wedding,” Hadassah continues. “Following the ceremony, we wanted to take as many moments for “us” between the ceremony and reception as possible, so we shared all of our favourite food spots with our guests for the “break” and they all loved it! I noticed it gave them a chance to recharge and explore, while we took photos and shared those moments together.”

The resulting portraits of them walking and dancing though San Francisco are stunning. To capture their plans, the couple chose Melody Joy Co. (who at the time was located in Chicago, but who we’re – selfishly – thrilled to say has since relocated to Edinburgh.) “Reshawn and I are extremely chill and laidback people, so I was nervous of cameras and wasn’t sure of how we’d be portrayed. I was so put to ease because it felt so natural and every photo captured “us.” The photos were everything I could’ve dreamed them to be! We love our family and our friends so dearly and Mel was capturing every moment that not many would take close attention to.”

Hadassah wore a Liz Martinez Bridal gown, whilst Reshawn wore a bespoke suit by Waraire Boswell.

Then it was time to reconvene for the reception, which Hadassah describes as her favourite bit (other than marrying her best friend, obviously). To continue the relaxed wedding theme, they chose lots of soft furnishings, drapes and homewares to decorate the space, resulting in a very chilled, laidback vibe. They also had a balloon arch from Loom Balloons, and brought to life by Hadassah’s friend Marta Huerta.

It wasn’t just the aesthetics that were laidback, either: the reception plans were, too. “We just wanted for our friends and fam to feel “at home” and so the purpose of us not providing food and catering our favourite small bites and drinks (churros, coffee and Boba) was very intentional. It wasn’t an average wedding and we loved being able to create that on our special day! The decor was all light and soft colours to make it feel fresh, simple and elegant along with freshly picked pampas grass to accent throughout the room. It was everything I could’ve dreamed of and so much more.”

When we asked Hadassah for the advice she’d give couples currently planning and wanting a relaxed wedding themselves, she said: “Take it slow and don’t try to outdo the “wedding standard”. You don’t have to blow so much money on things that won’t benefit you. So put more towards the budget of your dress, the suit, the rings, the honeymoon! Don’t forget to take care of both your needs. The guests are just so thrilled to be there! So have fun and take the shame out of breaking through the barriers of what you think a wedding should be.”