Tattooed bride Janelle contacted me via the Marry Me Ink Instagram with the above picture of her and new husband Nick. Aren’t they glorious? They were married at the stunning Green Gables Wedding Estate with wonderful images from Kristel Collins Photography.
We met at a high school football game, I believe it was homecoming game. We remained friends for about two years until Nick got some liquid courage and asked me out at Hooters! (Romantic right!) I drove him home that night and he called me the next morning to make sure he remembered correctly. That was 7 years ago and we have been inseparable ever since.
We wanted to make sure our taste and style was represented in our music choices. During the ceremony Nick walked out to ‘Feeling Alright by Rebelution’ and our first dance was ‘Is This Love’ by Bob Marley. I also asked our DJ if he could do a reggae style cocktail hour, which he pulled off perfectly. Our cocktail hour consisted of music by the Dirty Heads, Bob Marley, Iration, SOJA etc. It was the first time I had ever heard the Dirty Heads played at a wedding, but it was definitely us! We also wanted to include our sweet Lola in our wedding. It was definitely a pain to have her be a part of our ceremony but we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way!
I am DIY challenged so I relied on Etsy and our venue for most of our decorations. We did however have many personal details like our bar signs, our wedding hashtag frames, our wine box etc. One addition that was probably my favourite was the bouquet charms for my bridal bouquet. I included pictures of two of my deceased grandparents and a picture of my Boston terrier, Lady Boots, who also passed away. She is also the pet tattooed on my back.
I had the hardest time deciding on a wedding dresses because I was so worried about not looking like a bride. I was so set on getting a long sleeved dress and wasnt sure I wanted to show my tattoos at all. I was overthinking it honestly. Even Nick told me, “you better not wear a long sleeve dress. I want you to look like you- tattoos and all.” I had dress regret more than once! No joke I changed my mind four days prior to my wedding and had my maid of honor (bless her heart) sewing on a bustle to a dress I had bought but changed my mind about a few months prior. When I did finally decide on my wedding dress, I felt like you saw me in the dress, not my tattoos. The wedding dress that I chose definitely complements my tattoos. At the end of the day, I am so glad I decided not to cover them, and what was I thinking, it would have been hot! Now looking back, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I look at our wedding pictures and it looks like us!
The entire day was absolutely perfect. The highlight of our wedding day was probably seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony. He looked so handsome! After dinner Nick and I took a walk around the venue alone to look at all of our planning come to life and at all of our guests enjoying themselves. We really enjoyed seeing all of planning come and décor come together. The entire day was perfect, I don’t think we can name just one highlight.
How amazing and glittering is Janelle and Nick’s wedding?! Thank you to them both and to Kristel Collins Photography for sharing their day with Marry Me Ink. Be sure to check out the full list of suppliers at the end of the post and leave them some love!
Photographer: Kristel Collins Photography
Wedding and Reception: Green Gables Wedding Estate
Dress designer: Oleg Cassini
Nick and Grooms men’s Suits: Friar Tux
Flowers: Garden Affair- Sandy CuevasT
Make up : Brides Amore
Hair: Erin Carroll
Cake: Cute Cakes
DJ: My San Diego DJs – Earl Henry
Photobooth: Pixster Photobooth
Pastor : SoCal Wedding Pastor- Scott Kirk
Videographer: EpWeddingFilms
