Here at Destination I Do, we see thousands of real weddings a year. So, when one crosses our desk that is truly unique, we sit up and take notice. This was the case with Brit and Jeff’s “festival” wedding. We wanted to know more about how this couple pulled off such a unique, one-of-a-kind wedding. As it turns out, the bride is the Designer and Creative Director for Daughters of Simone, a line of bohemian wedding dresses. Thus, she knows a thing or two about style. We asked the bride to share ten tips on how to make your destination wedding as distinctive and special as the love you two share.

1. Decor Inspiration: While scrolling through Pinterest, look at all different types of inspiration, instead of just other weddings. For example, I drew inspiration for the wedding mostly from our camping/backpacking trips, our favorite music festivals and from the different cultures and places we’ve traveled to. 

2. Bridesmaid Gifts: Spice up the typical “getting ready” outfit with your girls. Instead of a robe, gift them a white sundress or a floral romper. 

3. Officiant: Not religious? Think about if you have a favorite teacher, community leader or perhaps friend or family member that you’ve always admired. Think about the kind of person or marriage that you aspire to be/have and maybe through these thoughts you will find your officiant. We asked my uncle whom both my husband and I are close with. He’s an incredible writer and all around person…so we completely trusted that he would create something beautiful for our wedding.

4. Ceremony: Looking for an untraditional ceremony? Check out wedding ceremonial rituals from around the world for cool ideas or switch up the seating to a circle around you. Anything unique and different will stand out and be fun for your guests to experience. 

5. Food Inspiration: We decided to go with a buffet style. I loved the idea of there just being a ton of different types of things to eat and try, all laid out on a buffet table for all to dig in, rather than just the traditional “chicken, beef, vegetarian” option. We’re both from California’s central valley, where farming is one of its main industries, so we grew up growing fresh vegetables out of our backyard and taking trips to farmers markets. It was important that the food to be centered around a smogarsboard of delicious, fresh organic vegetables, various meats and salads. Jeff and I also both love to fish trout in the summers so we made sure to include whole BBQ’ed trout. As for drinks, we had an open bar. but also each picked a different cocktail for people to try if they wanted to. My cocktail was a spicy green margarita and Jeff’s was (his all time favorite) fernet ’n coke. 

6. Do A “First Look”: In the beginning we were both really against the idea of doing a “first look,” but one day I had this thought that it would be really special to see each other and spend time together before everyone else arrived. I figured it would the only time it would be just us the whole day. So, after having a movement of excitement seeing each other for the first time, we got to walk through the reception site and just sort of “ooh” and “awe” at everything we had been putting together for months. What was even more special was that at the end, our song was also played for us and so we got to do a little dress rehearsal, if you will, of our first dance. 

7. Use A Drone: Highly recommend, especially if you have an outdoor wedding, to try and see if you can find a drone videographer. You really get a sense of the wedding that you couldn’t any other way. 

8. Rehearsal Dinner: We decided to incorporate an element of “story time.” This meant that anyone could get up and give a toast or tell a story about the bride and groom. We also kept the list of people invited to the rehearsal dinner very small (just wedding party + their dates and immediate family), so as to keep the evening intimate. It was so nice to hear from our friends and family who would not otherwise have gotten a chance to speak.

9. The Cake: Throughout the planning stages of the wedding our family members asked what they could do to help. So we tried to find things we thought each person would enjoy doing. My mom, for example, is an amazing gourmet cook and so I thought it would be so special if she made our wedding cake. She was very nervous, but after a test run my mom whipped together an incredible goat cheese cheesecake with fig topping and adorned the cake with our wedding flowers. It turned out so beautiful – and, of course, very tasty!

10. Wedding Activities: Another aspect we wanted to incorporate into the wedding weekend was various activities our guests could play and enjoy before and after the ceremony. We set-up bow and arrow targets, an arts & crafts tent, bocci ball, corn hole, and star gazing. The morning of the wedding the guys also went on a day hike up to the highest peak over looking the meadow. Others went for a run or went out into the wildflowers and ate their breakfast picnic style.