Introduction:

Step into the world of Jess and Omar’s breathtaking Blackberry Ridge wedding - a celebration of love and luxury orchestrated to perfection. From the lush landscape to the bespoke details, this wedding was a testament to what happens when meticulous planning meets opulent taste.

all photos in this blog post: Hannah Photo Co

Taking a Moment to Celebrate Each Partner’s Culture

Choosing to enjoy and celebrate each partner’s culture on a wedding day is easy, but navigating the logistics and visuals can sometimes be quite complex. Jess and Omar were able to filter down to their top priorities, both together and individually, fairly early on. This helped not only our planning team, but allowed all of their vendors and staffing teams to guide the couple’s choices to reflect what is most special to them and celebrate it!

Jess and Omar wanted to participate in traditions that were intimate to their beliefs, and encouraged guests to join in to spread the love and joy!

Ceremony

The couple choose the lakeside ceremony site for their wedding day at Blackberry Ridge Villa. This site is not exactly a short distance to the reception venue. From the get-go, we were discussing the transportation options and logistics, not only to provide comfort for their guests, but also to ensure their vendors could execute their plans efficiently. This included: golf cart rentals for vendors to setup, space for car and van parking for setup, navigating the bride being driven by her father and how to gracefully exit the SUV, plus shuttle drop-offs for all of their guests!

In order to celebrate Jess’ heritage, she had her mother and officiant orchestrate a jumping of the broom ceremony. This led into the recessional, guided by an big brass marching band. Guests were invited to join in the New Orleans styled wedding parade up to the ceremony site. Of course, we also offered shuttle and golf cart rides for those who didn’t want to make the trek with the wedding party and band.

New Orleans Parade

The Getting Ready Details

From custom designed rings, to Omar’s personalized suit, to Jess’ gorgeous slit in her gown - every getting ready detail is to die for.

Design and Florals

Now, of course a stunning and thoughtful wedding like this had to consist over the top, gorgeous florals! Jess and Omar weren’t afraid of color and definitely thought it was worth investing in a lot of florals throughout the reception space.

Dabke and Mirror Dances

Omar wanted to kick off the reception honoring his Afghan heritage with a Dabke. Omar’s family gifted Jess a stunning necklace while his family performed dances symbolizing love, generosity, and joy.

Party Time and Send Off

The remainder of the evening turned into one of the best dances floors I’ve seen in a minute! The couple stepped out for some perfect golden hour photos, and then snuck upstairs to change into party outfits. Everyone danced the night away, and then ended the evening with a fireworks show!

The Perfect Ending

“My husband and I currently live in Northern California. However, it had always been a dream of mine to get married back in my hometown. From our first meeting with Maggie, we knew she would be the best person to help create a beautiful cross-cultural wedding (African-American and Afghan)!

She eased our stress.

We are so lucky to have found her! We recommend her whole-heartedly. She will not disappoint!!! It really was the wedding of our dreams, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the coordination and vendor management these ladies provided!”

— Jess + Omar