A Divine Occasion: Casey & Brando's Wedding

Casey and Brando coincidently attended the same high school yet Casey, being two years younger than Brando, was just a little freshman with a school girl crush. It wasn’t until Brando graduated that Casey captured his heart and he surprised her with a first date at Seaworld in San Diego! They quickly built a strong connection and soon fell in love but it wasn’t until later that they discovered another connection they’d shared for years but had no idea existed.

As a girl, Casey and her mother frequented a post office that sold hand-painted greeting cards by a local woman from Lake Arrowhead. The artist told Casey and her mom the story behind her work and how she decided to sell her art to support her family. Touched by the woman’s story and her incredible talent, Casey and her mother bought them whenever they could. After a year of dating, Brando noticed the cards at Casey's parent's house and said "Those are my mother's cards!”

Brando proposed in Coronado after sending her on an eight hour scavenger hunt which consisted of activities like yoga, a picnic lunch with her parents, and beer at a brewery with some of Brando's friends and brothers. The day ended with Casey riding her bike around Coronado and arriving back at the spot she had her picnic lunch, to find Brando waiting for her with a view overlooking downtown San Diego.

When Casey told me she envisioned the wedding having a natural and organic feel, I thought of ways to keep with various outdoor elements by using hues of sage, mustard, and brown for the fall season. The large ficus tree in the backyard became a major focal point for much of the detail in Casey and Brando’s wedding. For their engagement photos, they carved their initials into the tree, creating a unique prop for the shoot. This concept grew even further when Jody, Brando’s mother, drew a symbol of a tree, incorporating a “K” as the trunk. The tree motif was found in various elements of the wedding; the invitations printed on wood, the decoration on the cake, and even the note on their wedding favor, The Giving Tree.

The tree became a symbol of Casey and Brando’s union. The strength of a tree tied in well with the idea of a strong foundation in love. This concept grew further when I suggested creating tree-like structures from branches for the centerpieces. As a result, the Moss’s began to collect tree branch clippings from their own backyard. After being dried for a year, these clippings ultimately became the foundation for the six foot tree centerpieces. Romantically decorated with flowers, greens, and hanging candles, these original centerpieces were a perfect complement to Casey and Brando’s vision.

Casey's gorgeous corset and skirt were designed by Monique Lhullier.

The maid of honor is Casey’s older sister and best friend. To her sister's right is Brando’s older sister, and two of Casey’s best friends stand on the left. The flower girl is Casey's cousin and Casey was her parent’s flower girl years ago.

Brando’s best man was his best childhood friend. In fact, it was the best mans’ father who married Casey and Brando. Brando also had his two brothers, Casey’s brother, and a childhood friend along side him.

We always love to watch the groom’s expression as the bride walks down the aisle; but Brando's was especially moving. We staged the ceremony so that Casey would come down the side lawn, allowing all the guests to see her before Brando; this really created an element of suspense and surprise for the groom, and you could see in Brando’s face, as Casey came into sight, the pure joy he was feeling in knowing she was about to become his wife.