Ivy Manor Wedding in Temecula - Fatima Elreda Photo

OUR IVY MANOR WEDDING DAY

When we first discovered Ivy Manor in Temecula, we immediately felt at home. We wanted something intimate, beautiful, and warm, with a backyard dinner party atmosphere. The space felt welcoming, grounded, and deeply personal from the start. As a photographer, the setting mattered immensely to me. I chose this gorgeous space to host our wedding because I kept the colors and atmosphere of my photos in mind. Ivy Manor checked every box I had, and a ton of others I didn’t know I had. It was so charming, the natural garden feel of it all was exactly our vibe. The wallpaper around the venue was so absolutely perfect for photos and for that homey feel I was looking for. The main house itself (on the inside and outside) was just so perfectly curated. I knew that there wasn’t a corner in this venue that wouldn’t photograph well.

The cherry on top of it all is that the owners and venue manager, Carly, made the experience even more special. This is our Ivy Manor Wedding in Temecula.

Because it was November, I had an early start time at 5AM. So, I had my hair and makeup done at the Airbnb that we rented out for the weekend. This allowed me to have a bit of a slower morning and it was perfect. My mom and sister joined me. Photos started at the Ivy Manor afterwards, in hindsight I do wish we added an hour of photography and started there instead. BUT I DIGRESS!

After solo portraits of me actually getting into my dress at the Manor, I got to see my husband and read our vows to each other privately. Then we took our family photos and were able to take a breather together as we waited to start our ceremony in the rose garden. Our cocktail hour followed. We mingled with our guests for about 30min then we walked around our venue for a few portraits. Our reception was held in the ball room. It felt so romantic in every way. It was what I imagined and so much more! Ivy Manor has such a charm to it, and I felt like it came together so beautifully indoors too.

PLANNING WITH INTENTION

Planning our wedding came with a unique perspective as I am a full time wedding photographer. I see many ways a day can unfold. That exposure can be inspiring, but it can also feel overwhelming too. Early on, I made the conscious decision not to “compete” with anyone else’s wedding. Instead, I centered every decision around our values. Those values were simple and deeply true to us.

We wanted an intimate day with only our closest friends and family. We’re sentimental by nature, and we didn’t want to feel pulled in multiple directions or meet new faces on such a meaningful day. We wanted to be fully present. I wanted to feel beautiful — and my hair and makeup artists made that happen effortlessly. We love cake and great food, and both were incredible. From the catering to the mezze board (a must for my Lebanese family), every bite felt intentional. We’re not big dancers, but we love good music and Cale of Second Song DJ absolutely nailed the vibe throughout the day. Above all, I wanted our wedding day to feel slow. Calm. Grounded. Everything else, how the day looked, the weather, the logistics, was simply a bonus. Hiring our friends and people I’ve worked with throughout my career also really helped.

DETAILS THAT MADE OUR DAY UNIQUELY OURS

We hand-wrote a letter to each guest. JP wore a sweet little pin gifted to him by his mom of a penguin and her baby (sentimental in that she coined him her penguin when he was a baby). Our dear (and hilarious) friend Jeff officiated our ceremony. Adam proudly served as our flower man*. We honored our parents (with flowers)* during the ceremony and invited our guests to join us in a collective vow at the end. Our friend put together and was part of the string trio for the ceremony. The first 30 minutes of cocktail hour was spent fully socializing. After our first dance, we shared a short toast, followed by dinner then by a few heartfelt toasts from family and close friends.

My MIL gifted us the pretty apple cider flutes we used after cutting cake. I had a father-daughter dance that left me, and all my friends, and JP, in a puddle of tears. JP danced with his mom and it was so lovely and beautiful. We had a cookbook guestbook early in the day and transitioned to a scrapbook later, complete with Photo Booth strips and handwritten notes. We chose to have a dry wedding, with boba, endless food and desserts, and grilled cheese for a late-night snack. JP got to smoke some cigars with the guys, including my older brothers. Our wedding ended at 9 PM.

Not everything unfolded exactly as we imagined and that’s okay. What mattered most was celebrating our love and being surrounded by our people. Because that was our priority, anything outside of it simply didn’t hold weight. We cried, we laughed, and we were so present that we genuinely forgot our photo and video teams were there, the highest compliment we could give. We didn’t plan or manage the day, even though I am human and certain aspects inevitably took my attention for a second; we let it all go. Letting go gave us freedom. And because of that, we walked away glowing, exhausted, and completely full of love.

OUR VENDORS

To keep our priorities front and center, I had the absolute honor of hiring several friends in the industry for our Ivy Manor Wedding — people who genuinely cared for us, knew us, and took pride in taking care of us. Being surrounded by love mattered so much to me.

Our dear friends who doubled as vendors included:
Photographer: Monique Bianca Photo
Florist: Nicole of Frances Loves Francis
Videographer: Boy Brooklyn
Makeup Artist: Dominique Lerma
Stationery Artist: Paige of Studio Passata

We were also so grateful to work with:
Hair Stylist: @donebydomoniquebaez
Coordination: @jasperandlaneevents
DJ: @secondsong_official
Catering: @24carrotscatering
Mezze Board: @savor.boards
Wedding Sitter: @wedding.sitter
Boba: @miramesabobatea
Cake: @lila.cakeshop
Photo Booth: @photomatica
Rentals: @catalogatelier, @designwithzaffre, @luxe_linen, @bbjtavola

Our largest investments were photography, catering, and hair and makeup, followed by florals, videography, and cake. These were our priorities. Everything else came second to celebrating our union and treasuring the moments we’ll carry with us for a lifetime. I would be more than happy to share my stories and recommendations from the vendors I worked with personally.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this snippet of our perfectly imperfect Ivy Manor wedding day. I would be so incredibly honored to photograph your wedding in the venue I also called my own. Please reach out and let’s chat if you’re interested in having me be your wedding photographer at the Ivy Manor in Temecula.