Ashley & Gavin’s Petaluma Wedding: A DIY Celebration Made Easy with FLOCK Gatherings

Written By Micaela Wallen

A Spring wedding in Petaluma, California, featuring thoughtful DIY details, a beautiful Sonoma County setting, and a couple who got to enjoy their wedding day instead of managing it.

There’s something special about a wedding that feels completely like the couple who planned it. The details are personal, the people are familiar, and the day reflects the things that matter most to them.

For Ashley and Gavin, that meant a beautiful property in Petaluma, a celebration with their closest family and friends, plenty of thoughtful DIY touches, and a whole lot of dancing.

Ashley and Gavin’s family hired FLOCK Gatherings for month-of wedding coordination, giving them the opportunity to enjoy their wedding instead of spending the day answering vendor questions, setting up tables, or wondering whether everything was running on schedule.

And that is exactly what wedding day coordination is meant to do.

Petaluma wedding ceremony set up by FLOCK Gatherings

Our couple:

Meet Ashley and Gavin. Ashley grew up in Petaluma, Gavin is from nearby Rohnert Park, and together they are raising their daughter in Petaluma. So when it came time to find a wedding venue, staying close to home was an easy choice. 

All Photos taken by Danielle Foged Creative Studio

Petaluma wedding ceremony setup

The Setting: A private clubhouse in the Rolling Green Hills of West Petaluma

Ashley and Gavin wanted a few things from their venue: room for all 150 of their guests to be able to be seated together for a traditional sit-down dinner, a place where the DJ could set up and turn the music way up for a night of dancing, and a beautiful intimate outdoor ceremony. So within the private clubhouse they rented through a family member, they were able to achieve just that with some thoughtful planning.  

Their ceremony took place on the back lawn under a big oak tree,  followed by a cocktail hour indoors to cool down from the hot May heat, and then they rented a tent that could fit all their guests for dinner. After dinner guests moved back indoors to the bar and danced inside. The result was a beautiful spring Sonoma County wedding filled with family, personality, and some seriously good food. 

A DIY Wedding with a Thoughtful Approach 

Ashley and her family embraced the DIY side of wedding planning, but not in the way you might expect.

They weren’t interested in buying a bunch of things that would only be used once. Instead, they looked for ways to reuse materials, find pieces they already loved, and make the details of the wedding feel personal without creating unnecessary waste.

From dishes and signage to other decorative elements, the family found creative ways to bring the wedding together using items they could repurpose or enjoy again.

As someone who sees the waste that happens in the event industry, there is something so lovely about a wedding that is not purchasing everything brand new for one day. 

A Sonoma County DIY wedding doesn’t have to mean spending every weekend crafting, assembling, and stressing over the details. It can be a fun and meaningful part of the planning process when you give yourself enough time and have a clear plan.

How FLOCK Gatherings Stepped In

Ashley and Gavin’s family wanted to give the couple something special: the chance to truly enjoy their wedding day.

Gavin’s dad and stepmom surprised them by hiring FLOCK Gatherings as their Petaluma wedding coordinator. While we may be biased,   I really can’t think of a better wedding gift than the gift of letting them enjoy their day versus having to be the decision maker and coordinator of all the things on your wedding day. 

FLOCK stepped in five weeks before the wedding to provide month-of wedding coordination and take over the behind-the-scenes work.

Which included but was not limited to:

  • Creating and facilitating a timeline that worked for the couple and the entire vendor team.

  • Building a floor plan that made sense for the ceremony, dinner, dancing, and guest experience.

  • Communicating food preferences and allergies to the chef.

  • Coordinating the vendor team and confirming the details needed for a smooth wedding day.

  • Setting up decor, signage, name cards, and other personal elements provided by the couple.

  • Managing the logistics throughout the day so Ashley and Gavin didn’t have to.

While Ashley and Gavin were getting ready separately  and reconvening for their first look and wedding photos, the FLOCK team was onsite unpacking boxes and setting up the space with everything they'd provided.

The couple had already done so much of the planning. Our job was to take what they had created and make sure it came together.


Ceremony Under A Redwood

The ceremony took place outside beneath a beautiful redwood tree, surrounded by green grass and the natural beauty of the property.

The couple wanted to incorporate the vibes of the land while also making traditional seating work so they rented hay bales and covered in fabric for guests to sit on. Assorted rugs in their wedding colors helped create a more comfortable walking path over the uneven ground, and a handmade ceremony arch brought together the colors and textures of the day with it’s beautiful drapery. 

Positioned below a giant redwood tree with the sun hitting just right, it was a beautiful setting for Ashley and Gavin to say, “I do.”

Southern-Inspired Food and Drinks 

Cocktail hour opened with an extensive crudités and charcuterie spread, pickles served in ribbons, and chicken biscuits.

Chef Allison Pickens served an upscale, Southern-inspired dinner with guests choosing between slow-roasted tri-tip with chimichurri, white fish over Gouda grits, fall-off-the-bone chicken, or a vegan mushroom ragu polenta, all paired with roasted root vegetables, apple coleslaw, a rich four-cheese mac and cheese, savory braised greens, and a romaine salad with lemon shallot vinaigrette.

For dessert, the chef made berry cobbler and s'more cups and delivered them  straight to the dance floor area for guests to enjoy as the night went on. 

A few of Flock’s Favorite Moments from This Petaluma Wedding

A First Dance to Remember

Gavin’s sister sang the couple’s first dance song, Oh So Beautifully, and she did an incredible job.

Heartfelt Words from Their Dads

Both Ashley and Gavin’s dads shared heartfelt toasts to their grown-up children.

The speeches were full of love, pride, and no matter how many weddings I see, the dads always bring the emotions to this Petaluma wedding planner. 

A Dance Floor That Never Slowed Down

DJ Will Styles kept the energy going and going and GOING!  Once the dancing started, this crowd never stopped! 

The Most Comfortable Outfit Change

Instead of changing into a traditional second dress or outfit, Ashley and Gavin surprised everyone by coming out in their comfiest matching bride and groom sweat sets. It felt like them and honestly, it was a pretty great choice considering they had no intention of stopping the dancing. 

Watching Their Daughter Be Part of It All

One of the sweetest parts of the day was watching their three-year-old daughter take part in her parents’ wedding.

She brought her own adorable personality to the celebration, and seeing her included in the day in all different ways was a beautiful reminder that weddings are about more than just the couple. They’re about the people and relationships that make up their lives.

The Real Gift of Wedding Day Coordination

Ashley and Gavin and their families had already put so much time, thought, and care into their wedding.

They had chosen their venue, planned their details, used family’s help, and created their along celebration th

But on the wedding day itself, they didn’t need to be the people making sure everything happened.

They didn’t need to track down the caterer, answer questions about the floor plan, set out name cards, or wonder whether the timeline was on schedule.

They got to get ready and not be stuck setting up all morning.

They got to have their first look.

They got to enjoy their daughter, their families, and their friends.

They got to dance.

They got to eat the food they had planned so carefully.

And they got to experience their wedding.

Having a wedding day coordinator is invaluable, after all the time and effort you put into your wedding, you, your mom, your aunt and everyone who helped make this day happen deserves to enjoy it. .

Vendor Team

Micaela Wallen https://www.flockgatherings.com
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