Hello, Miracle

Photographer Jesse Chamberlin has captured more than 500 weddings, so when she married creative renaissance man Jimmy Marble, she hoped to create something that she’d never, well, seen before. “We wanted to convey an overwhelming sense of love and joy through color and surprise,” Chamberlin explains.

A welcome card for guests.

The couple set their sights on the Madonna Inn, the quirky landmark motel in San Luis Obispo, California, and let the venue’s kitschy, kaleidoscopic palette guide their decor decisions. “We tried to have a story behind each detail,” says Marble, who designed everything from the menus to the Do Not Disturb signs. The wedding invitations were tucked into fortune cookies, and the attire was equally original: The bride wore a Gucci floral jacquard gown with sequin embroidery, while the groom sported an arctic blue tuxedo.

The bridal party forms a full spectrum.

Color-coordinate even the smallest details. Gift bags and wedding favors all shared a palette: raspberry-jalapeno “Jim Jam” made by Chamberlin’s cousin, crimson Hostess Twinkies, cherry-hued tasseled key chains, magenta cans of LaCroix, and hot pink tennis balls with the Hello Miracle tagline.

The Marbles steal a kiss.

Chamberlin’s older son, Gracyn, gets ready for the big day.

Madonna Inn’s pink-and-blue tennis courts were the perfect backdrop for the wedding festivities.

A guest shows off her custom T-shirt. The Marbles included a multicolored “What to Wear” mood board on their website for those wanting sartorial inspiration (for the wedding and beyond).

Make it personal—and meaningful. Cocktail napkins were printed with lines inspired from old love notes Marble wrote Chamberlin.

The bridesmaids were gifted oversize straw hats with lyrics from each of their favorite songs scrawled across the brims.

To mark the end of their vows, 2,000 brightly hued balloons dropped from the ceiling of the bubblegum pink ballroom—preceded by a mariachi band leading the crowd outside for shots of mezcal to celebrate. For dinner, the tablescapes were illuminated with two dozen neon signs perched atop mountains of orange marigolds. The glowing messages—like “You Only Live Once”— perfectly sum up their wonder-filled day.

Add color and unexpected scale to tablescapes with budget-friendly balloons. Guests were each given a balloon with their name and table number, which was then inflated and tied to their chairs. The floating place cards created a festive scene at the reception.

From the bridal bouquet to the centerpieces, marigolds were the only flowers in sight at the Madonna Inn. “We were inspired by the fields of marigolds at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur—and we used about 5,000 stems,” says Chamberlin.