WEDDING BLOG

This Pfeiffer Beach Wedding Focused on Intimacy and the Magical Beauty of Big Sur

May 28, 2019 | Junebug Weddings

Carrie and David’s Pfeiffer Beach wedding was everything we love about intimate beach weddings, and so much more! The bride’s mother planned the entire celebration, from the sandy ceremony with only 29 of their loved ones to the cozy outdoor reception at Big Sur Bakery. The couple used primarily thrift store finds to decorate their reception space, creating a boho-chic vibe that was simple yet lovely. Carrie’s Hayley Paige ballgown was truly a sight to behold against the beach and forest landscapes, and the bridesmaids’ coordinating Show Me Your Mumu dresses and greenery crowns add the perfect touch of bohemian flair. From the couple’s first look in the redwoods to their romantic portraits on the cliffside, Native Expressions captured every bit of this Big Sur wedding brilliantly!

The Couple:

Carrie and David

The Wedding:

Pfeiffer Beach and Big Sur Bakery, Big Sur, California

The most important thing to David and I in planning our wedding was the location and intimacy. We knew we wanted the wedding outside because that’s where we felt happiest and most at peace. David has been an ocean rescue lifeguard for ten years and felt so connected to the beach that we knew we wanted to incorporate the beach in some way. I grew up in California and one day decided I would do some research just for fun. I discovered Big Sur and was instantly in love. The beach, the cliffs, the redwoods-it was magical. Too magical to pass up.

Intimacy was equally, if not a bit more important to us. We wanted to remember every conversation and moment of our wedding, we didn’t want a huge wedding without opportunities to connect and have meaningful moments with each guest. We wanted to share this day simply with the people we loved the very most and that had the most influence in our lives. The people that would undoubtedly have continuous influence in our marriage. We ended up inviting our closest friends and immediate family (including grandparents), 31 guests in total. No regrets!

The most memorable part of the day was probably our first look. We chose to do it among the redwoods and I felt so close to God among those breathtaking, huge trees. I can’t describe the joy I felt walking up the path to meet my groom. It filled my entire body and I couldn’t keep a smile off of my face. When I tapped on David‘s shoulder and he turned around, I could tell he was filled with the same joy that I felt. After I twirled for him (at his request :)), we shared our personal vows with each other. We shared what was on our hearts and in that moment it really felt like the beginning of our forever together.

I loved the story behind the necklace that I wore! My great-grandfather was a watch maker and he wanted to propose to my great-grandmother, but he didn’t have the money for a ring. So, using watch parts, some seed pearls, and a small diamond, he made a necklace to propose with and she said yes! She then passed the necklace down to my grandmother who passed it down to my mother and then to me to wear on my wedding day. Such a special memory and experience having my mother put it around my neck on the day of.

It was absolute magic working with Haley on the day of our wedding! Keeping with the intimate theme of our wedding, David and I both wanted a photographer who we knew personally and we had known Haley for quite some time through the church. More than that though, her photos were breathtaking and we knew she would do the best job. Day of, she made everyone feel as if they had known her forever. She even stayed over the night before with my bridesmaids and me in our hotel room. She was silly, spunky, and made everyone feel so comfortable in front of the camera. She captured our day perfectly, and we cannot recommend her enough!

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Native Expressions
Ceremony Venue – Pfeiffer Beach
Reception Venue – Big Sur Bakery
Floral Design – Big Sur Flowers
Officiant – Caesar Kalinowski
Makeup Artist – Sierra Mixtemi
Hair Styling – Kelsey Sanchez
Wedding Dress – Hayley Paige via White Magnolia Bridal
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – Show Me Your Mumu
Groom and Groomsmen’s Apparel – Generation Tux
Favors – FavorZilla

Congratulations to Carrie and David, and our biggest thanks to Junebug member photographer Native Expressions for sharing this incredible Pfeiffer Beach wedding! Love love idea of a California beach wedding? We can’t get enough of the ceremony setup at this stylish Big Sur elopement!

This Vibrant Texas Wildlife Sanctuary Wedding has All the DIY Inspiration You Need

May 27, 2019 | Junebug Weddings

bright red coral dark red light pink orange sage green

Lord of the Rings fans, rejoice! Amelia and Luke’s wildlife sanctuary wedding has all the whimsical and non-traditional wedding inspiration you could ever want! The couple threw tradition to the wind and curated a day that was all about their love, their connection with nature, and their incredible friends and family who helped them pull off the entire event. Not only did they host their special day at their property but they created every piece of décor and the bride made her wedding dress! Every element was a celebration of nature, including the unity ceremony in which the couple planted a tree using soil from each of their childhood homes. We can hardly put into words how much this wedding warms our souls and how grateful we are Payton Marie Photography was there to capture every unbelievable moment!

The Couple:

Amelia and Luke

The Wedding:

Sanger, Texas

The biggest driving factor for all decision making was to make our day completely and authentically us. We scrapped many traditions to make our entire day sculpted to what would make us happy and feel genuine as we declared and celebrated our love for each other.

Everything for our wedding was DIY, except our photographer. All of our decorations, tables, setup and even our venue was DIY. We got married in a wildlife sanctuary and earth shelter community where we live. We lightly landscaped the areas for the ceremony and reception. For our ceremony spot, we cleared and planted fresh ryegrass right before a big rain, and it was perfectly lush and dreamy for the day-of. We also made an altar from tree stumps and moss, as well as an arc of flowers under an old oak tree.

Groom Entrance – “Concerning Hobbits” from The Lord of the Rings soundtrack
Bride’s Entrance – “La Vie En Rose” by Laura & Anton
Recessional – “You Do Something to Me” by Ella Fitzgerald

The entire day was the best of our lives, but two moments in particular really stand out. First, we were advised not to hold back on our first kiss because it was a moment we would want to hold close for the rest of our lives. So, we took that advice to heart and did a full dip as all of our guests laughed and cheered! Second, after the recessional, we had a few moments to breathe and soak it all up. We looked into each other’s eyes and cried, hugged, and kissed because we couldn’t believe how happy we were. It was a moment filled with emotion, laughter, and pure bliss!

For our reception spot, we strung lights between the trees and got silent generators to light up the woods all around the tables and dance floor. We had sculptures, taper candles, and even wooden candle holders we made ourselves. The day ended up being colder than planned, so we also had fire pits, hot drinks, and a wheelbarrow full of blankets for our guests. It was a huge undertaking but, ultimately, an amazing adventure!

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Payton Marie Photography
Floral Design – Haley Mulkey
Stationery – Amelia Clark

Our biggest congratulations to Amelia and Luke, and a special thanks to Junebug member Payton Marie Photography for sharing this unforgettable wildlife sanctuary wedding! Planning a forest wedding of your own? You have to see this green and gold forest wedding at Eagle Valley Retreat in the Squamish Mountains!

We’ve Got Heart Eyes for Days for This Rustic California Park Winters Wedding

May 26, 2019 | Junebug Weddings

dark red gold ivory light pink sage green

We might be just barely into summer, but Carly and Danielle’s Park Winters wedding has us already dreaming of autumn! These beautiful brides pulled out all the stops for their big day, creating a rustic, elegant, and laid-back farm feel that highlighted the very best of their California venue. Bewilder Floral did a phenomenal job incorporating fall hues into all the floral designs, from the table centerpieces to each brides’ stunning bouquet. We absolutely adore every detail captured by Victoria Carlson Photography but are especially in love with the brides’ coordinating yet totally unique wedding dresses. No detail or moment was overlooked, and the result was absolutely jaw-dropping!

The Couple:

Carly and Danielle

The Wedding:

Park Winters, Winters, California

We loved Park Winters because it is just a magical place! There were so many beautiful and interesting places for our guests to explore and enjoy. There were well-kept, beautiful gardens, both European and rustic Californian. In October, most farms are more bare and dry, so having maintained gardens on the property meant we didn’t have to worry about doing too many decorations past the basics. Additionally, Park Winters has a big patio where we could have a seated dinner outside, and a big modern barn for nighttime dancing. Basically, we fell in love with Park Winters and just knew right away it was for us!

We decided to go dress shopping together because neither of us had family nearby to go with us, and as two women, we wanted to make sure our dresses went together. We had seen pictures of many lesbian weddings where the dress styles and versions of white clashed. It was nice having each other’s support in picking out dresses, as it was actually quite stressful since we had to take time off from work to go, and the time slot was only an hour.

In trying on dresses, we realized it would look nice and work with our rustic farm theme if we picked different dress colors, and stayed away from stark white. Carly’s dress was a blush and mine was a white with a light pink tint that made it look vintage. We never thought the blush dress would work on the hanger, but on Carly it was perfect. We both selected strapless dresses with beading. Carly’s dress was fully beaded, mine had less. The two went nicely together, while still being different enough to make us feel like individuals. We ended up finding our perfect dresses at our first appointment within the slotted hour!

We had so many great moments, between the ceremony and dancing the night away. If we had to pick one, it would be our photoshoot after the ceremony and before dinner where we got to be together, just the two of us. Being surrounded by family and friends is amazing, but also can be overwhelming! It was nice to have a moment to be with each other and acknowledge that we just got married. The sun was setting and creating a beautiful sky over the farmland. We couldn’t help but smile, laugh, and enjoy our photoshoot in our beautiful dresses.

We wanted a rustic but elegant farm feel, so we didn’t want to pick one or two colors for everything. Instead, we wanted a good mix of fall colors. Early on we found a brilliant florist, Bewilder Floral in Berkeley, California. Their rustic big bouquets were the starting inspiration for our fall look and feel. We then found a four-color palette on Pinterest we liked that had sage green, gold, burgundy, and off white. We used this throughout our wedding planning.