Jamie and Ryan’s coral and navy wedding is full of fun details and personalized touches. Brought to us by Junebug member photographers Ben and Laura Harrison of Harrison Studio, this adorable nautical wedding theme was inspired by the bride’s own preppy style, and was completed to perfection by Rhiannon Bosse of Hey Gorgeous Events.

The Couple: Jamie and Ryan

The Wedding: 9.1.2013 – Private Residence, Grand Haven, Michigan

The Inspiration: For the theme we were going for elegant but still fun with nautical and preppy accents. Our colors were navy, coral, and white with a touch of gold. I’ve always loved boats, sailing and beaches and I have been told that my personal style is nautical and preppy so I couldn’t really help from using blue and white stripes and monograms! The colors were carried throughout everything in the wedding from invites to programs and menus, flowers, table linens, cakes and even pashminas for the ladies. I also love stripes and polka dots so we used a lot of that through out the wedding. We also used gold accents that added a little glamour. I wanted everything to be really nice, just as it would be at some fancy indoor venue but have it all on the beautiful beach at sunset. I like the juxtaposition of the casual beach with the more formal decor. This is most clearly seen in the fancy lounge furniture that we rented for our cocktail hour and placed right on the sand.

The Design: I think carrying our color and pattern theme throughout the event made it feel very cohesive. We used a mix of polka dots and stripes in different combos of navy and coral on everything from the invitations to the programs to signs to menus on the table. We also used swiss dot linens on the guest tables and striped navy linens at the head table, I think the continuing playful patterns in coordinating colors made everything really come together. We also used coral and white flowers in big blooms like dahlias and garden roses, so the color element was carried through this way too. In fact even my dress has a ribbon stripe!

The Location: We held the entire wedding, ceremony through dinner and dancing, on the beach on Lake Michigan in front of my parents home. The beach location had a huge impact on decor decisions as we had to build everything from scratch. The beach was at the bottom of a dune so that complicated things too. But we were determined to make everyone comfortable and make it beautiful. This led us to things like the lounge furniture on the beach, which made it feel comfortable and a bit formal while still on the sand. The great thing about the decor is that the beach is so beautiful you don’t have to do much to make a pretty scene. Our nautical theme also really complimented the location.

The Moments: The most memorable part of the day for me was walking down the aisle to Ryan with both of my parents at my side. I loved every detail of our wedding but at that moment none of that mattered at all.

The Advice: My advice would be know what you’re getting yourself into when you start out. I had no idea how much work it was going to be planning something on the beach. Every single thing needs to be ordered and transported there, and not all of it is fun. Also with a wedding where you need to account for every detail, a wedding planner is hugely helpful!

The Wedding Team:

Photographer: Ben and Laura Harrison of Harrison Studio
Event Planner: Rhiannon Bosse of Hey Gorgeous Events
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Private Residence
Videographer/Film Maker: Wedit
Invitation Designer: Laura Hooper Calligraphy
Catering: The Hearthstone Bistro
Florist: Rhiannon Bosse of Hey Gorgeous Events
Monogrammed Ribbons: Oatmeal Lace
Cake: Grand Finale Desserts and Pastries
Wedding Dress: Vera Wang via Ever After Miami
Bridal Accessories: Ever After Miami, David Yurman
Bridal Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Bridesmaids’ Apparel: Jenny Yoo
Groom’s Apparel & Accessories: F. David Barney Clothiers, The Tie Bar
Hair & Makeup: REnue Salon & Day Spa
Live Music: The Empty Pockets
Transportation: Golf Cars Plus
Rentals: AFR Event Furnishings, Fairy Tale Tents & Events, I Do Linens, The Rental Company, Special Events Rental
Rings: Tiffany & Co., Hava Lazar

Thank you Jamie and Ryan for sharing your amazing nautical wedding with us!

Looking for more nautical wedding inspiration? Check out Molly and Tim’s navy and pink affair!