Rich and Brooke’s Sunset Cliffs Wedding in San Diego

We have a fantastically fun and beautiful seaside wedding today off the Sunset Cliffs of San Diego.  I am so thankful to Mr. Justin Martens from Your Inner Song Photography to share this amazing DIY destination wedding with us!  The location is breathtaking (okay I know I used that word a lot, but it is!) and the couple, Brooke and Rich look like they had an amazing day shared with friends and family.  Although thinking of ways to make your wedding “unique”, especially when planning from afar can seem a little daunting at times, this couple found simple and creative ways to incoporate all the little details that reflected their personalities and had a lot of DIY fun along the way!

From the sweet Oceanside Bride: I (Brooke) am a California native and grew up in San Diego, and Rich grew up Duncannon, Pennsylvania (population 1,500). We met in Boston as college freshmen – Rich always says that I was the first girl he met on campus. We lived in the same dorm and we were friends first, but we started dating after a couple of months. We parted ways after graduation; I moved back to San Diego for grad school and he stayed in Boston, but we kept in touch and started dating again long distance. About 5 ½ years ago, Rich moved out to San Francisco where I had moved for work, and we’ve been living here happily together ever since.

Although we live in San Francisco, my parents and close family members live in the San Diego and Southern California. San Diego was most convenient, and the ideal place for an outdoor wedding. Once we chose San Diego, we knew we wanted to get married by the ocean.  Rich wanted to find a venue that had a seemingly impossible combination of being right on the water but being free of onlookers, which we would’ve encountered at any beach or public park.  I somehow discovered the website for the Ocean View Villas, an ocean-front vacation rental property located in Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, and it turned out to be the most amazing find! The backdrop was incredibly beautiful and natural, and it was exactly what Rich was looking for.  We couldn’t pass it up.

We had a LOT of DIY projects: Invitations, and all other printed items (seating displays, menus, favor tags) were specially designed and printed by my talented father who is a graphic designer. Rich, with help from friends, crafted 5 different flavors of homebrewed beer, including a “Schnozzberry (aka blackberry) Ale” and a chipotle-infused “Pyro-Pilsner.” Our favor bags were personalized with Pennsylvania hard pretzels, homemade cookies and Rich’s homebrew. We created a DIY photo booth using an instant camera and a bed sheet, and Rich’s family brought fabulous hats and other accessories for people to wear.

With much help from my mom and bridesmaids, we assembled our own bouquets, ceremony flowers and centerpieces. My mom sewed beach bags for my bridal party. We also gave our bridesmaids and groomsmen flip flops to wear on the big day. My dad built a bean bag toss game for the kids to play with during the reception, and we created a photo scavenger hunt to keep them entertained.

 

What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your wedding?

Planning the wedding from 500 miles away was challenging, and I couldn’t have pulled it off without the help of my parents, and moral support from family and friends. It’s hard to ask so many people for help when you’re not used to doing it! Finding a good, affordable photographer was also a challenge, until we found Your Inner Song Photography. Justin Martens did an amazing job with our photos!

Please tell us about your favorite wedding moment!

We loved seeing our families and our friends having fun together, dancing and chatting, hitting up the “photo booth” and making late-night S’mores. Our friends and family flew in from all over the U.S. and abroad, and it was great to have them all in one place, and getting along so well!

We also had a funny moment in our ceremony during the part where Rich’s father was supposed to read a limerick he had written for the occasion. When it was time for him stand up and read the limerick, we looked toward his seat in the front row and he wasn’t there! All of a sudden he came racing down the aisle, paper in hand, to roaring laughter. It was classic.

What is your best advice for other couples planning a wedding right now?

One of the best things we did was to hire a “day-of” coordinator. Our coordinators took so much of the stress off our shoulders and gave our families and other vendors peace of mind that there was a professional running the show.  I also think it’s important to make the planning process fun, and to focus on what makes you happy. Involving supportive (and creative) friends and family is key.

What is your best advice for other couples considering a destination wedding?

Keeping things simple is probably the most important thing about having a destination wedding or planning a wedding from another city. Also, having a local contact in the city where you’re getting married (family, good friends, or a planner) who can meet with vendors, visit the venue, etc., is very, very helpful.

Awww-doesn’t there wedding look so fun?? There were so many amazing details that made this wedding so great!  You can tell they put their whole hearts into it to make it so special for them and their guests.  Justin also did an amazing job shooting their event. He captured some amazing shots of the couple, the details and the ocean. I love the retro-style imagery used to make some of the photos look “vintage”.  Thanks to the happy couple for sharing their wedding planning details and advice with us and to Justin for passing along this amazing oceanside wedding!

Couple: Brooke & Rich

Wedding Date: September 25, 2010

Wedding Location: San Diego, CA

Approximate Guest Size: 80

Ceremony & Reception Location: Ocean View Villas

The Creative Team Behind the Scenes

Photographer: Your Inner Song (Justin Martens) /Invitations: Robert Shull Design /Steel drum band & DJ: Dano’s Island Sounds (Dan Lancelot) /Catering & Event Rentals: Personal Touch Dining (Rebecca Slaughter, Event Manager) / Coordinators: Swann Soirees (Megan Mills, Sherry Tarrant) / Cupcakes: Cupcakes Squared / HairL Magnolia Salon (Leslie Cole)

This wedding was submitted via Two Bright Lights!