Although I’m just back from the beach, I see the Santa Monica Pier, a seashell necklace, and the bright colors in this wedding and want to go back now! This beautiful beach wedding from John Partridge takes me to such a happy place. =) Holly and Steve had an intimate wedding on the beach at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, California. I absolutely love this venue (was one on the list for my own wedding). I especially love how they incorporated their own children and had them serve as their wedding party and created such a ultra fun, laid back classy affair!
A quick snapshot of our Oceanside Couple from The Oceanside Bride, Holly: Steve was born and raised in SOCAL and I am from Colorado. We met about 5 years ago – Steve was my son’s all star baseball coach. He has 3 kids and I have 2 so we are a little like the Brady Bunch;-)
How and why did you choose your destination/location? This was the only place we looked! We knew we wanted to have the ceremony on the beach and we knew we wanted a classic venue and one that would take care of everything for us, food, rooms for out of town guests, etc…
What unique elements or DIY projects did you incorporate into your big day to help make it extra special? Our invitation was simple and white but it was from the kids – inviting our guests as we brought our 2 families together – I think they really liked that as well! We put a playlist together for us as well as the kids – the music was perfect. I love bright colors – so we used orange, yellow and hot pink. We had a basket of brightly colored flip flops for guests if they wanted to kick off their heels. I had a friend, who is also a pastry chef make assorted chocolates in seashell shapes for guest to take home with them. We had the kids (3 boys and 2 girls) as our wedding party – they were part of the whole ceremony and they thought it was extra special!!
What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your wedding? I didn’t really have any challenges – from what I experienced and what guest told me – it was the most comfortable, and casual but completely classy wedding they had been to. Because we were not uptight or worried about what might go wrong. The day went off without a hitch – I would do it again tomorrow!! We picked the venue in one day, bought the 2nd dress I tried on, and let the wedding planner take care of all the other details.
Please tell us about your favorite wedding moment! My favorite wedding moment was walking down the isle with my feet in the sand!
I also LOVED getting ready with the girls in my suite while my fantastic photographer took shots – John Partridge was AMAZING!!
Oh, and the SHOES!! ;-)
What is your best advice for other couples planning a wedding right now? It’s so natural for the bride to want everything perfect – for everyone else, right? Make it perfect for you. If you’re happy and stress free (relatively) – your guests will have a good time and remember your day as perfect!
Fun no? I think Holly and Steve are absolutely adorable and John Partridge never disappoints in sharing the photography goods!
Bride and Groom: Holly and Steve
Wedding Date: Sept 25, 2010
Location (City, State, Country): Santa Monica, CA – US
Ceremony and Reception Location: Shutters on The Beach, Santa Monica, CA – on the beach
Photographer: John Partridge Photography / Cake: Vanilla Bake Shop / Wedding Planner and Flowers: Stephanie Grace Designs / Venue: Shutters on the Beach / Dress: The White Dress / Pastry Chef and Chocolates: Darcy Bowen
This wedding was submitted via Two Bright Lights!
I’ve been in Charleston, South Carolina all weekend visiting my younger sister and it’s been great! For some reason my cell phone and camera aren’t working with me right now or I’d post my “What Not to Do Two Months Before Your Wedding” pics after a whole day at the beach. Yup-burnt up and hurting. My tans lines are crazy ridiculous and I’m soooo hoping that I can fix this situation. I’ll post pics as soon as I can but in the mean time anyone have any suggestions??
Well peeps here’s a sneak peek of tomorrow’s wedding in beautiful Santa Monica…ahhhhh love!
Hope you all are enjoying the long weekend and taking a moment to remember why we celebrate this day!
See you tomorrow…
xoxo,
Mel
There is something about sweet San Francisco love that I can’t get enough of. Maybe I watched one too many episodes of Full House when I was younger!? This classic SF engagement shoot was sent to me by California based husband and wife photography team Nathan and Lindsey Freitas of Bellalu Photography (more couple love in the house- woot, woot!). I can’t help but gush over the genuinely adorable sweetness between the to-be-weds, Lindsey and Eric! I’m so thankful to Nathan and Lindsey for capturing it all!
Can I please have just one pic of me and my honey at sunset? Adore.
Hairstyling was done by Monina Wright Beauty / Submitted via Two Bright Lights!
What do we have today? Oh just a happy couple in love marrying along the beautiful Miami coastline with pretty pastel pink and grey wedding colors and lovely little vintage details like a gorgeous lace parasol (in case you didn’t know I have a fetish for parasols!), small antique frames, and a ruffled cake! This sweet and charming southern-style beach wedding made me extra happy when it came over my way from Alicja Colon of Taken Photography. Alicja captured some seriously goregous wedding photos of this initmate beach wedding with bright blue skies and whisps of soft clouds as a backdrop. LOVE.
Here’s a few more details from the Oceanside Bride: The groom grew up in the suberbs of Detroit Michigan. I grew up in Northern Minnesota. We met at a restaurant on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. I was there for dinner with my sister and best friend. He was there with a friend and his friend’s girlfriend for a happy hour. According to Britten he says he told his friend he thought I was cute. His friend then took it upon himself to come over and try to “hook us up” Needless to say, I was hooked alright! Britten is the greatest guy I have ever met and in his wedding vows he told me I am his best friend.
How and why did you choose your destination/location? I always wanted to get married with my toes in the sand and we both love Florida. We picked Miami because we knew there would be a fun night life there for our younger guests.
What unique elements or DIY projects did you incorporate into your big day to help make it extra special? I ordered fresh cut flowers and my mother in law made the flower arrangements the morning of the wedding. Instead of a traditional slide show I put old photographs in small antique looking frames that I had found at craft shops and had them scattered all over the tables for the guests to see as they ate.
What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your destination wedding? I had to trust in vendors that I had never met to make our event fantastic. I met the DJ and the Reverend who married us the day of the wedding. Guests went back and forth with whether or not they were coming. Some rsvp’d yes and then called back a few weeks later to say they couldn’t afford to come.
What was the best thing about having a destination wedding? Share your best wedding weekend moment! It is a vacation and a wedding all in one. We had the best time hanging out with our friends and family on the beach before the wedding. The groom’s brother brought his guitar down to the beach and played songs for us as we relaxed in the sun. The best part of the weekend was for us to be able to have all our close friends and family on an awesome vacation together. The memories are priceless.
What is your best advice for other couples considering a destination wedding? You have to be a patient and trusting person. Be aware that snafu’s are going to happen. Also be prepared for people to be unable to come. I had invited some people very close to me who did not come, but I know they would have been there if we had gotten married at home.
I recently uncovered this love for pink that I never even knew I had in me! I love soft palettes against the natural blues of the seas and sky and creamy sand. I’m so happy Alicja passed this pretty seaside wedding along to me to share. Wishing the newlyweds Alison and Britten lots of happiness and love in their new journey in life together!
Bride and Groom: Alison and Britten
Wedding Date: April 16, 2011
Location (City, State, Country): Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Approximate Guest Size: 50 guests
Ceremony Venue: On the beach of The Palms Hotel
Reception Venue: On The Palms Veranda Terrace
The Creative Team Behind the Scenes:
Photography: Taken Photography / Officiant: Eddie Rodriquez / DJ: Party Nation / Caterer: The Palms Hotel and Spa
This wedding was submitted via Two Bright Lights!
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