Rustic Real Wedding in Big Sur, California

It was so hard pairing down the photos from this Big Sur wedding because I wanted to share every last one with you all! Will and Rachael had a very personal wedding and you can tell a lot of love was poured into it!

Here is what the bride had to say: “On our first date, Will instantly won me over when he picked me up in his car and was playing my then favorite album.  We both like to find new music and go to concerts, our mutual love of music has played an important role in our relationship.

“Early on in our engagement, Will and I went to see a concert at the Henry Miller Memorial Library.   We were amazed by how gorgeous Big Sur was with its sweeping ocean views.  When we were on the lawn of the library, surrounded by redwood trees, with the artist Tallest Man on Earth playing, we were overwhelmed by how naturally beautiful it all was.  We didn’t look at any other possible venues after that.  We knew that after sharing that perfect night listening to great music, there wasn’t anywhere else that could compare.”

“As our guest book, we had two Polaroid 300 cameras and a photo spot instructing guests to take one for them and one for us.  We had gold yarn strung along the wooden wall with little gold clothes pins for people to pin their photos too.  We also had strips of fabric with thin sharpies for friends to write notes.  The polaroids turned out great and it was so fun going through all of them the next day.”

“I love nature and the beauty of trees especially, so when we were planning our invites we wanted something that would be a good representation of that.  A friend of mine, Reyna, created an image of redwood trees surrounded by stringed lights that we used on just about everything we could!”

“Our family and friends are very important to us and we wanted to incorporate as many of our friend’s talents and other personal touches as we could.  We also really wanted our wedding to be as fun and light-hearted as it could while still being romantic.  We asked my brother in law to marry us because he is someone we respect very much and never fails to keep us laughing (a good thing for calming wedding nerves!).  He ended the ceremony by reading his “top 5 ways to end the ceremony other than with a kiss”.  While he thankfully ultimately let us kiss we had a good laugh and it helped remind us of what we love most of all which is having fun with the ones we love.”

“We named our 5 long tables after flowers that were taped to the seating chart with washi tape.   Guests could find their seat by looking for the table that was decorated by that flower.  Some of the flowers were chosen for a significant reason, like Gardenias for the table with the mother of the groom because they are her favorite, but others were just chosen because I think they’re pretty.”

“We used mexican-style blankets with guest’s names stamped on them as our place cards.  The blankets doubled as our favors and also helped keep guests warm once the sun went down.”

“A few of our friends have taken up brewing their own beers, even selling them at local bars.  We often go to their house and taste the latest creation and are always pleased, so we were thrilled when they told us their gift would be home brewed beers for the reception.  They brewed His and Hers beers with flavors that matched our personal tastes (coconut brown and white peach!).  They surprised us by naming and labeling the beers with names that payed homage to the fact that we met while performing as dance partners in the show Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”

Advice for Future Brides

“I would recommend that couples planning their wedding on their own set a deadline for projects that is well before their date and don’t be shy about asking for help.  No one wants to be spray painting the week of the wedding, especially if friends and family from out of town are visiting.  On the day of, the small details seem so insignificant next to the joy of being surrounded by everyone you love.”