Hard to believe it has been a year since this dashing couple said “I do!” Their special day was recently featured on the Borrowed & Blue blog, and we were reminded of all the heartfelt details we adored.  Held at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point CA, the couple wanted a beach-inspired celebration that reflected their fun-loving personalities.  The thought and effort that they put into crafting a memorable celebration for their closest friends and family was evident from the incredibly meaningful gifts chosen for their parents and bridal party, to the fun choice of gourmet doughnuts instead of traditional cake.  I still remember those doughnuts very fondly! Ashley Williams Photography did such a stunning job capturing everything from the big moments to the tiny details.

Jessica explained it all best. Please enjoy some insights from the stunning bride…

“When beginning this crazy ride, we weren’t too specific with what we wanted, but had some broad strokes of a vision. We wanted to be close to the ocean, to keep things intimate, to have the boys in suits, the gals in black, but most of all we wanted to have a really fun party.

After hunting up and down the coast of Southern California, we discovered the Ocean Institute in Dana Point. The modern, sharp architecture up against the stunning Harbor meant we got to keep décor simple and really let the venue do the talking. As San Diego natives and Los Angeles locals, the beach is a definite constant. That being said, we did decide to stray away from a barefoot on the sand wedding, and instead used the ocean as inspiration for the day.

We kept our colors simple — blues, dark greenery, black and cream, and pulled from the elements of the beach and the venue to bring it all together. Beach stones, driftwood, candlelight, and a suspended whale skeleton above the head table brought it full circle. Instead of table numbers, our guests sat a tables named after various beaches from our lives. I walked down the aisle to Van Morrison with a bouquet wrapped in lace. The lace was a keepsake from a bouquet I caught at Sean’s cousin’s wedding, our first year of dating.

We also wanted to include ways to remember my older sister, Meagan, who passed away. A bridesmaid bouquet and stain-glass candleholder was placed on the first chair of the bride’s side. We wanted to make sure she had a good seat to the show. I also had a bracelet of hers broken up into (4) pins — 1 on my bouquet, and the other 3 given to amazing women in my life to wear in her honor.

We asked my Uncle Gary to officiate the ceremony (an idea we shamelessly stole from a cousin of mine), where we shared vows that we had written together. He told the story of how we met, read quotes from throughout history, and saved a quote dear to our hearts for last: “I want a marriage more beautiful than my wedding.” As an event producer, this was my mantra throughout the wedding planning process. As beautiful and fun as planning such a special day is, I wanted to make sure I didn’t lose sight of the purpose. I didn’t want planning our wedding to feel like work, and I didn’t want to get so caught up in making everything perfect that I was missing the big picture. So, when I spelled my new last name wrong on our Save the Dates, I sent them anyways. I shed some minor tears, but we decided to travel this whole journey to have a marriage, not just a wedding. If he could forgive me for the spelling typo, I figured I could and should get over it, too.

At the end of the day, our wedding was filled with romance and laughter, but most of all it felt sacred to who we are. We watched the sunset over the water, toasted our beautiful family and friends, and danced the night away. Our guests were happy and full — we couldn’t have imagined a better day.” -Jessica

Meet the Team:

Event Planning & Design: Events by Cori

Photography: Ashley Williams Photography

Venue: Ocean Institute

Cinematographers: Honest Films

DJ: California DJ’s

Catering: The Sundried Tomato

Florist: My Flower Affair

Hair & Makeup: Vow Studio 101

Invitations & Caligraphy: Birch & Main Letterpress

Photo Booths: Optic Booth

Rentals: Signature Party Rentals

Hotel Accommodations: Laguna Cliffs Marriott

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