Melissa & John were married on the coast of California, in the quaint town of Tiburon, which is nestled amongst the hills, seaside just outside of San Francisco. The ceremony was held at Old St. Hilary’s, an historic hilltop chapel, followed by a reception at the Landmarks Art & Garden Center. The event took place on September 18th 2010, a perfect day with clear blue skies and incredible ocean views that are as beautiful as they are rare in the bay area. -from 2Chic Events and Design
Personal touches made this wedding as sweet as it was beautiful. During the ceremony, Melissa & John’s sister and brother read love letters that the couple had written to each other in high school. Melissa and her mom spent over a year working on DIY personal touches as well, including hankies for the guests, which were hand embroidered with sentiments by Melissa’s mom and were meant to absorb the guests’ tears of joy. The end result was an intimate, personalized and stunningly gorgeous affair.
“John and I wanted every aspect of our wedding to not necessarily be unique in the wide world of weddings, but unique to us. From the décor to the picture perfect little white wedding chapel, I truly believe that our vision came to life the day we were married.
We’re really proud to say that all the decorations were either handmade or recycled. We used distressed wood gathered from a lumber yard to make signs leading the way to the ceremony and reception sites. We hand-stitched our initials onto handkerchiefs for our guests to use during the ceremony (which also doubled as wedding favors!) We gathered old mason jars to use to hang lights throughout the trees, as well as for our table centerpieces. Since my father had passed away the year prior, I placed a picture of him in a locket that was later wrapped around the handle of my bouquet. That way, he was still able to walk me down the aisle.
During the reception, we hosted a “Beer Bar” where various types of bottled beer were displayed in rustic crates. We also served local wine which was gifted to us from a family friend’s vineyard. From my brother’s hand painted cake toppers, to re-using my parents toasting glasses, each of these details helped to create a wedding that was truly unique to John and me.
Even after all that, it was the intimacy of our wedding that really made it special. Along with reciting traditional vows, John and I also read aloud love letters we wrote to each other back in high school (nearly 9 years ago!) Also, with just under 70 guests, we were able to talk with and enjoy every single one of our guests company. In order to ensure that they felt as special as we did, I wrote notes on the back of each of our guests’ place cards personally thanking them for being here and supporting our marriage. They also received homemade cookies (sugar, chocolate chip and snickerdoodles!) when they checked into their hotels. It was very important to us that our guests felt as special as we did.
With the help of the hardest working wedding planner on earth (Sonja of 2chic events rocked it!), a host of amazing vendors and support from our family and friends, our wedding was just that, “our” wedding and we couldn’t be more happy with the way it turned out. “
Photography: Hendricks Kim Photography / Flowers: Accents by Sage {Personal Flowers}, Friend of Family {Church/Reception Flowers} / Event Design: Bride & Her Mom / Event Planning: 2Chic Events & Design / Ceremony Location: Old Saint Hilary’s, Tiburon / Reception Location: Landmarks Art & Garden Center / Shoes: Enzo Angiolini