Not only is this coastal wedding planned by HauteFêtes a total beauty, but the story behind how this adorable couple met and fell in love, the bride from Lithuania and the groom from Louisiana, is truly something out of a Nicholas Sparks movie. Check out the full gallery of images captured by Whiskers and Willow Photography to see their Pinterest-worthy reception complete with rattan lighting, pampas grass details and blooms by Plenty of Petals not to mention their precious little boy!
From HauteFêtes Fine Weddings & Events… Monika and Michael grew up worlds apart, she in Lithuania and he in the bayous of south Louisiana. While their meeting may have seemed impossible, fate intervened in 2012. At the time, Monika was studying in Chicago and Michael was running a successful financial services business in New Orleans. A chance introduction through a friend on one of Michael’s business trips to Chicago provided the opportunity for them to meet whereupon, just like in the movies, the couple caught each other’s eyes in the bar of Palmer House as Michael went over to say, “hello”. Despite several hours of conversation, at the end of the evening they parted ways. However, what they both realized but didn’t want to admit was that something was different. As they swapped stories and chatted about their dreams, they realized that the tone of their conversation was more than simply getting to know each other; it had set the foundation for each other’s last ‘first’ date. A year later, on July 4, Michael who hadn’t stopped thinking about her, finally texted Monika seemingly out of the blue. Thus began a long distance relationship which would culminate in Michael moving to Chicago and together, the couple moving to Austin, Texas and then San Diego, California, and finally the birth of their beautiful baby boy. Their love story didn’t end there. A (pre-planned by Michael) getaway weekend to Catalina Island provided the perfect opportunity for Michael to pop the question.
After a day of exploring the island, the couple made their way to Mt. Ada and looking down on the rest of the island, Michael surprised his bride with a perfectly timed sunset proposal. With a classic-meets-coastal vibe in mind, the pair decided on Coronado Island in San Diego, where they live, to host their wedding on October 13, 2018. However, taking a slight detour from standard southern and Lithuanian wedding traditions, Monika and Michael wanted the event to maintain a feeling of intimacy. Instead of the usual several hundred person wedding, they decided on an intimate guest list of 26 of their closest friends and family. For their wedding, the couple also wanted to give their guests – all of whom were from out of town – a taste of their new home town of Coronado, so we drew inspiration from the locale, incorporating classic beachy hues of duck egg blue, coral and sand throughout the stationery, the tabletop, the florals and décor.
Monika’s affinity for flowers and texture was evidenced not only in the décor, but also the couple’s invitation suite where we layered vellum hand illustrated with sand dune flowers over paper. Knowing that she wanted an understated and timeless wedding gown, Monika picked a romantic Provonias with simple off the shoulder cap sleeves and tiny buttons down the back. Vintage diamond earrings and necklace from her grandmother’s collection, neutral Sam Edelman strappy sandals and a pretty lace scalloped veil rounded off her elegant ensemble. A bouquet of feathery grasses, coral colored garden roses, white lilies and soft lambs ear contributed to the coastal palette. And for her flower girl, a crown of sandy and blush colored wispy dried flowers and grasses continued the theme. As for Michael, he wowed in a custom three-piece suit by Zeglio, deciding to go tie-less for a clean, modern look. For the ceremony, we extended the coastal theme with whitewashed benches, stacked wood crates, clusters of pampas grass-filled baskets and a green and white arbor decorated with roses, pampas grass and eucalyptus.
The moody clouds and ocean provided the perfect blue-grey backdrop combined with the soulful flamenco guitar stylings of Anthony Garcia, all of which made for an insanely romantic and magical setting. Escorted by her brother, Monika walked down the aisle to an acoustic guitar rendition of “Canon in D” by Pachelbel toward Michael who was holding a mini-me Jack in his arms. It was so natural and yet traditional and in every way the culmination of one beautiful chapter and start of another for the little family of three. After the ceremony, Monika and Michael spent some one-on-one time with their photographer, Whiskers & Willow walking the docks together, while guests enjoyed cocktail hour. A pretty vintage lounge vignette and La Tavola striped beige and white linens offered the perfect place to relax and enjoy a his and hers signature cocktail of Buffalo Trace Manhattan and Moscow Mule, respectively, and eating tray passed dill crème fraiche smoked salmon on potato crisps and mini polenta cakes with wild mushroom ragout. 
Afterwards, guests made their way to the reception. Lush arrangements of theme floral alongside wood and wicker candleholders lined a long feasting table above which we hung clusters of wicker lanterns from sailcloth sails. Natural textures of linen, wood and ceramic dominated the stunning Casa de Perrin tabletop, with glass and silver adding reflective light to all the candles and overhead lanterns. Guests feasted on a California-inspired menu of wild mushroom soup, followed by beet salad and goat cheese crostini, and an entrée of pistachio crusted sea bass which was served with roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus.
Decked out with a few extra flowers, the couple’s two-tier, chocolate naked wedding cake featured Italian buttercream frosting which guests enjoyed for dessert. Heartfelt toasts preceded the couple’s first dance to “Die A Happy Man”, Thomas Rhett, which had meaning for the duo since it was playing in the background as Jack was born, after which their guests all took to the dance floor, too. And just as it had when Michael first proposed to Monika, the sky deepened to a perfect shade of sunset coral as the evening came to a glorious end. Looking back, Monika provides this one piece of advice. “Take time and care and choose your planner carefully. We were referred to HauteFetes by Laurie Arons and we are so glad that she did. Dani Blasena from HauteFetes brought together our vision together perfectly with so many exquisite details by selecting the absolute best vendor team. So much of your wedding day or weekend depends on your planner, so find someone you trust, connect with and has a similar vision to yours. You’ll never have as much fun or be so in the moment if you don’t!”
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Photography: Jacqueline Benét Photography | Videographer: Regan Elizabeth Films | Floral Design: Plenty Of Petals | Wedding Dress: Pronovias | Stationery: Custom Crafted | Ceremony Venue: Loews Coronado Bay | Reception Venue: Loews Coronado Bay | Wedding Shoes: Sam Edelman | Hair and Makeup: TK Hair and Makeup | Lighting: Amber Event Production | Ceremony Music: Antony Garcia | Venue: Loews Coronado Bay | Custom Grooms Suit: Zeglio Custom Suits In Chicago | Design and Planning: HauteFetes | Dessert: Babycakes | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Reception Music: Acoustic Spot | Rentals: Archive Rentals | Tabletop: Casa de Perrin
