Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to see timeless defined. Better yet, you’ll get to see it defined in the loveliest of ways thanks to the talented lens of James Moes. The images below will stand the test of time, and a couple this in love most certainly will too. It all makes my hopeless romantic dreams come true, and you can see every elegant bit right here.
From the Bride… Mitchell and I met exactly six years before the day we were married at the Presidio in San Fransisco. We are both from outside San Fransisco but wanted our friends and family to feel like they got to get away from the weekend of our wedding, so we were set on having our wedding in the city. The Golden Gate Club in the Presidio was the first and only venue we toured. We fell in love the moment we walked in and saw the 20 foot picture windows over looking the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay.
Our wedding day started with the hotel my bridesmaids and I stayed in the night before the wedding. My mom and grandmother were both married in San Francisco and both stayed in the same hotel room my bridesmaids and I got ready in for the wedding. It is a gorgeous sunny room in the St. Francis Hotel overlooking Union Square and set the tone for our entire perfect day. The groomsmen and guests stayed at the Inn at the Presidio, a building that used to house the officers’ quarters when the area was a military base. Our ceremony was held in a small church on the hill overlooking the Golden Gate Club and was performed by Mitchell’s childhood pastor and my best friend’s father, who is a California state judge. Having two men so special to each of us perform our ceremony was such an meaningful portion of our day.
For the reception, Mitchell and I wanted a simple, clean look with tons of gorgeous, romantic details. We didn’t have a set color choice but loved the look of the simple gray of the bridesmaids’ dresses paired with the soft blush pinks and whites of the flowers. What made our day truly special were the personal touches from friends and family. My something old was my grandmother’s garter, and my something blue was a blue ribbon my mom stitched with our wedding date and sewed to the lining of my dress. My earrings were a gift from Mitchell on the morning of the wedding, delivered to our room by one of his sweet groomsmen. The car we drove from the ceremony was a vintage Rolls Royce my new father-in-law owned and fixed up for the wedding day. The flowers on the 17 tables were put mercury glass vases my mom and I collected over the span of my engagement — we spent hours in antique stores and online searching for the perfect shapes and sizes! In the end, we are both so happy to be married and to have had such a perfect day with all the people we loved.
Wedding Photography: James Moes + Nirav Patel / Ceremony: Presidio Interfaith Chapel in San Francisco, California / Reception: Golden Gate Club in San Francisco, California / Floral Design: Not Just Flowers / Wedding Cakes: Christina Marie Pastries / Cake Toppers: BHLDN + Vintage / Table Numbers: BHLDN / Wedding Dress: White by Vera Wang / Bride’s Earrings: BHLDN / Hair + Makeup: Meaganne McCandess / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Nordstrom / Flower Girl Dresses: Nordstrom