So many words are rushing through my head right now to illustrate the absolute loveliness of this wedding from the vondys. Gorgeous, captivating, relaxed, charming, pretty pretty pretty, and totally classic are at the top of my list. There are so many elements of this wedding that, just alone, would be beautiful enough, but when thrown all together at the wonderful Tower 23 Hotel? Simply breathtaking. From the to.die.for Louboutins to the dip-dyed flags at the ceremony, this wedding from the talents at Valley & Co. has me utterly speechless. Find the full wedding in our gallery right here and be sure to watch the video below from bubblerock that captured every wonderful moment.
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Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride… Having the advantage of being a part of many weddings before mine, my number one priority was to have a wonderful, low-stress wedding experience for me and my guests. I didn’t want to be running around decorating the day of my wedding or have any of my family members worrying about that, and I didn’t want to have to work a large crowd. A destination wedding with a small group of friends and family was the perfect balance for us, and San Diego proved to be the perfect place. We didn’t have any connection to the city, but we knew that it was beautiful year-round and had great beaches but would still manageable for guests who would be traveling. We set out to plan an experience for our guests with multiple activities, including a special evening beach campfire instead of a rehearsal dinner, complete with s’mores. We wanted our guests to know how thankful we were that they traveled to be a part of our special day.
The best decision I made during the planning was to hire a wedding planner. We instantly clicked with the great team at Valley & Co., and they helped us to decide on Tower 23 Hotel and Pacific Beach for our venue. The hotel is right on the beach, so our guests could walk from the hotel to the beach and back for all of the wedding events, saving on travel time for everyone. Playing off of the contemporary, nautical California style of Tower 23, we chose a color palette of navy blue and lime green, combined with clean lines and simple accents that reflected our personal style. Even our attire had a nautical elegance to it, from the stripes on my dress and my navy glitter Louboutin shoes to the plaid in Josh’s tie and the orchid I added to my hair for the reception.
The ceremony on the beach was simple yet elegant, with some dyed ombre flags waving in the wind. I always said there was no reason to decorate the beach, and the sunset really came through for us that evening. The family dinner with large tables really helped add to the relaxed experience for our guests. My favorite touches included the starfish on all the paper goods, especially the “Starfish Story” thank you card that was placed at each setting. also loved our dessert buffet, the elegant table setting, our gift bags given to each guests with travel essentials and my brooch bouquet. And the food from Tower 23 was amazing. The evening was romantic, intimate elegant and simple — definitely a one-of-a-kind experience for all. As I look back, there is not much I regret. Our wedding was the experience of a lifetime, thanks to the help from all involved. My only advice to other brides is to enjoy the experience. I really feel like we were able to do that, and I’m grateful that I can look back and remember all the pieces. We may have spent some extra money here and there to make that happen and take stress off of us, but in the end every penny was worth it to be able to savor every moment of our day.
Wedding + Bonfire Photography: Shannon Lee Images / the vondys / Wedding Venue + Catering: Tower 23 Hotel in Pacific Beach, California / Wedding + Bonfire Design, Coordination + Props: Valley & Co. / Floral Design: Valley & Co. / Officiant: Pastor Bob Johnson of Grace Church San Diego / Wedding + Bonfire Cinematography: bubblerock / Wedding Cakes: The French Gourmet / Sweets Buffet: Tailored Sweets / Wedding Invitations, Mad Libs + Stationery: Dolldine Designs / Guitar: Miles Moynier / Flower Girl Wand, Ring Bearer Box + Ombre Beach Flags: Valley & Co. / Chairs + Chargers: Classic Party Rentals / Welcome Totes: Wedding Chicks / Wedding Dress: Junko Yoshioka / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Brooch Bouquet: The Ritzy Rose / Brooches: Vintage / Hair + Makeup: Charlyn Sanchez / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Banana Republic / Groom’s Tie: Burberry / Groomsmen’s Ties: J.Crew / Flower Girl’s Dress: J.Crew