Monterey Wedding from Leah McEachern Photography
If ever there was a perfectly eclectic, perfectly vintage wedding, this my friends, is it. Photographed to perfection by Leah McEachern Photography, this wedding proves that you can meld tradition with fun. Casualness with a little sparkle. Even beach chic with elegance. Yup, it's all right here and we can't help how much we're in love with it all. From the bride's gold heirloom bracelet to the adorable DIY vow books. See even more right here.
From the Bride... My husband and I wanted our wedding to be an expression of our personalities and unique relationship with each other. Michael and I both grew up on different beaches on the west coast (him on Vashon Island, Washington and me near Santa Cruz, California). After we graduated, we spent two years living right next to the beach in Miami, Florida while I did an Americorps program called Teach For America. In fact, right after we graduated college, Michael proposed to me on a beach in Cancun, Mexico. Because of our joint love for beach culture, we wanted to incorporate it into our wedding. This was why we chose to have our wedding at the beautiful Memory Garden in Monterey, California. Because we have lived in so many different places, the majority of our guests traveled from all over the country to attend our wedding. We wanted to give them a true Monterey experience, and Memory Garden was just the spot to do so. The venue was a breathtaking garden that was attached to a museum of Monterey/California history. The museum was opened to our guests during cocktail hour so that they could roam through and learn a little more about the area. Each table was also provided with local Monterey salt-water taffy. Our wedding was a vintage, eclectic wedding that was casual but detail-oriented. The wedding was made up of pale shades of cream and deep purples, with hints dark brown. Our flowers consisted of succulents, cream and deep purple flowers, as well as dried wheat. The bridesmaids chose their own dresses and the groomsmen all wore suspenders and Sperrys. Almost our entire wedding was hand-made and at a low cost. We spent two years scrounging through thrift stores and estate sales to find vintage items, lace, doors, and old furniture for the decorations. My grandmother passed away a year before my wedding, so I wanted to make her a part of it as much as I could. I attached her brooches to my bouquet and used some of her collectables as part of the centerpieces. My father gave me one of her favorite pearl rings to wear. I also wore my mother’s antique, gold bracelet from Portugal that was passed down to her from my grandmother on my mother’s wedding day. It was important for us to include touches of tradition and meaning like these. Our guests had three choices of favors—their own potted succulent, fair-trade tea, or candles that we made out of teacups. The guests were able to take pictures in our hand-made photo-booth, play corn hole, mix their own bag of popcorn from our popcorn booth, write on our quilt, which served as our guest book, or cater to their sweet tooth at our dessert bar. Our wedding was a perfect day, filled with so much fun and laughter. I have never seen a dance floor so packed with people! Even the servers and videographers got a chance to join in on the party. My favorite part was the simple fact that Michael and I were able to share our special day with all of our friends and family—it was one day when all the people we love were together in one place!
Wedding Photography: Leah McEachern Photography / Wedding Venue: Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey, California / Floral Design: DIY / Wedding Cinematography: Nebulous Dream Productions / Hair: Inga Cox / Wedding Dress: J.Crew / Makeup: Laura Anzalone of Glo Makeup