Classic Country Club Wedding

Dawn Strong
May 12, 2014
Categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

This, loves, is what happens when stunning classic details meet Old Hollywood glamour in a breathtaking Carmel setting: pure, unadulterated pretty. From the amazing green hues to the gorgeous (+ talented) bride and groom to an entire day of awesome planned by Coastside Couture, it’s all sorts of wonderful. See it all captured by Carlie Statsky right here.

Colors

Seasons

Summer Weddings

Settings

Country Club

Styles

Classic Weddings

From the Bride… A Jackie-O-meets-Audrey Hepburn world with a Louie Armstrong theme song… this was the original concept David and I had for a classically cinematic dream wedding. As creative professionals in Los Angeles (I work as an actress and musician, and he is an advertising creative director for TV, film and games) our connection is in many ways founded upon our equally passionate love of a “storybook” romance. We share a love of Hollywood golden age movies and music, and wanted a timeless modern-classic look for wedding that would feel both charming and grand. We first envisioned that a Black Tie invitation would set the scene, a 9-piece band playing Sinatra, swing, and 50’s pop, and exiting in a ’51 Bentley would feel like that perfect party-from-a-movie. It was important to us that everything felt dreamily luxurious, but also effortless and comfortable. We searched up and down the California coast, and finally chose a place after stumbling across the whimsical town of Carmel-By-The-Sea. The venue was just inland, and had the stateliness of a European villa, with all the convenience that a country club offers. We loved the easy flow from a ceremony space beneath a majestic oak tree, through a cozy open living room and bar, to a twinkling courtyard complete with a fountain straight out of any romantic film.

I fell in love with my Romona Keveza dress because it truly felt timeless, and like something David (a Disney fanatic) would imagine on his ideal ” Disney Princess.” The aptly named “Monterey Pine” colored bridesmaid dresses felt like they had both the essence of vintage glam, and a connection to our natural surroundings. The groom wore head to toe Dolce & Gabbana and switched from a black bow tie to a polka dotted one for the reception! Our vendors were fantastic, and totally enthusiastic in helping us create movie magic so that we could just live in it on the day. Elegant lanterns hung from our ceremony tree, where we held a special Native American basket ritual of each immediate family member presenting a wish for us embodied in an object for the basket. The ceremony trumpet trio played romantic standards as we all flowed into the cocktail space where a Jazz pianist and upright bassist duo kept the soundtrack vibe-y for a martini bar and retro-inspired hors d’oeuvres. With David’s background in graphic design, the two of us had put together all of the printed materials, including wine labels for tables named after classic songs (a cue to my love of music), and a fun little dance card for guests (which both encouraged guests to plan on dancing, and told the story of David and me finding out that we both grew up taking Cotillion classes!). Favors included black pashminas and foldable ballet flats for dancing, and guests also loved the side lounge with vintage-style photo booth and over-sized s’mores around the fire. Once we walked out into the reception and onto the black and white dance floor, we knew that our vision had truly come to life. It was everything we’d imagined and more to be wrapped up in that vision with all of our loved ones on our perfect evening, and we’re so very grateful for the memory captured beautifully by our photographer and videographer.