I love a good nautical wedding as much as the next girl. But, add in the fact that this seaside affair is also a playful nod to the couple’s Southern roots and I’m hooked. It’s a marriage graced with gorgeous pops of color and golden sunshine, plus too many pink peonies to count. Mastin Studio was behind the lens snapping up a gallery worth sharing, and you can see the entire day unfold right over here!
From The Bride…My husband and I wanted our day to be a reflection of the people, places, and experiences that are unique and important to us as a couple. A colorful and personal blend of the life we’ve made in California, with a playful nod to our Southern roots and a respect for our Italian and Jewish heritage and tradition.
As far as location went, we knew we wanted the city of San Francisco, the place where we live and where our relationship grew, to play a key role on our wedding day. Our ceremony at Old St. Hilary’s in Tiburon, a beautiful and stately white wooden church perched atop magnificent rolling hills overlooking San Francisco and the surrounding Bay, provided the perfect backdrop to our perfect day. We also share a strong love and connection to the water, so having our reception on the waterfront at the nearby Corinthian Yacht Club was very meaningful for us.
It was important to us that our wedding be sophisticated and elegant, but also familial, fun and very us! We had an accordion and percussion player at our cocktail hour that played music from the Godfather, one of Eric’s favorite movies. As an alternative to the guest book, we had guests leave messages in a bottle for us to open on our one year anniversary. And since our beloved and famous cat, George, couldn’t be with us on our wedding day, we had tiny buttons made of him for all of our guests. It brought a smile to our faces to see everyone trading, collecting and proudly sporting them on their dresses and suit jackets throughout the evening.
We also feel in love with a beautiful, large iron anchor that sits proudly before the doors of Old St. Hilary’s. We thought this simple symbol was a lovely metaphor for our relationship and we used it as a key element in our invite suite, signage and décor. Much of the inspiration we found we took from the elements you’d find around the Bay and the places we enjoy spending most of our time. We used Pinterest to gather our ideas and share them with those helping us plan and execute our day.
May 10th was an unusually blustery day for the Bay Area. I remember waiting outside, in front of the doors of the church with the wind howling and my veil wrapping itself around me. During the ceremony and in the precise moment when our officiants recognized our late grandparents, a door by the alter was caught by the wind and opened and slammed shut in an instant. Always the jokesters—it’s hard not to believe that this was our grandparents letting us know that they were with us in spirit.
Our band was amazing and overly accommodating to all of our many musical requests from the ceremony music to the reception set list. The highlight though, was when they played Rocky Top, a banjo bluegrass hit and the state song of my home state, Tennessee. All of our guests hit the dance floor for what was the greatest rendition of square dancing I’ve seen yet. It was a magical blending of present and past and everyone had a blast.
Having all of your nearest and dearest together in one place, surrounded by their love and the love of your spouse is a wonderful and surreal experience. Couple that with seeing months of hard work and vision come to life in such an amazing way—well, that is just the icing on the cake!
Photography: Mastin Studio | Videography: Basico by Weddings on Film | Event Design: True Emerald Styling And Planning | Event Planning: True Emerald Styling And Planning | Florist: Studio Choo | Ceremony: Old St Hilarys | Reception Venue: Corinthian Yacht Club | Band: Jordan And The Ritual | Cocktail Hour Musicians: Rob Reich | Desserts: Stella Pastry | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Musicians: Rob Reich | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals | Vintage Rentals: Pieces By Violet