Beachside Wedding at Hotel Del Coronado

eddye
June 18, 2018
Categories: Nautical, Real Weddings

Dana and David were married in an intimate beach ceremony at The Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, CA. The couple frequently took beach vacations and so the decision to share this love of theirs with close friends and family was an easy choice. Their wedding captured the couple’s laid-back personalities complete with beach bonfires, s’mores, a lounge area, and dancing under the moonlight with the ocean as a backdrop. See more of this beautiful wedding from Garret Richardson in the full gallery!

Dana & David were married in an intimate yet beautifully appointed beach ceremony at The Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, CA. The ocean holds a special place in the couple’s hearts; before getting engaged under a supermoon at Boston Harbor after a day of whale watching, Dana and David frequently took beach vacations and eventually moved to the Island of Grenada for two years for David’s first two years of medical school. While living on the island their favorite hobby was free diving around the reefs and cliffs surrounding St. George’s University and Grand Anse beach. Their wedding captured the couple’s laid-back personalities complete with beach bonfires, s’mores, a lounge area, and dancing under the moonlight with the ocean as a backdrop.

While David and Dana had since moved to New Jersey, with him finishing his clinical rotations in the area and Dana working at a large advertising agency in Manhattan, the couple wanted to incorporate their experiences in Grenada and their love of nature and island life into the day. Therefore, the florals were a mix of traditional white and blush arrangements and tropical greenery and incorporated a beautiful display of silver lanterns which perfectly complemented their nautical silver and dusty navy/light blue color scheme. After the ceremony, guests were encouraged to relax, kick of their shoes, and enjoy dinner, dancing, and s’mores under the stars. Dana and David have lived in many different cities and countries together, therefore the DJ played a selection of Dana and David’s favorite songs from each place and phase of life together.

What was your color palette and your style vision? We both love nautical touches, but didn’t want the style to be too overtly nautical. We chose a dusty navy and silver pallete with some lighter blue accents as well to contribute to a beachy nautical feel while still remaining light and airy with touches of tropical greenery and beautiful florals. We also wanted to contribute to a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere which is where the light lounge furniture and fire pits came into play as a separate section of the reception.

What unique elements or DIY details did you include? We love having beach bonfires so we wanted that to be a unique part of our reception, we also wanted to have a comfy and cozy feel around the fires and lounge areas as the beach can get colder at night and our entire ceremony and reception was outside on the beach so our favors were custom made navy blankets for our guests with our logo printed on the corner.

What was your favorite moment? Your favorite crafted detail? We have been asked this many times since our wedding and honestly our answer is always that the entire night was absolutely perfect and we can’t pick a specific moment because everything was absolutely wonderful. If we had to choose our first dance was definitely one of the most memorable moments because we danced to a song that truly meant a lot to us throughout our relationship – in that moment everyone else disappeared and it was just David and I singing each other those meaningful words and holding each other. Another memorable part of our wedding was that it was a small group of close friends and family (60 total guests), and seeing all of our close friends and family – some we hadn’t seen in a very long time – coming together and really just having a blast was definitely one of the best parts for us.

Tell us about your flowers, your gown, your favors, your cake, etc. Finding my gown was probably the toughest part of the entire planning process. At the time I was living in New Jersey and working in Manhattan, therefore it was easiest to fly my Mom out to NYC for a wedding dress shopping trip. I had originally assumed I wanted a somewhat flowy bohemian-inspired gown, however boutique after boutique of extremely beautiful bohemian gowns I realized I wanted something completely different. We were down to our last appointment at Kleinfeld Bridal, I was sure I wasn’t going to find anything as all my dreams of flowy dresses had gone out the window on account of my super small (5’1″) frame. I found that I needed something form fitting and wanted some bling.. Eventually I fell in love with my Enaura beaded dress and didn’t want to take it off. It was completely the opposite of what I thought I wanted for our big day but fit the occasion (and me) perfectly.

The flowers were also a special part of the day as I wanted a neutral feel, with some blue and navy accents as well as tropical touches (not an easy order to fill), LaVonne and her team at Adorations did an amazing job! All of my vendors were a dream to work with, we had our blankets ordered and printed through a family friend (and guest!). I think the favors were the biggest hit of the night, we have had a constant stream of requests for extras since our wedding! For our cake (Sweet Cheeks Baking Co.) we knew we wanted nothing but chocolate with white buttercream frosting – and wanted to keep it simple with just florals and no topper as the backdrop of the beach, ocean, and sunset accented the simple but beautiful cake perfectly.

Our reception and dining area were truly unique. I spoke to the lounge area and fire pits previously, but the dining setup was truly a show-stopper with privacy beams and flowy linens set up to help accentuate the relaxed but beautiful beachy feel. The furniture and table accents were perfectly selected to reflect our original aesthetic, and our guests couldn’t stop complimenting our choices!

What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be? I would say if you can definitely hire a wedding planner for more than the day or month of, especially if you are planning a wedding on the other side of the country like I was! Since I was working in NYC and the wedding was in Coronado, CA, Kristi and the Details Details team were a lifesaver. They also truly helped us save time and energy as they already had lists of the best vendors in town and personal relationships with all of them (which helped in a variety of ways). I could not imagine pulling everything off so spectacularly without this support! Also I would definitely recommend multiple dress fittings – by the time I had my first fitting I had moved away from the city and was unable to make a second fitting appointment. I really wish I had as the dress was still a bit big in certain places.

What did you envision your wedding being prior to planning? We imagined a beautiful but very relaxed beachy vibe with lots of natural elements and a breezy light feel – we really just wanted it to be a super fun and intimate party for our guests.