Half Moon Bay Wedding in California

What caught my eye when reading about this Half Moon Bay wedding in California is a great wedding-day-tip that every bridal party needs to remember:

“Wear a button down shirt when you are getting your hair and makeup done the day of the wedding.”

The bride in today’s wedding even went so far as to get the shirts embroidered with either Bride, Bridesmaid or Flower girl name tag.  This is a great handy idea that you can give to your girls the morning of.

Thank you to Hayley Anne Photography for capturing this beach font wedding.

Overall theme for the Ceremony and Reception

Bride’s Comments: “The overall theme was based off of driftwood, natural elements, and soft neutral colors.”

Who were you Wearing?

Bride wore Allure #8862 and bridesmaids were wearing Blaque Label Aeriform Strapless dress in mint green and sky.

How many guests were invited?

“We started with a list of about 120 guests.  It was then narrowed down to about 100 invites and 95 attended. This was the hardest part of the wedding planning process.  The venue could only seat 100 so we had to be very strict with the guest count.”

Any Challenges you faced planning your Wedding?

“One of the challenges we faced was trying to plan everything in about 6 months.  It was a lot to do in a short amount of time.  In hindsight, it actually helped because we couldn’t let things drag out and agonize over every decision.”

What was your Wedding Budget?

“We wanted to stay around $15k not including the rings. We ended up spending around $18k.  We saved money by negotiating with the venue on food & beverage costs, doing a lot of the decorating ourselves, and we tried to not add anything that wasn’t completely necessary. We were also able to save money by having a friend of the family do the flower arrangements.”

Any tips to share with brides planning their own wedding?

“Don’t try to do everything yourself.  We were fortunate to have friends and family that helped along the way.  Including them in the process was fun for everyone and brought us all closer.”

“We’re Nuts for Each Other”  this a fun and simple favor to give to your guests and who doesn’t love candy covered pecans or honey roasted peanuts! mm

Highlight from the Ceremony & Reception

“Definitely the toasts.  We allotted 15 minutes and it ended up being over 45 minutes.   The grooms father and brother played a few songs on the guitar and his brother wrote an original song for us.  A welcomed surprise and memories we will have forever.”

Location:  Half Moon Bay, CA
Date: Jul 27, 2013

Where did you go on your Honeymoon?

“It’s on hold, shortly after the wedding we found out we are expecting our second child.  Due in a few short weeks!”

Vendors

Photographer: Hayley Anne Photography
Venue: Mavericks Event Center
DJ: Alive Events & Entertainment
Officiant: Coastside Wedding Ceremonies
Caterer: Half Moon Bay Brewing Company
Design and Décor: Oh So Smitten Designs (Typogrohpy for Menus, Invites, Signs)
Hair Stylist: Sailors and Saints
Dress Store: Trudy’s Brides
Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Tuxedo Wearhouse