BRIANNA + JUSTIN
The inspiration of our wedding day was a timeless and elegant feel. We wanted to have our wedding in a beautiful setting that didn’t need too much detail added on. I took Justin to a surprise trip to Big Sur for his 30th birthday! We had never been before so when I told him that we were going on a “day trip” he had no idea that I had packed the trunk full of supplies for a camping adventure at Pfieffer Big Sur State park for the weekend. We fell in love with the drive there and the view kept getting more and more beautiful the further we went down HWY 1. Our friends met us at Nepenthe and it was the funnest weekend!
Why we picked our venue: Ever since then we have traveled back down to Big Sur and while I was searching on wedding blogs I noticed that it is a beautiful place to have a wedding. We knew we wanted a small wedding and Big Sur is perfect for that! We could not figure out how to plan a wedding in such a remote town. Justin and I were talking to his co-worker at their holiday party and she told us she had just gotten married that year in Big Sur! She told us how her wedding had to be moved within one week due to issues with her first venue in Monterey and said how her wedding coordinator saved the day! We asked for her wedding planner’s info and that is how we met the lovely Mariah Green of Mariah Green Events! Mariah gave us all of our options for a wedding in Big Sur and we chose Loma Vista Gardens and Big Sur Bakery. Both places have an intimate feel and are natural beautiful settings. Not to mention the Bakery’s food is to die for!
Special details we included in our wedding and reception were: A woven tapestry that hung from a gold pipe and flange with the words “Justin & Brianna” on it. A personalized denim jacket I wore that I had monogrammed “Forever my darling” and “Mrs. Simonin” on the collar. We used the Big Sur Bakery cookbook as our guest book and had everyone sign that. It makes a great memento that we can use after the wedding and read all of the lovely well wishes while we cook. We had woven blankets that laid on the benches during the reception dinner and we gave them to our parents and family as gifts after the wedding. All of my paper goods were from Minted and we had table numbers, invitations and escort cards from them.
We made our wedding day special by writing and reciting our own vows. We had a longtime best friend as our officiant, which made it so much more fun and we were more relaxed with someone we knew. We had a first look by the Big Sur River and it was such a quiet moment that had us really take it all in. Our wedding coordinator Mariah Green arranged a hidden table with beer for Justin and rose for me after our ceremony. It was nice to sit down together and reflect on our ceremony before guests came to meet with us. The sunset photos that the DeLauras drove us to off of the cliffs was the most magical moment of the night. The flowers were in bloom and the view was clear and breathtaking.
Bride – The most memorable moment of our wedding was when we weren’t sure if we would make it down to Pfieffer Beach for our photos. And when we finally made it down to the beach it was surreal walking hand in hand on the beach in our wedding outfits! It was another moment when it all worked out for us despite the odds and Mariah had an in for us to be able to access the beach!
Groom – Our last dance of the night! Everyone was dancing and they didn’t want the night to end. It was a conclusion of us planning our wedding for 18 months. 23 hours of playlist whittled down in one song to represent our relationship and what we wanted it to be in that moment. It was us in Big Sur with all of friends around us, everything had gone perfectly, people we didn’t expect to see dancing were dancing and singing along. It was like a movie credits ending to a day we spent so long planning and was so better than anything we could ever plan. That rare moment were everything aligned.
The favorite part of the wedding planning process was talking on my lunch break with my friends from work. Three of us ladies were all getting married within months of each other and it really helped to bounce ideas back and forth. We also shared wedding decor etc. Having your friends support always makes everything better!
Advice for those planning a wedding now is know what you want and stick to it. I went back and forth on so many things but always ended up with my first decision. Don’t hesitate. You know yourself and trust your instincts on decor, vendors, locations etc.
Processional – Loro by Pinback
Recessional – Hysteric by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
First Dance – God only knows by The Beach Boys
Last Dance – Countdown by Beyonce
Love Letter to THE DELAURAS from the BRIDE + GROOM:
Dear Anthony + Kendal, We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It was quite a crazy road. We truly appreciate you sticking with us through it all! You guys are quite the pair and are beyond creative and talented. You and Anthony are so focused and fun at the same time all while being in a stressful situation capturing couple’s most important day of their lives. We loved joking with you guys and riding in the car with you two on the winding road on HWY 1. Justin and I are honestly pretty shy but we really felt that we could be ourselves with you two! The dedication you had to get the perfect shots really meant so much to us. It was as if the day were equally as important to you as well. It was touching and emitted an instant trust to you.
Our friends and family kept on complimenting your skill and how they could feel how at ease we were with you two. That means a lot to us as well. The small things did not go unnoticed and meant so much to us as well. Thank you Anthony for getting glass out of my shoe. We are so glad you signed our guest book. You guys were like boss bitches when it came to Pfieffer Beach! We got that shot! And it was crazy. Kendal thank you for politely hustling the make up artist to hurry up. You guys moved furniture in the woods to get a perfect shot! Kendal almost walked backwards off of a cliff! We trusted you so much that when you said “go stand in the middle of the street” we did it without hesitation! I don’t even think we checked to see if a car was coming. You worked beautifully with our wedding vendors. You were polite, funny and genuine.
With all of this it still does not put it into words. You made our wedding day even more complete by being a part of it, supporting it, putting good energy into it and for capturing a lifetime of love.
Thank you!
Justin and Brianna Simonin
getting ready GLEN OAKS in the BIG SUR CABIN | first look BIG SUR RIVER GLEN OAKS | ceremony LOMA VISTA INN & GARDENS | destination BIG SUR | reception BIG SUR BAKERY | | event planner MARIAH GREEN EVENTS | floral design KATE HEALEY OF BIG SUR FLOWERS | specialty rental ALEXIS PARTY RENTAL | wedding dress WATTERS- Savannah Gown | bridal accessories JENNIFER BEHR | shoes BHLDN -BILLY ELLA JENI FLATS | hair piece BRIDES AND HAIRPINS | hair & makeup KELLY JONES | bridesmaid dresses ALFRED SUNG | bridesmaid accessories GORJANA | groom suit HUGO BOSS | grooms shoes ASTROFLEX purchased at HUCKBERRY.COM | grooms watch TIMEX purchased at HUCKBERRY | desserts BIG SUR BAKERY | DJ Jeffty Martinez
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