If I could only have one lofty goal for this website, it would be that I would help make small and simple weddings fashionable again.
There are a million places publishing the worlds expensive weddings, and the message is clear! If we were willing to spend a $100K on our wedding, we could make it amazing(ly expensive). But today I have another great example of a small, simple, affordable wedding that was everything you could wish for and more.
Heidi and Gerhard got married at the Point Bonita Lighthouse in Sausalito California, which is still a working lighthouse (squeal! hand clapping!) I see this lighthouse everyday from my walk, and I am totally in love with it.
At the very beginning of the service, all 20 guests introducing ourselves to one another, to show that they were there not just as guests, but as a loving community of support for the marriage. Then everyone stood in a semi circle around Heidi & Gerhard, facing the Golden Gate Bridge. Their friend performed the ceremony, and they had a few other friends do readings.
How adorable is this picture? It captures the rustic beauty of the surroundings, and the simple joy of the day. The couple had their friend Emily take the stunning photographs.
After the wedding, everyone went to To in Sausalito for a celebratory meal. The next day, the couple hosted a reception for 70 people at home, with simple food, wine, and lots of swing dancing.
I love simple weddings so much. I love that the focus is on the couple, and the commitment that they are making. I love that they are affordable. And I particularly love that they can take place with little notice in the most beautiful of locations.
See, now, don’t you suddenly want to have a simple private ceremony at the courthouse or at your local lighthouse, in your best suit with a clutch of fresh flowers?
I do.
Many thanks to photographer (and reader!) Emily Perello for sending me this wedding. You know how people are always telling you to find a affordable photographer who is just starting out, and is really talented, and you think to yourself, “yeah, I’m so sure that’s possible”? Well, Emily is your girl. Northern California couples, go get her! (and tell her your a practical couple).
