La Jolla Shores Wedding

With the Pacific ocean serving as the backdrop, this La Jolla shores wedding coordinated by Melissa Barrad from I Do… Weddings with photography by Narrative Images is just beautiful. Hand-painted signs, pink florals and sweet succulents created a simple, yet romantic setting for this couple’s big day on the beach.

From the Bride, Amelia: We knew we wanted to get married in San Diego and the only requirement Adam requested when choosing a venue for our wedding was that it be at a beach location. He is a surfer and grew up in San Diego. Plus, we met, fell in love, lived together and got engaged all near the beach, so it was an important representation of our lives together. The Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla was the perfect venue. The relaxed setting and the breathtaking beach view was where we could envision getting married to each other and celebrating with our family and friends.

[expand] When it came to the overall vision and planning of our wedding, I wanted each detail to be perfect and meaningful. We wanted to stay within our budget, which meant prioritizing was important and had to remember to keep things simple. We chose not to add much detail to the ceremony because the setting of the beach with the colors of our bridal party (suits, dresses, flowers, etc.) was enough. For the reception we tried to create an intimate and comfortable space that complimented the colors that were present in the wood building and the surroundings of the blue-grey ocean. I would call it a mix of modern and vintage with a touch of beach-y. I choose colors in gray, white, tan, silver, gold and blush and layered different textures such as soft satin, rough wood, embellished golds, shiny mercury glass, ruched chiffon and delicate lace. To set the ambiance, we chose a DJ that performed live music for the ceremony, cocktail hour and our first dance (which was one of my favorite moments.) Our guests saw us as dancing silhouettes just as the sun was setting and the waves crashed behind us.

I had amazing vendors and help from my family and friends to get everything done. My mom made succulent arrangements from her garden and placed them in various planters she purchased. My florist used all the succulent arrangements along with vintage vases my mom had also provided and mixed them in with beautiful floral arrangements. My mom made our wooden signs, ring box and card box as well. The wood signs were made with recycled wood and white paint. My mom and her good friend provided the lace table cloths for my sweetheart and cake tables, which were family heirlooms. Friends and other family came over to help me cut invitations, tie twine on invites, print programs, tie ribbon on programs, paint bags for my bridesmaids gifts, write out names out the favors and anything else that I needed help with.

A Bold Berry-Colored Vallejo Wedding

Even with all the planning, there still were unexpected events that happened that really made me rely on the help of my family and friends. This came 11 days before my wedding when I cut my finger badly and needed 11 stitches. Luckily it was not my ring finger, and finding cute band aids designed by Cynthia Rowley made me feel a little better. The day of my wedding my each of my bridesmaids decided to wear a band aid on their finger in support of me, which is something I will remember forever and made for some cute photos.

From the planner, Melissa: From the minute I met with Amelia, I knew her wedding would be special. I was so excited to see how we’d mesh a relaxed beach feel with lots of romantic elements. Amelia and Adam’s wedding day was one of the first picture-perfect days in La Jolla, and the sunset was magical. So many personal touches and DIY projects added a ton of personality and texture. One of my favorites was an autographed surfboard, honoring the Groom’s love of surfing. The board was signed at the rehearsal, and later displayed at the wedding. It was an elegant and fun day infused with a lot of what is important to the couple, and I enjoyed the entire planning process and the wedding day.