20 years together and now they can be married

I took this picture during the ceremony.   This is Jess and Karen.  They have been together for twenty years and now they are being legally married at the beach with over 100 of their friends and family there to celebrate with them.   In this pictures, Jess is singing to Karen.  They wanted to release butterflies to remember those that had passed, because both of their mothers and their fathers are now passed.  And Jess is singing Ave Maria to Karen while the butterflies are being released.   When we first got to Laguna Beach, it was fogged in.  And the whole reason for being married at the beach was to get the sunset pictures.  So my helper Linda and I had a conversation with the fog.  And we explained that it was SO IMPORTANT to these 2 women to have sunset wedding pictures, so we needed for the fog to leave.   So by the time we got down to the sand, the sun was out on the land, but the fog was still hanging out over the ocean.  But by sunset, the photographer told me that the fog had "vanished!" and Karen & Jess got their sunset pictures!

Live-streaming your wedding

We are live-streaming this bride's wedding back to all of her friends and family in Kansas who did not come out to California for the wedding ceremony.  They watch in "real-time" - the ceremony was at 4:30pm here in California and they watched it "live" in Kansas at 6:30pm.   And they all got to talk to the bride and groom afterwards and wish them their congratulations!   We invite them all to tune in on their computer through Go-To-Meeting.

Kansas-Disneyland Bride

Every year, I have a couple come from Kansas to be married at the beach in Laguna Beach.  This is my Kansas bride for this year.   And they had been to Disneyland and found the sparkly Mickey Mouse ears in a shop there, and she chose to wear them as her head piece!   From the Happiest Place on Earth to becoming the happiest person on earth on her wedding day!!

Bride's Bouquet - no flowers!

This bride made her bouquet from momentos from her entire life - she mounted them on a styrofoam ball covered in purple satin.   It was beautiful and so meaningful.  

Rocks and Sand from Germany

My bride brought sand and rocks from the stream that ran by her childhood home in Germany and we also used rocks and sand from the beach in Laguna Beach.

Just the 3 of them

Video and photos of bride's daughter while our celloist plays.

After the ceremony, we had cake and champagne!

Reveal Moment

This bride and groom wanted to set up a "reveal" moment before the ceremony.   We were starting their pictures 45 minutes before the ceremony.  Usually, the "reveal" moment is when the bride walks down the aisle but since they were doing pictures before, we set up the reveal moment for them.   The reception was one hour away from the beach.   So everyone needed to leave right after the ceremony to get to the reception.  So we did all the pictures before the ceremony.    

Pink & Yellow!

We had a "rare" summer "storm" here in So Cal last week so it was cloudy at the beach.  No rain but no sun either.   However, these two girls brightened up everything in their hot pink dresses and yellow rose bouquets!  

"Children" in the wedding

This is Roy with his English Mastiff dog Huntington and his sweet rescue dog Stella.   These are the bride and groom's children for now -- and they had to be in the wedding!     Huntington & Stella stood right by Roy all during the ceremony.     "

From the car to down the aisle to Mr. & Mrs. to Pop the Champagne to First Dance

This couple chose July 19th as their Wedding Date because that was the date of their first date.  This location is Crescent Bay Park in Laguna Beach, California.   Gorgeous!

Darling daughters at mommy's wedding

WHEN A FAMILY GETS MARRIED

This past weekend, I married a family!!    This bride and groom have been together for years and this is their lovely family, 3 girls and finally, the boy!!     They finally got the marriage license and made it all legal.  I took this picture as the family walked down the aisle.   And we did the FAMILY BLENDING OF THE SANDS CEREMONY.   The bride and groom took the sand from under their feet and put it in the Keepsake Container and then each one of the children poured in their sand.  The oldest girl wanted purple so I told her that purple is the color of royalty and that they were all royal sons and daughters of God.  The second oldest girl wanted orange.  I told her that orange was the color of harmony and asked her if she was the peacemaker in the family.  Her mother quickly said,  she just likes orange!   The 3rd girl wanted pink and I told her that pink is the color of love and love is the glue that holds a family together.  And finally the boy chose red and I told him that red is the color of passion and passion is the energy of the heart.   Then I showed the Keepsake Container to all of the guests and said,  Isn't this a beautiful family and all of the guests clapped with enthusiasm.  When this couple said their vows, I could tell that the words that they said to one another were from the depths of the experiences that they had already had together as a couple.  They proclaimed their love for one another with deep love in their eyes for one another. 

Shell bouquet

This is the first totally all shells bouquet I've seen!    The bride ordered the bouquet off of the internet and when it arrived, it seemed too small to her, so she added on all of the bigger shells that you see.  It turned out SO PRETTY!!    

Live Music at your Beach Wedding

Adding live musicians to your beach wedding creates another dimension to the romantic ocean location.
Lex and Rich played their hearts out this past Saturday while we gathered the guests in the gazebo area in Laguna Beach.  All the guests as well as all of the other people at the beach Saturday enjoyed the medley of love songs they played and Rich also sang as he played the guitar.   When all of the guests had arrived, I sent the groom down to the sand while I waited for the bride.  Lex and Rich also waited with me.  And then Lex and Rich escorted the bride down to the sand while they played The Wedding March.  

ELOPEMENT

There is no more romantic way to get married than an ELOPEMENT.   Just the 2 of you!
All of your energy is directed and devoted to the person you are marrying.  No distractions, no worries about all the details of a big wedding, no complications, no family drama.  Just the 2 of you, expressing your love for one another in a sacred place.   And there is no more romantic sacred place than Mother Ocean!

This past weekend I did 2 elopements at the beach.   As you can see, the waves were huge!  
One bride wore black and the other bride wore white.   Here they are:

At one of these elopements, we also cut the cake and did the champagne toast for the pictures.

Her bouquet was gorgeous!

California marriage laws are very simple.  You can fly into California any day of the week, stop by and pick up your marriage license and I'll meet you at the beach at sunset!   xoxoxoxo Marcy Ann 949-433-3129

Beach Wedding Dresses

I am extremely happy to welcome Natalie Tsang from www.simplybridal.com to my blog today.

Beach Wedding Dress Ideas by ChelseaM@simplybridal.com.

It’s always very exciting when a bride plans to do her wedding ceremony on the beach somewhere. Whether it’s close to home or a destination wedding, finding the right dress is crucial. You’re going to want something that really fits your beach themed wedding day but also a dress that still reflects who you are as a person!

Here are a few options for your beautiful beach ceremony:

1. Long Chiffon Dress 

You can never go wrong when picking a long chiffon dress with a matching long veil for your beachside wedding. Not only is it a very classy and timeless look but it also fits perfect with your theme. The Irene Gown (shown below) has such an easy fit and can accommodate many body types. If long and elegant fits your personality, this gown is going to be your perfect look. The other great thing to keep about this wedding dress is that it is made of chiffon which is so lightweight making it easy for travel!

2. Short Flirty Dress

If long and simple isn’t your style, try wearing a shorter cut dress and have some fun with it. For some brides, going with shorter dress may be a more appealing option for their beach getaway. It makes it easier when trying to walk down the sandy aisle! The Audrey Gown (shown below) is a very youthful dress that is perfect for your destination! If you want to add a bit of flare, try pairing it with a unique birdcage veil to complete your look. Because this dress is shorter in terms of length it will also make it much more simple when it comes to packing your bags!

3. Detachable Train

A dress with a detachable train is a great gown for a beachside ceremony! This is a very elegant look but at the same time works perfect for your theme. The long train resembles the waves of the ocean and will look exquisite trailing behind your as you make your way down the aisle. The best part about this Valentina Gown (shown below) is simply that the train is detachable. A detachable train is a very handy feature when it comes to outdoor ceremonies because it can help keep the dress from dragging along the ground. The perfect way to dress this gown up is with a lovely Spanish mantilla veil. You will be all set for your destination ceremony.

The monkeys and The Beatles.

Last Saturday, June lst, here's a picture of my groom from England clowning around with his groomsmen while we were waiting for the bride to arrive.  They decided to do the monkeys - Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See no Evil! We waited and waited, with guests teasing, "runaway bride ... runaway bride."  And, then we heard that the restaurant where the bride and groom were going to have their reception afterwards -- WAS ON FIRE!   Traffic was all bogged down on Pacific Coast Highway and the bride was stuck in the traffic.    She finally arrived, still not sure what they were going to do about the reception, and we did the ceremony.   She looked a little frazzled - so we took a moment to get her dressed all fluffed out and she put a smile on her face and walked down the aisle.    And when I declared them to be husband and wife, my assistant started the music for their trip back down the aisle --- The Beatles -  All We Need Is Love!

In their personal vows, the groom said that one of the things he loved about his bride was that she loved The Beatles, and the bride said she loved his sexy British accent!      

The next morning the groom called me and said that the owner of the restaurant had taken them and their 39 guests up to his private home in Laguna Beach which turned out to be a fabulous $20K mansion rivaling any  movie star home you've ever seen on the internet!   Giant glass walls looking out to an infinity pool sitting on the edge of the hill overlooking the ocean.   The owner brought up all of his servers and the food from the restaurant (the kitchen was not involved in the fire) and they had a wonderful evening, far more than they could have ever imagined in their wildest dreams!      

This couple had taken my advice about everything:  the location for the wedding, the celloist, the photographer, the florist, and also the restaurant for the reception.  And, everything turned out perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect.           

biggest & most beautiful orchid bride's bouquet

This is by far the most beautiful orchid bride's bouquet I've seen in the 19 years I have been doing weddings at the beach.  This couple came from San Francisco, and all of their guests flew in from Florida, George, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas!  Everyone said, "Well, we all got to have our vacation this year in California!"  

A Touch of Class at a Beach Wedding

After their beautiful ceremony on the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Heisler Park in Laguna Beach where we had a gorgeous 80 degree day in February with a soft breeze and beautiful purple flowers blooming all along the cliff,  the bride and her two children and the groom, how husband and wife, walked the red carpet to the white antique Rolls Royce and drove away, after having their champagne toast as the guests all gave their hurrahs and blesssings.       

Winter Wedding, beautiful bridesmaids, gorgeous bride

We are able to have weddings outside in California all year long.  This wedding was January llth in the gazebo in Laguna Beach.  Although it was cold in the morning, by ll:00am, it was sunny and warm!  Here's pictures of the beautiful bridesmaids and my gorgeous bride.

Valentine's Day!

How romantic to have your own private serenade by the violinist at your beach wedding on Valentine's Day!    The bride was sparkles from head to toe and it was a gorgeous sunny day in Laguna Beach with temps in the low 70's.