If you’ve never been to Big Sur (California), we highly recommend moving it up near the top of your list of places to see. With nothing but beauty for as far as the eye can see, it’s truly a breathtaking + otherworldly experience. So we obvs didn’t question for a second why Robin + Shah would choose it to be the backdrop for their big day. With the styling help of the ladies at Hello Gem + the incredible floral design eye of Honey & Poppies, it’s safe to say this celebration is one for the books. Without distracting from one bit of Big Sur’s natural beauty, the team was able to create a setting that was detailed, beautiful, and perfectly Robin + Shah…
From the bride, The first trip we ever took together was to visit Big Sur and, ever since then, it has always held a special place in our hearts. We took many vacations there over the last few years and made some amazing memories. So when we got engaged, we knew that there was no other place that we would consider getting married. It is such a naturally beautiful place and we wanted that beauty to shine through by keeping things simple. Everything about the wedding stayed true to our style and our love for nature. Throughout the whole process we made sure to not give into any pressure from anyone else about what the day should look like. It was exactly what we wanted our wedding to be.
Thanks so much to Benj Haisch for the gorgeous images + big congrats to R + S on a beautiful day!
Robin’s Jenny Packham dress is total perfection.
Wild, in the best of ways, this woodland-esque bouquet is filled with gorge dahlias + garden roses and lots of interesting, textural greens.
Processional: Perpetuum Mobile – Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Recessional: Miss You – The Rolling Stones
First Dance: To Build a Home – The Cinematic Orchestra
Serious swooning happening right now – over the scenery AND those rings!
We brought up our own furniture, rugs, pillows, chairs, and tables for the vignettes and small details. This brought a sense of comfort by seeing so many pieces from our home on our wedding day. And the crystal candle holders and geode name plates fit right in with the warmth of the redwoods and greenery.
Shah, who is an engineer and a National Geographic Explorer (currently on location in Africa), compiled hours of scientific video footage to project on the screen. How amazing is that?!
It is difficult to give advice because, honestly the entire planning process really stressed me out. I would love for other brides to know that if they feel this way too, they are not alone! But it felt like, in the end, all that stress and drama was worth it to have the day we ended up having. I would say that you should stay true to what you want and stick to that decision! It was so important that our wedding stayed small and we sure had to fight to keep it that way. I would also suggest that you hire people that can give you the look and design that you are looking for. Knowing that my florist was on the same page and having planners that could execute the design allowed me to let go of my worries on the day of the wedding and trust in them. When Shah and I first saw the venue after everything was set up, we were blown away at the perfection of the job the planners and florist had done.
photography: Benj Haisch // venue name: Henry Miller Library, Big Sur, California // event design: Hello Gem // planning: Hello Gem // florals: Honey & Poppies // bride's shoes: J.Crew // bridesmaid dresses: Shareen Vintage // hair stylist: Lori Huitron // makeup artist: Rhonda Johnson // paper goods: Hello Gem // catering: Paradise Catering // music: Morgan Kalakosky Mkmobilesound // bride's dress: Jenny Packham // groom: J.Crew // best man suit: J.Crew
This is so stunningly perfect. Jen, thank you for always featuring the best kinds of weddings, the ones that couples planning a wedding really should see. xo
Thank you, Robin, for being so honest about how stressful it is. I am right there in the thick of it (12 days to go…) and its stressful and I am ready for it to be here already. I just want the day to be here and enjoy it.
Your wedding is beautiful!
Hang in there! Its going to be wonderful I promise.
xx
Robin
This is just stunning. I love every little bit about this wedding – the sweet moments, the location/vibe, and those lovely details. <3
Beautifully taken in an amazing location. I intend to propose somewhere romantic along the Big Sur. Going through these images you may just have to capture my wedding there too!
What is the style name of her Jenny Packham dress? Thank you!
Hope this isn’t to late. It is called Astrid.
Hi! I was wondering if you knew one of these images was being used on a post on elitedaily.com, specifically a post about “why you should marry a complicated girl.”
Maybe you do! I just love gws and wanted to make sure these amazing images are being properly used, and that the people in them aren’t being associated with ideas that don’t reflect them. <3
Hi Jen! Thank you so much for the heads up as we did not give them permission to use these photos there. I will check with the photographer though to see if he did. :) xoxo Jen
Robin, you and all the vendors put together such a beautiful and romantic looking event, and I am so excited to use this as a model for my own wedding! Would you mind sharing where you rented all of the chairs, tables, etc?
Hi! So sorry for the delay on reply. I didn’t see the question until now. The wooden tables that everyone ate on were rented from classic party rentals. They are called farm table and the chairs are also from there and they are called french slotted. We also rented a few patio heaters from them. The rest of the stuff like the little seating area on the stage was all of our own chairs, rugs, coffee tables and logs. Any other questions feel free to ask.
Lovely photos! I see so many pictures of Big Sur’s beach, but had yet to see the forest. It’s a wonderful backdrop and I can see why so many people visit this area! I love how lush, full, and tall the trees are!
If you had to give a rough estimate how much would you say your wedding cost? Just curious because I’m looking for something small intimate and within A good budget
wow! this is the wedding i always wanted! whats the name of the location of the cerimony? how much did it cost? we’re looking for something like this but cheap cause all my relatives will be coming from europe so we can’t spend much!
Hello, my name is Jackie. I’m actually commenting to ask questions for my own wedding in Big Sur. Is there anyway someone, or the bride/groom could contact me to answer some questions, as well as give me some direction please.