A Playful Yet Elegant Carmel, California Wedding at Mission Ranch

“Extra playful but still elegant.”

That’s what Dylan + Sebastian were aiming for when they started putting together wedding plans for their indoor/outdoor October celebration in gorgeous Carmel, California. A healthy mix of thrifting, upcycling, original creations, and thoughtful, clever personal touches filled the day and made for a wedding that reflected Dylan + Sebastian’s personalities and talents and brought Mission Ranch to life with the “playful but elegant” spirit they share as a couple. 

The grooms teamed up with coordinator Elizabeth from Element Events to pull every artistically minded element together, and photographer Carol Oliva was there to capture all these two in all their incandescence.

Let’s take a look!

How fantastic are Dylan + Sebastian’s custom illustrated invitations?! Personalized paper goods mean that right from the beginning guests get a sense for who you are as a couple. If you and your fiancé aren’t artistically minded yourselves, these custom water color invites from Etsy are a great way to capture your vibe in your invitation suite!

“We didn’t want to take ourselves too seriously, but also wanted to look distinguished and dapper, ya know?” says Sebastian, who created the colorful designs that friend Jean Elliot of L.A Chainstitch then embroidered onto Sebastian + Dylan’s blazers.

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

And! Sebastian + Dylan thrifted their blazers! The one Dylan’s wearing here was snagged on Poshmark.

Every little touch had meaning. Sebastian says: “I wanted to have some natural elements be at play with the embroidery: blues for flowing water and movement, green for growth and strength, and browns for a well-soiled earthy foundation.”

The Ceremony

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

These gorgeous warm-yet-muted ceremony florals were created by Willow & Plum.

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

Mission Ranch, Sebastian + Dylan’s stunning countryside venue, belongs to iconic actor Clint Eastwood.

These pastel rainbow tulle flower girl dresses from Lola and the Boys add so much fun, festive energy.

Take a peek at our list of adorable flower girl dresses for more inspo!

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

How AMAZING is this black lace bodice and pleated off-white full skirt mother of the groom look!!

Send your mom the link to our fave mother of the groom dresses and ideas in every style if she’s still on the hunt for the right wedding day ensemble.

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

AND this glowy satin champagne number!! If this is the kind of mother of the groom silhouette you’re mom is after, it might be worth taking a peek at our list of stunning champagne bridesmaids dresses for ideas!

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

Loving Sebastian’s white dress shoes!! Check out this similar Allen Edmonds pair from Nordstrom!

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

How sweet is this: Sebastian + Dylan walked down the aisle to a piece called “Wedding Waltz for Dylan and Sebastian” that Sebastian’s brother composed just for them!

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

That excellent necklace was a piece of costume jewelry Sebastian thrifted that worked perfectly with the colors of the suit’s embroidery.

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch
Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

The ceremony was magical! The string quartet, grazing sheep, and gusty wind provided such a dreamy atmosphere, but one of our favorite parts was when the officiant (my brother-in-law) accidentally dismissed us before letting us exchange our rings, so we walked back up to the alter and had an additional mini ceremony with everyone still in their seats! Encore much? What could have been awkward or clumsy felt whimsical and humorous – it’s moments like these that make things so special, because life (and weddings) shouldn’t be about perfection - it’s about doing your goddamn best, knowing some mistakes will happen along the way, and laughing it off later.

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch
Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

“As gay men, we understood that the mere idea of getting married was a blessing in itself,” say Dylan + Sebastian, “so we just felt lucky to be included in this type of celebration.”

Look at these two GLOWING grooms at golden hour!!

The Reception

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

We love the way Willow & Plum dressed up these chandeliers!! Check out some of our favorite hanging installation ideas if you want to take your design vision vertical.

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

You can feel that “playful but elegant” design inspiration in the reception tables. “We started thinking about ways to make our personalities shine,” Sebastian says, “so we began with the idea to make each guest table in the dining area reflect us in some way.

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

“We had a ‘Kermit the Frog’ themed table to highlight Dylan’s nostalgic kinship with The Muppets; a ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos’ table to honor my favorite child (and adult)-hood snack; a ‘Dipping Dots’ table to reflect an abundance of said futuristic ice cream that was gifted to Dylan at the start of our relationship, and the list goes on.”

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

Look at this dreamy, romantic sweetheart table 😍 Recreate the look with a mix of ivory pillar candles and white taper candles in mismatch brass candlesticks.

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

This colorful floral-piped wedding cake is from Sweet Reba’s.

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch
Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Dylan and I work very hard on our communication every day, and we definitely had our share of overwhelming and frustrating days leading up to the wedding, but for the most part, we didn’t lose track of ourselves while planning, which made us feel like we could always come back to each other.
The wedding industry can suck the living guts out of you (if you let it), so try and remember that whatever you can pull off will be just right for the both of you. It’s easy to get carried away with opinions and decisions, but the more you compromise, support and listen to each other, the better the event will ultimately play out!
Don’t get caught up in the little decisions…they will drive you crazy. Focus on the big picture!

Stylish Carmel Wedding at Mission Ranch

So happy for you, Sebastian + Dylan!! Your playful, elegant, artistic wedding in Carmel captured you both perfectly!! All the best from GWS!

photography: Carol Oliva Photography // venue name: Mission Ranch, Carmel, CA, USA // planning: Element Events // florals: Willow and Plum // cake: Sweet Rebas // music: DNA Entertainment // photo booth: Santa Cruz DJ Company // custom embroidery: Jean Bonnaz / L.A. Chainstitch // flower girl dresses: Lola and the Boys

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