Sea Ranch California Wedding: Joya + Harris

I think this beautiful wedding photographed by the talented Leo Patrone is the perfect way to start the week. Inspired by the landscape of California’s “Mendonoma Coast” (the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts), where the bride spent her summers growing up, it is such a magical place for a wedding. With the breathtaking landscape of rocks, cliffs and meadows, their wedding day vision was fairly simple – neutral, natural, low fuss and pretty perfect if you ask me! This wedding really shows that when picking an amazing location, you really don’t need much else except all your closest friends + family to celebrate with. :) Congrats to Joya + Harris!

Most memorable moment of your wedding day? The ceremony was pretty unforgettable. My mother is Irish Catholic, my father is Hindu, and Harris’s family is Jewish–so while we had many rich traditions to choose from, coming up with a cohesive program was not a simple task. My uncle (our officiant) was up for the challenge, and he wove together a beautiful ceremony, complete with Irish blessings, Jewish blessings, and Hindu traditions. We listened to it unfold on a bluff overlooking the Pacific.

Another memorable moment was dancing with my father. We were struggling to find a song that we both liked, until I had the idea that we surprise everyone with a Bollywood-style dance instead of a more traditional slow song. My dad loved the idea, but we had no time to rehearse. We finally practiced at midnight two days before the wedding, and it was a mess. We still went with it, and I’m glad we did because it was SO much fun. Everyone joined in at the end in typical Bollywood fashion.

One of the most gorgeous locations for a wedding, right??!

Any advice for those planning now? When things get stressful, take a breath and remember that all of your favorite people are coming together to celebrate with you. No matter what happens, it’s going to be a great day.

There are of course many factors when choosing who to work with, but for us, the most important thing was that we liked our vendors – it just makes planning much more fun. Leo from Leo Patrone Photography, Sophie from Painted Ladies, Brian from the Lodge, Jennifer from Coastal Posies, Lynda, Hermine at Saks in LA – they all took great care of us and we loved working with them.

vendors

photography: Leo Patrone // venue name: The Sea Ranch Lodge // wedding dress: Reem Acra // hairpiece: My grandmother's vintage hairpin // bride's shoes: Zara // bridesmaid dresses: Jenny Yoo // hair stylist: Lynda Oberg // makeup artist: Sophie Coyne from Painted Ladies // groom attire: Canali // paper goods: Designed by the bride and printed by Mercurio Brothers // floral design: Coastal Posies