It was a memorable day for Crystal and Andrew, the wonderful couple who decided to host their wedding at the Santa Lucia Preserve in Northern California. This Carmel wedding featured a charming old barn, majestic trees, paper lanterns, plenty of natural beauty, and a very special touch by Allison Weddings. It was the event of a lifetime!
Written by Erin Lepperd…
Crystal and Andrew are both writers and chose a stretch of the Central California coast that has been a favorite of writers, poets, and architects for more than a century. The festivities were held at the serene Santa Lucia Preserve in Carmel, in a grove of some of the world’s oldest Redwoods, many more than 1000 years old. We have to say, it was one of the most beautiful wedding venues we have ever been to for its intimate and unavoidable immersion in nature. The reception was held in the rustic, old barn with great food & wine, a rocking band (featuring cameo appearances by Andrew’s brother on guitar), a vintage Polaroid photo-booth, and dancing galore. The barn was simple yet spacious; the high, vaulted ceilings were given dimension with cascading paper lanterns and the dark corners of the room were punctuated with candlelight giving the room warmth.
For the vintage-photo booth, two photos of the guests were taken using medium format instant black and white film. Guests kept one copy for themselves and put another in a guest book which they signed for the bride and groom. The book assembly and signing area was adorned with fairy lights and photos of both Andrew and Crystal from childhood to present day. The couple don’t take life too seriously and provided some fun props to lighten the tone of the photo-booth, like oversized sunglasses in just about every color available.
crystal + andrew
location: santa lucia preserve
photography: viera photographics
inspiration: modern elegance amongst nature
colors: green, white, yellow
