A Relaxed Beach Wedding at Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, California

Eliza Stephens (25 and a graduate student) and Jason Przybyla (25 and a financial analyst) go way back. “We met when he was in the second grade and I was in the first grade,” Eliza says. “We belong to the same church, and we met there. We stayed friends and dated a little in high school but got serious at the end of college. We have known each other for 18 years!” After a Mormon ceremony at the LDS church in San Diego, California, the couple held a reception for 125 at Hotel del Coronado. “It is the most special place in the world to me,” says Eliza, whose family has a condo and many memories there. Eliza loosely followed a subdued palette of blue, white, green, blush and gray, which matched the beach setting and promised to age well. “Because we chose a variety of colors, nothing was matchy-matchy,” Eliza says. “It was important for me to stay classic because I wanted to look back at my pictures in 30 years and have everything still be in good taste.” After some competitive cornhole, dinner and mocktails, the newlyweds passed out monogrammed blankets to their guests (to ward off the postsunset chill) and exited under the glow of sparklers. Eliza’s approach to the wedding day helped her stay present: “I told myself I could worry until the day, then I had to just enjoy every moment of the wedding day,” she says. “Whenever I was stressed or overwhelmed, I would just remember that I picked the perfect man, and that was the most important thing.” —Carolyn Meers