A Rustic Forest Wedding at Redwood Croft Bed and Breakfast in Santa Cruz, California

Jill Slagter (32 and a non-profit manager) and Zachary Leinberger (36 and a marketing manager) met in Quito, Ecuador while participating in a program called WorldTeach. They only saw each other briefly and then went off to other cities in Ecuador. Years later, they ran into each other at a San Francisco salsa club, reconnected and fell in love. The couple got married at Redwood Croft, a bed and breakfast in Santa Cruz, California. “We both love hiking and redwoods and we got engaged in a redwood forest, so we wanted to get married in one as well,” says Jill. The couple chose a natural color palette of pastels and gold for their outdoor wedding. The ceremony took place under the redwoods and an arch with tulle streamers, surrounded by soft, colorful flowers in vintage jars. For the cocktail hour, the couple served Spanish tapas complemented by a Spanish acoustic guitar playing in the background. Guests played lawn games and danced to a bluegrass band later in the evening. “I think the whole wedding reflected us as a couple,” says Jill. “We were in one of our favorite places, eating our favorite food, drinking our favorite wine, listening to our favorite music and all with our favorite people.”