1. Real Weddings

A Tropical Wedding at Holly Farm in Carmel, California

Mallory Oliphant (30 and an event planner) and Richard “Richie” White (31 and a big-game fishing specialist and fishing-boat captain) met while travel

Mallory Oliphant (30 and an event planner) and Richard “Richie” White (31 and a big-game fishing specialist and fishing-boat captain) met while traveling in Thailand. Together, they have traveled to Maldives, Panama, and South Africa (where the groom is from), so wanted their wedding to reflect their shared travel adventures, their personalities and their love for each other. They drew inspiration from travels to the ocean and the jungle and from different cultures for an eclectic, slightly boho, mostly tropical wedding at Holly Farm, in the heart of Carmel Valley, near Mallory's hometown of Half Moon Bay, California. Watercolor shades of blue tied the theme together, with bright flowers, vintage globes, twinkle lights and trinkets from their travels on display. Since guests were flying in from different parts of the country, “we really wanted everyone to feel like they were coming over for the most magical and special dinner party ever,” Mallory says. They reserved their little "tropical oasis" for five days, so guests could make the most of it—knowing it would most likely be the only time they'd have all their loved ones together in one place. The couple wanted wanted their guests to leave with an understanding of their commitment to each other. "We wanted to tell our love story and really showcase it," Mallory says. "It was truly an intimate, magical experience." —Chrissy Sorenson

The island theme started with a beautiful watercolor letterpress invitation suite in tropical shades of blue, complete with a classy custom marlin silhouette in homage to Richie, a fishing boat captain.
"I’m only 5 feet tall, so it was important that I wore my dress and my dress didn’t wear me," Mallory says. She ultimately chose a strapless sweetheart fitted gown that alternated different layers of French lace—each with a different pattern. "It was as if my daily style was translated into a wedding gown." She paired it with a lace-trimmed shoulder-length veil, delicate gold Swarovski crystal belt and gold peep-toe heels.
Richie wrote a sentimental message to Mallory on the bottom of her sandals.
The flowers were important to Mallory and Richie, and "we believe they really stole the show." Her bouquet consisted of flowers from Northern California and South Africa, including a stunning king protea, candy-stripe leucadendron, heirloom garden roses, lisianthus, large-leaf dusty miller, grevillea, seeded eucalyptus, gomphrena, baby blue eucalyptus and passionflowers.
The bridesmaids wore their own tea-length dresses and shoes in a mix of colors from nude to gold. "The girls looked amazing," Mallory says. The best part? "Hopefully, they’ll be able to repurpose their dresses."
Richie, "always one to appreciate quality," Mallory says, went directly to Beckett & Robb in San Francisco and enthusiastically ordered a custom navy suit, blue shirt and mismatched tie.
The groomsmen were asked to wear dark blue or navy suits, brown shoes and brown belts. "They ended up all wearing light blue shirts, which wasn’t planned but worked out perfectly," Mallory says. As a gift, Richie gave them blue patterned socks and matching ties.
The bridesmaids had colorful, tropical bouquets with vibrant queen proteas, which really popped against their mostly neutral dresses. The boutonnieres featured different assortments of miniature thistles and proteas.
The ceremony started with a ring warming, passing the rings from guest to guest so they could bless them, spread the love and send happy thoughts into the rings and out into the universe. During the ceremony, the couple stood under a lush archway filled with proteas and succulents, while white paper lanterns hung from the tree.
Mallory and Richie incorporated a Bob Marley quote that began, "Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul, and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you." The couple's friend Andrew conducted the ceremony, making it even more special for Mallory and Richie.
Instead of table numbers, Mallory and Richie used coordinates of places they had been together, arranged on vintage maps inside large driftwood frames. "Guests got interactive with it and used the globe we had on the table to find their locale," Mallory says.
The tropical rum bar, complete with fresh coconut, encouraged guests to mix their own cocktails.
"The grounds are nothing short of amazing," Mallory says. "It’s like you're entering into a tropical lush dreamland. The theme we wanted was actually the feel of this venue."
Rustic wooden farm tables were decorated with blue wine bottles, eucalyptus leaves, abalone shells, silk dupioni table runners, light blue napkins, cracked gold chargers, gold flatware and cobalt blue water glasses.
Pineapples were mixed in with the floral arrangements, perfectly reflecting the island theme and Mallory and Richie's former home in Pineapple Bay.
The custom marlin silhouette logo and the same blue kitchen twine that was used on the wedding invitations made an appearance on the favor gift tags. The favors were an assortment of Northern California brews.
In keeping with South African tradition, Mallory and Richie had a layer of fruit cake nestled between the chocolate and vanilla. Gold ribbon and bright flowers served as accents.