1. Real Weddings

A Vintage, Historic-Inspired Wedding at Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California

The historic Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California, had a special place in the hearts of Bayley Overland (29 and a home maker) and Craig Stanley

The historic Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California, had a special place in the hearts of Bayley Overland (29 and a home maker) and Craig Stanley (31 and a drilling engineer) after they enjoyed a meal there on their first vacation together. The rich architecture and antique style dating back to the late 1800s convinced the couple to book the venue for their wedding, which inspired the Victorian, romantic theme of the day. Bayley said to her wedding planner, Jenny Minns of Luxe Events, “I want it to feel as though time stopped in the early 1920s, and we just came across this deserted hotel in 2013 and built around what was left behind.” The ceremony took place on the nearby beach at the hotel and the reception was inside the Crown Room at the venue, all captured by Shewanders Photography. The gorgeous crown-shaped chandeliers inside the reception space were originally created by the author of ‘The Wizard of Oz', which added to the historic elements of the Crown Room. “The Crown Room hosted several royal guests and the first State Dinner outside of the White House,” Bayley says. “Also, since Craig is an Engineer, the fact that the room is built from wooden planks put together without a single nail was a fun fact he couldn’t get over.”

The navy and white stationary for the wedding invitations had an art deco style that reflected the historic theme of the wedding.
Bayley wore an ivory lace wedding dress accented with a crystal belt. She held a lush flower bouquet filled with scabiosa, garden roses, and dahlias accented with veronica and leaves.
Ivory Custom-Made Handkerchief, Personal Message
Craig had a single ivory rose boutonniere accented with greens pinned to his light gray suit jacket. He wore a light gray vest underneath the jacket, along with a gray and white plaid bow tie.
Ivory Flower Girl Dresses, Flower Crowns
"One of my favorite details that day were the two old church pews we had as the last two rows of seating," Bayley says. "The backs were draped with more greenery and white flowers. It looked like they had been there forever and the greenery justrngrew up around it."
Gold Framed Vintage Wedding Signs
"The altar was a brass frame that my planner found. and it was asymmetrically draped with greenery with a vintage chandelier hung in the middle," Bayley says.
Bayley and Craig, Sitting on Bench
"Our tables were long family style tables, and in the seats where there was not a guest tornfill it, we placed items from a historic figure there to make it look like they had been sitting there," Bayley says. "For example, there was a place card that said “Reserved for Marilyn Monroe” and at the seat there was a perfume bottle and a vintage mirror."
White escort cards had navy designs printed of them, and were bordered with gold or blue.
White stationery were designed with navy blue floral patterns, and had a table number depicted in gold.
The dining table was decorated with centerpieces of ivory roses and veronica accented with greenery.
"Each setting had one of four vintage plate patterns and a letter," Bayley says. "The envelope had vintage stamps on it and inside was a thank you letter from Craig and I."
Gold Cakes and Dessert Table