A Coastal California Wedding With an Elevated Vintage-Glamour Vibe Along the Monterey Peninsula

For Ali and Sam, it was as if fate kept intervening to bring these two driven souls together. The night before orientation for UT Business School, they made their introductions at a happy hour at the Tiniest Bar In Texas. After moving to Austin for the upcoming semester, they met again and quickly bonded over their love for cooking and wanting to try the exclusive noma restaurant in Copenhagen. “From then on, we were inseparable, though we tried to hide it from our classmates. Suffice to say everyone found out pretty quickly,” the couple says.

Though they both planned to study abroad in Copenhagen during their MBA, life had other plans. But that didn't deter Sam from making their future vacation memorable. “We finally made the trip two years later, and Sam popped the question on a hike above Bergen, Norway,” Ali recounts. To make the engagement more unique, Sam worked with a jeweler in New Braunfels, Texas to create a custom ring using the diamond from Ali’s grandmother’s engagement ring. Since Ali loves all things vintage and pre-loved, this was the perfect touch for the future bride. Fate had another surprise up its sleeve for the two, as well. The couple says, “We ended up in Copenhagen a day later to find that noma had a cancellation for lunch and were able to get in. Truly a perfect conclusion to an absolutely perfect trip (and well worth the two-year delay).”

When it came time to begin wedding planning, the couple had firm ideas of what they wanted the experience to look and feel like. Their keyword: Timeless. From the Spanish-style venue built in the 1920s to the invitation suite with vintage 1950s stamps, Ali and Sam wanted to create a vibe that was “elevated” and “approachable” with a modern touch. They even incorporated significant places from their upbringings into the day, like the Monterey Peninsula. Ali’s parents have had a home for over 10 years in Pebble Beach, and her grandfather attended the Naval Post Graduate school in Monterey. These personal touches influenced the setting and tone to make even more memories in an already meaningful place.

Ali’s love for vintage extended to her wardrobe and the couple’s wedding gifts to each other. “We got each other watches—an Omega DeVille for him and a vintage Cartier Tank for her...For the big day, she found her dream 1970s evening gown at Maison Sully,” Sam says. Inspired by Megan Markle’s second wedding look, this high-neck, beaded gown was paired with her “something new” Manolo Campari mules, "something borrowed" diamonds from her mother and her "something blue" wedding band that featured her grandmother’s sapphires and diamonds. Sam wore a classic, custom black tuxedo, his grandfather's cufflinks, his Omega DeVille watch and a custom wedding band from Dean Frederick, the same jeweler who designed Ali's engagement ring.

On the wedding day, the couple spent some quality time together in the morning to help calm their nerves. They took a walk and read letters to each other before jumping into the festivities. Their ceremony was at The Church in the Forest, a venue with a contemporary design and large floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Monterey Pines. After they exchanged vows, the newlyweds rode in a convertible around the scenic coast and stopped for photos and a bottle of champagne. Once the cocktail hour moved indoors, Ali got her wish for a petal toss. “Ali loved the idea of a petal toss, but we couldn't do one at The Church in the Forest. So, our photographer, Amandarose, had the brilliant idea to do a grand entrance into cocktail hour instead of the grand exit...It was perfect,” Sam says.

The couple wanted the architecture of the Spanish-style reception venue to stand out, so the decor was minimal, with greenery adorning the ornate chandeliers and banquet-style dinner tables covered with neutral-toned taper candles and low centerpieces with wildflower bouquets. But even though they loved how their reception space turned out, two of their favorite aspects were their first dance and the food. Their first dance song was "I Choose You" by the SteelDrivers, which was going to be played as a recording since their wedding band didn't have a banjo for the performance. But right before Ali and Sam stepped on the dance floor, their band surprised them with a live performance of their song. And since the couple have a passion for food and cooking, they wanted their wedding day to focus on these elements. “Because food is so important to the two of us, we sought to give our guests an elevated and delicious dining experience. But the real highlight was the cake—a Meyer lemon cake with an olallieberry puree and buttercream frosting,” Ali and Sam recall.

Ali and Sam wanted to make the most of this weekend by spending time with their loved ones throughout the prewedding activities and wedding. They recommend the same for other couples who are wedding planning and encourage getting creative with these memory-making opportunities. “We started the week with a family-only dinner at Aubergine on Wednesday to ease everyone into the weekend, then hosted an informal tacos and tequila event at Ali's parents' house on Thursday before the wedding festivities started. This took a lot of pressure off the wedding day since we spent time with everyone individually throughout the weekend,” Sam says.

Another pro tip from the happy couple is to dedicate time to each other before the wedding. These two did dance lessons in preparation for their first dance, saying it took some of the stress from the wedding planning while creating special moments. “We didn't expect to enjoy the lessons as much as we did...We had a lot of good laughs (and a few bruised toes),” the couple says.