We’re pretty excited to share this beautiful, aqua blue waterfront wedding with you all today! The whimsical wedding in Malibu features so many unique and special elements; the bride’s stunning blue bridal skirt, the private sandy ceremony, the reception in the groom’s family backyard. And that’s just to name a few! Read on for the bride & groom’s inspiration for their big day!
From the planner, Shauna Karver of J29 Events:
Working with Colleen (and Marty) was so much fun. They really wanted their guests to have a good time but wanted to avoid anything too stuffy. The wedding was pretty much planned around Colleen’s beautiful dress (without Marty knowing too much because he didn’t know what it looked like). Colleen had her eye on “the skirt” on Pinterest and the rest of the design was history. The stunning hand painted blue skirt by Chantelle Lauren laid the groundwork for the wedding concept and design. It was made even more beautiful by pairing it with Hayley Paige’s “Kenny” gown. Truly a stunning pairing – and both designers were a dream to work with, treating Colleen like the princess she deserved to feel like.
Water and texture were our key design words. The bridesmaid dresses, groomsmen attire, florals, and hand painted stationary were all inspired by the Malibu landscape: lush, fresh, and calming. Following their intimate beach ceremony, guests and the bridal party were invited up to Marty’s family home in the Malibu hills. So as to not take away from the beautiful surrounding and stunning view, the tables were dressed with fresh colors and subtle texture in the chargers and florals. Guests found their seats with cute succulent escort cards (similar to the succulents found in the surrounding landscape).
From the bride…
We spent the morning of our wedding, getting ready at the Westlake Village Inn in Westlake Village, CA. Boys played in the pool all morning while the girls ate cheeseburgers and sipped champagne. Shuttle buses then took the wedding party and our ceremony guests down to a private beach at a family friends home in Malibu, CA – we wanted our ceremony to intimate and memorable and that’s exactly what we got!
With the tide already high (and rising) our family and closest friends sat scattered on the surrounding rocks while the wedding party lined up on the quickly disappearing sand. There were multiple moments during the ceremony where the waves would roll in and everyone would just stop and run off to avoid getting soaking wet, sometimes to no avail. In what could have been a very frustrating situation, everyone there just laughed and made light of the rising tide – somehow it just really seemed to fit into the energy and emotion of the day. It was very “us”… The ceremony was performed by our close friend and roommate, which also added to the fun and intimacy of the day.
Of course my blue dress was pretty hard to miss and was a big talking point throughout the day… and I absolutely LOVED the way that it turned out. I can’t take all of the credit though – my husband was actually the one who suggested a colored dress from the very beginning, with the idea being that he wanted everyone to look like they were “supposed to be there” and that we were all physically a part of that special moment. So, the months leading up to the wedding I spent A LOT of time trying to figure our how to make that vision come to life… and I honestly believe that the collaboration of Chantel Lauren (who is the designer of my stunning hair painted skirt) and Hayley Paige (the designer of my gorgeous bodice/dress) could not have been more perfect! Everything came together beautifully and I could not have been happier.
The reception took place at Marty’s family home in Malibu, CA. After spending 15 years living in a trailer home with their family on the property, his parents were finally able to build their dream home with the intention of being able to welcome friends and family to share in the beauty of Malibu – it was the perfect location for us to host our reception. The guests who weren’t in attendance at our ceremony were shuttled up to the home from the Westlake Village Inn. Everything felt very warm and personal…
For our guestbook we had our guest sign a hand carved surfboard that Marty’s dad made for us. Mini potted succulents were used as seating assignment/place cards. Margaritas were the drink of choice, but there was also self serve beer and wine that was hand crafted and bottled by Marty’s aunt and uncle.
Dinner and dancing went into the night. My blue skirt came off once the party started and I rocked my Hayley Paige “Kenny” gown in all it’s glory. After the cake cutting at the end of the night, we escorted all of our guests back down to the parking lot where we had set up couches and chairs to surprise our guest with a screening of our same day wedding video edit. Since most of our guests were not able to witness our ceremony we wanted to leave them feeling like they were really able to witness and be a part of our special day – and it was pretty freaking awesome.
Her dress!!! I’m obsessed
OMG her dress!!!!