Emily + Daniel by Embelle Photo

The Northern California Coast itself really became the colour palette.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Dan and I were born approximately 2 months apart in San Jose, California. We grew up about 15 apart in neighbouring towns, and have generally stayed in the South Bay Area, CA, our whole lives. We now live in Los Gatos, CA, very close to where we both grew up with our beloved pup, Clifford (yes, he is red). Dan is very adventurous and outdoorsy, while I am more of a house cat. We love cooking, hosting, movie marathons, spending time with family and friends, and of course, snuggling with our sweet 3-year-old lab.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Our meeting is somewhat up for debate, as our lives sort of paralleled – our parents worked together long before either of us was born, so we subscribe to the invisible string theory. Officially, we met in a political science class, where we were grouped together on a project. Dan claims to have had a crush, but at the time, I was dating someone else. Dan went on to attend the University of San Francisco, and I went to Sonoma State University. After graduating, we “re-met” through mutual friends at a bar in San Francisco. Dan said that we knew each other from class, but I was pretty sure he didn’t go to Sonoma and thought this might’ve been a line. It was only way later in the night I realized he meant the community college political science class from years prior. I count this as our actual meeting, since we were pretty much inseparable after that, but we did recently find a home video with both of us at the same day camp, so we might have actually met at 6 – gotta love the invisible string!

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

We changed the wedding a lot – we started off planning a more traditional wedding in San Francisco, but as the months went on, we just could not make any real decisions. In October of 2024, we started to play around with the idea of scrapping the big wedding. We didn’t initially know what we would replace it with, so we took a quick trip to Hawaii. A little white chapel in Vegas? All fun ideas, but nothing really felt right. I had been watching a lot of “Murder She Wrote” at the time, and the idea of a little inn on the coast with close friends and family took root. I started poking around google maps clicking on every inn north of Monterey. I thought I had found the perfect one in Half Moon Bay until I clicked on the Sea Ranch Lodge (SRL). We were drawn to its simple, but undeniable beauty. I had always loved the idea of being at a place that spoke for itself, so much so that we wouldn’t really have to bring in much decor at all. In terms of style, effortless, romantic, and timeless were the elements we kept coming back to. Once we visited and committed to the SRL, the Northern California Coast itself really became the colour palette.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

The SRL has done a wonderful job of blending in with and really complementing the scenery, so we felt that we really didn’t need to add much at all. With the ceremony taking place in May, we were told by the team that the wildflowers would be in bloom, so we decided to keep the ceremony really bare bones with just some wooden chairs. The solarium, where we had the reception, has floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning views of the Pacific, so we wanted to keep the view as the main focal point. The tablescape was super simple, with a few florals from our wonderful florist, and also some supporting arrangements by our close friends who helped out the morning of. Simple white candles and layered neutral linens completed the dinner party of our dreams.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

It was pretty night and day for me once we switched to the intimate ceremony – everything became exciting again. Dan would comment on how we clearly made the right decision because we went from not making a single decision in over a year to planning the entire wedding in a few months. My biggest advice would be to create the wedding around you as a couple instead of trying to fit yourselves into something that doesn’t feel right. Growing up, I always assumed I would have a traditional large wedding, which I still love, but I could not be happier with our past selves for exploring more options.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

Due to the wedding being so small and our decision to keep things simple, our main vendors were really just the venue (Lodge), our wonderful photographer, hair and makeup artists, and florist. I really enjoyed working with the event team at the Sea Ranch Lodge, especially Diane and Sarah, who were so lovely and knowledgeable. They gave us great advice and made the process very easy. Our talented florist and makeup artist were found through recommendations, and my amazing hairstylist is one of the stylists I see on a regular basis, who luckily for me, does weddings! They were all so great to work with. Our photographer, Jada & the rest of the Embelle team truly felt meant to be. We had a minor issue with another photographer who had accidentally double-booked us, so we were feeling a little stressed about finding the right fit in a short amount of time. One night, I was scrolling on instagram and saw a post from Jada asking about couples getting married at the SRL, so I immediately went to her page and proceeded to fall in love. The SRL had been on her list to photograph, and her style was everything I had been looking for – a beautiful combination of in-the-moment documentary with traditional portraits. We’re very thankful for the chain of events that led us to work together, and couldn’t recommend her enough, which has actually worked out, as we now get to see her later this year at my cousin’s wedding

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

For his outfit, Dan decided to go with a navy suit, which really felt right with the blue water backdrop. It helps that he also has blue eyes, so the suit complemented him along with the scenery. After looking for a while and trying on a bunch, he ended up going with a Canali. I, for some reason, was under the impression that I was going to go to a bunch of stores and not find a single dress. Luckily, I had been following Unveiled Bridal on social media for a while, so when I saw that they had a few spots left for a sample sale, I thought that would be a good way to dip my toes into the dress process. Last minute, I asked my older sister and mom if they would want to come, and the next day we headed to the city. Because it was a sample sale, we had limited time and a limited selection, but the lovely woman working with me pulled an extra one she thought would work well, and she was right! I ended up getting the extra one at my first-ever appointment. My second look was a simple, short, long-sleeved dress that was just easy to move around in. After trying on several, I went with one by Retrofete and added a silk bow for a little wedding drama.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Dan worked with my best friend and one of my older sisters to design my engagement ring. They all know that I love an emerald cut and that I mostly wear silver jewellery, so with that, they designed a beautiful ring with the Jean Dousset team, adding baguettes and a hidden sapphire (my birthstone) underneath. Dan added an engraving of our anniversary date and our engagement date. For our wedding bands, we shopped together. I went with a simple platinum band from Tiffany’s, and Dan went with a David Yurman band. We had each other’s initials engraved into those as well.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

The element we ultimately spent the most time on was curating an atmosphere of an extra special dinner party. From the table scape, to the menu selections, to the drinks, to the florals, etc., we really wanted it to be fun and memorable for all 22 guests.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

One of the moments that sticks out looking back is reading the letters we wrote to each other while getting ready. We decided to go with more traditional vows during the ceremony, so these letters hold a special place, as they were where we got to express our more personalised versions of the vows. Having one of our best friends (our officiant, Cam) announce us as husband & wife is definitely unforgettable, and the toasts were, of course, very special to us. Honestly, too many to name!