Carmel California Private Residence Wedding by Bret Cole Photography

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a glorious weekend full of the finer things in life; like sleep, chocolate chip pancakes and lots of sunshine. I finally had the weekend off of work (can I get three cheers for that?) and headed back to Michigan where I threw my sweet husband a little surprise party for his 28th birthday. We were also able to finally check out our new little abode (oh thank goodness this place is temporary), hang out on a Friday night and lastly I had a consult with my darling May bride after a walk through at her venue. But more on all that fun stuff later. Because this stunner of a wedding has been on my mind for more than a week now.

I cry wolf a lot on this blog claiming this wedding and that wedding are all in fact my faves. I can't help it. I'm a sucker for beautiful light, fabulous details and the most heart warming of love stories. Then, be still my heart, I found this gem of a celebration from the sun-drenched hills of Carmel, California and I was absolutely in love. The details are so sweet. The story behind how the groom met the bride is so sweet and even the invitations, which I shared with you last week, are incredibly sweet. I think once you let all the sweetness soak in you'll have to agree too. A giant hug to the talented and sweet Bret of Bret Cole Photography for sending over all of these incredible images that speak more than a thousand words; I'm honoured to be sharing them here with you all. Happy Monday!

{Courtney and Sean's Love Story} These give a little glimpse of our story but our families go way back. Sean and I were introduced by our grandparents who were best friends. Our grandparents grew up camping together, they started a church together 50 years ago (which they still attend), and their kids (our parents) grew up together as friends. My grandpa got sick a few years ago and Tony (Sean's grandpa) would visit him everyday. My dad was in town visiting my grandpa one day and him and Tony ran into each other at the hospital. They got talking about their kids and grand kids. My dad told Tony that I was moving to SF in a few months and Tony suggested I reach out to Sean. He wanted Sean to show me the city and introduce me to people. So Margaret (Sean's grandma) emailed him to ask him to email me to offer to show me around SF. After a few reminders from his grandma, Sean sent me an e-mail. I took him up on his offer and met up with him when I was visiting SF for an interview. Although we had an immediate connection I had to return to Michigan for a few months before the official job offer came through. During those three months we talked everyday and by the time I moved to SF we were dating. Eight months after moving to SF he proposed and five months after that we got married.   

{Biggest Obstacle While Planning} We decided to have our wedding at my Aunt and Uncles house in Carmel. We didn't realize how much work we were going to have to put in by hosting it at a private residence. It was a lot of work for my Aunt and Uncle. It was also hard not having my mom in town. She was in Michigan and was helping from a far but I had to plan most of it. The road up to the house also presented quite an obstacle. It was windy, steep and narrow. We ended up having to rent vans for guests for safety reasons.

{Advice to Future Brides} At the end of the day, you'll be married, so just relax, enjoy it all and celebrate with all the people you love and who love you. Also, it's not going to be perfect. Be alright with that.

{Fun Fact} Sean and I found out that we met when we were five years old at his cousins birthday party. We were sitting right next to each other enjoying birthday cake. We've got the picture. Pretty amazing. (And Rhi here now, speaking of pretty amazing check this out: when I posted this wedding on my facebook page this morning, a friend of mine commented on the post letting me know who Courtney is. Turns out the bride here was a NCAA volleyball player at Michigan State where I was also a gymnast. My former academic advisor (who like me is Canadian) was a senior the same year Courtney was a freshmen. Funny thing is the gymnastics team and the volleyball team shared a women's shower and bathroom area. I wonder if Courtney and I ever passed another in crossing! Hi Court! Go Green Go White!

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Photographer: Bret Cole Photography / Flowers: Laughin Gal Floral / Rentals - tables and chairs: Chic Events / Caterer: Paradise Catering / Select Decor: Alameda Flea Market, Pottery Barn and friends houses / Wedding dress: Trudys / Men's Shoes: Vans / Bride's cowboy boots: Steve Madden