Olivia & Chad
One sentence sum-up of the wedding vibe: Bringing a relationship full circle (first date, engagement, marriage) in Muir Beach, with a lively black tie wedding with vintage touches and old-world charm.
Soundtrack for reading: “When You Were Young” by The Killers
http://wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/The-Killers-When-You-Were-Young.mp3 
Other Cool Stuff We Should Know About
The Pelican Inn was an easy choice to have our wedding. We spent time at Muir Beach on our first date in 2008 and enjoyed a pint of Laganitas “Pelican” Pale Ale on the lawn at the Pelican Inn (soon followed by our first kiss!). Chad asked me to marry him last September in Muir Beach on a hike and organized a surprise celebratory meal with our families at the Pelican after. We love its cozy, intimate atmosphere; great food, beer and wine; and beautiful setting along the Pacific coast.
Our wedding was especially meaningful to us because there were many personal contributions by our family and friends. I wore my mother’s ivory wedding dress and jacket from my parent’s 1980 Bay Area wedding. Her dress was so timeless and beautiful that it hardly needed any altering. My wedding ring is my grandmother’s engagement ring from the 1920s.
Chad’s dad, Dennis, built our ceremony arch over the course of several months; the walnut was from an unfinished truck project they’d started many years ago, and the windows were inspired by a trip to Europe we all took together last year. Chad and Dennis also built a vintage-inspired photo booth we had in the pub, created to look like an old camera (with a modern touch screen). Guests stood in front of a green screen and selected from images of our favorite places (Hobbiton anyone?) and also spots we’ve spent time with guests like Tahoe and Burney Falls.
There were many other details that came together through the labors of love from our family and friends and it made the day that much more personal and special. The weekend started with a welcome party dinner on Friday at the Muir Beach Community Center followed by a bonfire on the beach. That set the tone for a fun, intimate atmosphere filled with stories and emotion. Muir Beach is fairly remote and rural, despite being close to San Francisco, and requires battling a lack of cell phone reception; the Pelican Inn is officially a “dead zone.”
Chad and his two groomsmen got ready for the wedding at a beach house nearby and the girls got ready in the Pelican. As a gift, Chad gave me a small gold painting of a Pelican he purchased from a local artist in New Orleans, where he travels for work for the large part of each month. We also had fresh pralines shipped from New Orleans the week before and individually wrapped as our wedding favors.
Chad and I read our own vows and the ceremony was sprinkled with excerpts by John Muir, Walt Whitman, and an original poem, “Boy and Girl,” written by my mom. We chose an Irish quartet, Tipsy House, based in San Francisco, to play during the ceremony and cocktail hour to fit with the British pub feel. Our seating chart was an old window my sister found under piles of broken glass and shutters at Urban Ore in Berkeley. We sanded and refinished the wood frame and painted our “O&C” and pelican logo to mirror the menus and programs.
After venturing back to mingle with friends and hear my dad’s sweet welcome toast, Chad and I got in his dad’s 1959 GMC truck and drove down to the beach for more photos, as guests filtered inside for dinner. Chad opened a special edition bottle of our favorite Belgian beer on the way, Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek. Cantillon, a Lambic sour beer, is uniquely fermented “wild” then barrel-aged with fruit (cherries in this case), giving it a bright red color and tart, vinous taste. We also had a bottle of Cantillon at Muir Beach on our engagement day. The small brewery in Brussels is hard to find and covered in cobwebs with signs informing us not to disturb the “ecosystem.”
On the beach we all did some more rock climbing as the tide was coming in and met three girls in sweatshirts who gave me a heart-shaped rock in honor of our wedding day. Sweet! Gabriel kept it safe for us for the evening.
After dinner and mingling back at the Pelican Inn, everyone moved outside for toasts and cake cutting. My sister, Chelsea, showed her favorite photo of us in Oakland A’s snuggies. Chad and his groomsmen gave sweet speeches with stories to share. When the cake came out for cutting I was largely concerned with keeping the chocolate off of my dress (and remembering how to cut cake as a couple—together right? Thanks Gabriel!).
The night went on with dancing, a dessert bar, pub time, and more photo booth fun.
Favorite Thing About The Wedding
Some of our favorite moments of the day included an unexpected hike across Highway 1 during cocktail hour, past Golden Gate Dairy (which had been part of a film set we visited the night before) to a cluster of interesting rocks and trees Gabriel spotted. We were rewarded with beautiful views of the Pelican, our guests, and the ocean (and luckily avoided the poison oak lurking between rocks).
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The Info:
Photographer: Gabriel Harber APW Sponsor | Planning & Coordination: Lowe House Creative | Graphic Design of Printed Materials: Ashley Paterson | Hair: Kendall Shira | Make Up: Mindy Boni | Florist: Mill Valley Flowers | Dessert: Indie Cakes & Pastries | Band: Tipsy House | Balloons: Balloon Delight | Praline Favors: Leah’s Pralines (label designed by Ashley Paterson) | DJ: Amos Productions | Video: NorCal Film Works
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