Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met over 8 years ago at a bar in Hermosa Beach, CA. He had me at “5,6,7,8…” - along with his killer dance moves and we’ve been inseparable ever since. Chris was born and raised in Hermosa Beach, CA. He loves beach lifestyle, surfing, and beach volleyball. I was born and raised in Long Beach, CA, and also love the beach, dancing, food, and creating. Chris is in medical sales and I’m a pastry baker and work at a wine bar. We live in Long Beach with our mini Aussiedoodle, Ace. We enjoy spending our time at the beach, making up songs, exploring, live music, and traveling - when we’re not cuddled up at home with our dog watching TV.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We went to Italy last year and visited Rome, Florence, Bologna, and Venice. We fell in love with it and wanted to go back and visit the coast. In June of this year, around the time we decided we wanted to get married, we were wondering if we could pull off a trip to the Amalfi Coast in the fall. As I started looking into it, I thought it would be a beautiful place to elope and honeymoon, since it combined our love of the beach and love of “La Dolce Vita”. I asked Chris if he liked that idea, and he said “YES!” However, he thought doing it in 4 months was crazy, and that we should plan for the next year. I was determined we could do it, so I went on a mission and found our amazing photographer and planner Daina. She made it all happen for us in that short timeframe!
How many guests did you have?
No guests, just us two and our photographer/planner!
What was your budget?
We had a budget of 20k for the whole elopement and honeymoon combined. We stuck to it pretty well -until we got there. We enjoy our good wine and food!
Tell us about your outfits.
Since we were working on a tight time schedule our options were limited, but I think we pulled it off! I love classic movies, so I wanted some classic vintage vibes with a modern twist. As much as I love all the trends going on right now, I didn’t want to get too trendy, and tried to keep it a little more timeless. Since the Amalfi Coast is so beautiful I also wanted to keep it simpler so as not to clash with the scenery. I also knew we were going to be in a car a lot and exploring so I wanted something easy and comfortable.
I had gone shopping with my mom one day but didn’t find any dresses I loved. I loved the Jenny Yoo veil I tried on but they said it wouldn’t be available in time. Then I went shopping with Chris and he thought that this Antonio Gual dress was the one. I loved the buttons going down the whole back and the unique top. Plus it had pockets! Later, I was shopping online and found the Jenny Yoo veil I had loved available to ship in time, so I thought it was meant to be. My something borrowed and something old was the simple diamond solitaire necklace my mom gave me to wear that was passed down by my great aunt. The dress I changed into for dinner was from Anthropologie, and both pairs of shoes were Dolce Vita, when I wasn’t barefoot or wearing my Birkenstocks!
Chris’ looks were all from The Black Tux. We liked the classic black for the wedding and the change into the white dinner jacket at night. He tore his meniscus a week before we had to leave for Italy. We thought we were going to have to cancel the entire trip, but luckily the doctor said he could go with a brace and some modifications and do surgery when we got back. He was a little bummed that the knee brace underneath rumpled his pants, but I still think he looks like a movie star! I’m just grateful he was ok and we got to go!
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We wanted it to be a fun, relaxed, love filled day that was just about us. We didn’t want to have any outside opinions clouding our non traditional choices so we kept it a secret except for close family. Since we were eloping, it was important for us to have a great photographer to document the day- not only for us to look back on, but for us to share with our friends and family. So the first order of business was to find our photographer. I found Daina Hazel on Instagram, and she brought our vision to life and captured the feel of it perfectly.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We knew we did not want a traditional wedding. We wanted a day that was just for us and reflected our unique love and style. We wanted to explore the coast in either a car or boat and ultimately decided to go with a car for the wedding day. Since Daina knew we had also wanted to do a boat, she was so nice and planned a private boat tour for us for the day after. That was the perfect way to start our honeymoon. We love the Dolce Vita lifestyle and wanted our wedding day to have that. Spontaneous, good food, leisurely and indulgent. That’s amore!
Any tips for couples getting married?
Be true to whatever you want and not what you think others want, because at the end of the day it’s all about you and your partner's love!
Also, this is a tip for after getting married because nobody really talks about it, but post wedding blues are real! So, if you can, try to have something else lined up for afterwards like a new project to dive into and be excited about!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We cannot say enough about our photographer/planner Daina Hazel and her husband Lorenzo! They not only executed what we wanted and captured it beautifully, but they personally helped make the day what it was just by being the great people they are! We only spent two days with them but we feel like we have new lifelong friends. We’re forever grateful for them!
I loved my hair and makeup artist Jolanda from Beauty Livery . I had found them on Instagram and wasn’t sure what to expect but she was the best. She had the sweetest and most calming presence. Since I didn’t have any friends or family to help me get ready she also helped me into my dress and veil. She really was the kindest and helped me feel my best for our big day.
Photography & Planner: Daina Hazel @daina.hazel | Flora: Flora Garden @floragardenpositano | Ceremony Location: Hotel Marincanto @marincanto_romantic hotel | Getting Ready Location: La Conca Azzurra @hotellaconcaazzurra | Reception Location: Zass Restaurant, Il San Pietro @ilsanpietropositano | Car Hire: Spider Lifestyle @spiderlifestyle | Boat Hire: Misal Charter
@misalcharter | HMUA: Beauty Livery @beautylivery | Catering, Beverages & Cake: Zass Restaurant, Il San Pietro @ilsanpietropositano | Ceremony Dress: Antonio Gual @antoniogual from Love And Lace Bridal @loveandlacebridalsalon | Dinner Dress: Anthropologie @anthropologie | Suit: The Black Tux
@theblacktux | Veil: Jenny Yoo @jennyyoonyc | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Golden String Jewelry @goldenstringjewelry | Shoes: Dolce Vita @dolcevita