Plan Your Vintage Luxury Beach Elopement

This summer, two high school sweethearts found each other later in life and married on the beach. We documented their day with cinematic photography and tried to get every detail right. From the boho picnic set up to the vintage 1956 Chevy Belair in seafoam green, this is a luxury vintage wedding for anyone who dreams of being the star in their film and driving off in the sunset with their soulmate.

They met in a high school production of Romeo and Juliet. In 10th grade, she walked in, and she was the new girl. He was the shy, artsy boy sitting at his desk, and as soon as she walked into the room, his heart just dropped. She walked right by him, commented on the doodle he was drawing, and sat behind him. He said that he fell in love the first day she walked into the room. They started dating during the show and continued to do theatre together. He graduated two years before her, and they went their separate ways.

Twenty years later, they reconnected and fell in love all over again. They got back in touch and dated long-distance for a while. He was in Florida, and she was in California. They did the long-distance thing for a while and went back and forth between California and Florida. Finally, he was able to make the move back to California. We wanted to create an adventurous experience for this couple that showed off everything about who they are!

They wanted to make it extra special, so they decided to have an intimate ceremony on a beach cove at Pebble Beach. There was no pomp or circumstance for this one-of-a-kind event, just two people who had found each other after many years of being apart. Their luxury vintage theme carried over into their stunning attire. The bride wore a Melissa Sweet dress from David’s Bridal. Manuel’s suit was vintage, and he found it (he is an avid thrifter)! It is a replica of Daniel Craig’s 007 Skyfall tuxedo.

The day was perfect. A moody and romantic sky, the water lapping against the shore. The couple exchanged vows as they held hands under our custom wedding arch we brought down from San Francisco. Conrad, our officiant, was there for the ceremony. That arch and the quaint, rustic flowers can be rented and used in your luxury vintage wedding. After that moment, they kissed each other passionately, and we captured them later that evening laughing together on the beach with a breathtaking sunset behind them. Her ring is a morganite ring in rose gold from an artisan in Florida, and Manuel’s ring was purchased in historic Solvang, California, and was crafted in Turkey.

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These two are a perfect couple. They are so goofy together, and they are both artsy. Their happiness exudes like two puppies. They love each other so much and are so grateful and happy that they can find each other and reunite as grown-ups way later in life. Their engagement session was in Chinatown in San Francisco, and we had a fun time with that.

Then they came up with this fantastic idea for a six-hour elopement! Will and I came down from San Francisco and did their photo and video. They rented a vintage 1956 Chevy Belair from Monterey Touring Vehicles. She had a vision for what she wanted. She sent us a video of this dark, emotional beach picnic, and they were wondering, how can we recreate this? The video was so moody and emotive that we knew we had to get it right.

The day started at the beautiful Airbnb they had rented in Pebble Beach. They had the seafoam Bel-Air waiting for us when we got there. The two wanted to be like rock and roll high school sweethearts driving off into the sunset. So that is what we wanted to create for them.  We did some getting-ready pictures at the Airbnb. Her fantastic makeup and hair (stylist credit goes to AleBee) were a stunning look for this luxury vintage vibe we were going for.  Her floral arrangements were from Linny’s Floral Design, and their designers helped her create a color palette that included burgundy rose and champagne-colored flowers in a large rustic bouquet. Gretchen Cortez, a local wedding and event planner, helped create their perfect sunset picnic. While they were cruising to Big Sur for photos, she set up the wonderful picnic that included charcuterie, cake, and wine.

We did a first-look photo session at the house, and then they got into the car and drove down to Pebble Beach. They had picked a specific beach cove with dramatic rocks in the background. She wanted a boho picnic down there, and at the time, I had not yet partnered with Alex at the Picnic Plug. However, because Morgan teaches theater at a private high school, she had all these friends in the prop department who brought the set up for the picnic. They had all these random props in their garages and the prop room. That’s where all of the vintage suitcases came from.

Along with Gretchen Cortez, their wedding planner, her friends and coworkers collaborated and created the perfect setup. We now have Alex from The Picnic Plug, who can do everything. Alex will also have a copy of that arch, which will be available with those flowers. The cake was from Safeway, and the tarts were from The Farm Bakery Cafe & Gifts in Aptos, California.

Then we went to the Bixby Bridge. It’s a very famous bridge, and it’s been in many movies from the 50s and 60s. If you look up Bixby Bridge in film, you’ll see who has driven across it. Then we went back and did their picnic and cake cutting. They had charcuterie, shared a champagne toast, and also enjoyed some local port wine as the sun was setting. Then we left them to enjoy it.

Morgan later said about the whole experience, “This was our dream! I want to share an intimate wedding day in Monterey and Big Sur. And it was just that, a beautiful dream!” We especially love doing long days like this and creating photography and films for unforgettable people. While planning your vintage luxury elopement, things to remember include location, flowers, officiant, set up (picnic, etc.), and other vintage elements you can add, such as a vintage vehicle, vintage dress, etc. So, what does your luxury vintage wedding dream look like? Let us know, and we will help you recreate it!