Alex & Emily’s Blue Wedding

Alex & Emily’s blue toned wedding was just as it sounds, filled with beautiful shades of blue, creating a serene as well as a somewhat non-traditional feel. Their celebration was held at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, CA. Alongside the blues their color palette consisted of a sage green, lavender and pops of yellow which they brought in by adding citrus to the tablescape. Such lovely bright and joyful wedding inspiration!

Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? Emily wore her grandmother’s bracelet and her grandfathers wedding ring on her right hand. She wore a sapphire necklace and earrings that her dad gave her mom. Our dear family friend married us in the most beautiful ceremony. Emily’s sister read a passage from Rilke on love and Alex’s friend played and sang In My Life by the Beatles. We chose Rilke for his deep and timeless wisdom about love that lasts a lifetime. We chose In My Life because when we were in college we took a class on the history of Rock’n Roll together and this song really stuck with Emily and Alex.

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? We met in a history class in college. Alex knew that Emily liked him after she asked for help on a paper, but she got an A and he got a B on the paper. Emily thought that Alex was cute, but wasn’t looking for anything serious. Ten years later, and as they say the rest is history. We got engaged in March 2020, right when the pandemic began. Alex had planned to propose on a trip to Costa Rica, but we had to cancel the trip at the last minute due to the pandemic. He quickly made a new plan and proposed while hiking on the Oregon Coast. Our friends were waiting at the top of the mountain with champagne! We spent the rest of the day eating pizza and walking along Cannon Beach.

What is your favorite thing about each other? Emily loves the way that Alex makes her laugh, and reminds her not to take anything too seriously. Alex loves Emily’s sense of humor, compassion, and adventurous spirit.

What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? The ceremony was one of our favorite parts because of the deep thought and meaning behind everything we did. At the end of it all, the best part was celebrating our love surrounded by our best friends and family. And, of course dancing the night away. We had an incredible band and the dance floor was packed all night. It was by far the best dance party of our lives!

If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? Don’t sweat the small stuff, and almost everything that you are worried about is small. As the ever wise Cheryl Strayed wrote, it is easy to get “caught up in all the expectations, outdated fairy tales, overpriced products, and irrational beliefs that one adheres to when one believes it possible to flawlessly orchestrate the behaviors, conversations, drinking habits and outfits of a large group of in-laws, out-laws, friends, strangers and coworkers while simultaneously having a meaningful and intimate exchange with your sweetheart in front of an audience. It is not. Or at least it’s not possible in exactly the way you’re imagining now, sweet pea.” Choose the things that matter the most to you and pour energy into that. Allow for the unexpected and meaningful moments, and be flexible. As Cheryl said: “Let your wedding be a wonder. Let it be one hell of a good time. Let it be what you can’t yet imagine and wouldn’t orchestrate even if you could. . . . You’re getting married, sweet pea! There’s a day in July that’s a shimmering slice of your mysterious destiny. All you’ve got to do is show up.”

What is the most honest thing you can say about love? I think that love in marriage requires intention. It requires always turning towards each other when there are difficulties. It also requires space for each partner to flourish as an individual. It requires honesty, compromise, and sacrifice. It is also beautiful and unexpected; harder and more wonderful than either of us thought possible.

Photographer: Blue Rose Photography
Venue: Montalvo Special Event
Stylist / Planner / Designer: CMG Events
Floral Designer: Bloomwell and Co
Dress Designer: Leanne Marshall
Makeup Artist: Dream Catcher Artistry
Hair Stylist: Dream Catcher Artistry
Rentals: Pleasanton rentals
Stationery: Roseville Designs
Film Lab: Photovision Prints