"our wedding was a moroccan style with bohemian and romantic elements tied in. the wedding was held at the casino in san clemente minutes from the beach. the rustic alley ways and exposed brick added another creative element for photos. such an awesome team that came together to bring this dream wedding to life.”

- Mary

Shoutout to this amazing team that brought this day to life, hope you enjoy the photos!

Coordinator : @allinthedetaildesign 

Catering: @tgiscatering 

Florals: @foxtail_florals 

DJ: @soundwavepros 

Hair + makeup: @melissagrace_ @oooohjbaby 

Rentals: @sundrop_vintage 

Photo booth: @pixsterphotobooth 

Officiant: @greatofficiants 

Venue: @thecasinosc 

Photo: @astrayphoto

Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?

A: Our inspiration for the wedding day was Moroccan-inspired with bohemian elements. This style encapsulated both of our personalities as it was colorful and bold, yet romantic and unique. We incorporated gold accents as well, which is meaningful within both of our families.

Q: Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

A: Our wedding designer Amy Beck was a huge factor in our wedding day decor coming together. We created mood boards together based on inspirations I found on Pinterest and design magazines, and Amy brought the inspiration to life. We shopped together when we picked out rental items, and she helped me stay within my original inspiration. No decor was DIY, although my husband picked out our frames for our entry table!

Q: What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?

A: The florals were one of my favorite parts of the wedding! They were romantic and beautifully designed with much dimension and depth to them. It felt like the florals held their own unique personality, which helped set the overall romantic tone to the wedding. Our color scheme was fused into my bouquet so creatively as well.

Q: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?

A: We designed drink koozies for the day with the slogan, "To have and to hold, and to keep your beer cold. George and Mary 6/22/19" Drink koozies are personal for us, and we wanted to share that with our guests. The food was also really important to us too, as we opted for a plant-based wedding. Our menu was taste-tested and custom created with TGIS Catering. Many of our guests commented on how much they loved the food.

Q: Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.

A: My wedding day look was romantic, non-traditional and moody, with my dress being nude with an overlay of lace designed with roses. It was the first dress I tried on and I knew it was the one as soon as I saw it in the mirror. My hair and makeup was romantic and moodier than the traditional bride, using a smokey eye to capture the depth of the look. My husband requested to surprise me with his outfit too. I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw his fitted tux and custom-designed Vans shoes. He looked so handsome.

Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

A: We met in Costa Mesa at a coffee shop near my work. We started talking and realized we had many things in common, it was actually unlike anything we've ever experienced. We decided to grab lunch that same day and have been together since the day we met. When you meet the right person, you just know it. George proposed to me in Maui while we were on vacation with my family. He had 'Mary, will you marry me?' tattooed on his leg by my brother-in-law, and managed to hide it from me for a few days. He pretended to have a leg cramp, got down on one knee and then pulled up his shorts to show the words on his leg. It took me a minute to catch on to what was going on, but as soon as I figured it out I was so happy and surprised.

Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

A: A special moment was walking down the aisle with my dad, then seeing George and my dad giving me away. I still get emotional when I see pictures or talk about it. It was truly a beautiful moment where time stood still. Also, seeing our family and friends together was such a highlight. George's family and friends mostly Iive in England, and our families coming together to celebrate our wedding was one of the most exciting and fun experiences we've had together. We wanted to celebrate love and have fun on our wedding day above all else, and I'm grateful to have been able to share that with our closest family and friends.

Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?

A: My wedding planning advice is get a planner, adjust your budget to do so. You won't regret it. Also use vendors that you trust and know will exceed your expectations. It's worth it! My marriage advice is to remember you're a team that's built on a foundation of love and trust. If that foundation is lacking, resources are available to help you strengthen that foundation together. Get creative with what resources you use, whether that's traveling together, cooking together, doing a couples workshop, etc. Remember to check-in with each other often, have fun together and take time to express appreciation for one another. There are billions of people in the world...meeting each other and embracing love is always something to be celebrated! Consciously choose to keep the flame going even after you say 'I do', and embrace growing and learning together.

Thanks so much for making it to the end, and taking a look at Mary & George’s wedding at The Casino. If you are from Orange County and planning your wedding in the area, or from out of California and searching for a Southern California wedding venue, this is one of the best spots in California to get married. The iconic brick alley ways, close proximity to the beach, and open concept of the venue make this an ideal canvas for creativity. We are destination wedding photographers based in San Diego and love being able to meet, and work with so many unique, and talented couples on the biggest day of their lives. If you are wedding planning, and still teaching for a California wedding photographer, we would love to hear about your ideas and style of your wedding and see if we could help capture the important moments of your wedding. From beach weddings to iconic elopements in the mountains in the mountains, California is jam packed with some of the best wedding locations on earth! We like to shoot the day as the moments come, and feel our style is more of a journalistic approach with a bit of positioning to make sure we capture exactly what we want. Again, thank you so much for checking out our blog and hope to connect soon