This wedding is what boho dreams are made of! Hotel Seven4one, in Laguna Beach, California, was transformed into a tropical utipia–the couple was engaged in Costa Rica and wanted to bring a bit of the beauty, travel, and adventure to their day! The juxtaposition of the modern venue with organic beauty set the scene.
What made this wedding truly special was our Bride and Groom and their impeccable taste in fashion, art, and design! Kristen and Derek both work in Media and in the Fashion industry; together they put so much love, thought and time into planning their wedding–they worked closely with wedding planner Kate of Tricia Dahlgren Events. Their style permeated throughout the entire venue–from the hand-painted welcome sign, to the ceremony site with hanging planters and geometric candles, to the reception with laser cut name cards and gold flatware, to their beautifully decorated cake outfitted with 2 Macaw birds (these tropical birds mate for LIFE, how sweet!!!!) every detail was curated and thoughtfully planned!
This boutique hotel is gorgeous from every angle and is situated just steps away from one of the most enchanting beaches in Southern California. Laguna is super special to Kristen and Derek as they spent their first date walking hand-in-hand on Woods Cove—-8 years later on their wedding day Kristen wore the most STUNNING Ru De Seine dress perfect for running around that exact same beach with her handsome husband!!!
Kristen and Derek have a love that is effortless and easy to capture–their wedding day was perfect, memorable and beautiful and one we won’t soon forget!! It was so fun getting to know this amazing couple throughout the wedding planning process—They even came up to our home in Big Sur for engagement photos–CLICK HERE to view their ENGAGEMENT session!!
FROM THE BRIDE + GROOM:
What was the Inspiration for your wedding day? Well, we got engaged in Costa Rica! We really wanted to get married where we got engaged but knew that it wasn’t realistic for friends and family to travel there. Since we have such a deep connection to Costa Rica, we wanted to bring it home to us for our wedding day! Our wedding was tropical themed – focusing on florals from the jungles of Costa Rica. Our florist did an incredible job importing all of those flowers and plants!
How and why did you pick your venue and or wedding details: We toured a handful of popular venues in SoCal (Mostly in Malibu and Orange County where we live). Since we had such a small and intimate wedding of only 30 people, we didn’t want a huge venue. We wanted it to be very private and intimate feeling. We also were hoping to find a venue where a lot of our traveling guests could actually stay. And BOOM! We found Seven4One which was only 15 minutes from our house! When we toured it, it just seemed right. It had a beautiful and lush living wall as the ceremony backdrop…This felt right in line with our “tropical theme”. It is also a small boutique hotel that is only used for weddings & events – so our traveling guests got to stay the entire weekend in the hotel rooms. It was just perfect!
How did you make your wedding day special and make it about the two of you??! This was important to us! We didn’t want to lose sight of what made us happy on this day which is easy to do when you are trying to please everyone. If something didn’t feel right to us, we didn’t do it. We kept in mind that this day was to celebrate our love. We kept our wedding so small with only our closest friends and family to keep it extra special for us. What made it most special was the guests who came. It felt amazing to be showered with so much love and support.
Most memorable moment (s) of your wedding day? Everything really! Everything was so special, but the most memorable moments were reading vows, hearing speeches from our loved ones, and dancing to our first dance song.
What was your favorite part about the wedding planning process? We actually loved picking out the flowers and decor! Surprisingly, Derek is very good at picking table arrangements and flowers! The hanging pots were his idea!
Any advice for those planning now? Give yourself enough time. Rushing causes stress and it should be a happy and exciting time. Try to get done as much as you can in the months leading up to your wedding! We had EVERYTHING done a week before the wedding so on wedding week we got massages, got pampered, and just had fun appointments. Try to relax before the big day! Don’t wait until the last minute for anything! And invest in good photographers! 🙂
Music: First Dance: Good For Me (acoustic) – Above & Beyond
ceremony + reception SEVEN4ONE| destination LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA| wedding planner KATE of TRICIA DAHLGREN EVENTS | floral design BLOOM OF TIME | wedding dress RU DE SEINE | wedding dress shop THE DRESS THEORY – SAN DIEGO | hair TRESS APOTHECARY + SALON | makeup PATRICIA CASTRO| jewelry MARISA NEWACHECK | cake GRACE + HONEY CAKES | laser cutting HAPPILY EVER ETCHED | officiant GREAT OFFICIANTS | groom suit EMPORIO ARMANI | groom tie ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA | photography + video THE DELAURAS
The breathtaking wedding at Alila Ventana Inn was artfully captured using a vintage Super 8 film camera, adding an enchanting touch of nostalgia to the timeless memories.
Wedding photography by The DeLauras, Big Sur Wedding Photographers, for a Tehama Golf Club wedding in Carmel Valley, California.
Chloe and Richard’s Albatross Ridge wedding in Carmel Valley, California. Photographed by Big Sur Wedding Photographers, The DeLauras.
Chrissy and Tabor’s Loma Vista Gardens Wedding in Big Sur, California. Photographed by Big Sur Wedding Photographers, The DeLauras.
Micro wedding at Wind and Sea Estate, held in Big Sur, California, and photographed by Big Sur Wedding Photographers, The DeLauras
Amy and Nathan’s romantic coastal and redwoods elopement at Glen Oaks in Big Sur, California, photographed by the DeLauras Photography
WE HAVE THE EARNEST
DESIRE TO CAPTURE THE
SPIRIT OF YOUR DAY.
THE MOOD,
THE ATMOSPHERE,
THE FEELINGS,
THE OUT-TAKES,
& ALL OF THE
UNSCRIPTED MOMENTS
