Anyone who knows Chelsey and Charles will have their own collection of memories from the long history of epic gatherings and festive celebrations in the South Oceanside village of St. Malo. From the early days of their relationship, the couple made regular visits to the family beach home here, and their visits were almost always accompanied by an artfully inspired fiesta. These parties, with themes such as “Bastille Day”, “Alien”, “Neon”, and “Roulette”, brought people together, cemented lifelong friendships, and left in their wake a sea of great memories and cherished photo albums (yes, actual albums!). With such a deeply rooted history of great times spent with fantastic people over more than a decade, it was only a matter of time before the tribes would again converge upon the beachside enclave for the ultimate reunion – the wedding of Chelsey and Charles. Charles welcomed us in his incredible fuscia and serpentine Moods of Norway suit and we knew immediately that the day was going to be a memorable one. Down the road, Chelsey was preparing with her friends and looked like a fairytale ballerina. We couldn’t wait for them to see each other. Their first look was excitement crossed with intense wonderment topped off with pure joy; I think they were in awe of the reality settling in that this day had finally arrived…and they looked awesome! The day continued with incredible amounts of personality and thoughtful DIY touches around every corner. The groomsmen surprised everyone with their eclectic suits which reflected their individual styles and the brides dress was handmade by Chelsey and friends. Leading up to the ceremony, the groom stood at the head of the aisle playing the ukulele for the pre-processional accompanied by longtime friend and musician. As Chelsey met Charles, the two exchanged vows and proclaimed their love for each other – and for each other’s “weirdness”. Despite the best efforts to keep the tone of the ceremony light, the outpouring of love and anecdotal musings by their officiant, and longtime friend Hank brought the gathering onto the brink of tears more than once. As the ceremony drew to a close, the couple faced the crowd and everyone joined together in singing the Ronette’s Be My Baby and tucked somewhere amongst one of the final verses, they kissed and were pronounced husband and wife. Long before the wedding day, Chelsey had described her expectations of the day in saying “(that I) take seriously the commitment that I’m making, but also have so much fun, communally celebrating with the people I love most.” When we followed up after the wedding to see what stood out as most memorable, she said most of the events surrounding the ceremony – the vows, the song, and the walking back down the aisle feeling the tremendous wave of love from everyone. The night continued on with much more celebration but for every wedding, one particular time stands out as the apex of the event and for us, we couldn’t agree more that the ceremony tied together all the love and history of that place and beautifully (and colorfully), created a new chapter in their story.
