Southern California Coastal wedding at Casa Romantica // ©2017 Sun & Sparrow Casa Romantica Wedding photographer

Describe your experience at your wedding in 1 paragraph, everything you remember.

Jack: The first emotion I felt during our wedding was joy on a number of different levels – joy that I was about to marry the woman of my dreams, joy that all of our shared experiences were about to culminate in a wonderful celebration, and joy that all of our hard work preparing for the big day was over and that we could finally savor all the day’s special moments.  The instant I saw Cindy during our first look felt like an incredible rush that didn’t let up until we woke up the next morning. The rest of the day felt like living in a fantasy. Our ceremony overlooked the Pacific Ocean on a beautiful Fall day, we had an amazing dinner with 120 of our closest friends and family, and then we danced the night away inside of a beautiful hacienda ballroom.  I’m glad that we have pictures to prove that we weren’t dreaming!

Cindy: The moment my bridesmaids and I arrived to Casa Romantica I felt a surge of emotions that brought me to a high unlike any other – excitement, nerves, anticipation, delight, and so much love. I was incredibly grateful for all the hard work that our families and bridal party had put in to make this a special day, and for all of our guests that had traveled from near and far to be with us. Walking down the aisle with my father to meet Jack was the sweetest and most loving scene that we could have asked for. We read our vows in front of our closest friends and family, and in that moment I couldn’t believe how fortunate we were – not only did I get to marry a wonderful man that has brought so much happiness into my life, but we also managed to have the wedding of our dreams. The coastal views, the laughter and cheers echoing through the walls, the beautiful flowers and decorations, our wedding band playing our favorite songs, it all came together to make our wedding an incredible experience.

What was your favorite moment from your wedding day? 

Out of all the amazing moments, our favorite would have to be  the ceremony itself.  The ceremony took place on the ocean terrace of Casa Romantica, which overlooks the San Clemente pier and the beautiful Pacific coast. The weather was warm and the skies were clear. At one point, our officiant asked us to look out on all of our friends and family in attendance, and the feeling of love and support emanating from all of our guests, coupled with the love and support we felt from each other, is something we will never forget. A close second would have to be dancing with all of our guests as we wrapped up the reception to our song, I’m Gonna Be (500 miles).

What inspired you while planning your wedding & decor? 

No one really tells you how much work goes into planning a wedding, but with the help of our fantastic wedding coordinator extraordinaire, Cortney Helaine, we were able to make our wedding dreams a reality. We wanted to set the scene in a beautiful, romantic, and intimate spot, and Casa Romantica allowed us to do just that. A venue as lovely as Casa meant that we only needed to add a few personal touches to make it special. From the dark red dahlias to the San Francisco themes, we wanted to bring details that were closest to our heart. The fact that each component of the wedding had been carefully curated by us brought on a feeling of accomplishment, as well as a feeling that we were living in some sort of dream world that had been created in our imaginations.

Do you have any advice for brides/grooms who are currently planning their weddings?

So much time and effort goes into planning a wedding that it can be easy to become distracted and not be in the moment. Make sure you let yourself enjoy the big day! All of the planning and stressing will be worth it, as long as you remember to turn off that part of your brain come wedding day.