We’re setting sail today with Michelle and Eric’s intimate boat wedding.
They said their I do’s with 15 friends and family aboard a private boat in San Diego. What a better way to get amazing views?! Post ceremony they headed to a local brewery where they were joined by a few more friends to continue the celebrations.
Check out some Q& A from the couple below!
Photography: 222 Photography
Getting Ready Location: Hilton San Diego Bayfront
Bride’s Dress: David’s Bridal
Reception: Stone Brewery at Liberty Station
How did you meet?
He was completing His post graduate residency as orthopedic surgery, I was rotating thru as a medical student on my orthopedic rotation. He asked me out for drinks and I said no. He was smart and persisted, asked me out for a “study date“ at a coffee shop and I eventually gave in.
How did you decide to have a smaller intimate wedding? Did you have any challenges that came with that decision vs. something larger and more traditional?
We decided to have a small wedding because neither one of us wanted to spend a large sum of money on an extravagant party for other people. We are very low-key/low maintenance individuals and decided the money could be better spent elsewhere (down payment on a house). We knew that if we decided to have a large wedding it would be very stressful as there would be a lot of extra family members that tried to place their input into our wedding planning and we didn’t want the additional stress and to spend unnecessary money. We wanted a wedding that would reflect who we were.
Our biggest challenge was trying to include everybody we possibly could and stay with our budget. My husband wanted to have a very festive “party atmosphere“. His family is very conservative and would not approve of alcohol and the kind of atmosphere we wanted to have, therefore we kept the size of the wedding very small and very intimate so that only friends and family Members who would approve and enjoy themselves were invited. It was very challenging and stressful because we knew that in doing so we were definitely going to hurt peoples feelings and offend some people, and we ultimately had to decide what we wanted more; a wedding where we fully enjoyed ourselves and had little stress or a wedding where we made everyone else happy.
The hardest part was picking the people that would be included on the boat because we were limited to 15 due to the size. We ultimately came to a decision on who would be included there based on who was the closest to us and the most happy about us getting married.
How did you decide on the location?
We decided on San Diego because that was the location of One of our first meaningful dates. We knew we wanted to have a wedding on the beach or near the water and San Diego was special to us.
We ended up winning a yacht cruise at a charity auction for Royal Family a charity we go to every year for foster children. My husband’s “grandmother” recommended that we get married on the yacht, and we fell in love with the idea. The challenge was finding a location for a small reception. It wasn’t until our photographer recommended breweries that we were able to find a brewery in downtown San Diego that suited our needs, was within our budget, and reflected our personalities. We chose the Stone brewery right outside of Petco Park because my husband is a avid baseball fan and lit up at the site of the park right outside the brewery, and I thought “what could be better than this”.
Did you tell everyone about your plans ahead of time? How did you break the news that you were doing something smaller and more intimate?
We unfortunately did not tell everyone that we were having a very small intimate wedding until after the fact. It wasn’t actually until photos Were posted on social media that all the family members that weren’t invited found out we got married.
We didn’t mean for it to happen that way, we were actually going to have a small secondary party at a later date to include them all however things unraveled the way they did and they unfortunately found out before we could tell them.
Most of the people we told ahead of time about the wedding/reception was family of the bride and close friends because they are a little bit more adventurous and free spirited and fit the “Fun/party” vibe we were wanting, so having to explain to the groom’s side of the family was a little bit more complicated.
Most of his family understood as saving money and being financially responsible is important to them however we did offend quite a few people.Ultimately we did what we thought was best for us. It may have been selfish but we decided Our memories of the wedding that we created were what was most important to us.
What was your favorite part of the day and why?
Bride: my favorite part of the wedding date was the intimate ceremony on the boat, there was just something about seeing my husband for the first time in such an intimate setting with our loved ones around us that made it that much more special. There was no stress, No being pulled in multiple directions, all the mingling was able to happen in one area so I got to stay with my husband throughout the whole course of the time we were there. There were several intimate moments with just my husband and I on the actual boat itself that I don’t think could’ve happened if it was a large wedding with a large amount of people.
Groom: My favorite part of the wedding day was the anticipation of it all. Knowing how diligently we worked/planned for a small wedding, And knowing how happy everyone would be, it became truly a day of celebration. In the end our family members were grateful, our friends were happy, and more importantly My wife had a smile from ear to ear which made the day all the more special.
What advice would you give couples currently planning their own elopements and small weddings?
Just do it, focus on yourself, it is your day your celebration and it should be a reflection of who you are and what you truly want. It is the one day it is OK to be selfish.
