Weddings Abroad

Crystal and Giampaolo’s Californian Real Wedding

This week’s real wedding is sure to put a warm smile on your face. Crystal and Giampaolo California blue themed wedding, captured beautifully by Bryan Farrell, is exactly what we need to forget the wintery weather we’ve had this week. We love every frame; the wedding is so refreshing you can feel the sun on your skin and the sand beneath your feet. Enjoy.

Crystal and Giampaolo's Californian Real Wedding | Confetti.co.uk

 

Bride and Groom… Crystal & Giampaolo

Wedding date… Sunday October 19th, 2014

We met… When worked together at Costco.

The proposal… Giampaolo proposed in our home.

We knew he was ‘the one’… When I realised he was my best friend and I couldn’t live without him.

Length of engagement… 8 months

Our wedding photographer was… Bryan Farrell. We picked him due to his personality and excellent quality. He was very creative and fun to work with throughout the entire process. Additionally, he became a good friend of ours that made it extra special.

Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk Hotel del Cornado| Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk

My dress … I went to several stores trying to find a dress. I had no luck finding one I liked that also fit in with my price range. We got really lucky when Giampaolos father told us he had a friend with a dress they wanted to give me. It was exactly what I was looking for, I just had to alter it slightly. I wore the pearl necklace and earrings Giampaolo gave me for our first anniversary.

Lace white wedding dress | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding | Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Lace white wedding dress | Bride in a ‘bride’ tank top getting ready for her wedding day | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Flower girl with the bride and bridesmaids as they get ready | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Bride drinking champagne from the bottle as she gets ready | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Bridesmaids cheering the bride on as she drinks champagne from the bottle as she gets ready | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Bridesmaids and bride having a laugh as they get ready for the wedding | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Bride wearing a long veil | Bride ready for her big day | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk

I had… 5 bridesmaids who all wore chiffon, navy blue short dresses in different styles.

The bride in her strapless lace wedding dress | Bridesmaids in royal blue chiffon short dress | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
The bride in her strapless lace wedding dress with her bridesmaids in royal blue chiffon short dress and the flower girl in a white and blue dress | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Bride sitting on the bench by the beach | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Bride walking on the beach with her bouquet in her hand | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Our wedding flowers were… A mixture of flowers. My bouquet had light pink roses and blue hydrangeas. The bridesmaids were similar with more roses and baby’s breath. The centrepieces were boxes we had made to look like drift wood with lanterns and flowers surrounding them.
Bridal bouquet with blush pink roses and white and blue hydrangeas  | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Bride with her bridesmaids and the flower girl on the beach | Funny wedding poses | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Bride on the California beach holding her rustic wedding bouquet | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Bride laughing with her bridesmaids on the California beach| Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Groom and groomsmen getting ready for the wedding | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Groomsmen helping the groom get ready  | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
He had... 7 groomsmen. The best man was Giampaolos younger brother and the rest were good friends. They wore light grey tuxedos, navy blue vests and ties, with baby’s breath and a light pink rose boutonnières.
Groom and his best man ready for the wedding standing on the balcony | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk

Our wedding ceremony was in … Coronado Island. We had a Christian ceremony with 125 guests. Giampaolo’s cousin  played the violin as I walked down the aisle. The ceremony was short and sweet.

White arch way with blush pink and white hydrangeas floral arrangements leading to the ceremony | Beach wedding ceremony | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Blush pink and white hydrangeas floral arrangements for the ceremony | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Outdoor wedding ceremony| Beach wedding ceremony | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Bride walking down the aisle | Groom emotional reaction to seeing the bride for the first time | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Grooms emotional reaction to seeing the bride for the first time | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
Violinist playing during the ceremony | Outdoor wedding ceremony ideas | Beach wedding | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
The first kiss and husband and wife | Outdoor wedding ceremony ideas | Beach wedding | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
The groom looking and his new wife’s wedding ring | Outdoor wedding ceremony ideas | Beach wedding | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
The newlyweds | Outdoor wedding ceremony ideas | Beach wedding | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
The newlyweds by the beach | Outdoor wedding ceremony ideas | Beach wedding | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding America | Confetti.co.uk
The bride with the groomsmen | Beach wedding | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
The groom with the bridesmaids on the pier | Beach wedding | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
The groomsmen lifting the bride | Funny wedding photo ideas | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
The bridesmaids lifting the groom | Funny wedding photo ideas | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
Our wedding reception was… On base so it was much more affordable. We fell in love with the location since it was near the beach.

Our wedding theme was... Navy blue, gold, and light pink
Beach themed wedding centrepieces | Gold lamp with white hydrangeas, and pink carnations | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
Beach themed wedding centrepieces with pink roses and blue hydrangeas | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk

Our favourite part of the wedding was… A tie between our ceremony and the dance floor. Our ceremony was so emotional and our pastor did a great job keeping it light hearted and sweet. The dance floor was also my favourite because I did not expect so many people to get up and dance. It was so much fun.

Our wedding was unique and special because… Everyone who contributed to our big day was either a family member or close friend. It felt very personal and special.

Did anything funny or unusual happen at your wedding? I accidentally ate the first bite of cake instead of feeding it to my new husband.
Bride and groom dancing as they enter the reception room | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
Groom and wedding guests | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
First dance to “I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you” by Collin Hay | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
Live rendition of “I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you” by Collin Hay by the groomsmen | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk

Our first dance was… To a live rendition by the best man “I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you” by Collin Hay.
Live rendition of “I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you” by Collin Hay by the groomsmen | First dance | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk

Our wedding cake was… A small cake with lots of cupcakes. They were white with blue flowers.

Bride and groom cutting their wedding cake | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
Bride and groom cutting their wedding cake | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
Bride getting ready to throw her bouquet | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
Bride getting ready to throw her bouquet | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk
Bride getting ready to throw her bouquet | Bridesmaids and other female guests waiting for the bride to throw her bouquet | Crystal & Giampaolo California Real Wedding |Destination Wedding | Confetti.co.uk

What is your advice for other brides? To accept help from anyone who wants to be a part of it. It’s very overwhelming, especially if you are on a budget and the more people to help the better. I think the best choice we made was to hire and work with people who were close to us. That made our wedding feel more personal.

Our honeymoon was to… Catalina Island. I recommend it, we had a great time snorkelling, biking and eating by the beach.

Suppliers

Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal | Wedding Flowers: Breath Taking Bridal Bouquets | Wedding Entertainment: DJ Kanoya | Wedding Photographer: Bryan Farrell from Wedding Photographers Southport | Wedding Cake: Swedish Royal Bakery | Wedding Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas | Wedding Invites: Wedding Paper Divas | Wedding Transport: Coronado Limos | Wedding Venue: The Island Club – North Island Naval Base Coronado | Ceremony Venue: The Island Club – North Island Naval Base Coronado | Wedding Venue stylist/planner: Sheila Kanoya  | Wedding Gift list: Bed Bath & Beyond | Wedding Catering: The Island Club

 

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