oceanfront overlook ceremony in mendocino, Courtney & Robert at Mendocino Bay Overlook

Real Weddings · Mendocino, CA

A 12-Guest Oceanfront Overlook Ceremony in Mendocino

Courtney & RobertApril 2022Mendocino Bay Overlook · Mendocino

An oceanfront overlook ceremony in Mendocino is exactly what Courtney and Robert built their day around — twelve people on a grassy bluff above Mendocino Bay in April 2022, with the mouth of Big River and the village houses spread out across the water behind them. A short row of white chairs, a walk to the cliff's edge, and the open Pacific doing most of the work.

The whole day stayed close and unhurried. They got ready near the coast, said their vows on the overlook, took family photos along the bluff, and had dinner with the small group who had made the drive out to the headlands.

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Morning

Getting Ready on the Mendocino Coast

The morning ran near the water while the coast air came in cool. Their rings waited in a small wooden box from Brilliant Earth — one a slim wood-inlay band, one a delicate stone setting, set out on a dark table. The bouquet stood by in water, the boutonniere ready to be pinned.

With twelve guests and a short drive to the overlook, nothing had to rush. M Designs Florals & Events had the flowers finished and in place, and the Stanford Inn gave the morning a calm base. The Mendocino coast in April is cool and salt-aired, and the bluff would be theirs once they got there.

oceanfront overlook ceremony in mendocino, Getting Ready on the Mendocino Coast

Afternoon

Married on the Mendocino Bay Overlook

The ceremony was on the Mendocino Bay bluff — a flat, grassy stretch atop the cliffs, the mouth of Big River, Big River Beach, and the houses of Mendocino Village laid out across the water. White folding chairs stood in a short arc, family seated on the grass, and Courtney and Robert met at the front with the ocean wide open behind them. Courtney wore a plunging lace gown with a leaf appliqué and a long veil, pearls dropping from her ears. Robert stood in a charcoal grey suit with a white tie and a white boutonniere. Her bouquet was white roses run through with olive branch and eucalyptus.

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