An Oceanfront Airbnb Minimony in Jenner

Married on the Deck, a 12-Guest Ocean-View Ceremony in Jenner

The ceremony was on the large deck at the edge of the property, and the open coast filled the whole view behind it — the hills, the river mouth, an orange umbrella folded off to one side. Lili Freitas officiated, silver-haired in dark clothes, her book open between the couple. Alex walked in first with his mom, then the flower girl came down, and then Marianna came in on her father's arm to Explosions in the Sky's "Your Hand In Mine." The two of them met at the end of the aisle to finish the walk together.

The guests sat close, in a single curved row split down the middle, family on either side. Marianna and Alex held hands through the vows while the water ran out behind them. A deck this size over a coast like that keeps everyone within a few feet of the couple, and it does the work a big venue never quite manages to fake.

“They made sure we had a bit of time to ourselves to take in the moment.”

Portraits at the Sonoma Coast at Jenner Preserve

Family portraits ran on the deck and around the house first, and then Marianna and Alex slipped away for photos out in the landscape. The last of the day took them up the hill behind the home to the Sonoma Coast at Jenner Preserve. With the Russian River winding into view behind them as the sun descended over the horizon, it was a simply perfect ending to a chill Sonoma coast wedding day. Alex stood out in the tall grass on the hills above the water while the light went blue, the boutonniere the one warm spot of color against the dark suit.

The deck faces the water with nothing blocking the horizon, so the afternoon handed them two entirely different settings. On the deck, with the chairs still arranged from the ceremony, the Sonoma Coast ran out behind them. Up at the Jenner Preserve, the river mouth and the open coast did the rest. Marianna pulled a soft pink shawl over the gown against the coast wind, and the couple found a quiet corner of the deck to lean into each other before dinner.

Toasts, Dinner, and Cake Back at the House

Back at the house, cocktail hour ran on the deck before Marianna's sister-in-law and brother announced the couple in. The long table was set with a rust-colored gauze runner down the middle, white pillar candles on white stands, a wood-slice riser, and a low garden centerpiece heavy with burgundy, peach, and blush roses run through with eucalyptus, all from Vanda Floral Design. The couple spoke, and then a champagne toast went around — from Marianna's father to her brother to Alex's parents and his brother — everyone near enough to hear each other across the table without raising a voice.

Dinner came out from a private chef. For dessert, they cut a two-tier cake from Patisserie Angelica: one layer almond and apricot with raspberry, the other white studded with bittersweet chocolate. As the last of the light went, Marianna and Alex headed back out to the coast for a few final photos, the sun setting over the water while the day closed on the same deck it started on.