An Intimate Anchor Bay Minimony for Eight on the Mendocino Coast

Family Portraits Above the Mendocino Coast

After the ceremony came family portraits, then time for just the two of them while a cocktail hour got underway with passed bites from a private chef. Anchor Bay sits on the stretch of coast that locals call the Banana Belt, an eastern cut in the coastline shelters it from the prevailing wind and gives it more sun than the beaches nearby, so the afternoon held its light while the couple moved from grouping to grouping.

Dragonfly Floral had done the flowers: Min's bouquet, Corbin's boutonniere, a table arrangement, and blooms on the arch and the cake, all in white, blush, and greens. With eight people total, every portrait grouping was short, parents together, the sister who married them, the friend who made the drive, and no one had to wait long between frames.

Dinner and Dancing on the Deck

The evening opened with dances. Corbin danced with his mom to James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend," and Min danced with her father to "Time to Say Goodbye." Their first dance was to Ella Fitzgerald's "Misty."

Then they cut the cake, white cake with fresh fruit filling, and Min and Corbin gave a thank-you toast to the six people in front of them. As the light went, both sets of parents stood to speak, and everyone sat down together for dinner on the deck with the coast going dark behind them.