Mark & Christina's Mission Ranch Wedding in Carmel

Mark and Christina are an incredible couple. They are so sweet to each other and their tenderness and love for their children just oozes out of them. They appreciate one another, they laugh together, and when they catch each other’s eye from across the room, their energy is electric.

With all this in mind, it makes perfect sense that their wedding was full of romance, warmheartedness, and wild and free kids! Oh, did I mention the kids? Because half of their guest list were – kids!

A Match made in…

The couple met on Match.com. What they love most and foremost, of course, is their kids and spending time with them. On rare occasions when Mark and Christina are alone, they like to eat at great restaurants, hike in Carmel and Big Sur, and go kayaking. For them, Carmel is such a special place and the perfect location for their wedding.

Mission Ranch Wedding in Carmel

The Mission Ranch Hotel & Restaurant was rustic elegance itself, outdoors at the meeting of land and sea in beautiful Carmel. Decked out for the wedding in pastels of cream, light blue and peach, the décor accented the natural beauty of the place. I especially loved the delicate, perfectly arranged florals by Melody King of Fleurish Floral Designs.

The mastermind behind this delightful celebration was the fabulous Deidre Von Rock, Christina’s Maid of Honor and best friend extraordinaire. She may or may not have lived on Pinterest and Etsy for several months! Well done Deidre, well done!

A little snippet from the fabulous Deirdre’s toast that I loved: “So now, I am stealing a line from the English poet WH Auden, and while he puts it in a more sorrowful ode, I find it in this context to be immensely uplifting. It goes, ‘He was my north, my south, my east, my west, my working week, my Sunday rest.’ In a word, he was everything. That is what Mark is to Christina. Mark, and Ella, the lovely, smart, charming, insanely athletically talented, beautiful Ella, are the pieces that will make my adored Christina, Colin and Celine, whole.”

A Family Affair

Family played a huge part in this Mission Ranch wedding. Mark’s daughter was a junior bridesmaid, while Christina’s son held the role of junior groomsman, and her daughter as the flower girl. As you can see from the photos, the kids are just as natural and happy together as their parents are!

Christina’s father wrote and officiated the wedding ceremony himself, which was incredibly sweet and loving.

Eat your heart out…

Food was catered by the venue and it was out of this world! Stations included a taco bar, fresh pasta made to order (!), and exquisite cuts of meat. The cake was wonderful too. It was hysterical to turn around while Mark and Christina were cutting the cake, then seeing all of the wide-eyed children holding their breath and waiting for their slice!

Of course, with everything else so wonderful, the music couldn’t be any less! Mark and Christina’s DJ was Darion Bonnet of DNA Entertainment. After the first dance to “All I Need Is the Girl”, he had everyone boogying down on the dance floor. There were super-fun glowing favors for the kids and when the lights went down, the fun started up!

Congratulations, Mark and Christina! May you and your family live, long and happy, in the love you’ve created.

xoxo