Private Estate Wedding in Del Mar: Guy and Stephanie

Today on the blog I’m excited to write about one of my favorite weddings of the 2013 season, and that of course, is Guy and Stephanie’s wedding. Guy and Stephanie came to find my services from one of my favorite photographers Jenna Coy with Flutterglass Photography. She had sent them my way when they had asked for a referral for a DJ. Guy and Stephanie planned their San Diego Wedding as a destination wedding as they both live in Texas. We had an amazing first consultation. We were talking about itinerary and music and really enjoying ourselves reviewing every little aspect possible of the hypothetical “flow” of how the day would go. Towards the end of the meeting we started to chat a bit more generally after having been there for some time, and we somehow got onto the topic of Mountain Biking. Turns out, Guy, like myself, is also an extremely passionate Mountain Biker! 

Guy and Stephanie did something rather unique with their wedding venue. They found an elegant and roomy estate to rent that was typically a vacation rental, that someone had at some point in time, planned a wedding at. They figured they would try to do the same, and well, they did an outstanding job. The entire wedding party including the bride & groom were there for a week in total. The wedding reception took place on the second weekend of the trip, so they had plenty of time to have fun, enjoy San Diego, and get ready for the big day.  Having a wedding reception at an estate, is no easy task. Everything must be brought in: DJ, photography, wedding planner, catering, bartending services, videography, tables & chairs and general party rental and even outdoor bathrooms to help out with the large volume of people at the estate. I really can say, that I have never been to an estate wedding that was done as well as this. It was truly a standout event in my eyes, and it really was because Guy and Stephanie hired some amazing professionals who do their job well, allowing it to come together with an amazing amount of class and precision.

The Grand Entrance was different being that the layout wasn’t intended to be a wedding venue. When Guy and Stephanie and the wedding party came into the property, all of the guests could easily see the classic limousine coming onto the property, so the entrance was surrounded by their guests, rather than the traditional “hiding” of the wedding party prior to their introduction. This was tricky!

One of my favorite things when the crowd is right, is to have the guests at each table stand up and sing a song with the word “love” in it, rather than clicking their glasses, to get the bride & groom to kiss. This was a blast. One of the more fun songs in my memory was the the Boyz II Men song “I’ll Make Love to you, like you want me too…” Needless to say, this was the PERFECT crowd for this ice breaker!

Towards the end of dinner, some speeches from the father of the bride and others. There was a lot of happiness in the air, lots of laughter and great times had by all.

Concept Event Design did a fantastic layout with not only the furniture, but the market lighting, uplighting and the heaters. As part of my expertise I offer event lighting and I can say that Concept is amazing at what they do. Check out their blog post of the event here.

I think this shot really captures the breathtakingly beautiful layout of the estate. I loved the round dance floor, the market lighting and the lounge area, where later in the evening Fumari (a hookah lounge in San Diego) had their awesome setup. Really REALLY cool. This was the first time I’ve seen this at a wedding and hopefully not the last.

And finally, Guy and Stephanie have their first dance at their most beautiful wedding. Absolutely amazing setting with all of their guests gathered around them to witness it.

The happy bride and her father. Not really a more memorable moment in the journey that is fatherhood.

Guy and his mother dancing immediately after, before we invited the guests to the dance floor to start the party!

The party was a lot of fun, even though this picture might not be the best representation of an extremely packed dance floor in this moment. There were times when the dance floor was nearly like a rave, with EDM playing, and the entire floor pumping to the beat. It was absolutely awesome.

And it continued, with some more dancing… and then some more. All the way until 1:00 a.m. Seriously! I have had only a few weddings go this late. And what’s more, myself, the wedding coordinator Sarah Grabinger and others all hung out with the bride & groom in the Fumari lounge until the wee hours of the morning. Truly memorable, and a rarity for me. I felt a great connection with these two from the start.