tammy & Hunter

When Hunter and Tammy got engaged, Tammy told everyone she wanted a small wedding including 10-20 of their closest family and friends who knew and supported them as a couple. Tammy wanted a destination wedding in California, outdoors and by the water, with pretty string lights and food for everyone to enjoy. She wanted the day to incorporate things about them as a couple, as well as fun details to make their guests feel just as special as they would that day. Although the small guest count was just not feasible given the size of their families and friend groups, Tammy was firm on California as their wedding destination, and on planning a special day for everyone involved.

Essentially, Tammy wanted to host their family and friends in a place she held close to her heart - the beautiful coastline trailing from San Francisco to Big Sur. The couple originally settled on Pebble Beach Resorts for their ceremony, overlooking the ocean and with their reception at the Pebble Beach Beach and Tennis Club. They planned on a Big Sur brunch the next day at COAST, a gorgeous café-meets-art-gallery that Hunter and Tammy had discovered during their previous visit to the area.

But a couple of months after we started planning their wedding, booking the venues and a few key vendors, COVID-19 hit.

Eventually we landed at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California, where weddings were legally allowed outdoors and where their original October date was still available.

In the end, we planned a wedding that was beautiful and abided by all of the state and local guidelines and tried to be as safe as possible. A number of their guests got tested before traveling to the wedding, including the couple themselves. They wore masks except on their wedding day, but provided masks for all guests, along with hand sanitizer and spaced out dinner tables.