A photo of a bride and groom who just got married at Old Mill Park in Mill Valley, CA

Old Mill Park Wedding in Mill Valley

THE WEDDING OF COCO AND JESSE

a destination wedding in the redwoods

Surfing in the morning? Badminton for cocktail hour? Bento Boxes for dinner? Don’t mind if I do! Coco and Jesse’s wedding in the redwoods at Old Mill Park was non-traditional and we ain’t complaining!

When Coco and Jesse first reached out through Instagram, we were so excited! After we did some Instagram stalking, we learned that Coco works primarily as a stop motion artist, but is also a photographer and videographer. Jesse on the other hand is a bad ass firefighter who also happens to be a photographer and videographer as well. Together, they live in a little surf town called Stinson Beach. Fun fact: Stinson Beach is a town that hippies populated in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Jesse and his family also grew up there. Do you see where this is going? It’s exactly what you’re thinking. Jesse and his family are hippies and we are absolutely here for it.

από αυτή την ιστοσελίδα

Aerial photo of Stinson Beach.

One of Coco and Jesse’s favorite things to do together, aside from making homemade matcha, is to hike in the redwoods. Naturally, they wanted to incorporate that into their wedding. So, what did they do? They got married in the redwoods! Specifically, they had their wedding in the redwoods at Old Mill Park in Mill Valley, CA.

Redwoods Wedding at Old Mill Park, CA

The redwoods in old mill park.

One of the things we admire most about these two and their wedding is that they made it totally unique to them. Their bubbly personalities shined throughout every detail and thought put into their wedding day.

To kick the day off, Jesse and his boys went surfing at Stinson Beach. Not all of Jesse’s guys knew how to surf, but Jesse spent time teaching those that didn’t. They ended their surf session with a paddle out ceremony where they formed a circle, said a few words, and then splashed the water with excitement. Afterwards, they got ready in a sweet beach house.

Right next door, Coco got ready in “The Whale House”, which is architecturally structured similar to a boat. Once she finished her makeup, she jumped into her wedding dress, which she designed herself through Anomalie. Her dress was so simple, yet so elegant and matched her vibe perfectly. She stitched the phrase “alot alot alot” (intentionally misspelled) into the side and the meaning behind it is so cute! “I love you alot alot alot” is something they say to each other all the time. We love how she incorporated a piece of their story into her dress!

The Whale House in Stinson Beach.
A custom wedding dress by Anomalie.

A Wedding All About Color

A bridal party before they depart to a wedding ceremony in the redwoods at Old Mill Park.

Another thing that stood out about their wedding was how colorful it was! In a world of trends, weddings tend to either go for a “dark and moody” aesthetic, which is comprised of earthy tones and a muted color palette, or a “bright and airy” look, which is comprised of pastels and clean whites. Instead, Coco and Jesse went a completely different direction.

To start, everything Jesse and his guys wore was completely linen! Remember how we said Jesse was a hippie? We weren’t lying! Jesse wore a white collared shirt with a blue over shirt and blue pants. In order to contrast that, his groomsmen wore white collared shirts with red pants. To complete the look, they wore colorful, mismatched Fjallraven backpacks, which Jesse gave to them as groomsmen gifts.

Following the theme of color, Coco’s bridesmaids wore colorful, mismatched dresses along with the colorful, mismatched Fjallraven backpacks that Coco gave as bridesmaids gifts. Everything was so bold and colorful, but it worked so well. We don’t typically shoot weddings with so much color, so we were ecstatic!

A bride and groom having their first look before their redwoods wedding at Old Mill Park.
A groom smiling at his bride before their redwoods wedding at Old Mill Park.

Redwoods Wedding Ceremony at Old Mill Park

A wedding ceremony under the redwoods at Old Mill Park.

Their wedding ceremony at Old Mill Park was freaking HILARIOUS. From the officiant’s stories, to the ‘Facebook readings’, to the impersonations of Coco and Jesse – we could not stop cracking up. Even their wedding vows had us laughing! It was so quirky and different, yet so them. After they kissed each other to seal the deal, they walked down the aisle together, hand in hand, while their guests blew bubbles. Bubbles were the perfect ceremony exit because these two were literally so bubbly!

A groom walking down the wedding aisle with his parents under the redwoods at Old Mill Park.
A bride walking down the wedding aisle with her parents under the redwoods at Old Mill Park.

Afterwards, they had a fun-filled cocktail hour, and even Coco and Jesse joined in on the fun! Badminton, Polaroid photo booths, cornhole, and live music by Taber Music were just a few of the festivities. Everyone was enjoying themselves so much! Nothing but good vibes.

A bride and groom photo at their redwoods wedding at Old Mill Park.

String Lights and Bento Boxes Under the Redwoods

A wedding reception in the redwoods at Old Mill Park.

By the time cocktail hour finished, all of their guests had built up an appetite. Good thing for them, they were in for a real treat! Live Sushi SF delivered bento boxes to each table and the looks on their family and friends’ faces were priceless. Once the sun began to set, the string lights turned on and the live music never stopped. There are no other words to describe the ambiance other than magical. As people ate, family and friends shared toasts and exchanged laughs. It wasn’t over just yet though. Before they moved the party back into town, they wanted to have one final moment under the redwoods.

A bride and groom walking in the redwoods on their wedding day.
A bride and groom in the redwoods on their wedding day.
A bride and groom on a bridge in the redwoods on their wedding day.
A bride and groom sitting by a waterfall at Old Mill Park on their wedding day.

Wedding First Dance Under the Redwoods

To end their wedding in the redwoods with a bang, they performed their first dance to live music by Rozzi, Reed Campbell, and Dan Belnavis. As this epic trio sang “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, all of their family and friends were smiling so big! You could just see the emotion and joy seeping from Coco and Jesse’s faces, especially as they gazed up at the redwoods. Watch their first dance for yourself to see what we mean!

Of course, the party didn’t stop there! They exited their redwoods wedding venue in a vintage car and moved the party to the Outdoor Art Club. They had a live band called “The Boombox”, keeping the party alive with their epic jams. Everyone danced the night away and it was absolutely epic. As the night came to an end, they handed out disposable cameras to everyone and lined them up outside. When Coco and Jesse ran through the line, everyone fired off the flash of the disposable cameras, thus making a really fun and unique exit. We will forever cherish the memories we made with these two and their loved ones on their wedding day.

Wedding Highlight Film Reaction

Coco and Jesse loved their teaser SO much that they sent us a video saying how grateful they are. We asked them if they could record their reaction to watching their highlight film for the first time because we knew their reaction would be priceless. They sent us not just one video, but TWO videos, because they watched it twice in a row. Here is a firsthand example of what it means to be a Jay and Mack couple!

If you enjoy weddings in the redwoods like this one, then you’ll want to check out this forest wedding or watch our other wedding films.

Vendors:

Are you having a wedding in the redwoods and want us to film it?

Then head over to our contact page and fill out our form and we will be in touch ASAP!

Documenting your perfectly imperfect wedding

and the energy and emotions you don’t ever want to forget 

We swing the door wide open and love celebrating you for all that you are, but let’s spell this out: we embrace your gender expression, skin color, sexuality, and body image. When we say all are welcome, we really do mean it.