Grace & Dutch celebrated their love in the same location as our very own wedding! It was surreal to document such a special story in a place so sacred to us personally! Their intimate Big Sur elopement was recently featured on Martha Stewart Weddings. So I thought I’d share their words with you:
Though Grace and Dutch felt “an instant, genuine, and deep connection” from the moment they met in 2016, they focused on becoming friends before starting to date. “Our friendship sparked lots of questions in our hearts and a true desire to protect what God was doing in our lives,” they say. “The timing wasn’t right, so we took it slow and tried to shift our focus toward healing, faith, and friendship.”
Nearly a year later, after lots of reflection, they felt ready for their first date—at an Italian restaurant—and “the rest,” they say, “is history.” In November 2018, Grace and Dutch spent the day at Disney World with Grace’s daughter, Riley. “We closed out the evening with a beautiful fireworks show in front of Cinderella’s castle and after most of the crowd had cleared out, Dutch got down on one knee and told me that he knew from the minute we first met that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me,” says Grace. After she said yes, Dutch asked Riley for her permission to join the family and gave her a small ring of her own.
A few months later, on May 2, 2019, Grace and Dutch exchanged vows in front of Riley and their two siblings on a cliff in Big Sur, California. “We love exploring,” says the couple. “None of us had explored this part of California before, and it was truly a brand new adventure for all three of us as a family.” They limited the guest list to keep the planning low-stress and to focus their attention on the powerful commitment they were making within their faith. “We really wanted to have something intimate, meaningful, and surrounded by God’s natural beauty,” says the couple.
To read more of their beautiful love story, visit Martha Stewart Weddings.
So the day before the wedding, they adventured throughout
the land. Sure enough, the spot they had chosen was the more perfect than they had imagined!
In the photo above, they are standing in the exact spot
as they would stand to share their vows the next day.
This was an unexpected moment that became one of the most emotional moments of the day. Grace and her daughter were walking to the ceremony location, and Dutch was walking to greet them.
They then walked as a family to begin the ceremony.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND STYLIST, Type A Society • FLORAL, Anna Le Pley Taylor • OFFICIANT, Roy Piña • VIOLINIST, David Dally; Monterey Strings • GOWN DESIGNER, Watters • SHOES, Charles by Charles David • HEADPIECE, Twigs and Honey • PAPER GOODS, Papier Handmade Finery • HAIR AND MAKEUP, Lilian Beauty Makeup and Hair Design •
