If you have ever asked yourself, “what is love, really?” and come up shortchanged… we think we might have the answer. Every once in awhile you catch a glimpse of something so sweet, so rare and so unique it takes your breath away, and so we couldn’t help but share.
What better way to begin the new chapter in our own Thrifter’s Guide story than with that of a simple, pennywise and timeless love affair — and a beach wedding to match.
Meet Gina and Jeremy Pearson. On June 21, 2014, the solstice, the two lovebirds tied the knot with a free-spirited, three-day camping hoopla in Fort Bragg, just steps from the Pacific Ocean. This wedding was like nothing we’d ever seen. Impossibly simple, unflappably unpretentious and beyond beautiful.
So pull up an adirondack chair, or a good old-fashioned camp chair and sip your mojito (or champagne straight from the bottle) as we take you to the most amazing wedding of all time.
It began on Friday, with caravans of friends and family arriving in pairs, groups and solo adventurers — all on a pilgrimage to set up camp, play frisbee and help the betrothed say “I do.”
Look at all the outstanding accommodations: amazing floor to ceiling windows (just unzip tent), all slightly better priced than your average hotel block room rate.
A No Fuss, No Muss Mr. and Mrs.
While most brides spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on primping, prepping, waxing, personal trainers, mani-pedis, facials, make-up and more… Gina skipped all of these “crucial” steps and admitted with a devil-may-care laugh that she even forgot to shave her legs. On cue, about 10 mouths dropped open in utter awe and instant adoration (if more of that was even possible.)
Gina’s dress was handmade to mimic a 1960s bell sleeve mini, designed and sewn by an artist on Etsy, and tailored and adjusted by a local seamstress in the Bay Area. Oh and the boots? The bride to be “scoured vintage and thrift shops in SF and Berkeley” until she found the perfect pair.
Her headband, deserving of its own three-day ovation, was a carefully chosen menagerie of pearls and details from her mom’s own wedding dress.
Want more inspiration? Take another cue from the Pearsons and search your own backyard, literally for creative touches and talent. For the table scape, they used garlic and rosemary from Gina’s parents’ backyard and enlisted talented friends (or themselves) to do photography, vows, officiation, flowers and more.
At almost sunset o’clock, on the longest day of the year, someone, somewhere yelled that the procession was starting and guests began making their way to the cliffs, jutting just above the crashing waves, where the bride and groom said their vows and committed their lives to each other. (Yes, the best wedding venues in life are free.)
But before the vows…something funny happened...
Rather than walk down an aisle (boring!), Gina’s dad delivered his daughter to her future life mate, sidesaddle on the back of her own 1970s road bike that she bought at a used bike shop in Oakland.
On the other end of the bike path, Jeremy wasn’t standing idle, either. He was riding to meet Gina, too, and seemed to have lassoed a two-wheeled vintage beast… a tried and true pennyfarthing! How and where do you get one of those, you may ask? Well, it seems you have to have friends in antiquated places… and apparently you also need a biodiesel truck for barter.
Just when we thought there was nothing left to see, Gina unsheathed a large bow and shot a flaming arrow (compliments of her pyrotechnical brother) into a woodpile, which exploded on contact and signaled to the guests it was bonfire and party time!
Since there was no real curfew or sound ordinance, we were free to hoot, holler and dance the night away until the wee (or late) hours of the morning. Sunrise over the ocean, anyone?
A huge thanks goes out to Gina and Jeremy Pearson, Jim and Arlene Williams, Lana Williams, Lee Williams and all of Jeremy’s family for sharing their love with us, both in person and via this blog post and photos. We are truly grateful.
The Thrifter's Guide