The invisible string theory says that loved ones are linked together throughout time and distance, even before they’ve met. It seems to be true for Ashley and Eric, who were married at the Carmel Mission Basilica on the coast of California. Although the two live in Dallas, Ashley’s mother is from Southern California, and her family grew up visiting and going to mass at the church from time to time. Meanwhile, Eric was born in San Jose and also visited the church as a child. “It’s really fun that [the church] has brought a tie into our lives from a young age,” Ashley gushes.
During the ceremony, Eric’s sister and a friend of the couple served as readers, and their nieces and nephews were flower girls and ring bearers. “It was nice to incorporate family in there, with the Catholic mass at the helm,” Ashley says. Other moments she cherishes are the bagpipe procession guiding the wedding party, reading the letter Eric wrote her, her friends and family experiencing this beloved venue, and the first look and walking down the aisle with her father.
Meanwhile, both families love golf, and Pebble Beach is a prime golf location. Their guests traveled near and far for this perfect destination. As a result, the wedding was a weekend-long affair, from the welcome party to the rehearsal dinner to the big night.
Ashley was inspired by the location while wedding planning. With the help of Caroline Events, the greens, blues, and neutrals were pulled together as wedding colors. “I didn’t want to take away from the natural beauty of the area we were in,” Ashley explains.
Her favorite part of the planning was designing the invitation and other paper goods. MF Creative Designs brought her vision to life with watercolor images of the Carmel Mission and The Lone Cypress. “I feel like there was nothing that Melanie couldn’t do,” Ashley says.
She was the picture of chic sophistication in a Mark Ingram dress, with an intricate veil and train flowing behind her. With “the veil being such a moment, with all the lace and with the backdrop of such a traditional church, I just knew it was going to feel really good,” she says.
She wore a new set of earrings gifted by her parents, and a sapphire bracelet from her mom as her “something blue” and “borrowed.” Sapphires are a nod to both her and Eric’s families, her mom has sapphires in her engagement ring, and Eric lived on a boat as a child with his family for a year named The Sapphire. Plus, a sapphire is the stone of September, their new anniversary month!
Ashley changed into a Warren Barron dress with an oversized bow on the back for the after party. And even Eric had an outfit change, donning a white dinner jacket for the reception.
The couple danced to “It Had To Be You” as their first dance, from the movie “When Harry Met Sally.” And guests waved them off with strings of tinsel to their getaway golf cart that advertised, “Just Married!”
