Carmel Valley Wedding Ceremonies at The Holly Farm

I LOVE The Holly Farm. It’s a tropical paradise nestled in the heart of Carmel Valley. Whenever I officiate a wedding ceremony there, I feel as if I have entered a dreamy oasis reminiscent of Bali! The Holly Farm wedding venue is colorful and luscious, and the owners, Erin and Ryan, are next level nice. They are kind, creative, and competent AF. In this blog I’ll be featuring three weddings I officiated at The Holly Farm during the last few years.

Anthony & Courtney

“I think of the ceremony as an overwhelmingly powerful way to state our commitment and intentions to one another and I think it will help us remain committed to each other for the rest of our lives.” -Anthony

“It was a very humbling experience creating our guest list for our wedding. The people we sent invitations to are truly all very important to us… the guests mean the world to us and to share this moment with them is so special. It can feel overwhelming at times but in the most positive way…” -Courtney

In the months leading up to the ceremony, Courtney and Anthony shared with me that they used to have a secret handshake. After their vows I put them on the spot and asked them if they still knew it. They did!!

Here’s what Courtney and Anthony had to say about their wedding ceremony: “Naomi was without a doubt one of if not the best vendor we worked with. Before working with her we weren't really focused on the officiant but she made us realize how important the bond between us all was for a successful ceremony. She felt like family immediately and put in so much thoughtful effort towards creating a one of a kind memorable ceremony. Pretty much every guest went out of their way to mention how much they loved her and the words she spoke. We love Naomi and looking forward to keeping in touch.”

Jenny & Christie

Christie and Jenny are as silly as they are serious. They are adventurous, playful and love a good sunset. Christie said, “I feel we are most truly ourselves together when we’re in a state of play… A beautiful trait of Jenny’s is her sense of play. She can be surgically precise and direct at times, and then immediately playful in love, affection and activity…”

To be clear… their penchant for play doesn’t mean it’s always fun and games. One of the places Jenny and Christie shine is in their willingness - even eagerness - to roll up their sleeves and do the true hard work of love. Christie said, “I enjoy tending to our relationship, even when it’s not always enjoyable.”

Some of the rich alchemical magic Jenny and Christie both create and embody, and some of what makes them so delightful and endearing, and such a breath of fresh air, is their ability to pivot from serious to silly and back again – to go from educating medical residents on end-of-life conversation skills in one moment, to pranking their officiant (me!) on April fools day by suggesting that we do a bugger swap unity ritual as part of their ceremony in the next one!

Here’s what Jenny and Christie had to say about their wedding ceremony: “Thank you so so so much, from the BOTTOM of our hearts for writing and leading a wedding ceremony more beautiful and “us” then we ever could have asked for. We will never forget the ways you walked us through this special transition — with every ounce of intention and care it deserved. I think everyone in attendance felt the joy we did, as it was reflected back to us the entire rest of the celebration.” -Jenny and Christie

Audrey & Peter

I liked Audrey and Peter right away. Their down-to-earthness and kindness was immediately apparent, and their positive energy and zest for life was infectious. I felt a genuineness and a warmth from them that I imagine all of their guests feel too, and I was so happy when they asked me to officiate their ceremony! They opted out of doing a first look - so they didn’t see each other before the ceremony. When Peter greeted Audrey at the altar he got all emotional and by that point we were all in tears.

Audrey and Peter didn’t want their guests to just sit there passively while they were on display. They asked me to make the ceremony feel dynamic and interactive. So I found a fun way to include their guests in the ceremony.

Audrey and Peter met when she was visiting San Francisco. They had a great weekend getting to know one another - full of effortless banter, sweetness and spontaneity, but the progression from a fun and flirty weekend in the Bay into a committed relationship required real work, long distance logistics, and thoughtful planning. In the 7 years from meeting til marriage they experienced multiple moves, an epic international trip (they visited 24 countries in under a year,) and a whole lot of life.

Their ceremony was full of wonderment and joy, connection and laughter. Here is what Audrey had to say about their ceremony: “Naomi was the perfect wedding officiant! From the moment we first spoke with her, we could tell she had a wonderful calming energy that we wanted to bring to our ceremony. She was so thoughtful and authentic throughout the process leading up to the wedding. This included helping us think deeply about our marriage, and workshopping our vows until they were perfect. The ceremony she created was nothing short of magical. Her ability to ground such a large group of people and make everyone feel completely present in the moment is so special. She took the time to really understand Peter and I both as individuals and as a couple, and reflected us both beautifully with her words. We had many guests come up to us and comment on what a special ceremony Naomi created. This included guests who didn’t understand English, but could feel the love and sacredness that Naomi brought to the space. We highly recommend Naomi - there’s no one better to help you step into this next phase of life together!” I was really moved by Audrey’s kind words, but my favorite compliment came from the photographers who, two years after the fact said, “We still talk about how beautiful Audrey and Peter's ceremony was. We truly wish you had officiated our wedding, but alas it was in the courthouse years ago.” When wedding vendors, who have seen it ALL, give you a compliment like that, you know you must be doing something right.