Santa Cruz Wedding RomCom
Santa Cruz Wedding Romcom, And Other Shenanigans
Lauren and Nathan fell in love in Santa Cruz, got engaged in Santa Cruz and, even though they were now living in Chicago, came back to Santa Cruz to get married. They met when they were students at UCSC and wanted to support their alma mater by having their wedding at one of UCSC’s wedding venues. They chose the Seymour Marine Discovery Center because it overlooks the pacific ocean. (In case you don’t know it, UCSC has several awesome properties that function as wedding venues, including the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn, and the UCSC Arboretum.)
Lauren and Nathan love to watch movies together, and when Nathan asks Lauren what genre of movie she wants to watch, she chooses comedy. As in every single time. And even if Nathan feels like watching a different genre, he loves Lauren so much that he always agrees to watch comedy.
So I decided to write their love story as a Romcom.
In a typical romantic comedy the lovers tend to be young (they were students), likable (they definitely were), and apparently meant for each other (again, they definitely were), yet they are kept apart by some complicating circumstance, until, surmounting all obstacles, they are finally united. In the case of their romantic comedy, the lovers were also kept apart - first by a previous boyfriend, then by a dead car battery, and then, by a cat. But, as in all romantic comedies (or at least the Hollywood-made ones) the obstacles were overcome, and the love won out!
I even got to quote Owen Wilson in the movie Wedding Crashers.
“True love is the soul’s recognition of its counterpoint in another.”
After I pronounced them married and directed them to recess, Lauren turned around and said “Thank you so much, Naomi.” In 4+ years of full time officiating, no bride, no matter how much she loved her ceremony, has ever turned around before walking out to thank me. It was a moment of such pure beauty, respect, communion and recognition, and I will cherish it always.
After the ceremony the couple was surprised by a rather large guest who tried to steal the bride away from her groom. But don't worry, Nathan wasn’t having any of it, and once again, their love won out!
Big thanks to Five Star Catering, Annie Hall Photography, and all of the other local wedding pros who made Lauren and Nathan’s wedding such a huge success!
“I wanted to say that our ceremony was incredible; so beautiful, meaningful, and so US! You got us, captured us, and somehow summarized us, while simultaneously honoring our ancestors, setting the space, and willing a bright future into our lives. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you - we are so grateful for you, and we can’t say with words how much your ceremony meant to us.”