It’s been a brutal spring this year with consistent rain but the cold was nowhere to be seen for Colleen and Shawn’s beautiful Shining Tides wedding. This California couple brought the sun with them to grace New England with warm rays. Colleen began getting ready at Karma Salon with her girls. After that, they headed over to Shining Tides where she put on her dress and they had a sip of bubbly. Shawn was getting ready nearby at the Inn on Shipyard Park. The guys all had matching cuff links with their initials, such a thoughtful gift.

They then each took the trolley to Neds Point Lighthouse for their first look and portraits. The ocean made a great backdrop to contrast with the brilliant blue sky. We even got so lucky as to take photos with an antique Ford that someone happened to drive up. We then headed back to Shining Tides for their ceremony. It was on the lawn overlooking the water with a beautiful floral arbor set up by the talented Sayles Livingston. There were so many laughs since the officiant was their good friend. With a kiss it was off to the reception featuring lobster and delicious New England faire. Some of the highlights were when we stepped out for the beautiful golden sunset and the rising of the full moon! What a night to remember.

HOW THEY MET

Colleen attended the 7th Annual Santa Monica Pub Crawl in December of 2015 with friends, dressed in matching "Olaf" costumes in, what turned out to be, a sea of red Santa suits. Within the following few days, Colleen's close friend, Bailey, uploaded her photos from the night to Facebook. Shawn immediately sent Bailey a Facebook message asking about her friend Colleen. Bailey sent a screen shot of the message to Colleen, however, Colleen laughed it off and did not take the message seriously. Shawn persistently asked Bailey about Colleen for months following, and Bailey told Colleen that Shawn kept asking about her. Luckily, (3.5 months later) Bailey's birthday was the next week at Rosenthal's Winery in Malibu. The pair finally met and immediately hit it off! However, Shawn had to leave the party for (Best Man) Al Sadaghiani's birthday! But we won't hold that against him ;)

HOW HE PROPOSED

Shawn popped the question at the O'Brien Estate in Napa Valley, CA. He planned a "last minute" trip to Napa and booked tastings at a couple vineyards known for great Cabernet, both Colleen and Shawn's favorite wine. They started their day at O'Brien, a small, Irish family-owned vineyard. It ended up being a private tasting and Shawn asked the host, Julio, to take their picture in the vineyard. He got down on one knee and popped the question! The day followed with more wine tastings at Chimney Rock and finished with champagne tasting at Domaine Carneros