Today we’re bringing you a dreamy bohemian wedding at The Harper in Costa Mesa! Moné and Mike had their quintessential Californian wedding celebration on February 14th, 2020. Valentine’s Day has always been a special day for Moné and Mike because it served as their anniversary for six years before Mike proposed on February 14th, 2019! And their wedding day continued the tradition in a fashion that was just as special and uniquely their own.

Getting Ready

The couple chose to stay at The Lido House in Newport Beach over their wedding weekend. Moné and Mike decided not to have a wedding party, but Moné’s best friend Josephine helped Moné with her finishing getting ready touches and helped her put on her wedding dress. The bride’s ethereal wedding dress was by Claire Pettibone and included a cape with embroidered flowers! Mike’s smart navy suit was from the Groomsmen Suit and was 100% vegan (as was the rest of the wedding details)!

First Look

The First Look took place in the front drive of The Lido House and perfectly encapsulated the laid-back California style of the wedding day. A 1960s style woodie is a fixture of the front drive and ties in the local surf-culture with the elegant Cape Cod style.

Ceremony

The wedding took place at The Harper in Costa Mesa, which hosts an outdoor courtyard and indoor space with beautiful natural light. A gold, hexagonal arch was the focal point for the ceremony and featured bohemian floral additions.

Chris from Your Custom Ceremony was the officiant for Moné and Mike’s wedding. He kept the wedding guests entertained before the ceremony began, and structured the wedding service in such an engaging and sentimental way. Moné and Mike wrote their vows and had the entire crowd crying and laughing along throughout the exchange. We loved that Moné and Mike incorporated wedding traditions from both of their families! To solidify their wedding, Mike smashed the glass in a cloth handmade by his mother. And to cap it all off, they jumped the broom that was handmade by them!

Cocktail Hour

As a nod to Mike’s heritage, a Mariachi Band provided live music for the cocktail hour. The tray passed hors d’oeuvres were provided by Room Forty. All the food throughout the cocktail hour and dinner service were vegan! When we first began working with Moné and Mike, it was clear this was very important to incorporate into their wedding day. We worked to create an entirely plant-based and sustainable wedding to minimize the impact the event had on the planet.

We also had a lounge set up for guests to enjoy during cocktail hour. Opposite the lounge set up, was a memorial table for Mike’s grandfather and Moné’s cousin who had both recently passed.

Dinner Reception

While designing the wedding reception with Moné and Mike, they asked for a design that gave the feeling of driving up the One Freeway in Big Sur. They loved the idea of incorporating local California flowers with mushrooms as Mike loves mushrooms.

We opted for dusty blue table runners down the natural wood reception tables mixed with mustard-colored napkins. Instead of table numbers, we named each table after a different type of mushroom and had custom signage made with the name of the fungus and a corresponding drawing. Fresh by Brandon nailed the floral design by fusing a bohemian floral design with a variety of real and handmade mushrooms!

The dinner menu offerings included tofu steak in adobo, tostada bar, a vegan caesar salad, roasted corn side dish, and other Mexican-inspired, plant-based options. Top Tier Treats supplied the wedding cake. The cake was also vegan and included chocolate, red velvet, vanilla raspberry tiers.

Post-Dinner + Late Night Offerings

The guest experience was also essential to Moné and Mike. To ensure guests had the time of their lives at the wedding, we incorporated a whiskey tasting and cigar roller for guests to enjoy after dinner. VB Cigars offered custom hand-rolled cigars or pre-rolled cigars for guests. Pharmacie provided the whiskey tasting with custom recommendations based on your taste preferences.

The DJ kept the energy high on the dance floor, and the music was the perfect background for all the late-night activities. Instead of a standard photo booth, the couple opted for a VW photo bus, a hit with all the wedding guests!

We absolutely loved bringing Moné and Mike’s wedding to life! From our first consultation call with them, we knew we wanted to create their dream wedding. We’re so fortunate that The Harper in Costa Mesa fit the bill for their venue perfectly for their wedding!

Their wedding was also recently featured on Confetti Daydreams, and the full feature is linked here.

Creative Team
Wedding Planning and Design: Amethyst Event Productions
Venue: The Harper
Catering: Room Forty
Bar: Pharmacie
Floral Design: Fresh by Brandon
Photography: Alyssa Marie Photography
Videography: Lace and Lapel
Officiant: Your Custom Ceremony
Photo Booth: The Booth and Bus Co.
DJ: VOX DJs
Mariachi: El Mariachi Zacatecas
Cake: Top Tier Treats
Cigar Roller: VB Cigars
Rentals: Baker Party Rentals
Hotel: Lido House, Newport Beach
Bridal Hair: Sarah Castillo