Crate and Barrel's Ultimate Wedding Contest

Our love story.

After a year of dating, we went camping in California and instantly knew we had to live there. A month later, we packed our cars and caravanned out west from Michigan. It was a life-altering move and the best one we’ve ever made. After six years of exploring the country together, discovering California’s rugged coastline, Utah’s untouched powder, and Colorado’s endless trails; we realized we’ve really been discovering each other. It’s amazing to discover new, awe-inspiring terrain – but to explore it with your best friend is so much more.

Three important details about our Ultimate Wedding.

We’re throwing out the playbook, and making this wedding our own. Our nontraditional union will be a small coastal wedding either on the beach or a bluff, where guests can soak up magnificent ocean views, relax, have fun, and stay in a nearby cabin or campsite. It’s all about the outdoors, so natural floral arrangements, rustic wooden tables, and organic and vegetarian meals are crucial. You won’t find a bouquet toss, minister, or formal wedding cake at our wedding; but you may hear a mariachi band, smell eucalyptus trees, and get some sun!

Our everyday dream day.

A dream day would be to ride our beach cruisers to a private beach on a warm, sunny day, wade in the water, explore tide pools, and surf perfectly formed waves just off the beach. We’d bunker down on the beach for the day, spending time preparing freshly caught fish tacos, playing bocce ball, combing the beach for shells, and just relaxing; watching waves crash onto the beach, listening to the calming sound water makes as it rushes over rocks as it recedes back into the ocean, and gazing at seabirds gracefully glide across the water's surface.