This Pacific Northwest beach wedding is as stylish as it gets...

Pacific Northwest Rock and Roll Beach Wedding at The Funky Souwester Lodge – Claire Eliza Wedding Photography – Christina Castello and Drew Pull – Alexandra Grecco Dylan Gown 17

The Pacific Northwest Coast holds a happy, shimmering space in my heart with everything from romantic coastal getaways to adventurous beach camping trips.

As I began wedding planning the first thing on my list was searching for the coolest, most eclectic Washington coast wedding venue. The vision in my head was a very DIY, low-key, vintage-inspired Pacific Northwest celebration.

I’m so excited to finally share the colorful and perfectly candid wedding photos Claire Eliza took of our October night at the historic Sou’Wester Lodge last fall! This wedding venue is tucked away along the Washington coast and is outfitted by dozens of vintage travel trailers. What could be more perfect for getting caught in a 70’s timewarp?! Claire even ran off to the beach with me for some of the dreamiest beach wedding photos of all time.

Our fall wedding plays with plenty of dried florals, velvets, and beautiful Pacific Northwest coastline. I swear you can feel the textures of the night (and I can still hear my husband popping champagne corks!) It’s a night worth re-living over and over. So throw on some Fleetwood Mac and come join the party!

The Dress & Accessories

As a bridal stylist, I constantly get asked how I decided on a gown. For me, the decision was pretty easy. I knew I would be happy with a number of different dresses, and I had a vision in my head that was “flower-child-meets-rock-n-roll.” A girl can dream, right?

The Dylan dress by Alexandra Grecco had that free-spirited feeling of a late 60’s fashion icon mixed with the plunging neckline and side slit of a rock goddess. There is something so sophisticated about each of Grecco’s incredible designs, and it only took me a few moments in the dress to know I didn’t need to try on anything else.

For quite some time I had been admiring the natural floral earrings by Australian artist, Serinda Jade. I messaged her after finding my dress and she happily agreed to design a pair of custom floral earrings for my look. These beauties hold such a special memory, and I can’t wait to get to wear them for years to come. I accessorized with a collection of vintage family rings that had recently been passed on to me. Two of them even had the inscription of my grandparent’s wedding date. Can you tell I’m a sentimentalist? With the major deal I got on a pair of pink velvet boots from Aldo, my look came together without any fuss.

Getting Ready

Wanting to feel naturally like myself, my beautiful friend Sammy helped style my hair. She kept me feeling at ease and I got to enjoy a little extra quiet time with her sunshine-y self before the festivities began. I spent very little time doing my own makeup and sipped champagne upstairs in the bridal suite surrounded by my besties.

The Groom’s Attire

I knew we wanted everything to feel magically under a 60’s and 70’s haze, so we wanted Drew’s look to stand out just as much as mine. After hearing plenty of good reviews for Indochino we splurged on a fully custom red velvet tuxedo. At the final fitting Drew was getting the attention of staff due to the nature of his dancing, and it was then that I knew then we had made the right choice. It amplified his wild spirit. I wanted him to feel just as special as my dress made me feel. Even if 20 years from now red velvet seems outlandish, I know I’ll still love his look.

The Venue

While looking for venues I had three important deciding factors: I wanted it to highlight the beautiful PNW, to be scenic but offer accommodations for guests to explore the Washington coast, and to mirror the eclectic taste of me and Drew’s own style.

The Sou’Wester Lodge was exactly what I would dream up if I could create my own venue. With a fireplace burning in the lodge all weekend and vinyl spinning on their record players, to the incredible collection of uniquely outfitted travel trailers, it was the coziest stormy weekend. Every guest was treated to their own personalized weekend getaway.

The Photography

The plan was to go for a multi-colored affair at the ocean. I wanted a photography style that would let the day feel organic, but amplify the funkier elements and our playful attitude toward getting married. After years spent admiring Claire Eliza’s photography, spending shoots together, and also admiring the wonderful, generous, effortless person she is, I had the pleasure of asking her to be our photographer.

As someone who didn’t want to spend my entire day posing for pictures, Claire immediately understood. I wanted to be in all the moments of the day, and let Claire work her effortless magic around it all. She even planned a fantastic getaway with her husband Jack to drive us to the beach immediately following the ceremony.

We got to have a moment of quiet, let the wind whip all around us, and catch the final fleeting moments of the sunset. I’m still struggling to choose my favorite photos, but it has to be from the collection of pictures by the ocean. I swear, I can still hear the beach grass rustling.

Christina Castello on her wedding day photographed by Claire Eliza as seen on Bridal Musings

The Florals

I love that dried florals are having a moment in the bridal world, however, it wasn’t my original plan to have a dried bouquet. After a surprise freeze in Seattle that destroyed the last of the local dahlias, I opted for a $10 bouquet from my local Seattle farmer’s market. I had already made myself a dried floral crown and realized I could easily coordinate the two. The perks of dried florals? You don’t have to worry about keeping them looking fresh, trimming or adding water, and the boutonnieres I designed lasted all night!

Claire’s mother brought fresh flowers from her garden, and I brought a few additional dried bouquets that we deconstructed to make centerpieces. The theme was florals on top of florals, and the fresh and dried wildflowers ended up looking so lovely from the cake, to accessories, to the dinner tables, to the floral crown.

“Photographing Christina & Drew’s wedding day was not only the greatest honor of my life but a weekend I will cherish forever. Christina & Drew have filled my life with joy & laughter for nearly ten years & I consider them as close as family. Their wedding weekend on the Pacific coast was everything. Have you ever seen a more stylish couple? Have you ever seen so much joy? I’m just surprised I was still able to see through the tear-filled viewfinder as I watched my best friend marry the most wonderful person.”

– Photographer Claire Eliza

“If you love it, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, I promise.”

– Bride Christina

The Catering

If you choose a more scenic venue it will most likely be difficult to find catering options that will be able to travel the distance. Do a lot of research and make sure you sample what you are paying for beforehand! We almost ended up with some sub-par cuisine out of desperation but Reverend’s BBQ saved us, thanks to the manager, Nick!

We got to treat our guests to the most insane Portland barbecue complete with brisket burnt end deviled eggs and a heavenly take on fried chicken. You don’t have to do “fancy” just because it’s a wedding. I got to eat mac & cheese in a wedding gown. I still have a hilarious memory of Drew running around with a bottle of their house-made barbecue sauce, dousing it on our guests’ plates as they ate.

The Cake

The wedding cake was a total surprise. I knew Claire’s mother, Janet, would be baking something with freshly pressed and edible flowers grown from her own garden (with inspiration from Loria Stern’s colorful confections; we love you Loria!) But when she revealed to me her 2-tiered masterpiece the morning of the wedding I immediately burst into tears. It was more perfect than anything I could’ve dreamt of. (This isn’t the first cake of hers to make its way to Bridal Musings, either! Remember this pineapple cutie?) And it was the most happy delight, giggling with Drew while we dramatically cut it together. We snapped some more of my favorite photos of the night behind this cake!

Favorite Moments

My partner and I are both musicians, and a standout memory for me was playing a short set for our friends. Truly, I got my Stevie Nicks bridal moment. I snagged a pair of golden heart sunglasses at a Portland thrift shop, and we had Drew change from his regular bowtie to a bejeweled vintage bolo tie. With a beating heart and plenty of adrenaline, I changed the lyrics of Fleetwood Mac’s “You Make Loving Fun” to sing “Sweet, wonderful Drew.” Shoutout to my regular band for becoming “Christina & The Holy Matrimony” for just one night.

Advice to Other Couples

Your friends and family and even people you don’t know will offer advice on how to plan your wedding. If you want it, then great! I knew I didn’t need extra opinions clouding my vision. I didn’t spend much money on decorations, flowers, or too many extraneous elements. Instead, I chose my venue based on the natural beauty outdoors, as well as all the elements of the property that made it unique. I wanted those elements to stand out the most. So, Drew and I opted for a much more simple ceremony and focused our energy on the parts we knew we’d enjoy.