Sea Ranch is somewhat of an intentional community on the border of the Mendocino and Sonoma coasts of California (aka "Mendonoma"). It was conceived in the 60s by hipster UC Berkeley architecture students as a radical experiment in merging affordable housing and architectural design with ecological harmony. One of their core principles has been to "live lightly on the land." (We highly recommend the video from the Sea Ranch SF MOMA exhibit on the Things To Do page.) Contention over land use, communal living vs. single-family homes, and coastal access are at the center of everything that makes Sea Ranch a fascinating place to visit. The fight over coastal access at Sea Ranch led to the statewide law that prohibited further development along the California coast. So if you're wondering why there aren't more coastal homes in California, this is why. It's awesome and simultaneously terrible but indeed an extraordinary place to spend a weekend with family and friends!
The interior of the Sea Ranch Chapel is super tiny, so the chapel administrators are really strict about the number of people present during the chapel reservation. Even pre-pandemic, the chapel capacity was only 20 people. It was limited to 5 people after the state shut down due to COVID, but it's been expanded to 10 people in recent weeks. They'll consider it a violation of the reservation terms and keep our deposit if even one extra person sets foot on the property, even if you simply enter and leave. (Note: anyone can visit outside of our ceremony reservation time, so you shouldn't miss the opportunity to check out what looks like a hobbit spaceship.) Despite all that, we might just take the fine and screw it because we have 13 people just between our wedding party and a/v team (unless someone graciously steps down). But fear not! There will be a livestream.
So we spent the last 14 months of COVID developing a livestream service for weddings that we will attempt to model for you all and future clients. It involves thousands of dollars in hardware and software and is right on the cusp of working. It went pretty smoothly with our first (and only thus far) livesteam client, so fingers crossed! If you are one of the lucky people who will be staying back at the reception house watching remotely, we promise it's going to be the most interactive wedding experience you've ever had. It's literally a livestream within a livestream. You can find the link to see the livestream and hear all the music on our Mixcloud page: https://www.mixcloud.com/ceremonydjs (For whatever reason, Zola website platform doesn't allow hyperlinks?)
Sea Ranch is on the coast, and while it will be sunny at noon, it will likely be freezing cold in the morning and evening. A typical day up there involves rain until 9am, fog until 11am, sunny from noon until 5pm, fog for sunset, then hopefully freezing cold and clear starry skies for the rest of the evening. Both of the houses we got are on the coast, but they will have epic sunset views from the living room. Be sure to bring pants, sweatshirts, jackets, and maybe one pair of shorts for the beach at midday, just in case. The wedding is semi-formal, but feel free to look nice in whatever way you see fit. All the other days and nights are basically casual. We honestly don't care, but have some fun with it and do whatever seems nice to you. There will be swimming. Beach, river and also a hot tub. Bring a swimsuit if you're not a crazy hippie like Jamie. ;)
Keeping our friends and family healthy and safe is of huge importance to us. Fortunately, about 77% of the wedding guests are fully vaccinated, with a few others partially vaccinated. So, for the most part, we're leaving COVID safety precautions up to you. We just ask that you wash your hands regularly, respect each other's personal space, and be mindful of the two unvaccinated children who will be present at various events, regardless of your vaccination status. Also, please observe the relevant signs posted around the TSRA-owned property, and remember when you're walking around, it's still California. Upon the state reopening, you don't need to wear a mask in most areas if you're vaccinated, but it's very much up to the shopkeeper what you do in their place of business.
We'll provide booze and snacks on Welcome night, beers and pizza on the setup day, some more booze and snacks for the rehearsal gathering, food and drinks at the wedding, brunch (and mimosas) the morning after, and hamburgers and hotdogs at our Fourth of July BBQ. (Read BYOB for the Fourth.) But everything else is on you guys! So be sure to stock your house with whatever food you might need for in-between meals. When you arrive at Sea Ranch, we recommend making a trip to Surf Market, one of the local grocery stores in Gualala just 15 min North of Sea Ranch... but it closes at 8pm, so don't be late! Sea Ranch itself does not have a grocery store. Please note, we're serving Colombian appetizers and a charcuterie picnic for dinner at the wedding, so if you think you'll be hungry or nervous, consider having a big breakfast that day.
The guest list is pretty tight considering only 20 people are allowed at the ceremony and the houses are technically not supposed to host more than the declared amount of people sleeping there, but we might be able to work something out.
We've accounted for everyone's kids in the planning, but we are open to whatever way you all want to handle it. There are a ton of family friendly cabin options and also opportunities to team up on child care. Due to the limited number of guests allowed on the chapel grounds, we're asking that families tune into the ceremony livestream from the reception site.
Rocky: 305.807.9506, felsig@gmail.com Jamie: 415.505.7427, jamesguzzi@gmail.com
https://thebluecamera.pixieset.com/rockyandjamie/