(Photography by Elle Wildhagen, Kindred Weddings)

Wedding Inspiration: A San Francisco Artist's Three-Day Glampfest Near Half Moon Bay

Nov 08, 2018

San Francisco artist Zai Divecha and Lightform creative VP Philip Reyneri shared a friend group for years—but they assumed they wouldn't like each other.

But like any good story of opposites attracting, when they eventually gave each other a chance, they fell hard and fast.

"I was a Type A Ivy League grad; Phil was a self-taught college drop-out. I was up before dawn every day; Phil was practically nocturnal. I was outgoing and extroverted; Phil was reserved and introverted. I felt like a goody two-shoes in comparison to Phil, who was touring with Skrillex and building giant projection art installations for a living. I thought he was way too cool for me."

But Divecha was a skeptic about love, and the insta-couple waited a few years before they finally got engaged—while snuggled up with tea and pajamas in a cabin during a winter trip to eastern Oregon—and then another couple years before actually tying to knot. The big day, though, was fully worth the wait.

The diehard burners, campers, and backpackers planned a wedding celebration true to everything they love—nature, exercise, community—working with Shelter Co. to pull off an extravagant glampout with several hundred sleeping tents, a giant event tent for dinners, bathrooms with showers, and more. The venue: Redgate Ranch in San Gregorio, because "it felt secluded from civilization, and had stunning views."

The vast acreage and majestic landscape set the backdrop for a weekend full of fun and self care, including a yoga class taught by the bride's favorite instructor and a sauna inside an airstream. Divecha's sister led a choreographed Bollywood dance rehearsal the morning of the wedding (it would come in handy later that night), and all partook of time by the campfires and hiking around. "Many of our guests remarked that they felt like they had been at either a wellness retreat or a festival instead of at a wedding," Divecha says.

Hindu traditions—a nod to Divecha's heritage—played a vivid part in this affair, but with a little twist. Rather than the usually ceremonious red and orange hues, this modern couple opted for a palette of white, taupe, greens, and touches of deep berry, in addition to minimalist decor that felt suited to the rugged terrain. The bride wore an intricately beaded sari and equally dramatic mehndi on her hands; and the couple exchanged garlands during the ceremony, though they used eucalyptus rather than traditional marigolds.

The bride also inherited her late grandmother's ring, a 1950s European-cut diamond from India which they had re-set in a new rose gold band that replicated the pattern of the original. They also wrote their own ceremony and vows, had a close friend officiate, and created a shrine to honor the loved ones that they'd lost. They skipped some novelties like cake and favors, though they did provide fresh fruit all weekend from Frog Hollow Farm. The weekend closed out with a Indian-inspired feast and plenty lively dancing.