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Jurassic Park themed wedding at Maple Lawn in San Rafael

  • Writer: Daniel Neal
    Daniel Neal
  • 4 days ago
  • 2 min read

The couple from the wedding on Saturday at Maple Lawn in San Rafael, had one of the more unique weddings i've been to. And I feel like the pictures really captured the quirkiness and joy that happened.


We started with the getting ready portion of the day, inside the Victorian style mansion that was built in 1849. Complete with a maze of hallways to countless rooms, a billiards room, solarium, and a beautiful bar with huge windows looking out at San Rafael. I've shot there quite a few times over the years, from weddings, to the Mill Valley Film Festival closing night events. I took photos of Ben Stiller and Laura Dern there once. Which is quite the coincidence now that I am realizing it, considering the title of this post!


The couple, mostly the bride, is REALLY into Jurassic Park, and it showed. The bride had a dinosaur shirt and pants on during the getting ready portion. Dinosaur bride socks. Dinosaur balloons. Dinosaur footprints leading the guests to the ceremony site. Ferns around the bar so you feel like you are a dinosaur approaching a watering hole. The seating chart had, you guessed it, dinosaurs on it. After the first look, the friend of the couple who was also the officiant, surprised the bride and groom by dressing up as John Hammond, the guy who created Jurassic Park in the movie. And she went all out. The hat and the staff with the mosquito in amber. It was perfect!


The guests arrived to the sounds of the forest to make them feel like they were in Jurassic Park. Many of the guests got the dinosaur memo. Ties, pocket squares, shirts, socks. All had dinosaurs. One of the guests was dressed as Dr. Alan Grant even. And of course, when the bride came down the aisle, the Jurassic Park theme song played and it crescendoed just as she got to the end of the aisle. Perfect again!


After the ceremony one of the bridesmaids changed into the outfit of Ellie from Jurassic Park, played by Laura Dern, who actually was on the property and I photographed once in 2014!!!


Cocktail hour turned into reception which turned into dancing and lighted balls on the ends of ropes that the bride spun around. Bubble guns everywhere. Little dinosaur heads on fingers. The most energetic dancing i've seen in a long while. And it finally all ended with a giant chocolate chip cookie. Wow. What a fun day. I loved that this couple went all in on what they wanted, totally owned it and made it the day they wanted. And from what I could tell, every single person there loved it, including me! Fun times.


Thank you to all of the wonderful vendors for making the day great all around!




 
 
 

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