Isabella Alicia Brown and Sean Clinton Brown, who now run sailing charter business Sail Tahoe Blue together, went to the same high school and knew of each other but didn’t officially connect until years later at a dive bar in their hometown of Los Gatos, California.
After seven-and-a-half years together, Sean proposed on the island of Madeira in Portugal. They were going to check out a surf spot, and he pulled over to a beautiful outlook. “There was a dirt trail that led out to a bluff above the cliff. Sean waited for me and held out his hand. . .This is when I knew something must be up because Sean NEVER waits for me, or anyone, when there is surfing involved,” Isabella smiles. “He walked me out onto the bluff, and as he said my full name, he got down on one knee.”
The bride-to-be’s grandmother, who lives in England, was the first person she called to share the news. Serendipitously, her grandmother asked, “Did you park at a cul de sac with a bluff on your right?” It turns out that she had visited that exact spot with Isabella’s grandfather, who passed away in 2019. “It was a surreal moment to realize that without knowing it that Sean asked me to marry him in the very same spot where my grandparents had stood years before,” Isabella shares.
Having grown up in Northern California, Isabella knew she wanted to get married somewhere near the coastline. The Haven at Tomales had everything the couple was looking for, and being able to easily surf the day before the ceremony was a dream come true. The group took over The Lodge at Bodega Bay for the weekend and even hosted their welcome party at the hotel.
Isabella took the reins of designing her wedding, and Two Roads Event Co. brought her vision to life. Lexie Hand was behind the lens for all the events, and Chloe Pombo Design set the tone with a beautiful invitation suite.
While scrolling on Instagram, Isabella found Los Angeles–based bridal brand NEWHITE and fell in love with the T.D.G. dress for her ceremony look. On the morning-of, the bride got ready with Christi Reynolds, who put her tresses in a wispy and elegant bun. She completed the bridal ensemble with her mother’s pearl earrings and a necklace featuring her great grandmother’s topaz.
On September 23, 2023, Sean wore a custom suit by their friend Clint Barnes’s label As You Are and waited for Isabella at the floral altar by Florali. The bride and her parents walked down the aisle as a Spanish guitar strummed “She’s a Rainbow” by The Rolling Stones. “Watching Isabella walk down the aisle was the most breathtaking moment of my life,” Sean remembers. “Though it was the most significant moment of my life, I felt calm and comfortable in that space surrounded by everyone that mattered.” Isabella adds, “Sean and I both kicked off our shoes for the ceremony, so that we could be connected with the earth and with each other. I’m so thankful we did that. It just felt right and so us.”
Once announced as officially wed, the newlyweds led their guest to cocktail hour on the lawn. Then in the barn, the seated dinner from A Fork Full of Earth commenced with a menu of Argentine tri-tip, Moroccan lemon chicken, a tender lettuce and edible flower salad, heirloom tomatoes, and fingerling potatoes.
The newlyweds had their first dance to “Into The Mystic” by Van Morrison, then every single person stayed on the dance floor until Dart Collective’s band’s last song finished. “It was particularly special to dance with my grandmother, who is 83 and was tearing it up,” Isabella remembers.
After the reception came to a close, everyone piled into lively shuttles headed to back to the lodge, where the party continued until the early hours. The couple took a mini-moon a few days after the wedding along the California coastline, driving (and surfing) from Bodega Bay to Carmel then all the way to the bride’s family’s home in Santa Barbara.
