Real Wedding at the Ole Hanson Beach Club in San Clemente
August 12, 2026
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It started the way all great modern romances do: with a serious office crush. Madison and Julian were both navigating the hustle of New York City, working in the same Manhattan office. While their close-knit group of friends constantly insisted Julian had feelings for her, Madison wasn’t buying it (even though she was secretly harboring a massive crush of her own). After a year of navigating a “fun ‘will-they-won’t-they’ phase,” the two finally broke the tension when Julian asked her out on their very first date.
Fast forward through a move to Denver, Colorado, and the couple found themselves engaged with a big decision to make. Where would they tie the knot? After touring venues local to Denver and not finding anything that sparked excitement for them, a realization hit. If their friends and family were going to travel anyway, why not take them to Julian and Madison’s favorite kind of destination?
“The beach has always been deeply meaningful to us,” Madison says. “It’s where we defined our relationship, where we got engaged, and where we’ve shared some of our most important milestones and favorite vacations.”
Madison and Julian turned the often-stressful hunt for a venue into a romantic California road trip. Visiting a handful of venues suggested by their planner, the search concluded when the couple stepped onto the property of Ole Hanson Beach Club in San Clemente.
“It had so much character and was right next to the ocean, offering stunning views,” the bride says. “That combination (history, uniqueness, and proximity to the beach) made it feel truly special and perfectly aligned with what we envisioned.”
When August rolled around, the couple kept their ceremony exactly how they wanted it: short, sweet, and profoundly personal. Clocking in at just 20 minutes, the ceremony completely bypassed formal traditions in favor of authenticity. One of Madison’s oldest childhood friends officiated, and the couple wrote their own vows. Without sharing a single word with each other beforehand, they stood at the altar completely amazed at how perfectly their sentiments and themes aligned.
The reception occurred at the property’s rooftop event space. Blue linens, bright citrus, and floral arrangements of pink, white and orange welcomed wedding goers to take in the San Clemente sunset while sipping the couple’s signature cocktail, an espresso martini. Speeches, cake cutting and first dances commenced as the sun dipped below the ocean horizon.
Pulling off a flawless coastal wedding while living in Denver couldn’t have been possible without assembling a team of experienced vendors. The couple largely credits their Colorado-based planner, Isabelle Kline, whose Southern California roots made navigating local logistics and traffic patterns a breeze.
Looking back, Madison and Julian have a refreshing, grounded take on the inevitable chaos of planning a destination wedding.
“One of the biggest lessons we learned is that there are countless moving parts in wedding planning, and not everything will go perfectly, and that’s okay,” the bride says. “Rather than focusing on expectations, we focused on what we truly wanted, and that made the experience not only manageable, but genuinely enjoyable.”
Vendors: Photography: Emily Wilkerson Photo; Planning & Florals: Isabelle Kline Design; Venue: Ole Hanson Beach Club; Cake: Sugar Blossom Bake Shop; Hair & Makeup: Design Visage; Content Creator: Always a Bride; Strings: Innocenti Strings
