A Heartfelt Laid Back Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga

Mert & Melody, aka “Mertlody,” celebrated their wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Mert actually wanted to get married at Burning Man but Melody vetoed that idea. They agreed on The Mountain Mermaid which suited them perfectly – nice, laid back, and a little quirky.

Photos from their wedding below! Wedding vendors listed at the bottom of this post.

If you’d like to see pictures from Mert & Melody’s Santa Monica Engagement Session, click here.

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Pink Flower Bouquet. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

 

The Mountain Mermaid Wedding in Topanga. www.christinechangphoto.com

Blush Sparkly Bridesmaids Dresses. Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. www.christinechangphoto.com

People have different opinions on having phones in photos. If it’s a formal photo I usually ask people if they can put them away, but for candids I don’t mind them so much. It’s natural that some people will have their phones out at a celebration and will want to take photos too. I also think phones can add to the story, showing the era these photos were taken. Remember huge cell phones from the 90’s? I love seeing them in pictures now!

Groomsmen Getting Ready. Photo by Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

One of my favorite things about men when they get together – how playful they get. It’s hard to take photos of guys getting ready without them wanting to do something silly.

Groomsmen Getting Ready. Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. www.christinechangphoto.com

Mother of the Groom + Mother of the Bride. When I walk into a wedding I can always tell which ones are the moms. It’s pretty easy to tell, isn’t it? 🙂

Poolside cocktails at The Mountain Mermaid before and after the ceremony.

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Photo by Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Photo by Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Ceremony under the trees.

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Photo by Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Photo by Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Parents Watching the Wedding Ceremony. Photo by Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Photo by Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Photo by Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Cocktail Hour at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Photo by Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Melody’s parents really wanted her to change into a traditional Chinese dress and do a tea ceremony. She didn’t know exactly how so as she got ready she watched a “How to do a Chinese tea ceremony” video on Youtube.

Good daughter! 😉

Chinese Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Her mom was so happy and proud! It made me happy to see.

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Dad telling me to get out of his photo. Lol.

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Grand Entrance into the reception hall at The Mountain Mermaid.

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Wedding Speech. Photo by Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Mert’s family is Turkish so they did a lot of Turkish dances. Loved the high energy!

Turkish Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Turkish Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Turkish Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Turkish Wedding at The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Dancing Photo. Christine Chang Photography. www.christinechangphoto.com

Wedding Vendors:

Event Coordinator: Flyte44 Events

Hair and Make-up: Kelly Zhang Studio

Photographer: Christine Chang Photography

Videography: Daybreak Weddings

DJ: Sam House

Caterer & Cake: Layne Sanden of Layne Catering

Rentals: LA Party Rents

Groom’s Attire: Hugo Boss

Wedding Dress: Bliss by Monique Lhuillier

Bridesmaids Dresses: ASOS long beaded/ tulle in taupe blush

Venue: The Mountain Mermaid

Florist: Flowers by Leah

Invitations: Minted

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Melody Qiu

    Christine, I can’t begin to express how amazed I am by these pics! Absolutely love love love how you captured the happy vibes of the day and the crazy energy of the party 🙂 I also make a lot of facial expressions apparently hehe. Thank you so much for an awesome preview!!!

  2. Sandy

    Hi Melody,

    Thinking of doing a wedding here in May 2020 and would love to hear more about your experience!

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