Real Wedding: Alissa and Ryan, V

Every now and then, I have a REALLY hard time finding the right words to introduce a wedding. If you knew me, you’d laugh at the thought of me not having words, but it’s true. There are just some weddings where the beauty is so innate, the details so special, the thoughtful design and loveliness are simply indescribable.

From Lisa at Oh How Charming (the voice behind this gorgeous day)…

As the wedding favor, Alissa and Ryan commissioned Miranda Meilleur to create beautiful silver cups for each guest. Mindy did a mini floral planting in each cup and we placed them at the head of the place setting for the guests. Miranda engraved the wedding date and Alissa and Ryan’s name on the bottom of each cup so it was a special takeaway for each guest.

After dinner — guests headed into the Colman Cottage at San Ysidro where we created a great after party lounge. DJT from Red Shoe spun the tunes as the guests danced under the collection of candles and lavender bundles we hung from the wood beams. We recycled the beautiful wood benches from the San Ysidro Ranch and used them to create comfy seating vignettes around the fireplace.

And last but not least — I was DELIGHTED to work with the fabulous Jose Villa. We have been trying to work together for several years now, and finally the stars aligned (he’s always booked when I call him!). He is beyond talented and did such an amazing job capturing the essence of Alissa and Ryan and the crazy decor details.

Oh… wait…one more last but not least… I also need to give props to the awesome hand drawn map Alissa’s father did. It was so fantastic. He drew a map of Montecito and the surrounding areas with all points of interest. Christine from Yellow Owl finessed it just a tad and then printed it in white ink on beautiful green paper. It was such a special touch in the welcome bags and a wonderful keepsake.





This wedding was such an amazing collaboration of so many talented people — including Alissa and Ryan’s families. We grew quite close to them during the process and we miss them dearly. I’ve already advised Alissa’s mother that I may just show up at their Thanksgiving dinner!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming! And to Mindy Rice, Jose Villa and Yellow Owl for helping to design and capture an absolutely incredible wedding.

to see the full gallery, click here!