When we stumble across a wedding this pretty, we make sure to share every sweet detail with you. Invitations to set the mood for a superior soiree – from Smitten on Paper no less. Stunning floral designs on top of beautiful tables and in the hands of the gorgeous bride. A venue to absolutely die for. Playful lawn games, too add a little whimsy. All wrapped up in beautiful images from Mike Larson Photography. Click here for more!
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Tyler and I had two main themes for our wedding: favorites & fun! We wanted to make sure that the wedding felt like us and that everyone had a great time. Our first task was to find the perfect spot for our celebration. We both teach fourth grade in Santa Barbara, so we decided to go just over the hill to the romantic hills of Santa Ynez. At first, we looked at the lovely local vineyards, and were drawn to their beauty. But, when we stumbled across this Santa Ynez estate, there was no contest. Perhaps it was the way the willows’ long green branches danced in the wind. Or, maybe it was the perfect aisle that led from the arched arbor to the pond. Whatever it was, we knew this was it!
I love weddings and after years (yes, ahem, even before our December engagement) of adding bookmarks to my “Wedding Delights” folder and scouring Pinterest, it was embarrassingly easy to make design choices in the months before the big day. Engaged or not, who doesn’t drool over darling burlap banners and homemade wooden signs? We ended up with a look of simple, rustic elegance, oh, and yes…green! My favorite color since Kindergarten.
Now that we’re on the favorites theme, I must mention our yard games area. Like Tyler said, “We don’t want people to get bored at our wedding!” With this setup, I doubt they did. We had out lawn bowling, bocce ball and corn hole. Needless to say, these games also satisfied our second criterion: fun!
In order to avoid some of the frivolous wine country costs, we put our crafty teacher-juices to use and incorporated some DIY’s into our big day. Our favors were cinnamon sugar shakers, lovingly assembled by my mom, brother, and sisters. And our wedding signs were handmade by an artsy fellow Santa Barbara teacher. We also used some lanterns and votives from my good friend’s wedding that took place just a few months before!
June 10th truly was filled with favorites: from the beautiful hydrangeas to the savory sweet potato fries. But, marrying my favorite person is what truly made it my favorite day!
Photography: Mike Larson, who specializes in Private estate & Vineyard weddings / Cinematography: FortyOne Twenty / Flowers: Stephanie Aquilon, stephaquilon@gmail.com / Ceremony & Reception Location: private estate in Santa Ynez, California / Save the Dates: Minted / Wedding Invitations: Smitten on Paper / Bride’s Shoes: Vince Camuto, from Nordstrom / Bride’s Veil: Veiled Beauty / Bride’s Earrings: Kendra Scott / Dress: Tara Keely / Wedding Cake: Decadence / Food: The Chef’s Touch / DJ: Gavin Roy Presents / Rings: Modern Design Inc. / Hair: Katie Lee Hair / Makeup: Unveiled Makeup / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dessy Group / Men’s Tuxes: Men’s Wearhouse