After literally leaping into marriage with one fantastic proposal story, this adorable Bride knew what she wanted for her special day and found it all in the Dana-Powers House and their beautiful barn. Pastel florals by Bella Bloom accented it’s rustic beauty and Jen Rodriguez captured it all, from giggles with girlfriends to sweet moments with the Bride and Groom. See all their love right here.
From the Bride… On January 9, 2010, I (Ileana) was invited to a birthday party in Studio City, California. The birthday boy (Hans) was celebrating the 25th year of life surrounded by his close friends. We talked about our interests and professions and danced the night away. Fast forward to Valentine’s Day, I was invited to a single’s bar crawl in Pasadena. However, the bar crawl turned into Hans, a mutual friend, and I having drinks and dinner (kinda awkward…LOL). We all went home after a few drinks, but that was the beginning of a friendship. Hans and I chatted on Facebook for months to follow. I decided to get a dog in early April, enter Mr. Bentley Bear and needed a leash and dog supplies. Hans used this opportunity to invite me to lunch. Hans, Bentley, and I went to lunch on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Pasadena. This was the early start to what is now my family, all my love for my boys.
The fall before our engagement Hans mentioned a trip to Montana de Oro State Park with our good friends Megan and Lukas. Montana de Oro (MDO) is a state park nestled in the Central Coast, San Luis Obispo (SLO) to be exact, my favorite place in the world. Hans and I had camped there a number of times when we wanted to get away from the city. MDO has a special place in both of our hearts, as we enjoyed our time jumping off the sand dunes and climbing alongside the bluffs.
The week of the engagement Hans and I came down with the flu and almost didn’t make it to MDO. So instead of camping, we ended up staying in a hotel. Nights in MDO can get very chilly, so we didn’t want to risk getting more sick. “The morning of a day I will never forget,” Hans said that to me that morning. And he was absolutely right, one of the best days of my life. I knew something was up when Hans suggested to bring a change of clothes to watch the sunset. I thought to myself, why would I dress up to go hiking? We met up with Megan and Lukas for breakfast and continued our planned hike to MDO.
We found “our spot”, decided to jump around in the sand dunes like we usually do. It was clear warm day, which is rare in January. Especially since our summer trips were covered in fog and cool days. Hans asked me to take a jump with him, of which was the usual modus operandi. Taking my usual cautionary distance away from him, he asked me to get closer. I hesitantly said “Ok”, my voice showing my shaky hesitance. I was afraid he’d land on me as we took our jump. So as we locked hands, Hans counted to three, like NASA counting down a launch. I was ready to go because there was no way I was going to let him beat me to the bottom of the dune. Once he said three, I was mid-jump when Hans dropped down to one knee. Time stood still for the coming minutes. His proposal was a blur of words, just like vision through the tears. That was just the beginning of the journey of a lifetime with my best friend.
I’ve always known I wanted to get married in SLO. I wanted an outdoor ceremony and natural rustic elements. Dana Powers House is that dream in the form of reality. It is a beautiful wedding venue on it’s own, we didn’t want to take away from it’s seamless beauty. Our floral design vision captures our wedding colors and accents the barn.
Photography: Jen Rodriguez Photography | Coordination: Dana-Powers House | Floral Design: Bella Bloom Events | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Cake: Cake Cathedral | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Donna Morgan | Catering: Pacific Harvest Catering | Make-up: The Queens Bees | Hair : The Queens Bees | DJ: SLO DJ | Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss | Venue: Dana-Powers House | Vintage Rentals : Embellish