Al Fresco Ojai Valley Inn Wedding
Is there anything better than a Ojai Valley Inn wedding? No, no there is not. Want proof? Just look at this pretty little party from Heather Kincaid and you'll see exactly what I mean. With a talented vendor team (like TEAM Hair + Makeup and La Tavola Linen) It's glamorous with a modern twist and we've got it all waiting for you in The Vault!
From The Bride...Nathan and I met while in college at the University of Southern California and most of our friends and family who have been such instrumental parts of our relationship over the past ten years still leave near Los Angeles. We loved the idea of having our wedding somewhere where many of our guests could stay on the same property for our wedding weekend so that we could spend as much time having fun with them as possible! We’d been coming up to Ojai with friends for years and Nathan had played in annual tennis tournaments there growing up, so the town was nostalgic for us both. It also didn’t hurt that the resort was absolutely beautiful, welcoming and a short drive from Los Angeles for most of our guests!
It was extremely important to us to have a meaningful and personal ceremony followed by an awesome dance party and reception. We chose to write personal vows and were also lucky enough to have Nathan’s uncle serve as our officiant, which made the ceremony feel incredibly intimate despite the fact that we had 240 guests. A significant number of our attendees were around our age, so great music was also key – our band was absolutely phenomenal and had people up dancing (unplanned!) during dinner. To cap off the night, we had late night snacks and a 90’s hip hop DJ for the last hour of the reception.
Although we wanted to have our reception indoors to avoid any nighttime noise restrictions, we really wanted the ballroom to incorporate many of the natural elements that make Ojai such a gorgeous place. Our florist, Camille, did an amazing job of coming up with fun ways to do this, from draping greenery from the chandeliers and bringing in large, beautiful olive trees and various shrubbery to frame the dance floor, to using lush, neutral florals with different textures in planters behind our furniture vignettes. Additionally, since we had opted for black tie attire, we wanted to combine a few traditional elements like my mom’s silver platters on our escort table and gold-rimmed glassware, with more organic components such as long wood tables, and small arrangements of fruit on the tables. And our wedding planners were 100% right that having great lighting was key to highlighting these details and completely transformed the room to give it a magical, outdoorsy feel.
The wedding planning process certainly can be a giant undertaking filled with lots of voices and opinions, and focusing on perfecting every tiny detail can be overwhelming. Our advice is to stay true to what is important to the two of you as a couple, and to put your energy into enjoying not only each other throughout the process and on the big day, but also all of your friends and family that have shown up to celebrate with you – that’s what makes a truly memorable wedding!
It was extremely important to us to have a meaningful and personal ceremony followed by an awesome dance party and reception. We chose to write personal vows and were also lucky enough to have Nathan’s uncle serve as our officiant, which made the ceremony feel incredibly intimate despite the fact that we had 240 guests. A significant number of our attendees were around our age, so great music was also key – our band was absolutely phenomenal and had people up dancing (unplanned!) during dinner. To cap off the night, we had late night snacks and a 90’s hip hop DJ for the last hour of the reception.
Although we wanted to have our reception indoors to avoid any nighttime noise restrictions, we really wanted the ballroom to incorporate many of the natural elements that make Ojai such a gorgeous place. Our florist, Camille, did an amazing job of coming up with fun ways to do this, from draping greenery from the chandeliers and bringing in large, beautiful olive trees and various shrubbery to frame the dance floor, to using lush, neutral florals with different textures in planters behind our furniture vignettes. Additionally, since we had opted for black tie attire, we wanted to combine a few traditional elements like my mom’s silver platters on our escort table and gold-rimmed glassware, with more organic components such as long wood tables, and small arrangements of fruit on the tables. And our wedding planners were 100% right that having great lighting was key to highlighting these details and completely transformed the room to give it a magical, outdoorsy feel.
The wedding planning process certainly can be a giant undertaking filled with lots of voices and opinions, and focusing on perfecting every tiny detail can be overwhelming. Our advice is to stay true to what is important to the two of you as a couple, and to put your energy into enjoying not only each other throughout the process and on the big day, but also all of your friends and family that have shown up to celebrate with you – that’s what makes a truly memorable wedding!