Jewel Tone Autumn Wedding at Kestrel Park in Santa Ynez
We've just said adieu to fall, but that isn't stopping us from appreciating autumn wedding inspiration galore. Today's fete from Jen Huang is a California fall soiree for the books. Set at the sprawling Kestrel Park, event planner Davia Lee stood by this Bride & Groom in their planning process that resulted in a wedding you'll be tempted to pin every captured detail. There's so much more than what's below so make sure to have a peek at the full gallery!
From the Bride, Ali... Our wedding day was by far the best day of our lives. Steven and I are incredibly close to our family and friends so we wanted to ensure our day was personal and inclusive. My brother officiated our wedding, Stevens brother and grandfather sang a song during our ceremony, and we had our parents and other family members do readings about values that were important to us.
Our venue quite literally took our breath away and we were drawn to it for it's natural beauty and European feel. Incorporating both of our Italian heritage into our day was something that was really important to us and we sure did! Davia Lee was the mastermind behind our incredible wedding and our dream team of vendors made the day not only beautiful, but stress free and so much fun!
I will never forget seeing the sail cloth tent for the first time and gasping at how amazing everything looked. Camille infused some moody elements into our florals which helped create the ultimate "wow" moment as you entered the reception. The dance floor was completely packed the entire night so much so that our guests demanded an encore from our band which resulted in Steven and I dancing up on stage, singing out to all our family and friends. We had an absolute blast. Our day was better than we could have ever imagined - full of magic and was so us!
Favorite Moments... Our first look was hands down our favorite part of the day. It was so intimate and our eyes never left each other as I walked down the aisle towards him. We both let out the biggest sigh as soon as we saw each other and were so comforted in being together! Not that I ever doubted whether or not he was the one, but in that moment I have never been more sure of anything in my life. Showing him my veil and watching his reaction was something I will never forget. All of our nerves seemed to dissipate and we were just so excited for everything to start!
Our vows: hearing the wind in the trees and each other's voices as we professed our love for each other was pure magic. We both say we will never forget the rustling of the leaves as the wind moved throughout the trees. That and knowing we were surrounded by the people that meant the most to us was one of the best feelings in the world.
The napkin dance! Steven and I really wanted to incorporate Italian elements into all aspects of the wedding so we requested our band to play "Thats Amore" during dinner. When the song started, some of our guests took their napkins and were swinging them over their heads! Before we knew it, the entire reception (and I mean everyone) had their napkins up and people were swaying back and forth singing to the music. It was completely unplanned and a moment Steven and I still smile about now!
My grandmothers song - I surprised my mom and dad with a recording of my late grandmother singing during our reception. The look on my moms face as she heard her mothers voice is something I will remember forever. My entire family huddled in a circle on the dance floor dancing to her song. My mom was in tears and my siblings, dad and I couldn't stop smiling at each other. There was so much love in that circle!
So many favorite details (I am such a detail person!): My favorite detail was by far my custom veil. I've saved the letters and cards Steven has written me over the years and I wanted to find a way to incorporate the words that had been so meaningful to me into our wedding. I worked with Hermoine de Paula to create the perfect love letter veil that was the best surprise for my soon to be husband. The look on his face the first time he saw it still gives me chills! I also kept it on during cocktail hour so that I could share the story behind it with our guests and watching everyones reaction was so special - there were a lot of tears!
Working the fashion industry, I knew I wanted to incorporate something fun and unique into my look. Carly Bennett helped create my custom "Skavdahl" white leather jacket that I threw on when I changed into my slip dress. It was so me and is such a fun, personalized piece that I will have forever.
Raina from Fete and Quill was amazing in creating so much of our signage and special elements. I wanted something really special for the escort display that felt natural with the venue and had movement. Davia came up with the amazing idea of creating free standing banners which really "wowed" against the lush greenery. They floated with the wind and were so cool! We used the same idea for the back of Steven and my chairs and draped fabric that read " Avere" and "Tenere" which means "To have" and "To hold" in Italian. Finally, our dried greenery acrylic place cards helped tie in the entire look as they were inspired by our venue! For our lounge, we had a light up "Andiamo" sign which means "Let's go" in Italian. It was such a fun backdrop and our guests loved getting pictures with it!
Our venue quite literally took our breath away and we were drawn to it for it's natural beauty and European feel. Incorporating both of our Italian heritage into our day was something that was really important to us and we sure did! Davia Lee was the mastermind behind our incredible wedding and our dream team of vendors made the day not only beautiful, but stress free and so much fun!
I will never forget seeing the sail cloth tent for the first time and gasping at how amazing everything looked. Camille infused some moody elements into our florals which helped create the ultimate "wow" moment as you entered the reception. The dance floor was completely packed the entire night so much so that our guests demanded an encore from our band which resulted in Steven and I dancing up on stage, singing out to all our family and friends. We had an absolute blast. Our day was better than we could have ever imagined - full of magic and was so us!
Favorite Moments... Our first look was hands down our favorite part of the day. It was so intimate and our eyes never left each other as I walked down the aisle towards him. We both let out the biggest sigh as soon as we saw each other and were so comforted in being together! Not that I ever doubted whether or not he was the one, but in that moment I have never been more sure of anything in my life. Showing him my veil and watching his reaction was something I will never forget. All of our nerves seemed to dissipate and we were just so excited for everything to start!
Our vows: hearing the wind in the trees and each other's voices as we professed our love for each other was pure magic. We both say we will never forget the rustling of the leaves as the wind moved throughout the trees. That and knowing we were surrounded by the people that meant the most to us was one of the best feelings in the world.
The napkin dance! Steven and I really wanted to incorporate Italian elements into all aspects of the wedding so we requested our band to play "Thats Amore" during dinner. When the song started, some of our guests took their napkins and were swinging them over their heads! Before we knew it, the entire reception (and I mean everyone) had their napkins up and people were swaying back and forth singing to the music. It was completely unplanned and a moment Steven and I still smile about now!
My grandmothers song - I surprised my mom and dad with a recording of my late grandmother singing during our reception. The look on my moms face as she heard her mothers voice is something I will remember forever. My entire family huddled in a circle on the dance floor dancing to her song. My mom was in tears and my siblings, dad and I couldn't stop smiling at each other. There was so much love in that circle!
So many favorite details (I am such a detail person!): My favorite detail was by far my custom veil. I've saved the letters and cards Steven has written me over the years and I wanted to find a way to incorporate the words that had been so meaningful to me into our wedding. I worked with Hermoine de Paula to create the perfect love letter veil that was the best surprise for my soon to be husband. The look on his face the first time he saw it still gives me chills! I also kept it on during cocktail hour so that I could share the story behind it with our guests and watching everyones reaction was so special - there were a lot of tears!
Working the fashion industry, I knew I wanted to incorporate something fun and unique into my look. Carly Bennett helped create my custom "Skavdahl" white leather jacket that I threw on when I changed into my slip dress. It was so me and is such a fun, personalized piece that I will have forever.
Raina from Fete and Quill was amazing in creating so much of our signage and special elements. I wanted something really special for the escort display that felt natural with the venue and had movement. Davia came up with the amazing idea of creating free standing banners which really "wowed" against the lush greenery. They floated with the wind and were so cool! We used the same idea for the back of Steven and my chairs and draped fabric that read " Avere" and "Tenere" which means "To have" and "To hold" in Italian. Finally, our dried greenery acrylic place cards helped tie in the entire look as they were inspired by our venue! For our lounge, we had a light up "Andiamo" sign which means "Let's go" in Italian. It was such a fun backdrop and our guests loved getting pictures with it!