Red Done Oh-So-Right in this Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa Wedding

Melissa Baran
February 14, 2019
Categories: Real Weddings, Romantic, The Blog

Red can be a scary color to incorporate into your Big Day (especially if you’re a neutral-lover like me!). Too much and it can be over-powering, too little and it can feel misplaced. But when you get that magical in-between balance of just right, like today’s fete planned by Kelsey Rae Designs, it’s SO, so good my friends. Complete with floral Jenny Yoo bridesmaids dresses and blooms by Carla Kayes, it’s the perfect day to celebrate this happy combo of hues. See the whole celebration captured by Bryan N. Miller and Amari Productions below.

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From the Bride… Josh and I met at the University of Arizona back in 2009. We both had mutual friends so it was easy to become friends fast. He was a D Chi, and I was a Pi Phi. We fell for each other and started dating back in February 2010. We’ve truly been in love ever since. After 9 years together, we’ve been through so much together and that’s what has helped built our love. But to be specific, I love how dedicated he is to our business (we own a unique wedding venue in Las Vegas called The Industrial Event Space) and how patient he is with me when I’m having a challenging day. He loves how sweet and caring I am to him and how supportive I am to his dreams.

Can you give an overall inspiration you had for your day?

When we decided Spring, my first thought was outdoor wedding! I’m from the hot desert so we don’t get to see GREEN often. My vision was for an outdoor venue that was tucked away in a meadow to offer privacy for our big day. I was inspired to have a full service, formal wedding, but that felt laid back and casual. Most of all, I wanted to celebrate how true and pure Josh’s and I love is for one another.

Where did your inspiration for red originate?

I always knew I wanted to flowers to be a focal point of the wedding, the women in my family, especially my mom LOVES flowers. My sister owns and operates a floral design studio in our hometown Las Vegas, so she gave me plenty of advice of flowers in bloom and what’s in season. In our venue in San Diego, I was inspired by the deeper reds and pinks from bougainvillea naturally overflowing the backdrop every corner we looked. It was a perfect contrast to the softer pastel colors. When I worked with my florist Carla Kayes, she assured me that incorporating the deeper red within my Spring color palette was a great choice! And I’m so happy with how everything came together. (I also tried to incorporate my bridesmaids with a deeper pink/ magenta lip color to compliment their light pink floral dresses!)

Having gone through the planning and design process, do you have any words of wisdom for brides currently planning their wedding?

Try to not get overwhelmed like I did! My wedding wouldn’t have been possible without my wedding planner Courtney from Kelsey Rae Designs. I knew a planner would be an additional charge, but I also knew the service they would provide would be priceless and that she was more like a friend looking out for me. I wanted my wedding to be a day where everything was taken care of, and it was. The wedding industry is full of information and things can get overwhelming. Take a breath, and trust your intuition of what you and your partner want for your wedding. Josh and I really trusted our gut of incorporating little details that were us, and it was nice to look back and feel that day was completely us!

Did you have a favorite moment during the wedding day that stands out in you mind?

One of my favorite moments was when my photographer Bryan Miller came to me toward the end of dinner and the speeches and said “Ok! I think I got everything… is there anything else you think I need to capture?” And I said “ummm I’m not sure…” All of a sudden, the band started to play the Hora, a traditional Jewish wedding song that officially starts the party on the dance floor. Before Bryan and I could even finish talking, I was whisked away to the dance floor. Josh and I sat on our chairs, and all the strong men lifted our chairs in the air to sing and dance. This moment was truly the BEST PART of the entire evening because every single guest was up out of their seats, on the dance floor singing and celebrating us. Josh and I held on tight to our chairs and each other’s hand as we were bounced around, smiling and laughing the entire time. From the corner of my eye, I see Bryan with his camera capturing the whole scene. The Hora ended and Bryan found me through the crowd with his happy, bright wide eyes and said “That was amazing!! I got all of that!”