With a fresh twist on an outdoor garden celebration, you’re about to fall in love with this inspired wedding editorial at Kestrel Park. Drawing inspiration from the beauty of the surroundings, Krissy Campbell planned a day done in neutral tones for a delicate yet bold look. Beautiful blooms by Solstice Bloom created an unforgettable experience at every carefully curated vignette. The details come to life in artful imagery by Bonphotage that makes us feel as if we’ve just fallen into the fairytale, come see the full day unfold in the full gallery.
From bonphotage… The rolling hills and oceanside escape off of the iconic Highway 1 brought us to the beautiful Kestrel Park in Santa Ynez, California. The blend of this incredible area with the nod to the English countryside architecture made it a perfect choice for a dream couple’s intimate west coast celebration. I couldn’t wait to create around the natural elements and beauty of the space, while also speaking to current topics of connection, thoughtful celebration, intimate post-COVID weddings, fashion, and travel at this stunning location. I wanted to showcase the versatility and options that a stateside venue like Kestrel Park provides to couples without necessarily having to travel outside of the United States. We decided to showcase a few vignettes throughout the property that highlighted the beautiful English-style architecture and gardens that could be used all year round. We designed a ceremony, tablescape, cake design, and various portrait locations that brought together cohesive designs for the couple’s aesthetic. To bring the vignettes to life, we decided on a late winter wedding date and, again, played to the property and its surroundings. I chose a color palette with primarily neutral tones and a touch of soft pinks and yellows, keeping in line with the fine art aesthetic while adding both personal touches and subtle wintery pops of color. I described the couple and their ideal celebration with descriptors such as “European-inspired, authentic, historic, refined, romantic, intimate, sophisticated, delicate yet bold, simply textured, hopeful, artistic, organic, timeless, and cultured.”
We also wanted to create a story for this couple that could be reflected in the experience and details of their time at Kestrel Park. This is the story of a couple with a love for travel and culture. They want to reflect their connection to the natural and European-style architecture while inspiring their guests to discover for themselves perspectives and stories beyond their own – to see from someone else’s “window”. To celebrate places and people that may surprise, challenge, and inspire. Their celebration speaks of their desire to use their travels and privilege to connect themselves and others to the innate beauty found in places and people wherever they go. All of this gave us a wonderful foundation to work with as we designed the experience. We began to connect with professionals that could beautifully bring these elements and values to life. We worked with the incredibly talented floral designer, Solstice Bloom, to create stunning floral vignettes that flowed naturally throughout each space – from a show-stopping ceremony installation outside the country house property to the tablescape lush with pops of softly toned florals, candles, and even added fruits – pears and grapes for guests to partake in. She also created the most romantic bouquet for the bride, just perfectly sized for her, and her delicate and romantic gowns by Lillie Mae Collection along with her whimsical bridal hair, makeup, and jewelry. The touch of florals and these lovely delicate details perfectly enhanced the already stunning natural landscape and architecture. The color palette softly played off tones of winter and the subtle tones both outside and inside the venue. We had so much fun weaving these together. From the light-colored chairs that perfectly fit to the simple English architecture to the velvet linens, the most natural pieces held the guest tables together while the pops of soft color came through in the florals, fruit, and paper details. The invitations and day of stationery by Ciarra Claire Fine Art were a truly personal touch as each guest received an antiqued grey floral menu topped with detailed vellum and tied with petite twine in addition to a personal place card. Subtle natural tones, hand calligraphy, and a floral printed vellum design in the invites and paper goods gave a nod to the inspiration found in the location and its surroundings as well. The texture in the china and flatware brought a true nod to the simple, yet elegant look of the venue’s iconic stables and gardens. The backdrop of the stone structure with the garden and mountains in view was the perfect spot for an outdoor dinner soiree surrounding the wedding day.
We also wanted to ensure that we captured the couple taking special moments for themselves throughout the experience. This is one of my top priorities as a planner and designer – to provide our couples with not only a stunning space but the ability to cherish the beauty of the moments together both alone and with their guests. The bride and groom were captured throughout the property in the natural element with the most perfect golden light and rolling southern California landscape. As you can see through the beautifully captured photos from the bonphotage team, each detail of the celebration and experience at Kestrel Park was thoughtful from beginning to end. The aesthetic and beauty was only heightened by the intimate moments between them and the intentional touches added for themselves and their loved ones. We hope this project inspires a timeless, yet highly personal and thoughtful approach to celebrations at a stateside destination that fits a couple’s love, values, and journey together!
Photography: bonphotage | Event Planning: Krissy Campbell | Floral Design: Solstice bloom | dress: Lillie Mae Collection | Cake: delaney's desserts | Invitations: Ciarra Claire Fine Art | Ceremony Venue: Kestrel Park | jewelry: EDEN LUXE Bridal | makeup: Janet Villa | Men's Attire: Friar Tux | Model: Nadia Williams | Rentals: Party Pleasers | model: Josh Faulkner