Wedding Guide 2016
B2 Thursday, February 25, 2016
Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Nicole Olmstead & Brian Hopkins August 1, 2015
Nicole’s notes on the day: What moment do you cherish most when you look back on your wedding day?
to feel the love. I think it ended up being exactly how we intended it to be, which was a great party!
My most cherished moment was our first dance. It was just the two of us dancing alone and enjoying the moment. It was amazing to be dancing together and see all the people that we love surrounding us in one place.
What song did you choose for your first dance? Why?
How were your unique personalities expressed in the details of your wedding? I consider myself to be low-key, and I wanted the reception to be a nice intimate backyard party. I loved being able to visit with all of our guests. Brian is artistic, and he designed the invitations to match our colors and theme.
What was most stressful about your wedding day, and how can other couples avoid that stress? The most stressful thing was not allotting enough time with our wedding photographer. Looking back, I wish we had more time to take pictures feeling more relaxed and not so rushed. Luckily we had a lot of help from our family and friends to get the reception site ready on the day of the wedding so we were not worried about any of the set-up. I would tell other couples to get the help of a wedding planner or someone you trust to get the things you need done on the day of your wedding.
What traditional elements did you include in your big day? What elements were more unconventional? We didn’t feel the need or pressure to do too many traditional elements. We had our first dance and we had the Bride/ Father and Groom/Mother dance. We cut the cake. We walked around to each table to say hello to the guests while they were eating. We sat down at a table with our family and friends and ate dinner, and we didn’t have a separate Bride/Groom table. We didn’t have any groomsmen, bridesmaids or flower girls. Instead we asked our family to wear our wedding colors so they would feel included and so our pictures would look cohesive. We didn’t do the garter toss or tossing of the bridal bouquet. The groom was the only one that gave a toast. We had the DJ play all of our favorite songs and we danced with our guests.
In retrospect, was your wedding more about you or your guests? Is that how you intended it? I think it was a good combination of both. We wanted a celebration of our marriage with all our family and friends. We wanted our guests to have fun and
Ryan Adams “My Love For You Is Real.” We both love Ryan Adams and the lyrics describe how we feel about each other.
How well did the venue work for the wedding you had envisioned? The venue was perfect for what we had envisioned when we started planning. Our friends let us have the reception at their residence in Santa Barbara. It was the perfect outdoor setting for a small reception. We envisioned a beautiful evening with warm weather, good food, great music and dancing.
Tell readers about your ceremony. Short but sweet? Religious? Personalized vows? We had a religious ceremony that was short and beautiful. After the ceremony, we were able to hug each person that was there, and that was very special. There were a lot of tears of happiness.
Describe the food at the reception. What feedback did you get on the meal? We love to barbecue and we wanted to share our favorite barbecue foods with everyone. We had delicious tri-tip, lemon garlic chicken, salads, garlic mashed potatoes and pasta. We heard that everyone loved the food. We thought the food was excellent and was better than we could have ever imagined. We heard that many guests went back for second and third helpings.
How did you decide on flowers and other decorations? Was there a cohesive theme that would describe the look and feel of the event? Our theme was backyard modern rustic. Our colors were light pinks, cream and gold and the idea was to keep things simple and beautiful. We had an amazing venue so we didn’t want to take away from the setting by adding too much. We wanted to save money on flowers so the groom’s mother went to the LA Flower Market and made all of the flower pieces with help from family. The bridal bouquet was a beautiful mix of pinks and whites. We loved designing our centerpieces. We bought wood slabs and put antlers and flowers in mason jars, a gold candle and a wood piece with our initials burned in the middle on each table. We had pink, cream and gold pom poms around the venue to add a nice touch of color.
Cake maker: Reynaldo’s Bakery Photography: Jonathan Canlas Invitations: Etsy & designed by groom Ceremony Venue: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, LA Temple Reception venue: Private residence in Santa Barbara Caterer: Stonefire Grill (Thousand Oaks) Jeweler (Bride): Rebecca Overmann Jeweler (Groom): Aide-memoire Jewelry Hair and makeup: The Braid Studio (Santa Monica) Dress shop: Allure Bridals Tux rental: Purchased suit at Express Flowers: LA Flower Market, groom’s mother arranged flowers Music: Best Value DJs Officiant: Religious leader Lighting: House lighting Party rentals: Provided by private residence Honeymoon: Cancun Rehearsal dinner: Private residence with food provided by Reyes Market
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B4 Thursday, February 25, 2016
Lindsey Lockshaw & Jeff Densmore April 11, 2015
Cake maker: Your Cake Baker Photography: Lavender and Twine Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas wedding Venue: Bates Ranch (now exclusively available for vacation rentals) Caterer: Rincon Catering Jeweler: Nordstrom Hair and makeup: Carlyle Salon Dress shop: Nordstrom Wedding Suite at Topanga Canyon Mall Tux rental: Men’s Warehouse Flowers: Rockrose Cocktail Reception Music: Spanish Guitarist Ceremony Music: Anthony Ybarra (Ybarra Music) Reception Music: DJ Danny with Elite DJ Officiant: Family friend Mike Carmel Lighting: Bella Vista Party rentals: Ventura Party Rentals Honeymoon: Playa Del Carmen Rehearsal dinner: Carpinteria Woman’s Club
Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Lindsey’s notes on the day: What moment do you cherish most when you look back on your wedding day? Having all of our friends and family in one place was amazing. Feeling the love that filled the tent all night was so emotional and something that we will never forget.
How were your unique personalities expressed in the details of your wedding? We wanted our wedding to feel comfortable yet classy and timeless. We are both laid back and love spending time with our friends and family and wanted our weddings to reflect that. The wedding venue had views of Rincon Point where Jeff grew up surfing, which was very special to him. I am an event manager and have seen hundreds of weddings over the years. I’m very passionate about planning events and worked hard on all the details and design of the wedding, making sure it was unique and something that the guests had not seen before.
What was most stressful about your wedding day, and how can other couples avoid that stress? The most stressful part of the planning was making sure we had all the details worked out with each of the vendors. With a venue that requires you to bring in everything from tables and chairs to trashcans and restrooms, there were a lot of things that could have been missed. Two weeks before the big day, we had a meeting at the wedding location with all the vendors all at once. This was great because all the vendors could talk and fill in any holes that they thought of. For example, the tent vendor talked with the lighting vendor about the load in timing and the caterer talked with the venue manager about set up and staff parking. There were some things that came up in
this meeting that we would never have thought of, but the vendors’ previous experience really helped close all the gaps. We highly recommend contacting your vendors early to secure the right fit for your event and setting up one or two meetings with them all together at the wedding location to go over all the details to make sure everyone is on the same page and nothing is forgotten.
What traditional elements did you include in your big day? What elements were more unconventional? We had many traditional elements to our wedding, but we worked hard to keep the timeline loose and focus on the social aspects of the night. The venue is a vacation rental property. It was a blank slate, and we had to bring everything in from a pop up kitchen to restrooms to tables and chairs, which was all a little unconventional.
In retrospect, was your wedding more about you or your guests? Is that how you intended it? We wanted our wedding to be a celebration of our love and the blending of our families. We started the wedding weekend off with dinner for the family that came into town early on Thursday night followed by a casual rehearsal dinner and cocktail afterparty on Friday night with a Santa Maria style barbecue and band at the Woman’s Club. We wanted our friends and family to have a great time all weekend in Carpinteria and enjoy the amazing backdrop that Bates Ranch has to offer on Saturday night. Even though we planned a weekend all around our guests, we felt so special all weekend long and our friends and family kept everything all about us. We wanted to spend as much time as possible with
our guests while they were in town so we ended the weekend celebration with a brunch at our house Sunday morning so we could all recap the night and say our goodbyes before everyone left town and we flew off to our honeymoon.
What song did you choose for your first dance? Why? Ray Lamontagne “You are the Best Thing.” We loved the words to this song and we often tell each other, “you are the best thing that ever happened to me.”
How well did the venue work for the wedding you had envisioned? We knew that we wanted the ocean to be a focal point of our wedding. We looked at many venues but always were dreaming of getting married at the magnificent Bates Ranch. We ended up getting our dream location and it was exactly what we had envisioned. We would not have asked for a more perfect day. We got married in the spring and were so nervous it was going to rain on our wedding day. In the end, it was the most perfect 74-degree day and the views of ocean and the Carpinteria Valley made the most spectacular backdrop. The venue was also perfect for us because our family was able to stay at the house all weekend and enjoy everything it had to offer. They also loved watching the lawn start out bare and end up being the spectacular party space where we danced the night away—from the tent being constructed to the tables and centerpieces being set and the chandeliers lighting up the clear top tent.
Tell readers about your ceremony. Short but sweet? Religious? Personalized vows? We l o v e d o u r c e r e m o n y . We collaborated with our officiant to put together a ceremony that combined tradition, spirituality and our own personal touches. Having our parents a part of the ceremony was important to us so we incorporated a wine blending ritual with them that symbolized two families coming
together as one.
Describe the food at the reception. What feedback did you get on the meal? From the very beginning of working with Rincon Catering, we were impressed with their staff and services. We went to a food tasting at their location and were blown away by all the food they presented. We decided to do four interactive food stations at our wedding (including salmon and beef carving stations, flatbread pizza and pasta station, and a taco station) so the guests could get up and mingle around and talk to other guests. It worked out perfectly and all the guests said it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding and loved the food stations concept. We have heard such positive feedback from our guests about the food stations concept as they loved interacting with other friends and family and were able to go back for seconds of their favorite items.
How did you decide on flowers and other decorations? Was there a cohesive theme that would describe the look and feel of the event? As an event manager myself, I have always been obsessed with weddings and wedding design and I have been thinking about my wedding for a long time. Jeff was very involved with the planning and design process and we got our inspiration from the many shades of bougainvillea and wanted to include the bright magenta and coral colors into the design. We love the Santa Barbara Mediterranean style and using lots of bougainvillea complimented the Spanish style of Bates Ranch. We kept the color scheme vibrant and cheerful with navy blue and pops of bright pinks. We also added in some wine elements to the design as well. From the blending of the wines during the wedding ceremony, to the wine staves to display our escort cards and individually cut pieces of the wine staves as plates for the first course.
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B6 Thursday, February 25, 2016
Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Megan MacMurray & Tommy Flannery July 6, 2013
Cake: A Piece of Cake Photographer: Baron Spafford Invitations: Designed, printed and sewn by the bride Wedding Venue: Heart Stone Ranch Caterer: Omni Jeweler: Truong & Co. Hair and makeup: Chateau Belle Dress: Panache Bridal Alterations: Design Studio MZ Bridal party bouquets: Simply Bouquets Flowers: centerpiece flowers provided by a friend’s local family nursery, centerpieces designed and made by bride
Music:
Konrad Kono (ceremony/cocktail hour), Vanity Fair (reception)
Officiant: Family friend Lighting: Bella Vista Designs Party Rentals:
HeartStone Vintage Rentals, Ventura Rentals, La Tavola, most décor made by bride and groom
Honeymoon: Four Seasons in Nevis, Caribbean island Rehearsal dinner: Tydes Restaurant at the Coral Casino Beach Club
Megan’s notes on the day: What moment do you cherish most when you look back on your wedding day? When our fabulous eight-piece band was able to get everyone at our wedding out on the dance floor with us to get down on the ground for “Shout.” It was an amazing moment to see the entire dance floor packed with all of our friends and family who were singing along and dancing their hearts out to such a classic! Another cherished moment was dancing to “Rock Around the Clock” with my dad for the father-daughter dance.
How were your unique personalities expressed in the details of your wedding? As a teacher and an industrial designer, we were able to hand make most of the elements in our wedding, from the wedding signs, wooden crates and cornhole boards to the invitations, napkin rings and place cards. A year before our wedding we threw a pig roast party to barrel our own wedding whiskey with our friends and family. At the event on our ranch we sealed the barrel and branded it. This was the whiskey featured in our signature drink and served at our wedding a year later.
What was most stressful about your wedding day, and how can other couples avoid that stress? After my last dress fitting, my dress needed to be fixed to make it wearable. We picked it up in a very terrible state on the Monday evening before our Saturday wedding. We found a new seamstress on Tuesday, who had to take the entire dress apart to fix the errors and make the dress fit be properly. Maria at Design Studio MZ was absolutely fantastic! She dropped everything to fix my wedding dress in four days, and graciously charged us less than the original alterations bill from the previous seamstress who left tear marks and cut threads in the side seams when she could not fit the dress to me properly! My advice is to thoroughly research your alterations company and make sure you have an honest and trustworthy seamstress.
What traditional elements did you include in your big day? What elements were more unconventional? Traditional elements we included: vows, first dance, father-daughter dance, cake cutting ceremony, last dance. Unconventional: photo guest book, pre-wedding lemonade and cookie stand, dance floor glow stick necklaces, mason jar water glass escort tags, cocktail hour lawn games, Sunday wedding brunch, bags of family grown avocados as favors.
In retrospect, was your wedding more about you or your guests? Is that how you intended it? Our wedding day was about celebrating with our wedding guests. We were married over the Fourth of July weekend, and our wedding events started early in the week. This allowed for all of our guests to get to know one another and enjoy the wedding weekend together. It was really important to us that our guests had an amazing evening in the beautiful Carpinteria valley.
What song did you choose for your first dance? Why? “Whatever It Is” by Zac Brown Band. We started dating when I was still living in Nashville, Tenn.—the heart of country music. This is one of our favorite country songs from early in our relationship.
How well did the venue work for the wedding you had envisioned? Heart Stone Ranch was the perfect backdrop to our rustic wedding. When we were looking for a wedding venue, we wanted to find an outdoor location that reflected the beauty of the Santa Barbara area. The grounds at Heart Stone were gorgeous, with well thought out areas that helped guests transition from the ceremony to the cocktail hour, and on to the reception. Nick had a wonderful knowledge of previous weddings at the venue and was able to walk us through the space so we could really envision how the wedding would come together.
INSPIRE YOUR WEDDING
Tell readers about your ceremony. Short but sweet? Religious? Personalized vows? Our ceremony was outside and short but sweet with many traditional elements: giving of the bride, vows, and exchange of rings. It was a personal ceremony because we chose a close family friend, who knew both of us well. We also each chose a friend to do poetry readings (an excerpt from “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Suess and “All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” By Robert Fulgham)
Describe the food at the reception. What feedback did you get on the meal? We designed a southern menu with Omni Fresco to compliment the whiskey we barreled for our wedding day. I lived in Nashville, Tenn. while in college and for a few years after graduating, so the bourbon peach glazed chicken and pecan crusted halibut with sweet potato butter made us choose Omni Fresco. Our guests enjoyed the flavors of the ranch style cuisine that was served at our wedding.
How did you decide on flowers and other decorations? Was there a cohesive theme that would describe the look and feel of the event? Our flowers and centerpieces had a rustic feel, with loosely arranged shades of cream, yellow and gray accented by seeded eucalyptus. We used garden roses, lisianthus, aster salidago and dusty miller with the seeded eucalyptus. One of my childhood friends, and bridesmaid, grows flowers in the Carpinteria valley. Her family nursery provided the flowers we used in mercury glass vases, and mason jars held in wooden crates that my husband and I made. We used wooden farm tables at the guest tables with gray and yellow fabric runners and cream-colored antique lanterns and mercury glass votives. We used white hydrangeas in galvanized flower buckets, placed on wooden crates to line the aisle and decorate the cocktail hour tables. Our wedding had a romantic rustic ranch feel with personalized elements and wooden accents. Our colors were grey, yellow and white.
M o n d a y- Fr i d a y 9 - 4 : 3 0 • S a t u r d a y 1 0 - 4 3 5 0 4 V i a Re a l, C a r p i n t e r i a, C A 9 3 0 1 3 Fr o m t h e 1 0 1 Fr e e w a y N. o r S. - E x i t a t S a n t a C l a u s La n e
w e s t e r l a y o r c h i d s. c o m • 8 0 5 . 6 8 4 . 5 4 1 1 x 2
B8 Thursday, February 25, 2016
Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Meganne Forbes & Steve Richards June 1, 2015
Meganne’s notes on the day: What moment do you cherish most when you look back on your wedding day? The entire event—the kiss, so many dear friends, the loved experienced, the beauty everywhere we looked, dancing—music played a big part.
How were your unique personalities expressed in the details of your wedding? We both are nature lovers so having our wedding at the beach was wonderful.
What was most stressful about your wedding day, and how can other couples avoid that stress? Predicting the weather for a June wedding was stressful. We lucked out, and it was magnificent.
What traditional elements did you include in your big day? What elements were more unconventional? Traditional elements: white dress, “the kiss” and a flower girl. Other than that, it was very unconventional. My son and his wife walked me down the ramp at Rincon, and Steve walked down with our officiant, a good friend.
In retrospect, was your wedding more about you or your guests? Is that how you intended it? Our wedding was a balance of both. We wanted everyone to feel full of love and joy.
What song did you choose for your
first dance? Why? “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green. We like soul and funk. Steve and I were friends in high school, so we played songs from that era.
How well did the venue work for the wedding you had envisioned? We loved the ocean waves and the expanded view—the sunset was colorful and sweet. When the full moon rose, we were all blown away.
Tell readers about your ceremony. Short but sweet? Religious? Personalized vows? Very personalized. Dear friends, sand, Hawaiian chants and our favorite love song. There was laughter, joy and tears too. We wanted everyone’s heart to burst open like ours were.
Describe the food at the reception. What feedback did you get on the meal? Because this was an “open” wedding and we invited everyone—no one was excluded because “love is all inclusive”— we had to have a potluck. Everyone loved the food. We provided cakes and drinks.
How did you decide on flowers and other decorations? Was there a cohesive theme that would describe the look and feel of the event? Natural! We bought lots of flowers from the farmers market and friends put them all in vases and made a flower circle we stood in—hippie potluck wedding theme.
Cake: Reynaldo’s Bakery Photographer: Welmet Glover Invitations: Word of mouth—everybody was invited by Facbook, print invitations and email
Reception Venue: Rincon County Park, at the picnic tables Caterer: Potluck Jeweler: Healy’s Jewelry Hair and makeup: Paula Galbraith Flowers: Farmers Market Music: Music by Bonnie & Company Officiant: Hillary Dembroff (close friend) Lighting: Full sun and full moon Rentals: Classic Party Rental, Vases bought at thrift store Honeymoon: Many honeymoons, eventually around the world Rehearsal dinner: At a friend’s house
Thursday, February 25, 2016 B9
Coastal View News • Tel: (805) 684-4428
Hannah Elizabeth Rose Denitz & Matthew James McClure
June 27, 2015
Hannah’s notes on the day: What moment do you cherish most when you look back on your wedding day? Vows, no contest
How were your unique personalities expressed in the details of your wedding? Matt and I are 10 years apart in age and raised 2,000 miles away from each other yet somehow our aesthetics are completely parallel. Stylicistically our wedding was a perfect example of us.
What was most stressful about your wedding day, and how can other couples avoid that stress? In absolute honesty, my wedding day was a breeze. I played volleyball at the Linden beach courts with my three big brothers until I had two hours before I was supposed to walk down the aisle.
What traditional elements did you include in your big day? What elements were more unconventional? Having both my parents walk me down the aisle was really important to me, as well as not seeing one another the day of, up until I walked down the aisle.
In retrospect, was your wedding more about you or your guests? Is that how you intended it? Definitely us, and definitely how we wanted it. Our parting gifts were the hangovers the guests woke up with.
What song did you choose for your first dance? Why? Our first dance song was supposed to be Bob Seger’s “Night Moves,” but technically it didn’t happen in the traditional sense because someone (me) put on R. Kelly
immediately after the speeches had finished.
How well did the venue work for the wedding you had envisioned? The wedding I’d envisioned didn’t come close to the wedding I got.
Tell readers about your ceremony. Short but sweet? Religious? Personalized vows? Our vows were incredibly personal. We made a pact to whisper a secret at the end but I was crying too hard and his hands were shaking too violently. My big brother (who is one of my husband’s best friends) performed the ceremony. After the I Do’s, we walked to the beach to the tune of Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby.”
Describe the food at the reception. What feedback did you get on the meal? Having a buffet style taco bar was so fun and simple. Don Roje was a dream. They were incredibly accommodating and the set-up was like its own entertainment. The vibe was very positive.
Cake: Albertsons cupcakes Photographer: MODedits Invitations: A La Carte Paperie Wedding Venue: Carpinteria Salt Marsh Preserve Reception Venue: Father of the bride’s house Caterer: Tacos Don Roge Jeweler: Mociun Hair and makeup: Friend Morgan Robertson and Hannah said, “I applied my own mascara.”
How did you decide on flowers and other decorations? Was there a cohesive theme that would describe the look and feel of the event? Our style is a mix of classic Americana and a little bohemia, and naturally our wedding was just that. My incredibly talented and loving step-sisters designed and personally did all of our flowers and bouquets. Truly though, for the entire décor I have to thank my dad and step mom who offered to transform their home for five months and then let all our hooligan friends wreck it (in the best way) in a matter of five hours.
Dress: Hayley Paige Tux rental: Nordstroms Flowers: Bride’s stepmother and step-sisters Music:
Matt and I had been working on a wedding playlist all year, but after the first couple shots, it was a free-for-all, and it was perfect
Officiant: Lighting:
Bride’s brother Erik Denitz
Bride’s father and stepmother hung a canopy of bulb lights and paper lanterns
Rentals: Just for Fun Party Rentals Honeymoon: Thailand Rehearsal dinner: Padaro Beach Grill
Kristina Chano & Joseph Custer January 2, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016 B11
Coastal View News • Tel: (805) 684-4428
Cake: Reynaldo’s Bakery other desserts: Fernando’s Churros Photographer: Kiel Rucker Photography Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas ceremony Venue: El Presidio State Park, Santa Barbara reception Venue: Junipero Serra Hall, Santa Barbara Caterer: Linsey Ruland, Executive Chef/Owner Jewelery: Metalicate Jewelry, Etsy shop Hair: Chaney Wagle makeup: Done by bride dress: The Dress Bridal suits: Bought from Macy’s and rented from Men’s Warehouse Flowers: Coco Rose Design live Music: Trio Sensacion Music: DJ Hecktik Officiant: Chuck Curtis, First Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara Lighting: AMS Entertainment Rentals: Tent Merchant and Otis & Pearl Honeymoon: London, UK; Rome, Naples and Salerno, Italy booked by Ivana Montanari of AAA Santa Barbara
Rehearsal dinner: Opal Restaurant & Bar day of coordinator: Haley Brantley
Kristina’s notes on the day: What moment do you cherish most when you look back on your wedding day? When Joseph gave a welcome speech at our reception. His speech was off the cuff, but he was so genuine and sweet when talking about our families merging together.
How were your unique personalities expressed in the details of your wedding? Joseph’s personality was definitely expressed in the booze and the food. He knew he wanted tacos from the get-go (he just loves Mexican food) and he had a lot of fun thinking about what beers we should host.
What was most stressful about your wedding day, and how can other couples avoid that stress? Waking up early and being on time! My biggest piece of advice is to remember not to stay up too late the night before worrying about details, which is exactly what I did and I was pretty sleepy in the morning. My second piece of advice is to give yourself way more time than you think you need to get ready. As for the guys, they were stress free!
What traditional elements did you include in your big day? What elements were more unconventional? We definitely had a traditional wedding as far as the ceremony goes as well as a first dance, bouquet and garter toss, cake cutting, etc. The more unconventional elements were reflected in the décor with colors like peach and teal.
In retrospect, was your wedding more about you or your guests? Is that how you intended it? We definitely wanted our guests to have a blast, so we incorporated elements into our wedding that we thought would be fun. We had maracas (so much fun!), balsa wood flowers for women’s hair, rebozos (Mexican shawls) for guests to keep warm and a churro station. Everyone kept telling us how much fun they were having, which
made us so happy. So, our wedding was about us and our guests!
What song did you choose for your first dance? Why? “Better Together” by Jack Johnson. We love the lyrics and the timing accommodates so many different dance styles!
How well did the venue work for the wedding you had envisioned? We started out with a really vague vision. Things started to come together once we booked our venues. When that happened, it was obvious our theme was going to be Spanish because El Presidio and Serra Hall are so Santa Barbara Spanish. This was perfect for us because color and festive decor are so much more fun than traditional elegance.
Tell readers about your ceremony. Short but sweet? Religious? Personalized vows? Our ceremony was short and religious. My favorite part is when our family members placed a rosary lasso over our shoulders to signify unity.
Describe the food at the reception. What feedback did you get on the meal? We had gourmet tacos. Everyone kept mentioning how much they love tacos! It’s great to have a good crowd pleaser that is piping hot straight off the barbeque. The biggest hit was the churro station though! Our guests were going back for seconds and thirds.
How did you decide on flowers and other decorations? Was there a cohesive theme that would describe the look and feel of the event? I really like details that are fun, different and non-traditional. I wanted florals that incorporated lots of different textures and bright happy colors. I spent way too much time on Pinterest looking at countless flower arrangements and got some concrete ideas that I discussed with our florist. From there, I let her take the reins and the result was amazing!
B12 Thursday, February 25, 2016
Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Mackenna Rucci & Thomas Minehan November 7, 2015
Cake: Crushcakes Photographer/Videography: Waller Weddings coordinator: Angelina Marie Events Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas ceremony Venue: Bates Ranch (now exclusively available for vacation rentals) reception Venue: El Paseo Restaurant Jeweler: Jewleler in Manhattan, borrowed other jewelry from grandmothers Hair and makeup: Brooke Dankowski and Carina Ramos, San Diego dress: White Flower Boutique, San Diego suits: Men’s Warehouse, Santa Barbara Flowers: Flowers by Erin, San Diego live Music: Trio Sensacion Music: Gavin Roy Productions Officiant: Mr. John Ireland Lighting: Gavin Roy Productions/El Paseo Rentals: Ventura Rentals Honeymoon: TBD Rehearsal dinner: The Shoals Restaurant
Full Service Wedding Catering 805-564-4200
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Mackenna’s notes on the day: What moment do you cherish most when you look back on your wedding day? I can confidently speak for both of us and say that the “first look moment” was our most cherished. After the ceremony we both confessed how much (good) anxiety we felt leading up to that moment and how seeing each other made us feel calm. I will never forget looking up and seeing his big smile. We also loved dancing at the reception, especially to “Shout.” I think every single guest was out there dancing for that; it was so much fun!
How were your unique personalities expressed in the details of your wedding? Our personalities were definitely reflected in our pre-wedding “get ups.” Thomas and I found a distributor that makes these amazing custom leather beer holsters. The boys wore those before and after the ceremony and they looked awesome! Instead of robes, my bridesmaids and I wore oversized flannels, a staple in my everyday life. We also had our signature drinks (me: margarita, Thomas: Manhattan) at the reception. Other than that, we picked the food, music, dessert, etc. together.
What was most stressful about your wedding day, and how can other couples avoid that stress? Surprisingly, I didn’t feel very stressed on our wedding day. The most stressful parts happened before, ie. making the seating charts and finalizing the little, but important, details. Luckily we had the most amazing wedding coordinator, Angelina Speier, who was on top of everything and made sure we didn’t have to worry about a thing day of. She made sure that everyone was well fed, had a full glass and just enjoyed the celebration. The only regret I have on my wedding day was I wish I would have gone on a run earlier in the morning because by mid-day I was so anxious/excited that I couldn’t relax!
What traditional elements did you include in your big day? What elements were more unconventional? We were adamant that we didn’t want to see each other before the wedding in order to have that “first look moment.” We had a small cake to cut for traditional purposes but we also had an amazing dessert bar with mini cupcakes and our favorite candy. We had personalized mason jars that served as both a wedding gift and seating chart.
In retrospect, was your wedding more about you or your guests? Is that how you intended it? Our wedding was very “us,” but that being said, our number one goal was to have a fun
wedding. Our shuttle buses were arranged in order to get our guests from the ceremony to the reception in a fun way. The buses were personalized with our names and complete with great music and drinks on board! Once the dancing started at the reception, people didn’t leave the dance floor. That’s what happens when you have a great DJ and strong drinks!
What song did you choose for your first dance? Why? We chose the song “Let It Be Me” by Ray LaMontagne. Thomas and I went to his concert nearly five years ago, and he asked me to be his girlfriend during that song. The night we got engaged, we went to his concert in New York. Needless to say the song is very meaningful to us. We also asked our DJ to play the chorus of the song Adam Sandler sang in “The Wedding Singer,” “ Growing Old With You,” not only because we love the movie but the lyrics speak to our relationship. It was really emotional and funny.
Brian Leahy Photography
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How well did the venue work for the wedding you had envisioned? The venues were perfect! The weather could not have been better for our big day; the wedding gods were truly looking out for us. The reception was intimate and beautiful and just again, perfect for our party.
Tell readers about your ceremony. Short but sweet? Religious? Personalized vows? Our ceremony was religious but casual. Our officiant asked us to write a letter to him about why we wanted to commit to each other. He took bits and pieces of our letters and incorporated them into the ceremony. He also gave a great message about how in marriage it is important to “give up, give in, and give more…,” even when it’s hard to do.
Describe the food at the reception. What feedback did you get on the meal?
Open HOuse March 16 6-9pm
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We had traditional Mexican food from the world famous El Paseo. We had chile rellenos, enchiladas, salad, rice and beans, etc. Our guests raved about the food and only wished they could have gone back for more! Our regret was not getting to enjoy enough!
How did you decide on flowers and other decorations? Was there a cohesive theme that would describe the look and feel of the event? Our florist is a good friend of mine and luckily she understood my vision from day one. We met once and I showed her some pictures of what I liked and then passed the torch to her. She has such a good eye and I trusted her completely. We couldn’t have been happier with it all (from bouquets, to the arch, to the table settings—just perfect).
Heather Nelson Photography
B14 Thursday, February 25, 2016
Gigi van Zanten & David Bader
December 5, 2015
Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Cake: Crushcakes Photographer: Nicole Williams Photography ceremony Venue: Santa Barbara Courthouse reception: Events Unlimited caterer: Santa Barbara Organic Kitchen, Chef Michael Glazer Hair and makeup: Lindsay Colson dress: Bella Mucci’s Bridal Couture Flowers: Christina Welch Floral live Music: Trio Sensacion Music: Natalie Gelman Officiant: Judge Brian Hill Honeymoon: Indonesia in May
Gigi’s notes on the day: What moment do you cherish most when you look back on your wedding day? Every moment was special to us, but what stood out most in our minds is that we were surrounded by a wonderful group of close family and friends to share in our special day.
How were your unique personalities expressed in the details of your wedding? The simplicity and charm of our life in Carpinteria was shared throughout the reception with small signs of endearing messages and quotes. Our favorite, of course, was “Mr. and Mrs.” As well as “They lived happily ever after.”
What was most stressful about your wedding day, and how can other couples avoid that stress? Planning ahead helped relieve the stress. Hair and make-up artist Lindsay Colson came to our home to help with hair and make-up where she helped keep the mood light and fun.
What traditional elements did you include in your big day? What elements were more unconventional? One of the more unconventional elements was that our beautiful granddaughter, Sienna, was able to be our Flower Girl and Ring Bearer.
In retrospect, was your wedding more about you or your guests? Is that how you intended it? Our wedding was definitely about blending families and happiness of life and love.
What song did you choose for your first dance? Why? We chose the song “If I Should Fall Behind” by Bruce Springsteen. It’s a beautiful song of staying in stride together throughout life. Our musician, Natalie Gelman, actually sang her own version of the song, which we loved.
How well did the venue work for the wedding you had envisioned? Events Unlimited was the location of our reception. We had a quaint group of 20 attend the service and reception. This special romantic location provided a wonderful indoor and outdoor venue for dining and entertaining our guests. Having a December wedding you never know what the weather may bring, so outside under the vine-covered terrace is where singer/guitarist Natalie Gelman entertained us and we had a beautiful table set up inside for our wonderful meal.
Tell readers about your ceremony. Short but sweet? Religious? Personalized vows? Our wedding ceremony took place at the Santa Barbara Courthouse Clock tower with Judge Hill presiding. He knew exactly what we were looking for in our service, which included him sharing sweet and special moments with those in attendance. He truly kept us laughing.
Describe the food at the reception. What feedback did you get on the meal? Our menu was custom designed by Chef Michael Glazer—all organic, from farm to table. He provided a lovely five-course meal consisting of cannellini bean soup, quinoa with tofu, oven roasted chicken, spinach rigatoni, roasted beets, seasonal vegetables, mixed farm lettuce. Needless to say, with a chef like Michael, our food received rave reviews.
How did you decide on flowers and other decorations? We wanted something that was “simple country charm,” and that’s just what we got with the talents of Christine Welch. We provided her with our color theme and an idea of our style and she provided absolutely beautiful arrangements and bouquets. She was so generous with her time and met us at the courthouse before proceeding to the reception to deliver arrangements.
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