Hawaiian-Inspired Vineyard Wedding: Alyssa + Dana

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Yep, you read that post title right + vineyard weddings inspired by the islands are something you definitely don’t see everyday! Alyssa + Dana live in Hawaii, but wanted to have their wedding in a convenient destination for family and friends. They decided that Sanford Winery & Vineyard in Santa Barbara, California was the perfect place to celebrate with their guests; most of whom were flying in from far away places like Hawaii, New York, and Colombia, South America. To make things interesting + reflective of their current lifestyle, A + D went with rustic vineyard + Hawaiian fusion theme. Pretty unique, and we seriously couldn’t love it more! Let’s hear a little more about how they got to this place, directly from the bride herself:

We had a destination wedding with almost all of our guests logging significant flight times to California. We were really touched by that, so we wanted to create an inclusive event that was about celebrating everyone being there with us. That philosophy drove our plans for the wedding. We included all of our parents in the ceremony by having them walk each of us down the aisle. To ensure that all of our guests felt included in the ceremony, we set up the site with the huppah in the center and the seating surrounding us on all sides. (I like to refer to this as the wrestling ring set up.) The ceremony was held in the vineyard, so we were first surrounded by friends and family, then by the grapes and finally by the mountains around that. It was a really beautiful and special moment.

Thanks so much to Troy Grover Photographers for these oh-so-beautiful images and big congrats to Alyssa + Dana on a beautifully original day!

tropical peony bouquet

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

We love Alyssa’s tropical bouquet by Tenley Erin Young Floral & Event Designs. Tenly Erin Young also tackled the event design for the day, so it’s no surprise that the fun fusion styling, which could have been difficult to pull off, ended up being perfectly cohesive.

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

tropical peony bouquet

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Alyssa adds, Neither of us wanted to bridesmaids or groomsmen, but we didn’t want to disappoint a few very excited, eager and important people in our lives, so we asked my nieces, Dana’s nephew and our close friends’ daughters to be our bridal party. They walked down the aisle and stood with us during the ceremony.

flower girls and a ring bearer

lei favors

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

All of our guests arrived at the winery by bus at the same time. They exited the bus and went straight into the vineyard where Dana and I greeted and welcomed each guest and personally presented him or her with a Hawaiian lei, which we had shipped in from Hawaii. We had white orchid leis for the women and kukui nut leis for the men. Since the bride and groom typically stay “hidden” until the ceremony begins, it was a nice surprise for everyone and helped set an informal and intimate mood for the rest of the wedding.

tropical floral arbor

tropical floral arbor

tropical floral arbor

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

What a beautiful spot to tie the knot. The fusion of details came together just gorgeously…

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

If you agree that the mix of Hawaiian decor elements in a vineyard setting is pretty amazingly unique, you can shop with us to get a similar look for your day below:

chalkboard frame escort display

chalkboard frame escort display

chalkboard frame escort display

chalkboard menu

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

tropical reception florals

tropical reception florals

chalkboard table number

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

tropical reception florals

tropical reception florals

olive oil favors

chalkboard drink menu

 cheesecake table

Dessert was cheesecake from Junior’s in New York, where Alyssa is originally from. Yum!

cheesecake

Santa Barbara vineyard wedding

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Use the familiar wedding traditions as guidelines or a menu, not a script. Include what is meaningful and important, add in other personal touches and toss the rest. Don’t feel guilty about not doing something. Many of our guests actually appreciated that we skipped the typical wedding stuff and really focused on creating a wedding that was uniquely ours. Many time over we heard things like I’ve never been to a weeding quite like this, or that people really appreciated the small unique touches that were distinctly us.

photography: Troy Grover Photographers // venue name: Sanford Winery & Vineyard, Santa Barbara, California // event design: Tenley Erin Young Floral & Event Designs // florals: Tenley Erin Young Floral & Event Designs, // wedding dress: Watters // hairpiece: Tenley Erin Young Floral & Event Designs // bride's shoes: Stuart Weitzman // hair stylist: Ashley Sinnott of Sanctuary Salon // makeup artist: Chateau Belle // groom attire: Ted Baker // paper goods: Minted // catering: Season's Catering // cake: Junior's Cheesecake // linen rentals: La Tavola Linens // specialty rentals: Scout Rental Co // music: Music by Bonnie // officiant: Ian Forsyth, a close friend // event planner: Jessica Kuipers of Bijoux Events // junior bridesmaid dresses: Une Deux Trois // rentals: Classic Party Rentals // guitarist: Sam Adams // calligrapher: Leslee Sipress

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