Stylish Ojai Valley Inn Wedding: Kelsie + Benjy

ojai wedding

As soon as we heard Kelsie + Benjy’s fun Ojai wedding was designed by the incredible team at Bash, Please, we knew it’d be good! And once we saw the bold black + white palette and super charming details (like garlands, citrus + lots of candlelight), we realized our assumptions were spot-on. K + B’s day exuded style from every facet and feels like a true reflection of the two of them. When you can say that about a wedding, without knowing the couple personally, you know you’ve pulled off a styling success!

More from Kelsie, When planning the wedding, we went for an old school/classic/rat pack sort of feel. It was all about candlelight in a big top tent with really great music and delicious food. More than anything, we wanted to throw one hell of a party! I designed a monogram that we used throughout our wedding (Benjy is in advertising and I’m a graphic designer…so, naturally, we branded our wedding a bit). The monogram added a bit of personalization to the big day. Also, the lovely ladies of Bash, Please came up to us every little bit on our wedding day and made sure that we were taking time to focus on ourselves. We really got to enjoy every minute, and that feels like such a blessing!

A big thanks to the lovely Paige Jones for the images + congratulations to Kelsie + Benjy on a beautiful day!

dotted invitation

getting ready

black bridesmaid dresses

bride


Kelsie’s timeless bouquet, featuring white garden roses + anemones, was designed by Twig & Twine.

white bouquet

pup with garland

groomsmen bobble heads

groomsmen

oranges

flower girl z

Our Musical Choices

Processional: Clair de Lune – Debussy (Played Live on Piano)

Recessional: God Only Knows – The Beach Boys (Played Live on Piano)

First Dance: Days Like This – Van Morrison

ojai ceremony

ojai ceremony


Right before I walked down the aisle, Paige (one of our wedding planners) said to me, “Just do what feels natural. Don’t worry about what you’re supposed to do. Just do what feels right.” We got married on grass, and I was wearing stilettos. My heels sunk into the grass, and I was terribly uncomfortable, so as we were standing up there, about to say our vows, I heard Paige’s voice in my head and right then and there, in front of everyone, I ditched my shoes and went barefoot. There will be moments that don’t go exactly as you thought they would, but you’ve just got to go with the flow!

ojai ceremony

ojai ceremony

bride and groom

bride and groom

bride and groom

french fry appetizers

striped bar table

escort cards


The tent was positively bursting with style. We’re dying over the crisp black + white palette and those incredible citrus + greenery table runners!

tented reception

tall skinny candles

monogram bar napkins

cake z

orange inspired tablescape

striped table runner

orange inspired tablescape

tented reception

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

That's a tough one! Saying our vows (we wrote our own) was a really lovely moment. Seeing everything that we'd spent so many months planning come together so beautifully was absolutely fantastic. Our first kiss was certainly a moment I'll never forget. But I think really, the most incredible part of our wedding was seeing 150 of our loved ones (none of whom live in Ojai,) from so many different times in our lives, all converge in this beautiful little place in California.

tented reception

tented reception

first dance

sparkler exit


And Kelsie has a stellar endorsement for hiring a videographer: When we were planning the wedding we weren’t sure whether or not we felt like a videographer was necessary, but we were just so wrong. Hiring Quixotic Pictures was the absolute best decision. I still can’t watch our wedding video without crying, and that’s saying something, because I’ve easily watched it 1,000 times by now.

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

About 3 weeks after we got engaged, my parents flew out to LA from St. Louis and in the span of one week we booked the wedding planner, set a date, booked the venue, and bought the dress. Getting those big things out of the way early took a lot of stress out of the equation and made the next nine months a lot easier. Also, I cannot stress the importance of a wedding planner enough. We hired the truly wonderful Paige and Kelly of Bash, Please, and honestly, I don't know what we'd have done without them. They were so patient, so thoughtful, so calming. Every minute of our wedding weekend was scheduled, and on the big day they took care of everything (seriously, everything) so that we could fully focus on gettin' hitched.

photography: Paige Jones Photography // venue name: The Ojai Valley Inn // event design: Bash, Please // planning: Bash, Please // florals: Twig & Twine // wedding dress: Monique Lhullier // bride's shoes: Manolo Blahnik // bridesmaid dresses: Jenny Yoo // hair stylist: Symmetry Beauty // makeup artist: Symmetry Beauty // groom attire: A custom-made Klein and Epstein & Parker // videography: Quixotic Weddings // paper goods: Page Stationery // catering: The Ojai Valley Inn // veil: Monique Lhullier // ceremony pianist: Ben Rico // cocktail hour: Ground Control // reception music: Ground Control // Gold Flatware: Casa de Perrin

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