Greenhouses are already magical places, right? Well, what if we told you that the greenhouse from today’s wedding not only was a lush botanical garden… but it served as the venue for an EPIC silent disco after the ceremony?! And if you’re scratching your head wondering what a silent disco is — it’s where everyone gets a pair of headphones (these ones lit up) and gets to choose their own station to listen to, while you get your groove on! The moment you take off your headphones, it’s pure silence and you can easily have a conversation with your neighbor instead of yelling over the music. So cool!
Katie + Stuart gathered up their best friends to explore the coast of Goleta in Santa Barbara. Their ceremony, designed by Sparkle Creative Events, overlooked the ocean, which led to some breathtaking couple portraits during golden hour. Katie shares: We considered everything – big wedding, tiny wedding, eloping, just throwing a massive party, destination wedding. We ultimately decided that we really did want to have a unique ceremony surrounded by our loved ones… followed by a dance party. After seeing a lot of venues in my hometown of Santa Barbara that didn’t quite feel like us, we finally walked onto this magical, under-the-radar property. Our vision snapped into place right away, and the greenhouses and rugged coastline became the inspiration for the day. Decades ago the venue was one of the biggest orchid farms in the world, and today it is home to a wonderful community of artists, entrepreneurs, and farmers. The theme of the wedding became obvious…all botanical everything.
Ready to be absolutely blown away? Heirlume Photography is sharing all the details + emotions from the day:
The Florals
Because when an event is at a greenhouse and described as a botanical affair, you have to have gorgeous florals by Ella & Louie to match!
All those jewel tones with pops of peach + pink… so pretty!!
The Dress
Isn’t Katie’s beaded + bohemian-inspired gown from Inbal Raviv Bridal dreamy?
The Ceremony
Overlooking the ocean, with tons of greenery to frame the space… all about nature + overflowing botanicals!
Processional: Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin
Recessional: Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin (encore!)
First Dance: Our House by Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Happy to report that the ceremony, from start to finish, ended up being our favorite part of the whole weekend. At the beginning while we were walking in, our procession got a little delayed and I missed the beautiful Van Morrison song that was supposed to play while I walked. So I ended up walking down the aisle with my parents to Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love"... best mistake ever! It set the tone for the entire day and everybody was cheering us down the aisle and rocking out. Then our two best friends co-officiated our ceremony, and they blew us away with what they prepared. It was unique and really told our story. We are so proud of them and how it turned out. We included the script in our wedding album and we've already reread it many times. It was also perfect to have our best friends up there with us in front of everybody... we were all nervous together!
Oh, how we adore a rose petal exit!
The Newlyweds
That golden light + that glorious coastline!
The Greenhouse Reception
Our super-talented florist, Ella & Louie, transformed a totally empty greenhouse into plant heaven. I’m also lucky that my dad is an architect with a great eye, and it was fun to have his help visualizing the day.
Hilary Elizabeth Lettering wrote the seating chart on giant monstera leaves — such a fun touch for a greenhouse setting.
Stuart’s mom handmade 150 pottery bowls for each guest. Every single bowl was a unique piece.
Carousel
Carousel
All the greenery!!
Katie shares: Make your own rules. Delegate all decisions, questions, and critical thinking skills to a friend or planner on the day-of so you can focus on enjoying the moment – it goes so fast. And gift bags take way longer than you could ever imagine.
It's too easy to obsess of every detail and run out of steam (and money). We decided to focus on a few high-impact elements that people would really remember: reception florals, lighting, and music. That made it easier to prioritize our energy and resources. The gravity that pulls you towards a cookie cutter wedding is strong... and very tempting at times. If you like the creative part of planning a wedding, over-communicate with your vendors and don't let the important parts of your vision get lost. (I apologize to all our vendors for the PowerPoint presentations I prepared!) If you don't love the creative part, work with vendors who love a creative challenge and will make sure your personalities come through in a special way.
The Silent Disco
Stu is a big music lover, and he did an amazing job finding not only a great band but a company that could do a Silent Disco once the county sound ordinance kicked in at 10:00. The Silent Disco was a total surprise for our guests. It was a success… I think Stu and I were on the dance floor for 3 hours straight and my face hurt from smiling.
Now THAT was a party, right?! We simply can’t get over how gorgeous that botanical greenhouse is.
Best wishes + major congratulations, Katie + Stuart!!
photography: Heirlume Photography // venue name: Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm, Goleta, California, USA // event design: Sparkle Creative Events // planning: Ann Johnson Events // florals: Ella & Louie // wedding dress: Inbal Raviv Bridal // bride's shoes: loeffler randall shoes // hair stylist: Team hair and makeup // makeup artist: Team hair and makeup // groom attire: John Varvatos // calligraphy: Hilary Elizabeth Lettering // handmade details: Plant Design // catering: Pure Joy Catering // tabletop rentals: Classic Party Rentals // furniture rentals: Party Pleasers // specialty rentals: Elan Event Retnals // music: The Shrines from Dart Collective
One of the best weddings I’ve ever seen!
Wow how gorgeous are those flowers !
Beautiful wedding !
Totally loved how the florals served as the major pop of color!
Hello! This wedding is stunning!! I tried to google Dos Peublos Orchid Farm but nothing came up. Is this a private estate? Could I get their contact? Thank you!
Incredible! Wish I was there! – Great job all suppliers and idea-creators. Beautiful!