When Mandi, the co-founder of SKATIE (a sustainable swim and apparel brand) approached Wildheart Events to design her and her husband Sean’s wedding, they knew it had to be one for the books! Mandi + Sean wanted a big fun party that centered around the Harvest Moon with coastal California accents. There were plenty of disco balls, star lanterns, rattan accents – and a floral-filled dance floor(!!!) – all set under a big greenhouse on the coast of Santa Barbara. ~GORG!!~ 😍
The couple designed their wedding around a party they themselves would want to attend. We love their way of thinking!! :) They had guests coming from all corners of the country and they really wanted it to be a laidback welcoming vibe in a naturally beautiful location! Dos Pueblos Orchid farm was the ideal location for their wedding. They love adventuring to natural wonder type places so they emphasized having their big day be in a place where if you stripped away the buildout, it’d still be a place you’d want to photograph. Bright Bird Photography thankfully proved that this was exactly the spot to photograph…and soon you’ll see why!
You Won’t Want to Miss This
The bride wore a beautiful gown by Rish that she purchased from Love and Lace Bridal!!
This bride gave her bridesmaids a neutral color palette to choose their dresses from and they all look absolutely stunning! Their gorgeous bouquets are by Knot Just Flowers.
The cutest flower girls we ever did see! 💐
Ceremony With Coastal Views
The location was one of the biggest parts of the day that really spoke to the couple. The two met in California and have done a lot of traveling together over their 10 years of dating before the wedding. They love finding eclectic/unique places to stay during their travels and found that in Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm. Situated between the ocean and the mountains, the backdrop was perfect.
Processional: Keith Harkin performed: Into the Mystic by Van Morrison
Recessional: Lovely Day by Bill Withers
First Dance: As by Stevie Wonder
A round of applause for the newlyweds!!
Personal Touches for the Bridal Party
With the help of Myriah Williamson of Opal Milk, Mandi’s vision for her bridesmaids was brought to life. She handpicked a song that reminded her of each girl for the back of the jacket and then had their first names embroidered on the front of the jackets.
Curious about how to DIY your own denim bridal jackets? Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered!!
Five of the bridesmaids were Mandi’s best friends from childhood and on the wrists of their jackets was a heart with the initials RJL in it. In 2017 one of their best friends, Rachel passed away unexpectedly but Mandi wanted to make sure she was with all of them on the big day.
Cozy Reception Vibes
Aesthetically, the two wanted their wedding to have a warm feeling and different cozy corners to discover. Mandi’s original inspo for the day was a “Harvest Moon” theme as she and Sean both love that song and the fall season. Above all…they just wanted a big fun party! (I mean who doesn’t?!)
Our best advice would be to relax by giving yourself time to plan and enjoy every minute of it! The day comes and goes so fast. Make sure to make it feel like you and nobody else. We constantly say we want to do it again! We also chose to put our money where it was most important to us. We saved by going with a woodfired pizza truck for dinner and finding a venue that allowed us to bring in alcohol and bartenders and all of our guests LOVED it.
Also, the music...pleasing the crowd is important but that doesn't mean you shouldn't include those tracks your grandparents don't know. One more thing, we facilitated a group picture right after the ceremony- so glad we did it! Make it fun!
An Aesthetic Greenhouse Reception
Excited people, easy access to tasty shareable quality food, and great music of all genres that you’d put on a good time playlist were essentials for the day.
And let’s take a moment to just AWE over this flower-filled dance floor!! I mean, WOW! This is definitely a first for us and it’s simply GORGEOUS!! Bravo to the team on this one!
Who needs a full-on charcuterie board when you can have little individualized charcuterie cups!!
Mandi was able to have all four of her grandparents at her wedding, so rare and so special! They even danced as their good friend Keith Harkin performed Moondance by Van Morrison and dedicated it to them. Sean and Mandi also took a moment to step outside and look in at all of their friends and family under one roof and it was one of the best feelings in the world!
The open-air greenhouse allowed everyone to dance amongst the stars and the plant-filled cocktail hour made for some gorgeous photos!!
The couple finishes by sharing they couldn’t have pulled off such an amazing weekend without their talented wedding planner, vendors, and their friends who contributed their own personal talents! Teamwork really does make the dream work!
We are so excited for you both and wish you the happiest years to come!! Here’s to Mandi and Sean everyone!!
photography: Bright Bird // venue name: Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm, Santa Barbara, CA, USA // event design: Wild Heart Events // planning: Wild Heart Events // florals: Knot Just Flowers // wedding dress: Rish // wedding dress boutique: Love and Lace Bridal // handmade details: Bridesmaids Jackets by Opal Milk // catering: Lucca Truck // desserts: The Wild Posy // tabletop rentals: Party Pleasers // furniture rentals: Avenue Twelve // specialty rentals: Catalog Atelier // music: Dart Collective // lighting: Bella Vista Designs // cocktails: Simple Cocktails // dance floor : Barker Decor // tent structure: Camp’d Out
