Start with love, add in travel, and whole lot of color and you’ve got a weekend wedding tailor made for today’s couple! Their photographer, Danielle, and the team behind the day unapologetically refer to Travis + Ariel’s wedding as the “unicorn of all weddings!” She told us: Our jaw basically hit the floor the moment we walked onto the Holly Farm property, and we instantly thought we teleported to a tropical oasis in Tulum or some other destination that we collectively drool over in Dwell Magazine.
That’s thanks, in part, to the gorgeous venue, but a big credit goes to the couple’s style + aesthetic vision for the day! Travis + Ariel filled us in:
The first thing that we agreed on when we started planning was the thing that makes us most happy: spending real quality time with our family and friends. So we set out to plan a multiple day adventure, starting on Thursday night when our families met for an informal dinner. That day was followed by a field day and an intimate rehearsal dinner on Friday, our wedding on Saturday, and a brunch hosted on-site on Sunday. Then we thought about what makes us who we are as a couple. This turned out to be a combination of our joint love of travel, food, drink, music, and color. So we sought to inject as many of those favorite experiences into our wedding.
Let’s have a look at all the fun with photos from D.Lillian Photography!
The Custom Suits
Color had an important role throughout our wedding, but our favorite use of it was with our outfits. We knew we wanted to have tailor-made suits in different colors. We wanted to match, but not look identical. So, we chose the same fabric, but Ariel went for crimson, and Travis went for a hunter green. It was risky, since we could end up looking like a Christmas special. But after months of waiting, the suits came (from Tailors’ Keep) in exactly the moody, earthy shades we had imagined early on. And we took it one step further. We wore “our” colors throughout the whole weekend, from our athleisure at our field day, to our casual wear at our rehearsal dinner and Sunday brunch. Only a few of our guests noticed by the end of a weekend. And the sleuthing yielded enormous smiles and major “ah-has!”
Carousel
CarouselThe Tropical Garden
The Ceremony
Eothen absolutely nailed the florals. The strands of white blooms against the tropical garden add such a magical touch to the already gorgeous space!
Reading our vows in front of all of the people who traveled to celebrate our special day with us. We were incredibly lucky to have practically all of our family and friends make it, despite hurricanes in the Atlantic and Gulf, earthquakes in Mexico, wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, and whatever turmoil was happening in Washington, DC that could destroy the planet. So standing beneath our “floating” flowers in front of everyone felt electric. Like bolt of love channeled toward us and our future and also like a powerful act of protest against what we had recently felt was a renewed attack on LGBT rights. Despite my daily reminders for at least a month that we should have our vows ready and perfect, Travis wrote his down on the day of…and absolutely nailed it. In only 2 minutes of absolute perfection, he was able to commit Ariel to getting a puppy (which HAS NOT yet happened) and do a reading from a song by the couple’s favorite goddess, Beyonce. Ariel’s were, as he’d describe it, “OK, too.” Everyone laughed, cried, and cheered us on. It was magical.
Processional: Wedding Party: September Song by Agnes Obel; Grooms (accompanied by their flower girl and mothers): Hey Mami by Sylvan Esso
Recessional: Epilogue from the La La Land Soundtrack
First Dance: When I Get My Hands on You by The New Basement Tapes
The Newlyweds
The Reception
Travis + Ariel infused travel inspiration across several details of the reception, resulting in a dreamy + delicious party!
We installed banners of personalized papel picado, hand cut by women in Oaxaca, Mexico, over the open dance floor. We also did away with a traditional champagne toast, opting instead for a mezcal toast served in colorful, hand-made and naturally dyed copitas that we imported from Oaxaca. Our menu throughout the evening focused on Californian eats, modified with Puerto-Rican, Mexican, and Peruvian ingredients and dishes. We also had a “Tasting Room” with all of our favorite whiskeys, mezcals, and amaros. For music, we picked every single song with the band, focusing on soul and pop, while our DJ pumped out an Insecure-meets-Big Little Lies-meets-Latino-club-meets-gay-bar stream of music.
Plan every detail, no matter how small, and HAVE FUN with it. Even when you’ve grown tired and just want to get through your day, power through and personalize everything. It’ll be worth your time and effort in memories for you and your family and friends. The “gram” will love it, too.
If you get bogged down with all the detail, expectations, and pressure (that you’re likely placing on yourself), remember that your wedding is a celebration of all the hard work you’ve already put into your relationship. There’s no need to complicate something you’ve already accomplished.
Most importantly, hire a team of people that share your joint vision and can work together with you to implement it. Our wedding planner was able to take all of our (sometimes out there) ideas and make them sing in harmony. A great wedding planner will help you assemble an all-star team that will march in unison to your beat.
A Spoonful of Sugar created the colorful cake with pies from Pie Plante for the evening’s sweet finish!
Want to see it all in action? Spencer Sarson captured the day on film!
Congrats to the happy couple—so thrilled for your love and all that’s ahead!
photography: D.Lillian Photography // venue name: Holly Farm, Carmel Valley, California, USA // event design: Ashley Smith Events // planning: Ashley Smith Events // florals: Eothen // groom attire: Tailors' Keep and Tailors' Keep // videography: Spencer Sarson // catering: La Creme // cake: A Spoonful of Sugar // desserts: pies from Pie Plante // tabletop rentals: Abbey Party Rentals // furniture rentals: Theoni Collection // linen rentals: Chic Event Rentals // music: Tory Teasley & Band // photo booth: Flip Booth // dj + sound: Love In The Mix
Holy Smokes !
Love it !♥♥♥
Beautiful wedding!
I love the vibrant colour.
Stunning shots! Very well planned and executed!
♥♥♥