Wedding highlights

The wedding that almost was (twice).

When Kyle and I got engaged in 2019, we never could have imagined what the world would be like a year later. As we reveled in the joys of transitioning from boyfriend/girlfriend to fiancés, slowly planning out the details of our dream wedding a global pandemic was about to unfold. In January of 2020, when we stated to collect our dream vendor list and plan table settings, we were brimming with excitement. We had decided on just the right place to say “I do”. A charming restaurant akin to Hansel and Gretel, up in the hills of Santa Barbara. The space had special meaning and “spoke” to us the second we walked on the property. Kyle’s Mom and Dad had spent countless afternoons at Cold Springs Tavern, heading over from their home in Buelton at the time with neighbors to enjoy a trip tip on the patio. In similar fashion, my parents would take the hour and a half trek from their home in Oak Park via my Dad’s Harley to enjoy a weekend in the woods. A bike ride with the wind in their face, without a care in the world.

Come January we had our plan dialed in. Wedding Planner, check. DJ, check, Photographer, check. We were sitting pretty and feeling good…enter global pandemic. In the early stages we thought ti would pass in a week, maybe a month. But as more and more came out we began to realize our August wedding might not happen. Come May, deposits were refunded and plans shifted. We were crushed, but knew it was the right thing to do. As the world shut down we pivoted. News came out that groups of under 10 were safe, so we planned for that, Our new location was easy, Big Sur. It’s where we got engaged and a place that held so many memories for us. The venue took some convincing, but after some arm twisting from upper management, we got the job done. We scaled back plans, pivoted our rentals and found an amazing local caterer.

Enter, wildfires. The day before we were set to leave a friend called to ask if our plans were still on. We hadn’t checked the news yet today so the question was surprising, but a quick search of Big Sur populated some frightening details. it became clear that we wouldn’t be able to safely travel or have our wedding outdoors with the fire raging miles away from the venue. More heartbreak for a community we loved and another pivot for us,

We took time to rethink our plan, were we even supposed to get married at this point? We decided a staycation was in order, so we packed out bags and booked a room 15 minutes from our house. Amazing friends had called the hotel and given us credit to spend for the weekend, so we wined and dined ourselves and indulged it what would have been our wedding weekend.

Round 3. After months and careful consideration we decided to take the plunge. We booked an air bnb site unseen, hired a local rental company and caterer and did the damn thing ourselves. I sewed my own tablecloth, dyed each napkin, meticulously poured my heart into every detail of our 7 person wedding. And you know what, it was perfect. Exactly what it always should have been. We kept our original photographer, the amazinggg Katie Tobin, and had the time of our lives.

Looking back the day turned out just as it was supposed to. Proof to trust in the plan, the path and the journey. And to never skimp on the photos, their what helps the memories live on forever