Tell us a little about yourselves!
Gustavo and I first met at the movie theater in Cincinnati, OH, on my first weekend of high school. We were fourteen and fifteen at the time and we’ve been together ever since. Currently, we’re living in New York City and both working in the design industry.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Our family and friends live all over the world. When we embarked on our venue hunting journey, we knew the wedding was going to be a destination for at least half of our guests, no matter where it was. Some of our most special memories have been in California (we went to college in San Diego and lived there for a few years after school), so we were a little biased to the west coast. On a venue searching road trip, Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm was the first we saw and we fell in love. It was everything we had envisioned: natural, romantic, and unique. Plus, the train tracks running below the ceremony bluffs felt like a subtle nod to our engagement at Le Train Bleu in Paris.
It was also important to us that our guests had a laid back, walkable town to explore and we couldn’t imagine a more ideal place in the US. Santa Barbara is such a special place and one we wanted to make part of our story.
How many guests did you have?
90 guests. We always envisioned an intimate wedding. We wanted to be able to look out during our ceremony and see our closest friends and family, all of which have played a huge part in supporting our love.
Tell us about your outfits.
(Taylor) I went into dress shopping very open minded, knowing I wanted something classic and timeless, and also wanting to play into the opportunity to wear a big, beautiful, princess-like gown. My dress was the third that I tried on and I knew it was the one. I was drawn to the square neckline and loved the simplicity, despite the layers of fabric and incredibly long train. I chose an even longer embroidered veil to add some more drama but the piece that really tied it all together was the beaded belt from Sara Gabriel. The belt brought some more excitement to the front of the dress and complimented the silk bow on the back. I kept my accessories very minimal, wearing only my engagement ring and a pair of pearl earrings gifted to me years ago by my parents. A pair of beaded Badgley Mischka block heels served as my something blue.
(Gustavo) As the groom, I wanted to stand out while maintaining a classic black tie look. I relied on custom tailoring at Indochino Soho to get my tuxedo fitting just right. It took a number of visits for minor adjustments, but in the end it was worth it - to get a comfortable and elegant fit for the big day. My tuxedo shirt is also made custom, a pique bib shirt with black studs from Proper Cloth Soho. For shoes, I went with a historically infamous brand from London, Hawes + Curtis. Knowing that our venue is rustic, I stayed clear of the suede tuxedo slippers which will pick up dirt, and went with the tassel belgian loafers in leather. Showing some ankle cleavage brought the classic look into a more contemporary look. Lastly, for the remaining accessories, I wore a satin bow tie from Suit Supply and subtle silver knotted cufflinks which were a gift from my Mom.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We wanted our wedding to be truly and wholly focused on our love. We wanted everything around the day to feel effortless, for our guests to be swept into a whimsical and romantic bubble with us for the hours we spent together. A lot of our inspiration was gathered from the work of Matisse and early Warhol. Every decision we made was focused on enhancing the already incredible elements we were working with: the bluffs, the greenhouses, and the energy we knew we would inevitably feel on a day we had waited so long for. Endless cases of champagne was a top requirement!
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
It was important to us that the ceremony felt very intimate and personal. Writing our own vows was an absolute must. As for the officiants, we had all four of our sisters perform the ceremony, taking turns with the readings and standing by our sides.
Another key element for us was music. Being together for fourteen years, there are so many important songs that have soundtracked our favorite memories. We had a very clear vision of the different vibes we wanted to create from ceremony to cocktail hour, dinner, and of course the dance floor. One highlight was All You Need Is Love playing immediately after our first kiss. It was so special to hear all these songs come to life in the moments we had envisioned them for. Plus, creating playlists was one of the easier things to control in the wedding planning process. Shoutout to our DJ, Daniel Olea, for being so collaborative!
Any tips for couples getting married?
Stay focused on your vision. It’s so easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing on social media or what is trending on Pinterest that week. From the very beginning, come up with a few words or images that fit the feeling of what you want from your day and base everything off of that. When the day comes, soak up every single moment! Dance, sing, hug, have fun! Make sure to look around and appreciate all the love that made it happen. It goes too fast.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We couldn’t feel luckier for the team of incredible vendors that made our day happen. Nicole Leza Planning + Design was the biggest supporter of all of our dreams leading up to the wedding; she went above and beyond to bring our vision to life all while sticking with a budget we were comfortable with. She found a way to make everything happen! She’s truly magic!
Our florist, Jaus of Vern, is amazingly talented. She captured our vision right from the start and continued to perfect all the tiny details in the months leading up to our wedding. Our aisle was a complete dream!
We immediately connected with our photographer, Brandi Crockett, and she captured the most beautiful moments of our day. Video was by far the toughest vendor for us to land on but after just one meeting with Zach Mendez we knew we needed to work with him. Between Brandi and Zach’s synergy, everything felt so natural and we were really able to just enjoy our day knowing they were capturing all the little moments.
Photographer : Brandi Crockett @brandi.crockett.photo | Videographer : Zach Mendez @thezachmendez | Ceremony + Reception Location : Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm @dos_pueblos_orchid_farm | Celebrant : Couple's four sisters | Entertainment : DJ Olea @olea_5
Planner : Nicole Leza Planning + Design @nicolelezadesign | Hire : Town + Country Rentals + Amigo Event Rentals @tacer_losangeles @amigo.event.rentals | Flora : Jaus of Vern @jausofvern | Makeup:
Taryn Reed @glamwithtaryn | Hair : by the Bride | Catering + Beverages : Omni Catering @omnicateringsb | Cake : Lele Patisserie | Dress : Mikaella Bridal @mikaellabridal | Veil: Untamed Petals @untamedpetals | Belt: Sara Gabriel @saragabrielveils | Tux: Indochino @indochino | Custom Shirt: Proper Cloth @propercloth | Engagement Ring : Custom Aschen Designs | Wedding Rings : Custom Anushka Najar @anushkanajar | Wedding Party Attire : Birdy Grey @birdygrey