You can read more about Holly & Kates’s love story here.
After three postponements, Holly and Kate held an intimate scenic outdoor wedding day in California with 30 of their favorite people.
What led you to the destination?
Our relationship started as a long-distance one. Kate is from the East Coast, and Holly is from and grew up in Southern California. When we first started dating and would visit each other, Santa Barbara became one of our favorite places. If you have never been there, they call it the America French Rivera, and it is a fantastic place. We like to think of it as one of the places we fell in love and it was our first choice to celebrate our wedding.
Talk to us about your experience finding the perfect outfits.
We had the best experience picking out our wedding dresses. We were okay with seeing each other before the wedding. It was Mother’s Day weekend and Holly’s mom was visiting from California. We made an appointment at a “say yes to the dress” style store and took our moms in tow. And we had a beautiful afternoon trying on dresses, and both found the perfect ones.
Drinking champagne and getting to have our moms experience it all together, the four of us. We are both the only girls in our families, so it was just a special day we will treasure forever.
Tell us about the wedding day.
Our wedding was everything we wanted and more. We started the day just the two of us and took a walk on the beach and got coffee. Then, we got ready, hair and makeup with our moms since we did not do bridal parties. So, the whole day just felt like us. Our guest count ended up being a lot smaller than our original invited count (about 30 people), but we felt present and in the moment with all our favorite people.
What are your favorite moments?
Looking around and seeing our close friends and families all together in one place, laughing, dancing, and having a great time was everything to us. We loved the heartfelt toasts from Holly’s dad and Kate’s mom and dancing with our dads. So many hugs and memorable moments of just being with one another after a year and half of being apart were extra special.
Do you have a standout vendor?
We can’t just pick one! Our top would be Todd Danforth Photography and Dulce Dia Events.
Todd Danforth Photography: Not only are Todd and Adam great to work with, but they are also so professional and talented. We got our photography package from them after the event, and we were ecstatic with the memories that were captured for us to cherish forever.
Dulce Dia Events: Shawna and the team bring their A-Game. They ensure your day turns out perfectly and that no little detail is missed.
Shawna and Pearl were our coordinators for the day and ensured all our vendors were on the same page and that no line item was missed on the day’s timeline. They also ensured that Kate got all the leftover wedding cake to nosh on!
What does marriage mean to you?
Marriage to us is like being on the ultimate team together to tackle and enjoy life together. We each bring a different perspective and personality to our relationship, and it is important in our minds to use that to be stronger together. Marriage is being the other person’s biggest supporter, cheerleader, and best friend. It is about having goals together and keeping each other going even when you want to give up. We know we can count on each other to show up and give everything we have. Is it always easy, heck no, but we are both strong-willed, and in most cases (most), this works in our favor.
Photography by Todd Danforth Photography
Cake Lele Patisserie
Dress Boutique Alexandra’s Bridal Boutique
Entertainment Timothy Davis Music
Florist Tangled Lotus
H&MU Dreamcatcher Artistry
Planner Dulce Dia Events
Venue Kimpton Canary Hotel
