Step into this heavenly California wedding nestled in the forest, located at the ethereal Ventura County wedding venue Hartley Botanica. Every detail was perfectly executed by wedding planner Kindred Weddings and Events, and each moment was full of grace and beauty, captured by Kami Arant Photography. I had the pleasure of speaking with the wedding planner and couple about the stunning day.
Keep scrolling to read all about their favorite details.
How did the wedding design express your love story?
"We were inspired by the complete team effort it took in bringing everything together in the months leading up to our wedding. Our families and wedding party were involved from the beginning, giving us ideas, inspiration, and support. Our vendors were especially exceptional at executing details, leading us, and keeping us in check throughout our timeline. We could say that our Pinterest boards and mood boards were inspiring at the beginning stages of planning because they were all visually beautiful, but overall as we look back, it was really the people involved who inspired us to make this special day happen."
What details were you most excited about?
"Our favorite details were our ceremony vows and the short sermon inspired by Jesus of Nazareth's teachings, delivered by our officiant/college professor/spiritual mentor. The vows and sermon sum up what we strive for in our marriage, and has been a core philosophy or way of life that we followed closely since we took our professor's class.
Aside from that, we also loved the floral pieces -- how they enhanced the ambiance of our outdoor ceremony and garden style reception and really making it fairytale-like. And, it's nothing big, but the mini bridge over a mini pond leading to the dessert table at the reception was a fabulous detail. We were obsessed over it the whole year of planning.
Finally, as the type of people who hate being at the center of attention, a favorite detail was watching the wedding close and how we said goodbye. We enjoyed staying back and seeing the last guests leave the venue, giving the floral centerpieces away. It was a lovely relief knowing at that point, our guests were not keeping their eyes on us anymore."
What were some of your favorite moments?
"Nicole's dad and brother had put together a surprise video to be played at the reception (a very raw cover of her dad singing "I Loved Her First" over a slideshow of embarrassing pictures of Nicole growing up and then transitioning into photos of Joseph coming into our family's life). Joseph successfully kept this video a secret throughout the entire wedding planning process. The video made many of us cry, and Nicole was totally not expecting something that sweet, personal, and deeply soul-cutting.
We also loved the DJ's music choice and live music. Joseph's parents hired a mariachi band as part of their wedding gift to us. They played our First Dance song, 'Sabor A Mi', the same song Joseph's brother sang for us on the night we got engaged. Hearing that song played live and professionally right in our ears, with our loved ones all around us, was such a neat experience. The live band truly fit who we are as a culturally blended family. We also loved the part where the band came up to our sweetheart table and serenaded us."
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