These rich pops of color amongst the golden hills of the Central Coast have this wedding a winner in our eyes! A Lovely Creative did an incredible job tying together this couples desired designs, along with her expertise of planning the details. You might also find yourself crying when you see how the groom looks at his bride. Alexandra Wallace captured the essence of this day perfectly. 

Girl meets boy! 
In 2014, Kristina was living in San Diego and her friends talked her into taking a break from studying and attending the Padres versus Dodgers game. By chance, Tim and three of his best buddies traveled from El Segundo to San Diego for the weekend to visit breweries and cheer on the Dodgers. Once the game ended, Tim and his friends stopped for a beer and Tim noticed Kristina from a distance. As he pointed her out to his friend, she glanced over at him, causing Tim to drop his beer on his feet, creating the opening Tim was looking for to approach her. Kristina and Tim immediately enjoyed each other's company, and the night ended with an exchange of phone numbers and a curiosity if they would ever see each other again. Kristina and Tim texted periodically over the next few months until Tim asked if he could take her on a date, a romantic dinner at a little Italian restaurant in Pacific Beach. The first date was a huge success and Kristina and Tim would go on to spend many hours on the phone and travel many miles on the freeway, to become a couple. Kristina and Tim continued to travel back and forth from San Diego to El Segundo over the next year until she obtained a job in Santa Barbara. This changed their frequent 100 mile commute on the 405 freeway to the 101 freeway. Over the next two years, Kristina and Tim grew closer, spending lots of time with family and friends, making long-lasting memories together. The long-distance came to an end when Tim accepted a job in Thousand Oaks, and the two moved to Camarillo. After receiving approval from Kristina's parents over breakfast, Tim thought he had a great proposal plan. He had booked a boat trip and campsite to the Channel Islands. However, the day before the trip, high swells caused the boat company to cancel all trips...it was time for plan B! Keeping with the outdoor adventure theme, Kristina agreed to lace up her hiking boots for a 9 mile hike up Boney Mountain, in the Santa Monica Mountain Range. Tim promised a picnic and an amazing ocean view once on top. The picnic was great, but the view was terrible as heavy fog and strong winds rolled in. Yet, they had made it this far and Tim was not heading back down that mountain without asking Kristina to marry him. So he got down on his knee and asked her to be his wife. She said yes, they hugged and kissed, and laughed the whole two and a half hour hike back down the mountain.

Wedding Planning Inspiration
We both agreed that we wanted a barn/ranch setting, with a rustic feel. Our goal was for the wedding to be classy, but fun and casual with a lot of our own personal touches.


Color Palette
Navy, grey, sage green, and orange. The bridesmaid dresses were a mix of navy, sage, and grey. Orange accents were scattered throughout in the flower arrangements. The groomsmen wore navy blue pants, vests, and ties with white shirts and brown shoes. The groom wore a light grey three piece suit with a sage green tie and brown shoes. 

The Details
We were very excited about our venue, Higuera Ranch. It was a beautiful setting, had a perfect barn, and offered two homes that the wedding parties stayed on for the weekend. We were able to bring in our own vendors, have our rehearsal dinner there, and have what felt like a private weekend getaway with our entire family and group of friends. The lighting in the barn and the upper level seating made the venue feel so intimate. It was perfect! Secondly, we loved that everything had our own personal touch on it. We spent a lot of time doing DIY projects, inspired from Pinterest and our own creative minds. A few examples include; a rustic memory frame wrapped in small twinkle lights with a saying and pictures of our deceased loved ones; cornhole boards hand painted with landmarks of each of our home towns; succulent table assignment escort cards; koufeta wedding favors (a greek and Italian tradition); signature cocktails and beer from the grooms hometown brewery; selected music playlist for cocktail hour; homemade donut wall; and other small handcrafted details. 

Memorable Moments
The ceremony was beautiful and emotional, filled with happy tears. It took place in a small area next to an old fig tree. It felt so intimate being surrounded by all of our loved ones. We remember how special it felt to look into the crowd and every face we saw, was someone we loved. The wedding party and parent speeches were very special as well. Our other favorite part was the dance party. Our DJ did a great job of keeping the dancing going strong all night, and everyone seemed to have a great time. Looking through our photos after the wedding, the smiles on everyone's faces said it all!

Advice for Newbie Brides
Pace yourself. It's a long planning process that can become overwhelming if you try to do too much at once or leave too much for the last minute. Hire a good wedding planner...their expertise and knowledge is priceless. Keep the end goal in mind and that it should be fun because you are working towards what should be the best day of your life. Also, don't get bogged down in the tiny details that nobody at the wedding will even notice. 

A Casual Yet Classy Wedding at Higuera Ranch

A Casual Yet Classy Wedding at Higuera Ranch

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