Glitzy Backyard Bash in the Santa Ynez Valley

Abby Capalbo
August 18, 2014
Categories: Real Parties, Real Weddings
Tags: glamorous, Glitzy

A little glitz, a healthy dose of glamour, a bit of boho and a whole lot of love – this backyard beauty from Jillian Rose Photography is overflowing with everything we love about SMP weddings and more. Carefully curated by Tenley Erin Young, this gallery will have your pin boards exploding with pretty.

[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/98181922 600 338]

Colors

Seasons

Spring Weddings

Settings

Backyard City Hall

Styles

Whimsical

From The Bride..Being a floral and event designer, I have the luxury of finding out what a my clients’ dream wedding looks like and taking it from there. But when I got engaged, the first thing I thought was, how on earth am I going to pick just one style?? There are so many incredible options, I knew I couldn’t pick just one – so I thought of everything that encompassed Parker and me and mashed up each of our styles into one big explosion of color and style.

Parker asked me to marry him on a sailboat in Maine, so his anchor socks were very apropos. I love that his groomswoman decided to match the boys’ oxfords. I let my bridesmaids pick something I knew they could wear again and wanted an eclectic yet complementary collection of glamorous colors, textures, and patterns. Between Adrianna Papell, Jenny Yoo, and Xscape,they definitely made it happen. Because I’m a bit of a bohemian, I had to include moccasins somewhere, so we had all the kids in Minnetonkas (I actually changed into a pair later that night!).

We chose the courthouse because we met in Santa Barbara and the Mural Room is just so gorgeous. The majority of our guests were coming from out of town so we figured we’d give them a mini glimpse into our lives, starting out in Santa Barbara then heading out to wine country where we had just moved. It was very important to us for everyone to feel like they were at home, which is why we decided to have the reception at our house.

Having the opportunity to work with so many amazing local vendors over the last few years, there was no question who I wanted to entrust with our wedding needs. The best advice I can give to any bride is to find someone you connect with, hire them immediately, and let them take your inspiration and run with it. I told everyone our colors, the variety of themes we were going for, and how we wanted our guests to feel and let them take it from there.

I wasn’t sure where to start in terms of design. Our styles are super eclectic so I wanted to incorporate vintage, americana, bohemian, and glam and did a combo of antique furniture, leather and sequin pillows and linens, animal prints, metallic paper lanterns, tinsel, and the brightest flower combos I could think of. I wanted the reception to feel like a giant party, so I went as loud as I could go in terms if color and design.

I don’t know where I would be without our photographer, Jillian. I had a feeling the day would fly by and I would miss so much and knew that she would capture it all beautifully and she did. I can’t get over these photos, I feel like I’m looking at a wonderful dream when I look through them. She caught every single moment and documented every single detail and I can’t recommend her enough!

Omni Catering absolutely nailed it with the “elevated comfort food” we wanted. Parker and I love food and entertaining and we wanted our guests to just relax and make themselves at home. I happen to be addicted to Mac n’ Cheese so they came up with a Mac n’ Cheese bar (complete with bacon, gorgonzola, and crispy onions). Parker loves seafood, so we had ceviche shooters, oysters on the half shell, and ahi tartar in wonton chips. Couple all that with a trio of sliders, amazing salads, and tray passed hors d’oeuvres after a gorgeous antipasto welcome station and everyone is still raving about the food. We wanted everyone to graze, so we had an all evening cocktail hour – no rules, no agenda.

I’ve known Heather with Sweet Spils my entire life and was so thrilled she wanted to be a part of our day (I may have nudged her in our direction). She called to ask what we wanted and I told her I to do whatever she thought represented us. Not only were they gorgeous and one of a kind, but they were beyond delicious.

I also happen to be a big fan of champagne so what better way to celebrate than with a bubbly bar?! I’ve been collecting vintage champagne coupes for the last couple years so I paired those with crystal decanters and vintage liquor inspired tags from Bad Leroy Creations to label the juices.

I tend to go overboard on most things in life, so the DIY list is too long. So unless you have a staff of 20 at your beck and call, just hire someone to do it (seriously!). Parker’s last name is Hardt, so I had to incorporate that. I found a super cool geometric heart online and used that as our logo throughout the wedding. I sewed the leather pillows, painted and hung the paper lanterns, made tassels and fringe, cut out the big wooden heart and covered it with glitter, painted the mason jars in a variety of metallic paints, and collaborated with Meg at Sweet Carolina Collective on all the wooden menus and signage.

The passion from every single person involved in our wedding is still beyond my comprehension. Up until the day of I kept thinking we should’ve just eloped. But as soon as I walked into our backyard and saw every single person we love and the whole vision come to life I knew that it was all worth it. I really wish we could do it all again.