A truly special and intimate wedding that didn't lack style and elegance, but only gained a special meaning and distinctive ambience. Jessica and Zach, being creative individuals, subtly conveyed their worldview and unique vision of the world at their enchanting and very heartwarming wedding. The bride's exquisite dress, the wedding organization roles shared between the couple's loved ones, the beautiful minimalistic decoration of the event, many exceptional memorable moments — all became a crystallised embodiment of endless love, trust and sophistication.
Tell us a little about yourselves. How did you meet? What do you do for a living? What are your hobbies?
We have been together for 10 years (getting married on our actual 10 year anniversary). We met when we were about 17 or 18 years old at the end of highschool through a mutual friend. We didn't reconnect until a few years later and we've been inseparable ever since. I (Jessica) work as a digital creator and creative consultant and Zach works as a software engineer and is also a musician. We actually both used to pursue careers in music and wrote and performed music for many years together. Music is an important part of our household. I love interior design and I also love to cook. I'm a true homebody at heart and my ideal day is one at home, cooking, decorating and listening to music.
Did you have any pre-wedding events, like a rehearsal dinner or bridal shower?
We decided not to have a traditional rehearsal dinner because there really wasn't much to rehearse. We did a quick walk through with my sister (who married us) and my dad who walked me down the aisle. Following that we had a small "receiving dinner" welcoming mine and my husband's families to Santa Barbara. It was really nice to spend an evening with only our immediate families and soak up our last night being engaged.
Where was your wedding? Why did you choose this venue?
We got married in Santa Barbara. Our ceremony was at the top of a beautiful hill at a local state park and our reception was as Santa Barbara Wine Collective. We decided on Santa Barbara because we live in Los Angeles and it was close by, but also felt like a little bit of a destination. Not to mention it's such a stunningly beautiful city. Because we had a small wedding we were able to do a restaurant style wedding which we both loved the idea of because we really valued having delicious food and drinks and not having to deal with catering.
What was the concept behind your wedding and how did you find your inspiration?
We didn't necessarity have a concept or theme but we knew we wanted a fairly intimate wedding. In terms of style, I wanted things to feel classic and somewhat timeless while also having a modern flare. We also did our best to be really thoughtful about sustainability and made choices like only sending invitations once rather than sending a "Save the Date" and then a formal invitation. We also wanted to have friend and family involvement where we could and choose vendors that felt personal as well. For instance, my sister married us, both of our brothers gave speeches, my dad sang, and we had friends and friends of friends involved in coordinating, photography, florals, etc.
How long did it take to plan your wedding? Did you encounter any challenges during the planning process?
I would say we spent about 9 months planning the wedding. I was surprised that even with that timeline we were running behind on some of our decisions and vendor choices. I think the biggest challenges we encountered were not beginning far enough in advance for some things. For instance, we initially wanted to have our ceremony at the Santa Barbara Courthouse but we were too late reaching out and our date and time was already booked. But in hindsight it worked out because I love the private park location we found and we did some family photos at the courthouse prior to the ceremony so we got the best of both worlds! Outside of that, the only other major surprise in the planning process was how much more costly certain things were than we anticipated.
How many guests did you have? And what was the seating arrangement at the wedding like?
We always knew we wanted an intimate wedding and we had a pretty small guestlist of about 50 people. For the reception, we had three long tables (two indoors and one on the patio of the space). It was cozy and intimate and just what we had envisioned.
Tell us about your outfits. How many different styles have you tried?
I tried on quite a few wedding dresses at 4 different shops, and ended up going with one of the options at the second bridal store I went to. It was a stunning bias cut silk slip dress with a plunging neckline and cowl back. It also had a flutter sleeve detail made of organza and it moved so beautifully in the breeze. My dress was by the brand A la Robe based in Paris. I also knew I wanted to change into a reception look at some point after the dinner and I opted for a beautiful two piece embellished set from Stine Goya. My husband wore a stunning modern tux from Armani and he changes into a cream dinner jacket from Banana Republic for his second look.
What was your first dance song? Did you choreograph or improvise?
Our first dance song was 'alley-oop' by Dijon. We didn't learn any choreography, we just kind of slowly swayed with the song in the moment. It was perfect.
Did you have any special performances or entertainment?
We didn't have any entertainment, although my dad is a singer and he surprised us during the speeches at our reception by singing a song a capella for us. It was beautiful and something I'll never forget!
Did you make a gift for guests, and what was it? What did you give each other as a gift?
I was born in Sweden and one of my favorite things is Swedish candy. At each place setting we had little pouches of Swedish candy for guests when they arrived. We also had gift bags for each household when they left at the end of the night consisting of a handmade candle and a deck of conversation cards from Wilde House Paper.
What was the most memorable moment from your wedding day?
It's hard to choose just one. There are so many incredible moments from the day that I won't soon forget. My dad singing, my sister announcing us as husband and wife, etc. I loved the moment when my husband and I walked into our reception, greeted by all our friends and family. It just felt like an outpouring of love and joy and that feeling was so special.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We had the most amazing vendors throughout the entire wedding process. We absolutely loved working with our photographer Evan Davies. He really understood what we were going for in terms of imagery and delivered the most beautiful memories from our day. We were also so lucky to work with Andrea Batt of Rarebird Collective for our coordination needs. She really helped to organize the final details of the wedding weekend and helped to make the process stress free so we could focus on time spent with friends and family. She was amazing! Our florist, Puni Petals, was magical too! She completely nailed the flower vision I had.
What advice would you give to couples who are currently planning their wedding?
I would say to start earlier than you think. I found a lot of the planning happens pretty far in advance and then there's a bit of a window where there's not much to do until the final details closer to the wedding. Also, I would say to discuss your budget early on and be clear on what items you're willing to compromise on. And lastly, I would say, try not to stress too much about every little detail. The end goal for all of this is to marry the person you love surrounded by people you love. Try to enjoy the planning process together so you can have that to look back on with joy as well. It's inevitable that something will not go as planned. But on the wedding day when you're so filled with joy and love, those little details won't matter as much.
Bride: @jessica_manning
Photographer: @evandavieswed
Wedding Coordinator: @rarebird.collective
Florals: @puni.petals
Wedding Dress: @alarobe
Second Look: @stinegoyastudio
Husbands Tux: @emporioarmani
Dinner Jacket: @bananarepublic
