La Jolla Wedding at the Darlington House

Oh man - I don’t think I’ve ever had strangers request that I blog a wedding until this one at La Jolla’s Darlington House!!! Some weddings, everything just clicks and comes together in the coolest way: a couple I adore, one of my favorite venues, and creatively SO pleasing with a dream team of vendors. I don’t get too hung up on the aesthetics of weddings, because all celebrations are so fun for me and I really do love shooting all weddings, but if I had a ‘dream aesthetic,’ it would be this. Darlington House is one of my all-time favorite venues - the Spanish architecture, arches, white walls, pops of color, walking distance from the beach, so much variety for photos all within walking distance - GAH. This one’s bright, cheery color palette made my photographer heart so happy. Fox & Flora absolutely killed it and delivered bringing the spring vibes to February. Mycalia of Lovely Bones Paperie created the most incredible invitation suite and paper goods and brought in the Spanish tile and arches in the most stunning way. Not to mention she incorporated an escalator as a design element and made it WERK (“Escolater” is a combination of the couples last names, and became the hashtag and theme of their wedding!). Jessica of Plan Prep Party brought it all together and executed it perfectly!!! Audrey Alba Films was a freakin DREAM to work with - I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… the vibe between photographer and videographer is so crucial, and I absolutely love working with him. I’ve included the film at the end so you can see it here too! And of course… I wouldn’t be doing this wedding justice if I didn’t mention Muncie. The perfect doodle who has blown up on social media more than anything else I’ve shot and who is essentially making me IG famous. #munciedoodle, we love you!

Lauren and Alex’s day was such a high to start the year off with and really set the tone for the work I was ready to create. That momentum coming to a halt because of the c-word is hard, but looking through these is making me so excited for when weddings do start happening again!!! I can’t wait to take this creative energy and bring it to weddings in a big way when we are allowed to celebrate again!

Q: What did you love about your wedding location/venue?
Well we chose SD over LA since we had met there and think of it more fondly than LA. We thought it would be a great place for our friends and family to come visit as well.
We chose Darlington as our venue since it felt like someone's house that welcomed everybodyng in. We liked all the different patios and outdoor spaces. The house had many architectural patterns which actually Mycalia (from LovelyBones paperie) used in our custom invitations!

Q: What memory from your wedding do you remember the most strongly? Was there anything that stood out to you?
So hard, too many to pick! I just loved how everyone got out on the dance floor and had a good time :)

Q: Funniest or favorite moment on your wedding day?
We had some pretty good speeches that made us laugh pretty hard. Also during the ceremony I remember turning around and seeing Muncie in a mini-tantrum trying to get the flowers off her flower collar lol. But thankfully Kiira (from Fox and Flora) attached them very well so they held up!!

Q: What was important to you while planning your wedding? What did you want your wedding day to feel like, and do you feel like you accomplished that?!
I valued having it be a stress-free day which is why we got a planner. Jessica (from Plan Prep Party) did suchhh a good job knowing the details that I never was involved in any problems- if there were any-since I wasn’t aware! :)

Q: Where did you go on your honeymoon? Why did you choose it? Any honeymoon planning advice?
Bora Bora! Best decision ever. Wanted a place to do essentially nothing for 6 days lol. Costco Travel was a great deal and we liked how inclusive it was (breakfast and dinner) so we didn't have to plan too many things.

Q: What advice would you give to future couples who are getting married?
I felt having a separate wedding email and instagram helped. The email helped so that multiple people could have access to important information, and the instagram was helpful for me in that I got all the information overload on wedding inspo, while also having it be separated from my personal instagram so that I didn't feel bombarded. I also liked the subreddit r/weddingplanning and r/weddingswap. Useful stuff and strangers are very helpful!

Vendors!
Photography: Kami Olavarria
Venue: Darlington House
Planning + Design: Plan Prep Party
Dress: Sarah Seven
Veil: Julie Harris Designs
Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo
Groom’s Suite: Trunk Club
Groomsmen Suites: The Black Tux
Florals: Fox & Flora
Rentals, Tables + Chairs: TBD Rentals
Paper Goods: Lovely Bones Paperie
Makeup: Lindsey Jones
Hair: Elwynn + Cass
Video: Audrey Alba
Catering: Miho
Bar: Snake Oil Cocktail Co.
Cake: Sugar & Scribe
Cookie Favors: The Cravory
DJ: Love Rockers
Photo Booth: Photo Glam Booth
Lighting: Sage Productions