California or Bust: Day 7

And now we're on to Day 7... WEDDING DAY!  Yaaaaaaay!

We were treated to a very nice morning at the Hanson household, including HOMEMADE cinnamon rolls.  So good!!  We eventually said goodbye to some more of our dear CA friends (weep) and started driving north to Santa Barbara for the wedding of Jacob and Kate.

If I can say anything about Jacob and Kate (a.k.a. Miss Tak), it's that they are some of the kindest, most caring, most loyal, and most creative people that I've ever known.  I'm really, REALLY glad that Tim became such good friends with them at Art Center because I was lucky enough to get to join that friendship, too.  Attending their amazing wedding and seeing them again after so many months made me realize how much I miss them, their style, their spunk, and their love and kindness, too.  I was also reminded of how tall they are.  (Haha!  But seriously.  They're going to have ridiculously cute, TALL children.)

Tim was one of Jacob's groomsmen, so like I mentioned before, he'd driven up to Santa Barbara two days prior for the rehearsal.  On wedding day, we all drove up together and checked into the hotel:

Tim was scheduled to meet up with the groom and the other fellas around mid-day, so we grabbed some lunch from Carl's Jr. and ate on the patio of our room.  (It was a very pretty hotel!  Our room opened right into the courtyard with the swimming pool.)  After that, Tim left with all his wedding clothing, while Weston, Cole and I got ready for a dip in the pool:

We played in the water for a little while, came back to the room, attempted (and failed at) a naptime, and then got dressed and ready for the wedding.

So, the wedding?  Well, I've known Jacob and Kate for a few years now, and I've always wondered what their wedding would be like.  (To me it was a given that they'd get married.  You can't find two people more in love and more perfect for each other.)  They decided on a steampunk themed wedding.  If you're like me, you may be wondering, what is steampunk?  Well, you can visit their wedding website for more info.  They describe it as the combination of a "Victorian world and a futuristic modern world."  So, Tim's groomsman outfit consisted of a white shirt, brown pants, brown shoes, suspenders, sleeve garters (like an old-fashioned barber), a bowler hat, goggles, a gear-themed corsage, and a custom bowtie.  In addition to the wedding party, many of the other guests also participated in the steampunk theme.  (I did not, because the thought of putting together an awesome steampunk outfit seemed really intimidating.  In retrospect, however, I really wish I had.)

The wedding took place on a ranch just northwest of Santa Barbara, called Dos Pueblos.  Here are a few pictures from the splendid occasion!  (P.S.  Rest assured that the actual wedding photographer's photos will be about 9,000 times better.  But still, this gives you the general idea.)

Here's the photographer getting a few shots of the groom and his groomsmen:

This (incredibly overexposed) photo shows the bar/lounge area, along with some of the guests in costume:

Here is the entrance to the reception barn with a few more guests:

Here is the barn entrance once again, with the aperture finally corrected.  (You can see a photographer there; there were photographers from several magazines at the wedding, and I've heard that they're currently bidding to publish pictures first!)

Here is the lounge area once again:

My love of Kate and Jacob increased 1,000-fold when I learned that they were going to have a cupcake trailer at their wedding.  Yes, a local cupcakerie provided the trailer, along with about 5-6 varieties of their insanely delectable cupcakes.

Here is the table with the place cards (Tim and I sat at the "Vincent Price" table).  I am in love with the boot flowers!!  Kate and Jacob also had not only a guest book but a guest "sketch book," where people could share a little artistic something-or-other.  Also, in the background you can see the portraits of friends and family cherished by the bride and groom who had passed away:

This is the inside of the reception barn.  I don't know where the wedding designer (yes, there was a designer, in addition to the coordinator) managed to find some of these decorative items, but she did an A-MA-ZING job:

Hanging above the bar was a painting by Jacob of their dog, Mortecai, enjoying a Mort-ini (AAHHH I LOVE IT!!!):

In addition to the very creative cocktails, they also had iced tea and lemonade in mason jars:

The ceremony took place in a beautiful wooded grove.  This picture just does not do it justice.  There were old-fashioned carpets and flowers, and candles that dangled from a fixture on a tree branch above the altar area.

Off to the side was a list of the wedding party members, along with several shade umbrellas:

Kate LOVES fairies, and I love that the wedding designer also included small touches like this:

There was a cart of warm blankets:

... and pretty flowers in mason jars on silver trays.  (Can ya tell that I LOVED the design of the whole wedding?)

When it was time for the ceremony, I sat with a couple Art Center folks and snapped a picture of my cute groomsman husband walking down the aisle:

This is a terrible picture, but here is Jacob the groom, along with his mom and dad:

And finally the bride!!!  Here's Kate with her dad.  She was absolutely stunning.  Don't worry, there's a better picture later!

Here's another little fairy-inspired decoration:

And check out the hors-d'oeuvres!!  It was an avalanche of fruit, nut, and cheese deliciousness:

Here's Tim with his awesome bowtie, hat, and goggles just before the reception.  You may be wondering, "Um, Jean, where are your children?"  Well, that is probably the best part of all.  Jacob and Kate hired BABYSITTERS for their wedding.  There were three adorably sweet women there, and they brought toys and games, plus a whole bunch of perkiness.  There were supposed to be other kids in addition to Weston and Cole, and I think some of them might've just joined the reception.  So, that meant that my boys had THREE fun babysitters all to themselves!!!  I am truly grateful that Jacob and Kate offered this; it made it so much more enjoyable for me and Tim.  (Boys, we love you.  Seriously.)  But it was really nice.  I'm sure it was not cheap, and I'm really, really grateful.

Anyway, I had been waiting patiently to get my chance to say CONGRATS! to the newlyweds when I finally saw them coming back from a photo session on the beach.  Haha!  So cute, right?

See?  Absolutely stunning.  And the kicker is that she MADE this wedding dress herself:

Anyway, the reception barn was beautiful at dusk when all the lights were lit:

See the centerpieces?  There were autumn-colored flowers along with little votive candles on brass pipes.  SO COOL!

We had such a grand time.  We dined on chicken and steak and all the fixin's, and there were bottles of fancy cream soda for those of us who don't drink alcohol.  Even the napkin rings were beautiful!!  Jacob and Kate had a table on the other side of the dance floor (next to all the cushy sofas, pillows, and other steampunk decor) that was covered with glass jars of chocolatey treats (Hershey's bars, toffee, chocolate covered gummy bears, cinnamon roll taffy, yogurt pretzels, etc.).  There was also a photo booth outside where we could take pictures of ourselves, along with a whole bunch of fun masks to wear.  And have I mentioned the cupcake trailer?  Oh, I have?  Well, did I mention the Bananas Foster cupcake?  (As stated on the "Enjoy Cupcakes" website: Vanilla cake filled with bananas fried in cinnamon, brown sugar, butter, and rum, topped with bananas foster frosting and sauce.)  OH. MY. GOSH.

This is a really bad picture, but it's a really happy Jean:

Anyway -- amazing, amazing, amazing.  A seriously top-notch wedding.  As the evening wore on, it started to get pretty chilly, and it seemed like the boys were starting to get tired.  So, I took them back to the hotel (Tim took a shuttle later) and tucked them in for bed.  :-)

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CA Trip Day 1
CA Trip Day 2
CA Trip Day 3
CA Trip Day 4
CA Trip Day 5
CA Trip Day 6
CA Trip Day 7
CA Trip Day 8
CA Trip Day 9
CA Trip Appendix