Island Vibes and English Garden Charm Came Together at This Vibrant, Personalized Wedding in Southern California
Jamie Evans and Kevin Herde met on the night of July 13, 2018, when a night out with their respective friends led them to the same bar in Del Mar, California. "Kevin and I started talking and he gave me his business card," Jamie remembers. "I went home, and texted him a few days later." They met up the following weekend for brunch and a horse race, and the two quickly became an item after bonding over their shared love of good food and gambling.
Kevin proposed to Jamie in St. Lucia on the last night of a week-long cruise in March of 2023, popping the question with two different engagement rings—one, the real deal, and a second travel-ready replica that Jamie could wear when she vacations and snorkels. "It was such a special and sweet time together," Jamie says. "We had champagne to celebrate, and then continued the celebration in the cocktail lounge on the boat."
On September 16, 2023, Jamie and Kevin were married at Rancho Valencia Hotel and Spa in Rancho Santa Fe, California, in front of 130 guests. As regulars at the hotel's Pony Club, the venue felt like a natural choice for their wedding. The duo envisioned a flower-filled celebration inspired by the private island of Mustique and a tropical take on English cottage gardens. With support from Susanne Duffy from Crown Weddings and Events, the bride and groom planned an eclectic mix of textures, vibrant colors like fuchsia, coral, peach, yellow, and green, and playful bird motifs. Read on to see how photographer Jenny Quicksall captured the fun details of the couple's wedding day—from a Hawaiian-inspired ceremony to a flower-focused reception and Vegas-inspired after-party.
Related: 25 Garden Wedding Ideas to Inspire Your Own Whimsical Design
Jamie and Kevin trusted Wendy Ware Design to create their custom sage green wedding invitation suite with hand-painted florals and birds; on the big day, those motifs were repeatedly seen in couple's décor. The suite was finished with a translucent vellum overlay featuring painted floral designs.
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Jenny Quicksall, the couple's photographer, recommended they share a first look before the ceremony, and the bride is so glad they listened to her expert advice. 'It was such a special time for us to spend together, and I actually think it helped ease my nerves a little bit,' she said.
When she went shopping for her wedding dress, she tried on nearly every style available to her, but was starting to feel discouraged that she wouldn't find "the one." She gave one more salon a try and was pleased to narrow down her selection to two great choices. Then, she FaceTimed her parents to get their advice. Though they liked both looks, it was clear when her dad gasped after seeing her in the second one that the Rosa Clará gown with a sweetheart neckline, mermaid silhouette, and cathedral-length train was the right choice for her big day.
Jamie added a meaningful touch to the gown by adding buttons from her grandmother's wedding dress, which was made in 1943. 'My mom wore this dress for her wedding in 1983,' she says. 'All of our weddings were 40 years apart. It was such a special and personal touch.' She accessorized with a diamond tennis bracelet. emerald-cut diamond solitaire necklace, and custom emerald-cut diamond earrings. A veil from Rosa Clará's accessory collection completed her wedding day look.
Jamie's vibrant bridal bouquet included David Austin roses, Beatrice, Effie, and hot pink glorious lilies, Baronesse garden roses, yellow butterfly ranunculus, and yellow oncidium orchids.
For the first look, Kevin wore the first of three wedding day looks; a formal black Armani tuxedo with a tie and shoes by Ferragamo. Jamie's beloved dog, Tito, joined them for some photos in a custom tuxedo during their first look, too!
Related: 50 Too-Cute Ways to Include Your Pet in Your Wedding
The couple's ceremony was decorated with clusters of meadow-style floral arrangements that appeared to grow naturally from the woven aisle runner, transforming the space into a garden-like setting. Guests were seated in a variety of seating options, from oval ottomans and wooden benches to chairs and stools.
An asymmetrical arch was created out of tropical florals and framed with blush drapery, serving as the backdrop for Jamie and Kevin's vow exchange.
Kevin, who wore a navy Zegna suit for the ceremony, his kids, and Tito walked down the aisle to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." Next, Jamie's dad, Tom, walked her down the aisle to 'When You Say Nothing at All' by Alison Kraus. 'It was such a special moment, and it is one that I will never forget,' she says. 'I was so at peace with him by my side, and he definitely was my rock and solid foundation when I was becoming teary eyed.'
The couple exchanged personal vows during the ceremony, and they were surprised to find they both included the same promises and memories. 'Getting through the vows without crying was quite the challenge,' Jamie recalls. 'They were great because both of us touched on some inside jokes, some favorite memories, and admirable qualities about one another.'
Cocktail hour was held in the same space at the ceremony, so the wedding planning team came up with a creative solution to hide the bars while the couple exchanged vows; once Jamie and Kevin were pronounced husband and wife, the blush drapery was pulled back to reveal bars, effortlessly transforming the area.
Round tables and high tops, which were dressed in teal and white patterned linens and decorated with organic floral centerpieces with pops of coral, yellow, and fuchsia, were brought in for guests.
The couple hired Ben Benavente to play acoustic guitar during cocktail hour, and her played Hawaiian-style reggae as a nod to the couple's love of the islands. Along with a charcuterie table, they served passed hors d'oeuvres like arancini and caviar on potato chips with creme fraiche.
Jamie and Kevin also served three signature drinks. First, they invited guests to try a "No Ka Oi" on the rocks, Jamie's favorite drink she discovered while vacationing in Maui. They also served Kevin's favorite drink, a gin and tonic, along with 'Tito's Soda and Lime' as a nod to the couple's dog. Wendy Ware Design painted the day-of signage, including a portrait of Tito.
The reception was held in a custom enclosed space surrounded by garden-style hedges. The entrance was flanked with oversized flower arrangements in rattan vases on matching rattan pedestals for added height. An eclectic mix of lighting from string lights to feather lamps and woven pendant lights filled the space.
Jamie and Kevin added a commissioned a sage green bar with arched shelving and worked with Dawn from Tularosa Flowers to fill the space with flowers from floor to ceiling. Garlands of colorful blooms were hung from the ceiling in clusters, and a custom dance floor with the hand-painted florals from their invitation suite took center stage.
Related: How to Create a Custom Dance Floor for Your Wedding Reception
Tables were surrounded by a variety of different seats, from modern sage green chairs to classic white cane back chairs. Some tables had floral patterned floor-length linens, while others were kept bare or had matching floral table runners instead.
Along with lush garden-style floral arrangements, the tables were decorated with tea candles, pillar candles in glass hurricanes, and taper candles in glass holders. Each place card was hand-painted with the guest's name, flowers, and a bird. Woven chargers and white textured plates were paired with gold flatware, sage napkins with wooden napkin rings, and hand-painted vellum-covered menus.
Pink velvet stools were added to the bar, and ornate bird candle holders were transformed into vessels for fresh flowers as a unique touch.
Guests lifted the floral-patterned vellum overlay to reveal the dinner menu, which featured some of the couple's favorite foods, like spare ribs, sea bass, and risotto. For dessert, they skipped the formal wedding cake and served miniature key lime pies instead, Jamie's favorite treat.
'My dad gave an opening toast and prayer,' the bride remembers. His words were followed by more speeches from Jamie's best friend, her brother, and Kevin's two best friends. 'There were so many laughs and a few tears,' Jamie says.
The bride and groom shared their first dance to 'Forever and Ever Amen' by Randy Travis. 'We just went out there and danced our hearts out,' Jamie notes. "It was so pure and sweet." Jamie and her dad danced to George Strait's 'Love Without End' and Kevin danced with his daughter, Alexa, to 'One Call Away' by Charlie Puth.
They hired Down Beat Band to keep guests on their feet with music from Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, and Michael Jackson.
At the couple's Vegas-inspired after-party, they brought out roulette tables, eclectic bird-shaped bowls of candy, and a DJ to play their favorite 90's and 2000's hip hop. As a fun twist, the couple offered fake money and poker chips featuring their face and wedding monogram, which everyone gambled with throughout the evening.
Jamie and Kevin spent their honeymoon in Dubai and the Maldives. There, they snorkeled, enjoyed boat rides, and ate at an underwater restaurant. 'It was a bucket list trip and better than I could have ever imagined!' Jamie says.
Trying to personalize your own wedding right now? The couple recommend adding plenty of touches that make your celebration uniquely you. 'It was so important to us to create a wedding that was tasteful yet not stuffy,' Jamie says. 'Our wedding was totally us; islands, music, eclectic, casino, lively, funky and upbeat.'
Real Weddings Credits
Wedding Photographer Jenny Quicksall
Wedding Planning and Design Crown Weddings and Events
Wedding Venue, Catering, and Accommodations Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa
Bride's Hair Rachelle Hali
Bride's Makeup Sara Stewart
Flowers Tularosa Flowers
Invitations and Paper Products Wendy Ware Design
Music Ben Benavente
Guest Book Pixster Photobooth
Rentals Hire Elegance, Nuage Designs, Catalog Atelier, and Folklore
Lighting Brilliant Event Lighting
Transportation Men in Black Transportation
Content Creator The BTS Bride
Up Next: 40 Fun Wedding Games Every Guest Will Enjoy Playing at Your Reception
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