I loved the way the bright florals contrasted with the black & white dance floor.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
My name is Ariana, and I am a registered Nurse working on an Oncology floor. My husband, Brendan, works in Sales for the hotel business. Our day jobs are very different, but we both spend our days off hiking or enjoying San Diego’s Beaches.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met in College at Arizona State. I first saw Brendan at a fraternity party, he was very shy and didn’t say much so I had to make the first move. After a year of casually dating, Brendan was fed up and gave me an Ultimatum: we were either dating or no longer going to see each other. I agreed at the time when he pressed me about it on the date, but in the back of my head, I thought I would call it off when I got home cause I was young and having fun in my last year of college. Turns out Brendan was the best, most caring, thoughtful boyfriend, so I never called it off and heard we are nine years later.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding.
The most important thing to us for our wedding was to make sure it felt like a fun party; having bright florals was important to me as I felt like it added to the classic garden vibe that Darlington House provided. I loved the way the bright florals contrasted with the black & white dance floor.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
I loved planning out our seating arrangements. It was so fun to think about all our friends from different parts of life and family and who would get along and put them next to each other.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
I wore an Anthropologie mini dress for the rehearsal dinner; I loved this dress and felt like it gave the fun, romantic vibe I wanted for the weekend; for the guests, I requested that they wear “California cocktail attire.”
What was one, or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on?
I think the most important thing to spend money on for us was the venue. The Darlington House’s charming mediterranean vibe, antique furniture and intimate charm added the perfect element for our wedding. With such a great venue, we didn’t have to worry about bringing in too many different decorations or things to fill the space.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Our wedding officiant ended up forgetting to do the ring exchange during the ceremony; I had no idea until I saw Brendan after we walked down the aisle, still holding both rings. I think couples should know something WILL go wrong during their wedding, but just have fun with it! That’s the whole point.
BRIDE Ariana O’Neil, @adukk LOCATION Darlington House, @darlington_house PHOTOGRAPHER Shiloh Carrillo – Mazelma Photography, @mazelmaphotography VIDEOGRAPHER Kevin Dawes, @embraceit_av WEDDING COORDINATOR Renee Hirsh FLORIST Ashley Sands – Esprit Floral Co, @espritfloralco CELEBRANT Jacob Negrette ENTERTAINMENT Dancing DJ Productions, @dancingdjproductions HIRE & CATERING Personal Touch Dining, @personaltouchdining CAKE Susie Cakes, @susiecakesbakery RINGS Brilliant Diamonds BRIDAL DRESS Alexandra Grecco, @alexandragrecco HAIR & MAKEUP Kori Hayne, @glowingwithkori BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES Show Me Your Mumu, @showmeyourmumu