Cata + Mark had such a fun, unique celebration for their wedding.  I loved working with them to design and create a unique, cocktail-style reception at Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm.  They decided not to have any traditional guest dining tables, but rather fill the beautiful space with lounges and vignettes for the guests to enjoy and engage in.  Feast and Fest Catering provided incredible interactive food stations where the guests could watch the chefs prepare handcrafted ingredients.  I loved all of the amazing furniture we got to use from Blueprint Studios and Party Pleasers!  It was fun to get to plan something more nontraditional.  My favorite design element was the hanging arrangement we created over the chevron patterned dance floor - tropical greenery, hanging orchids, and wisteria accents.  It was such a beautiful day!

The Team That Made This Happen: 
Coordinator/Florist: Tyler Speier
Venue: Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm
Ceremony Venue: El Presidio
Rentals: Blue Print Studios
Rentals: Party Pleasers
Specialty Linens: La Tavola
Ceremony Performer: Hudson & Delilah
Photographer: Chris Glenn
Hair/Makeup: Friend of Bride and Groom
Catering: Feast & Fest
Food Truck: In-N-Out Cookout Trailer
DJ: DJ Griff
Catholic Officiant: Deacon Art Gonzalez
Christian Officiant: Pastor Edward Paz
Transportation: Jump on the School Bus
Guest Accomodations: The Goodland Hotel
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Based in NYC, Brian and Danielle chose to have a beautiful destination wedding in Santa Barbara, CA at a private greenhouse on the Gaviota Coast.  Their wedding was inspired by their love of adventure and nature - a soft, neutral palette with lots of greenery, geometric details, potted plants, and copper accents. They were married in a traditional Jewish Ceremony (under a chuppah that has been in Brian’s family for generations) on a private bluff overlooking the pacific ocean.  After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as the sun set over the ocean.  Vintage school busses then transported the guests back to the greenhouse, where large hanging arrangements of greenery framed the white dance floor, under a sea of basket lamp lights.  As the hundreds of candles twinkled and reflected across the greenhouse glass, guests enjoyed a sumptuous farm-to-table meal.  As the celebration continued with dancing and fun, guests enjoyed a s’more station and churro station for a non-traditional wedding dessert.  Me and my team were so honored to have this wedding featured in the 2019 spring issue of Inside Weddings.  It was such an amazing day! 

 

​Brooke + Nick were married on Cinco De Mayo.  I had so much fun working with them to design their wedding.  They are a great example of a couple who tastefully planned their wedding to give subtle nods to the holiday without going “overboard.”  We did this in 5 distinct ways:

1) We started with a neutral color palette, as they were getting married in a beautiful greenhouse on the coast.  We brought in bright pops of color in the florals to give the wedding a festive feel.

2) We served amazing Mexican food at the wedding - complete with a tortilla-making station manned by a chef!  Guests had chips and guacamole on the tables, an interactive taco bar, and fresh churros. 

3) At the end of the ceremony, guests tossed dried flowers into the air (reminiscent of confetti eggs, but much more eco-friendly).  It was colorful and festive!

4) At the bar, the signature cocktails were margaritas.  The bar at the reception was a “ranchero bar,” made with leather.  Love that piece from The Tent Merchant! 

5) Finally, we used subtle textures to bring in the “fiesta” vibe: small handpainted tiles on the place settings, textured linens from La Tavola, and beautiful handprinted signage and paper goods from Jessica Yee Calligraphy.

I love the final product: a beautiful, elegant, timeless, classic wedding (with a touch of whimsy) and a wonderful “nod” to the holiday weekend!  You don’t have to go overboard when planning your wedding around any holiday, but it is definitely fun to acknowledge and celebrate the holiday.  We have a fun wedding coming up this 4th of July, and I am looking forward to bringing some fun Independence Day Details to life at that wedding!

The Team That Made This Happen:
Coordinator/Florist: Tyler Speier
Venue: Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm
Rentals: The Tent Merchant
Linen Rentals: La Tavola Fine Linen
Photographer: Whitney Turner
Transportation: Jump on the Schoolbus
Hair/Makeup: Brianna Stewart
Catering: Omni Catering
Videography: Brett Williams Productions
DJ: DJ Hecktik
Photo booth: WittyBooth
Officiant:  Nick Bartsch
Cake/Dessert: Crushcakes

Alyssa + Scott wanted a South-Carolina-Inspired wedding in the heart of California Wine Country.  It was so fun to bring in southern food, lace textures, chandeliers, a soft color palette of flowers, lots of greenery, and chiffon draping to the barn at the Crossroads Estate (by Firestone Winery) to create a beautiful atmosphere!  For the ceremony, we had a chandelier suspended from an oak tree, and then I created a garland with roses and eucalyptus “growing up” the tree.  Guests sat on beautiful redwood benches from All Heart Rentals.  Then, guests were greeted with Firestone Vineyard Wines and southern-inspired lemonade in cocktail hour on the lawn, under a canopy of twinkle lights.  A sumptuous southern-inspired dinner by Omni Catering was served in the barn, and guests danced late into the night.  It felt like we were all transported right to a beautiful Southern home!

The Team That Made This Happen:
Coordinator/Florist: Tyler Speier
Venue: Dos Pueblos Ranch 
Rentals:  The Tent Merchant
Photographer: Allison Maginn Photography
Videographer: Surreal Wedding Films
Transportation: Jump on the School Bus
Hair: Beckie Covarrubias
Catering: Holdren’s
Bartenders: Simply Cocktails
DJ: DJ Hecktik
Bathroom Trailer: Nicks Production Services
Officiant: Ceremonies by Nanette
Bakery/Dessert: Enjoy Cupcakes
Lighting: Bella Vista Designs
Calligraphy: Jessica Yee

While we mainly specialize in weddings, every now and then we get to design and coordinate dinner parties…and this was one for the books!  We had some super fun clients who flew in to LA all the way from China! These clients wanted to plan a memorable birthday celebration for a family member.  They traveled up the coast from LA to Santa Barbara for wine tasting and a memorable evening at a private greenhouse on the Gaviota Coast.  We designed the space with neutral linens and clean modern place settings, juxtaposed with bright blooms and basket lamp lighting.  We curated a beautiful, multi-course meal with Pure Joy Catering, featuring local sea food, meats and farmer’s market produce. As the sun began to set, the guests were transported to the bluffs to watch the sunset with a glass of wine.  This was such a fun night!

Loved seeing this image from a beautiful wedding we had the honor of designing and planning featured on Belle The Magazine!  See link here.  Beautiful calligraphy menu by Jessica Yee Calligraphy, Image by James and Jess Photography, and Rentals from The Tent Merchant. 

The second day of our workshop last August was so much fun.  Each attendee got to create their own miniature styled shoot.  Everyone got to pick a sweetheart table, linens, chairs, china, flatware, glassware, print products, and floral/design materials to create something unique and fun.  Amber from Amber Jean Photography came in the morning and worked with each attendee on creating a flat lay of their unique details.  After a “Fiesta Lunch,” James and Jess of James and Jess Photography spoke about collaborating as a team and attracting your ideal client, then the styled shoot began!  James and Jess artfully captured each person’s work.  Then, as a team, we combined all of our florals and design elements to create a beautiful ceremony space under chandeliers from Bella Vista Designs.  Nicole, our model, had her hair and makeup done by Style Me Kristi and wore a beautiful custom gown from Lili Bridals.  As the sun began to set, we gathered and toasted to a wonderful two days of creativity, openness, learning, and growth.  

I think my favorite part of a workshop is that everyone is coming to learn.  Everyone is arriving open and ready to try new things.  It creates such an amazing atmosphere, and I find that everyone leaves inspired, refreshed, and ready to take on their “next step.”  I would love to have you join us for our workshop at the Sunstone Winery Villa on March 18-19, 2018.  Click here for more details.  Come create, be refreshed, and have fun!

To kickoff 2019, I got to attend the Florabundance Design Days Workshop and learn from some of the top florists in the industry (Holly Chapple, Tulipina, Hitomi, and many others). It was such an incredible experience and I feel so inspired and refreshed as we embark on the adventures that 2019 will bring.  As the Design Days workshop came to a close, I began to reminisce on our Tyler Speier Workshop we had last August at a beautiful private greenhouse on the Gaviota Coast.  It was such an incredible weekend.  I have a deep love for educating and teaching - and I remember when I was first starting in the industry, I often felt isolated and “in over my head.”  It can be lonely being a “soloprenuer,” and it can be overwhelming when learning how to plan weddings, do flowers, run a business, support your family, find work/life balance…the list goes on.  I remember wanting to have someone I could reach out to when I had questions about contracts, procedures, design elements, how to run a business, and how to attract my ideal client.  Now, with 10 years of experience under my belt and a thriving business in the luxury Santa Barbara wedding market, I love to give back and work with fellow creative entrepreneurs.   
 
Our August workshop was so much fun.  On the first day, we had brunch together and then had a discussion about who we are, what we do, and how we want to grow.  It was so inspiring to have so many creative people in one room sharing their visions for their businesses (or vision of starting a business)!  In the afternoon, we went to the venue and had a floral design workshop, where we created floral centerpieces, took headshots for our portfolio, prepared for a styled shoot (on day 2), and had a social media educational session.  It was such a fun day!  Here are some of my favorite images from the floral design portion.  The best part is…nobody attending had any floral design experience!  It was so fun to see how each person had their own unique interpretation of the centerpiece.  We worked with beautiful flowers from Florabundance Inc.  

​If you are interested in joining us for our next immersive, creative design workshop, we would love to have you!  Whether you are a seasoned event professional, looking for a career change, or looking to further develop your entertaining/design skills, we would love to have you.  Planners, florists, caterers, rental company reps, graphic artists, calligraphers, etc, - we all play a vital role in the art of designing an event, and having the skills of curating an artful design is key to attracting our ideal clients across the industry.   Our next workshop is coming up - March 18-19, 2020, at the beautiful Sunstone Villa.  (See more info here!) - we would love to have you!

And just like that, our season came to an end...and we are now gearing up for the holidays and our incredible 2019 weddings.  But, today, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this past year.  It was quite the year - we had over 30 incredible weddings and events, met all of our business goals, grew our team, continued to refine our design style, were featured on some amazing media outlets, and  created some of our biggest design installations to-date!

At our team Christmas brunch last week, we each shared a "high" and a "low" from this past season.  We laughed and reminisced about some of our crazy adventures this year, from extreme cases of wind to traffic delays (and all the unexpected things that inevitably come up while planning any event).  

As I was reflecting on my year, I think that my biggest "high" is this:  back in 2009, when my business was brand new, I would spend time dreaming up weddings designs, thinking "what if I could create this."  As the years went by, the "what if" turned into "one day."  And this year, I noticed a major shift in the way I think about my business.  Instead of dreaming about "one day" scenarios, I have the privilege of actually creating incredible weddings TODAY. 

I had a moment at a photoshoot this autumn where I took a step back, looked at everything we were creating, and thought to myself, "this is even better than what I dreamed up all those years ago."  I never dreamed about how much hard work, long nights, (and blood, sweat, and tears) it would take to get where we are, but I am so thankful to be where we are.

And don't get me wrong, I'm still a dreamer, and I have big plans for 2019 and beyond.  But, I am so incredibly grateful to be "living my dream," - working for myself, getting to be creative every day, and getting to work with amazing team members and fellow industry professionals to create one-of-a-kind, beautiful events that celebrate love.  

I am grateful to all of the couples who trusted me and my team with their weddings this past year.  It was an honor to work alongside you to create something beautiful.

I am so grateful for my team - an amazing group of people who work so hard, are so creative, and are so fun to work with.  

I am so grateful for my support system: our family, friends, and community.  I am especially thankful for my amazing wife, Taylor, and our two kids, Lucia (5) and Wesley (1).

This year was quite the adventure.  

I am looking forward to "signing off" for the next few weeks to spend quality time with our family, celebrate Christmas, and ring in the new year.  2019...here we come!

Merry Christmas,

Tyler Speier
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