Whimsical Cactus Wedding with Bold Peach Hues

Give us a cactus wedding and we’ll give you our hearts! Jaclyn + Nicks’ Santa Barbara union reveled in desert flower glory with enough punchy hues to add some fire to your week. Though an uninvited guest in the form of a microburst showed up just 1 hour before the ceremony, this wedding party blasted Alanis Morrisette and called it a day. Whimsical fiesta with trailing ribbon chair swag, churro stacks and a live mariachi band, J+N’s celebration will leave you feeling inspired (and perhaps a little hungry)!

Meaningful moments and cheerful details captured by Anna Delores are just a couple of the reasons we fell in love from the start. The mini tacos, too, were pretty compelling.

Coordinated by Vanessa Noel Events, not a creative design detail went amiss, and we are in awe of the warm-hued aesthetic that resulted. I mean the ombre escort card wall is everything!

From the photographer, Emily of Anna Delores: For Jaclyn and Nick, they had a few priorities for their wedding day: their love of Mexican food (chips and salsa greeted guests at their dinner tables, and passed appetizers during cocktail hour included mini tacos with shots of tequila), a laid-back celebration for family and friends, and keeping their cool in the midst of a microburst in normally-sunny Santa Barbara!

Jaclyn and Nick’s wedding day over Labor Day weekend demonstrated record high temperatures. About an hour before Jaclyn and Nick’s ceremony was scheduled to begin (right after the couple shared their “first look”), clouds rolled in and slammed Santa Barbara with 60-mph winds and a downpour we are NOT used to experiencing in Southern California. Everyone scrambled to grab the Bible at ceremony, the guest book, and family photos at the welcome table.

And after ten minutes, it was over. The clouds parted and the sun came right back out to party. It was such an unexpected moment! The Vanessa Noel Events team ran to the local 99-cent store to buy as many towels as they could carry to dry off the ceremony chairs for arriving guests.

And by the time the ceremony began, it’s like nothing had happened. We were especially impressed with how great Jac and Nick were at keeping their cool; Jaclyn had taken shelter indoors with her bridesmaids, singing Alanis Morrisette’s “Ironic” (“it’s like rain on your wedding day…”). The smiles on Jaclyn and Nick’s faces were evidence of their focus on the day’s primary purpose: committing their lives to each other in front of loved ones, enjoying good food and drink (provided by the incredible Haute Catering), and partying into the night. A little rain (and high-speed winds) weren’t going to get in the way. It was truly the most beautiful day. Microburst and all. And how good a story do these two have to tell about the crazy weather at their wedding?!

Proteas and desert flowers took charge across the bouquets from Topa Flora, and they sure set the stage for the succulent pun signage at the reception.

Jaclyn’s gown from Willow by Watters features scalloped lace, a fit-and-flare silhouette and a plunging back we’re marveling at.

Wedding Vendors:
Photography: Anna Delores
Event Coordination: Vanessa Noel Events
Floral Design: Topa Flora
Venue: Santa Barbara Historical Museum
Wedding Dress: Inez from Willowby by Watters
DJ: Gavin Roy Presents
Catering: Haute Catering
Videography: Erin Mary Griffin