• Real Weddings

William and Andrew’s love story is one that spans the globe, literally! They met in Dublin, had their first date in London, and now live in Hong Kong. Their gorgeous wedding at Belmond El Encanto in Santa Barbara was a true celebration of their lives together, and it’s off the charts beautiful!

Magnolia Event Design and Planning made their intimate wedding vision a reality, and included personal details throughout the day of some of their favorite things. It’s a love story you have to read to believe, so keep scrolling for more and be sure to visit the full gallery on this one captured by I Heart My Groom, because the venue is stunning!

how they met

From Magnolia Event Design and Planning: William and Andrew have an amazing love story. They met in Dublin in 2013 and William had to fly out the following day for work in London; he was just passing through. Andrew jumped on a plane and met him for a proper date and the rest is pretty much a whirlwind from there. You see William was being offered a new job on this work trip and the destination was Hong Kong. Andrew decided to take the leap of faith and join him on the next adventure. From there they have worked and traveled all over together. They currently reside in Hong Kong and their respective families are in London and Dublin.

heartfelt details

They decided to host their guests for an intimate wedding of 50. We planned the details with them from afar and made sure each item personally resonated with them. The bar featured their favorite drinks- Hendricks and Tonic with cucumber for William and Vodka Martini with a lemon twist for Andrew. They walked down the aisle to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and had readings from the Velveteen Rabbit and EXTRACT FROM THE SUPREME COURT DECISION IN OBERGEFELL v. HODGES.

thoughtful details

Their escort cards sat atop boxes of The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong Truffles and their bar was called The Long march bar after one of their favorite places to grab a drink together. The wedding cake was a three-tier gluten-free cake which featured the city outlines from their 3 home towns- Dublin, London, and Hong Kong and was handprinted in rainbow tones. Each detail was lovingly chosen and decided on to compliment the two of them. It was a truly magical day.

• Cakes & Catering: Lilac Patisserie
• DJs: Elite Disc Jockeys
• Event Planning & Design: Magnolia Event Design and Planning
• Flowers: Rockrose Floral
• Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Team Hair and Makeup
• Lighting, Entertainment & Photo Booth: Anthony Ybarra
• Lighting, Entertainment & Photo Booth: Bella Vista Designs
• Officiants: Miriam Lindbeck
• Paper Goods & Calligraphy: Oak and Orchid
• Photographers: I Heart My Groom
• Rentals: Bright
• Rentals: BBJ Linen
• Travel & Transportation: Best Room Block Rates
• Venues: Belmond El Encanto
• Wedding Dresses: Galia Lahav