Marc + Billy | Modern Estancia La Jolla Wedding

Marc + Billy’s wedding at the beautiful Estancia Hotel & Spa included so many fun custom details celebrating their love, their pup, and passion for comedy + TV. La Jolla weddings are always full of luxury, but have that unique San Diego character that makes it such a special wedding destination!

Color Palette

It all began with a unique + exciting color palette. The mother of one of the grooms was in charge of most of the design, and we worked together to utilize the lavender + hunter green colors to complement the hotel gardens and neutral indoor space. Often my male gay couples stick with masculine colors (grays, blues, browns), so this was a really fun challenge.

I tell clients not to be afraid of color. You can choose colors that aren’t as bold, and you can use them thoughtfully. Here, we utilized the lavender with a vellum invitation suite wrap. Vellum is a semi-transluscent paper, so any color printed on it has a natural dull. This allowed for that hint of color, and not an immediate punch to the face when guests open the envelope! I love how colored vellum looks when it’s folded over each other, as shown at the center of the suite.

Fashion played a huge role in the wedding as well. The grooms had many outfit changes (all blacks + whites), but their all-female wedding party carried through that lovely lavender in their mismatched gowns.

Estancia La Jolla Wedding Ceremony

So much green naturally exists in the Garden Plaza of Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, so the task was made much simpler. It was to infuse purples, whites, and splashes of dark green. I loved the custom flower boxes that created the isle, and added that clean, modern feel.

Guests were greeted with signage + parasols, and on each seat were fans and custom wedding programs with alternating ribbon colors. And Marc + Billy’s wedding wouldn’t be complete without their furry pup to bear witness!

Cocktail Hour + Garden Room Reception

Cocktail hour took place outside near the ceremony. We created a custom acrylic welcome sign + seating chart set. As actors and lovers of comedy television, each table was named after one of their favorite sitcoms. We also had custom matchbooks at the bar, which featured a lavender-infused signature cocktail.

The Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa has a neutral indoor wedding space, so it was easily transformed with white linen draping and reusing those white garden boxes to bring a natural element into the indoor space. We tapped back into our wedding invitation look by creating lavender vellum belly bands that wrapped around each guest’s menu. Their meal choice was creatively indicated by color-coded wax seals, utilizing the entire wedding color palette. I love when we use color to indicate meal choice, because it means every table’s place settings look a little different! We also created custom acrylic table numbers with the tv show titles, and custom-illustrated cocktail napkins of their puppy dog.

The most unique element of their wedding was hiring a comedian friend to do a set during meal time. More + more weddings are becoming experiential, and doing the comedy bit gave the guests something unique while also celebrating the couple’s personalities. Guests were in stitches over her jokes, and it definitely set a silly + joyful tone amidst the formal event.

Marc + Billy, thank you for for making me part of your gorgeous San Diego wedding! You are both full of personalities + style, and it shone through every step of the way in your wedding planning.

Want more Southern California wedding inspiration? Check out this colorful boho wedding at Fig House in Highland Park!

Vendor Reel:

Planner: Sweet Blossom Weddings @sweetblossomweddings

Photographer: Carmen Lopez @carmenlopezphoto

Venue: Estancia La Jolla @estancialajolla

DJ: DJ Keelz @djkeelez

Florist: Organic Elements @organicelements

Specialty Rentals: Adore Folklore @adorefolklore, Cavalier Bars @cavalierbars & Found Rental Co @foundrentalco

Beauty: Refined Beauty @refinedbeautyinc

Videographers: Amari Productions @amariproductions

Bakery: Heritage Desserts @heritagedesserts & The Baked Bear @thebakedbear

Photo Booth: The Vanity Portrait @thevanityportraitstudio

Comedian: Jessica Kirson @jessykirson