Katie Urban, 28, and Greg Cherry, 34, met on Super Bowl Sunday in 2009, when they spotted each other from across a crowded Venice Beach bar. "We were the tallest people there," says Katie. "We started dating a month after we met."
The day Greg proposed, March 8, 2013, Katie thought they were just taking her little sister, Allie, out for a birthday dinner at favorite LA restaurant, Mozza. But, when Katie left the studio where she was working to meet Greg outside the security gate, she saw him standing next to a limo with a bouquet of flowers and knew something was up. "We jumped into the limo, and that's when Greg got down on one knee to propose (yes, inside the limo!)," she says. He continued with his story that they were picking Allie up in Santa Monica and going to eat, but the limo instead stopped on Main Street, across from The California Heritage Museum. After following candles down the hallway and up the staircase at the museum, Katie heard her family and friends yell, "Surprise!" from the top of the stairs. "It was amazing," Katie says. "I had always wanted a very private proposal, and then the big celebration with family and friends was icing on the cake!"
The two wasted no time, hiring wedding planner Nicole Arena of Green Ribbon Parties just three weeks after the proposal. "It was a good thing, too," says Katie. "I felt like the planning really did go on for the entire year."
Keep reading to see the details from their April 12, 2014 wedding at The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa in Ojai, CA, as captured by Annie McElwain.
While a friend helped initially design the wedding invitation, Katie asked Julie Song of Julie Song Ink to put the vision into print. The end result: a whimsical script, a water-colored pink background, and a pretty pink-and-white patterned envelope liner.
Katie turned dress shopping into a girls' trip. She and her bridesmaids headed to Melrose Avenue, naturally, where they visited the Vera Wang boutique before going next door to Monique Lhuiller. "Trying on dresses at both boutiques was my favorite experience in the entire wedding planning process," Katie says. Once at Monique Lhuiller, she fell for an off-white Chantilly lace trumpet gown immediately.
The bride carried a gorgeous bouquet of garden roses, sweet peas, and ranunculus, all tied together with a pale pink linen ribbon.
The groomsmen's boutonnieres were made of peach and apricot ranunculus flowers, accented with bits of olive and raw silk ribbon.
"I love the look of different dresses and colors in the same palette," Katie says. To help this look come together, she created a Pinterest board and asked her 'maids to "pin" dresses they liked.
The groom wore a classic Hugo Boss tux, black braces, and an Eton tuxedo shirt. He accessorized with a Simon Carter watch (a wedding gift from his bride!), tangerine socks, and his father's cufflinks.
The bride kept her jewelry to a minimum, wearing only drop diamond earrings and her wedding band, of course!
For the ceremony, Katie and Greg said "I do" under the Inn's famous giant oak tree. They kept the décor simple, setting up white chairs for guests and letting the environment speak for itself. They did place a 1955 Buick convertible near the entrance of the ceremony site, though. "We were supposed to drive away in the car, but Greg couldn't get the engine to start," Katie says. "We had to get out and walk instead!"
The bride and groom opted for "his & hers" signature cocktails. In honor of the bride, they offered The Herban Vodka, made with vodka, fresh lemonade, lemon, and club soda, garnished with a lavender stem. For the groom, they had The Bourbon Cherry, a mix of Woodford Reserve whiskey, bitters, a sugar cube, a splash of soda, and, of course, a cherry on top, a nod to the groom's last name!
Loving the ombré watercolor look, Katie ordered escort cards (and table numbers and menus!) from Minted. On the escort card table, guests found their table assignments in bowls of kumquats, pink and white peonies and ranunculuses, and greenery.
With the help of her planner and florist, Brown Paper Design, Katie dressed up long communal tables with a neutral table runner, votive candles, and low arrangements of ranunculus, poppies, and lilacs. There were also plenty of citrus fruits to go around, with a kumquat at each place setting and a wooden bowl of kumquats at each table.
Katie and Greg's tiered cake was two flavors, red velvet and white chocolate mousse with blackberries. It was covered in white ganache and decorated with bright pink peonies, greenery, and kumquats.
The day after the wedding, the newlyweds flew to Bali for a two-week honeymoon. Lastly, for all brides-to-be, Katie says, "Invest in a planner, it helps!"
Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa || Event Planner: Nicole Arena of Green Ribbon Parties || Bride's Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier || Hair: Fiore Beauty || Makeup: Alex George || Groom's Suit: Hugo Boss, purchased at Nordstrom || Event Designer: Brown Paper Design || Rentals: Classic Party Rentals || Cake: The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa || Photography: Annie McElwain
