Bringing family and friends together in a celebration was central to Kim and John’s wedding. In the early stages of planning, they knew that they would have loved ones traveling to attend so they wanted to kick off their three-day wedding experience with an intimate welcome party for their nearest and dearest to have an opportunity to catch up and spend quality time together. In this installment of the Unveiled Series, we're taking a detailed look at Kim and John's Welcome Party!
Mexican-Inspired Decor
The couple’s estate is located in magical Escondido, San Diego, so the welcome party gave their guests a taste of what San Diego is all about—delicious Mexican cuisine and vibrant Latin culture. The focus was to heighten and play up the architecture of the jaw-dropping Casa De Suenos. The Spanish-style architecture has intricate royal blue tiling that inspired the palette’s main colors, navy blue and yellow. The florals in bright colors of pink, yellow, red, and orange impeccably contrasted with the striking blue tile. The pool showcased romantic floating lanterns and florals draped from the jacuzzi into the pool. The ambiance felt warm while still being elevated with bold pieces like large tile vases and the flickering light of candles encased in glass. The couple and Veronica wanted sensory elements from beginning to end—color, taste, texture, and scent. Every detail was immersive, letting guests have their own journey and interactive experience throughout the night.
The Casita
The star of the night was the casita. An outside-inside lounge with a gorgeous view of San Diego through tiled arches, a grand fireplace with tall candelabras, winding florals, and vintage chandeliers. The centerpieces for each table were collections of cacti, each with different shapes, colors, and sizes in painted terracotta pots. The cacti added a unique element that felt like a welcoming home.
Food & Drinks
Dinner was a delicious street taco bar from Del Mar Taco, a San Diego favorite. All good tacos should be paired with the perfect salsas and Del Mar Taco didn’t disappoint with their variety of salsas and toppings. To make the bar area even more special, a floral installment of orange and pink flowers hung above!
Dessert is a must at any event and the perfect dessert to pair with tacos is—churros! Guests watched as Churros El Tigre made fresh churros and got to pick from a topping bar that consisted of ice cream, chocolate syrup, cajeta, sweetened condensed milk, strawberry puree, and banana. There was something for everyone!
Kim and John wanted to have alcoholic options to get the party started but since their grandkids would be in attendance they also wanted no alcoholic alternatives. Veronica accomplished the best of both worlds by having Cadillac margaritas and custom mini bottles of tequila for the adults and an alcohol-free margarita mix and Italian soda.
The Make Your Own Italian-Soda Station was the sweetest and was such a hit with all of the guests! Beautiful jewel tone goblets were displayed on gold shelves and all of the Italian soda ingredients were organized on a trendy bar cart!
How-To Make an Italian Soda
- Club soda
- Add ice
- Choose a flavor of syrup:
- Peach
- Blackberry
- Raspberry
- Mango
- Strawberry
- Cherry
- Add 2-4 pumps
- Add a splash of cream
Voila! You’ll have a refreshing Italian soda to sip on.
The welcome party was buzzing with excitement, talking, music, mouth-watering bites, and familial love!
Want to see more?
You can find the full video highlights of the night on our social media stories at @aisleplanner and @theaisleguide.
Hero photo courtesy of The Aisle Guide
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