May the 4th be with you. On May 4th, I had the pleasure of coordinating this beautiful spring wedding in Ojai. This Topa Mountain Winery came with nostalgia, surprises and a pop of the world famous ‘pink moment’ Ojai is known for.

Springtime in Ojai

As a native of Ojai (yes I grew up here), the time of spring and the month of May, reminds me of our wildflower blooms and the Matilija poppies, showering our little nest among the Topa Topa mountains. The hiking is arguably the best this time of year and my allergies (the worst). If the winter came with heavier rain you could catch our local mountain waterfalls and fresh water streams. Nature at its finest.

Topa Mountain Winery- The perfect spring wedding venue

You can see this winery is located on landscaped grounds with the iconic Topa Topa mountain range as its backdrop, this winery captures the essence of Ojai’s landmarked beauty and organic charm. With spacious outdoor seating options and a perfect natural wood pergola set for your ceremony, this wedding venue is complete with an indoor tasting room with rustic boulder walls.

Getting Ready Location- The Ojai Valley Inn

For this wedding, our lovely bride and groom stayed at the Ojai Valley Inn. This ultra luxury resort embodies the mediterranean architecture and laid back lifestyle Ojai is known for.

• PRO TIP: The Ojai Valley Inn gives exclusivity to those getting married on property to take wedding photos. Most importantly, if there is a scheduled wedding and although you are paying to stay on site but not getting married on site, you cannot take any family or wedding party photos on the property grounds.

How to handle 2 broken arms and a house fire ….

Now I am sure you have heard of many ‘day of’ wedding stories. Well, let me tell you, if I could write a book for the stories I have, you probably wouldn’t believe me. But here it goes.

Part I

Let’s start with the first story. Jim and Jordynn (our bride and groom) were planning their wedding from Chicago. When they arrived to the airport (keep in mind, this is 2 days before their wedding), Jordynn receives a call from her property manager and apparently, their Chicago apartment building has caught on fire. Can you imagine receiving this news, and just days before you wedding?

I can safely tell you, the fire was successfully put out and nothing was harmed. As it turns out, the fire sparked from an old cigarette butt. That is to say: old buildings+any spark=bad news.

Part II

ONE day before the wedding, Jim fell on his wrist (in all the wrong ways). Because of the fall, he had to get a soft cast on his left hand. As a result, we had to switch the traditional way the bride and groom stands at their ceremony in order to hide his broken arm in photos.

Part III

The morning of the wedding Jordynn’s two niece’s and our beautiful flower girls went to play at a playground, as kids do, and you would not believe it, but one of them fell and broke her arm. She still strolled down the aisle, as cute as ever. What a champ!

The nostalgic ceremony

Jordynn and Jim made light of every situation, above all. They have incredibly good humor and kindness, which goes to show, that NOTHING can break these two. Most importantly, their spirit and love for each other.

This spring wedding was an Ojai hometown extravaganza. For example, not only did I grow up with the bride in Ojai, I also had the pleasure to watch her walk down the aisle. As a matter of fact, the majority of her guests were all Ojai residents and people whom I have been around most of my life. Better yet, the officiant, Jordynn’s cousin, was actually my basketball coach! It was an honor to be part of this day on May 4th.

Ojai pixies and pink moments

You can see that many details of this spring wedding incorporated much of Ojai, for example, homegrown Ojai pixie oranges became the escort cards for guests and also made their way as centerpieces on tables. Many flowers came straight from Jordynn’s mom’s garden. Ojai’s Topa Topa mountains created the serene backdrop for family photos and we even got a slight pop of pink as dusk fell upon the valley, known as ‘the pink moment’.

Dear Jordynn and Jim, May the 4th be with you (happy anniversary) and cheers to a #wholelotkalove in your marriage.