A Rustic Glamping Wedding at El Capitan Canyon in Santa Barbara, California

Kate Whitlow (33 and chef/owner of Bear and Poppy) and James Gross (33 and co-founder of Percolate) originally met through mutual friends but didn't feel a special connection until meeting again months later at a Super Bowl party. They spent time on and off living in New York and developed a special connection with the area. One cold December afternoon, Kate and James headed out for a day at the museums. While crossing through Central Park, James ran out into the center of the snow covered Great Lawn and proposed, ending the day with a special champagne toast at the Met. The couple wanted to have the wedding in their home state of California at a venue where their friends and family could join them for an entire weekend of celebrating. El Capitan Canyon, just north of Santa Barbara, housed guests in cabins and tents with easy beach access and plenty of beautiful views to go around. The natural venue was so beautiful that the bride decided to decorate with a minimal color scheme of white and green and homemade barn wood flower boxes. To start the day showing off their fun side, Kate walked down the aisle to a song by The Cure and afterwards, the newlyweds made their way back down the aisle to Bruce Springsteen. Guests were invited to signature cocktails upon arrival to the ceremony, kept up throughout the evening, and a California inspired menu later in the night with a delicious assortment of farm fresh appetizers and entrees. James and Kate decided upon a non-traditional route and skipped the wedding cake, instead offering a cart serving unique ice cream flavors like salted caramel and pumpkin pie. They even requested that the dj play no slow songs to keep the entire night fun and upbeat!