On a stretch of road dotted with palm trees in the hilly seaside community of La Jolla, California, sits a 1920s Spanish-style villa overlooking Windansea Beach. Behind the grand house, a manicured garden of roses is met by a wonderfully lush courtyard. If ever there was a picture-perfect locale for Californians Rachel Barnes and Jeremy Horowitz to wed, this was it. The couple's vision for a breezy, bohemian party was realized with Moroccan lanterns, mercury glass votives and island-style music. Day-of coordinator Stephanie Grace assisted with the myriad details of the day. In the entranceway, snapshots were displayed from the couple's engagement session captured in their cozy beach cottage by photographer Ja Tecson. The father of the bride constructed a natural wood arbor draped in ivory fabric that would define the ceremony site.
A full-time model with access to the world's top designers and stylists, Rachel has a more than passing interest in fashion. "I didn't have the traditional dress fitting experience because I had the vision for my look already," she says. The first dress she laid eyes on—an ivory lace Monique Lhuillier—was the dress she wore on her wedding day. "I adored the low back!" she says. After the "I dos" she kicked off her heels and spent the rest of the eventing barefoot in the grass.
The bride incorporated her favorite fragrance into their wedding by donning a floral crown of tuberose atop her wavy hair. Since the intoxicating and evocative scent is so closely tied to her memories of Hawaii, it made the day that much more endearing. While Rachel had her heart set on carrying a tropical protea bouquet, the season didn't oblige. Instead, florist Cia Lash created a gorgeously whimsical arrangement of ivory David Austin roses, turberose and liles.
Rachel's bridesmaids appeared as well-mismatched coterie wearing dresses in varying pastels. "We started with a neutral color palette and all of the different styles ended up looking great together," she says. Each carried smaller versions of the bridal bouquet in ivory tones with a splash of burgundy foliage.
In a reflecction of his easy approach to timeless style, Jeremy opted for a midnight blue Hugo Boss suit. "It was the one detail of the wedding that he was absolutely clear about," says Rachel.
As a sign of gratitude, each attendant was gifted an eco-chic favor created by the bride: baby herbs in a planter tied with a handwritten note that read, "Let Love Grow".
In a true labor of love, Rachel's mother hand-folded one thousand metallic paper cranes and delicately strung them from the arbor. "My memory of family gatherings and weddings in Hawaii includes this Japanese tradition as a wish of good fortune," the bride says.
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