Defying Distance: Greg & Kathryn

Greg and Kathryn met the old-fashioned way: they were both out with friends in Santa Monica one evening, and caught each other’s eye. Within seconds of meeting, Greg won Kathryn over with his humor. Despite living hours hours apart, the pair committed to weekly dates, and their love for one another continued to grow.

Just six months into their relationship, Greg was deployed to Iraq. Kathryn sent many letters, emails, and care packages to remind Greg that she was waiting for him to return home. After returning home from deployment at Christmas-time, they agreed to close the distance.

Every Sunday thereafter, Greg and Kathryn took their dog Poncho to the La Jolla Shores beach in San Diego. Kathryn had been hoping that Greg was going to propose on many occasions. “I intentionally kept pushing it back, though, so she would be surprised,” recalls Greg.

The day after Thanksgiving, the couple took a walk on the beach as usual. “Our families had left, or so I thought,” recalls Kathryn. “Greg and I walked along the beach with Poncho, enjoying another beautiful San Diego day. We went to sit at our favorite spot, and all of a sudden, I realized that Greg was no longer beside me. I turned around and found him on one knee, telling me he promised to love me for the rest of my life and asked if I would marry him.”

Following the heartfelt proposal (and acceptance), the newly engaged couple stepped into a local restaurant to celebrate — and found their families waiting there to share in the festivities!

Before the couple even got engaged, Kathryn had been researching wedding venues — just in case! Casa Romantica appeared in her search results, and she added it to her “One Day” wedding-inspired Pinterest board. “Two weeks later, we got engaged and within seconds of walking into the venue for the first time, I started crying because everything about Casa Romantica is exactly what I imagined my wedding to be like.”

The couple’s main focus in deciding on a venue was whether or not it encompassed a ‘true California beach vibe.’ “The beach was a peaceful place for me to visit while I was missing Greg on deployment, and it became our special romantic destination when he returned. Having a wedding near the ocean was very important to us,” says Kathryn.

Casa Romantica’s beautiful ocean views and intricate Spanish details at every corner made it an easy venue choice for the couple. The unique keyhole-door entrance and beautifully-manicured gardens inspired their wedding decor.

Having an eye for design herself, Kathryn knew she wanted a dreamy, bohemian theme with Spanish California influences. She loved the idea of incorporating Spanish tiles, wildflowers, textures of macrame, and colors of the most natural ocean blues.

Kathryn also brought in a kitchen hutch that contained cutting boards and recipe cards labeled with every guest’s assigned seating arrangement. What’s the significance of the kitchen on their wedding day? “We have incredible dance parties, just the two of us, in the kitchen!” says Kathryn.

The dinner tables were decorated with one-of-a-kind macrame table runners, endless arrangements of wildflowers, and perfectly mismatched candles, all to create a truly magical dining space.

The bride and groom also incorporated Greg’s Cuban roots by including a hand-rolled cigar bar.

When we asked the happy couple what their favorite memory was from the entire evening, they said it was having their families, closest friends, and mentors all in one room together. Kathryn’s brother performed the ceremony.

After the ceremony, Greg and Kathryn took some time to themselves to stroll around the grounds, take in all of the hard work they had done during the planning process, and reflect upon the past years they have had the opportunity to spend together.