Weddings and Events
Mike and Danica met at a mutual friend’s birthday party 10 years ago. Mike recalls the moment he first laid eyes on Danica, “she seemed to glow, like she was standing apart from everyone else in the room.”
Danica has a similar memory from that evening. “It was the full on cliché — slow motion, locking eyes kind of thing.” Small talk quickly turned into hours of conversation, ending with Mike and Danica writing their numbers on each other’s hands and promising to call soon. A few days later, Danica made the call, to Mike’s relief, and invited him to a bonfire. They started dating soon afterward and the rest is history.
In the years that followed, Danica earned her degree from UC Berkeley and Mike graduated from UCI as a chemical engineer. The couple overcame the obstacles of both time and distance, and Mike proposed several years later at Linda Lane, just down the beach from Casa Romantica.
Danica grew up in San Clemente and Mike grew up in Dana Point. Casa Romantica’s panoramic ocean views of both cities was the perfect place for their wedding. Danica told us, “We both felt like our best selves there. It’s hard to explain, but I think some places just connect with you and the Casa did that for us.”
Mike and Danica planned their wedding around the natural beauty of the Casa. The couple took inspiration from the venue itself, from the signs, to the flowers, to the table settings. They even created custom invitations complete with the Casa’s classic keyhole door design. The color scheme also mimicked the Casa, replete with white, natural wood, and hammered silver. The flowers were chosen to match the brilliant bougainvillea framing the Ocean Terrace where they held the ceremony. Danica reflects, “I wanted everything to feel effortlessly elegant. The end result was very cohesive, as if every element was custom made just for the Casa (and a lot of it was).”
Mike and Danica also tied in several unique family touches on their special day. Danica’s dress was custom made and the designer sewed in a piece from her mom’s wedding dress. On the mantle just behind the dance floor were carefully arranged pictures of grandparents who had passed, with flowers woven in-between them. The bottom of the fireplace was lined with large candles in glass hurricanes. This way, the couple reflects, “it felt as if the whole family was able to join in for the celebration.”
The couple enjoyed their first dance on the Ocean Terrace at sunset surrounded by their closest friends and family. The beautiful October sunset created an absolutely stunning backdrop for their special moment.
When asked what their favorite memory was from the evening, they couldn’t decide, exclaiming, “the whole thing! Something magical happened every ten minutes.” We hope that magic and love follow them into this next chapter of life as a happily married couple. Congratulations Mike and Danica!
Vendors:
Catering – Iva Lee’s
Coordination – Miya Kay Events
Flowers – Collected With Love
Photography – Lukas Griffin
DJ – Epic 1 Entertainment
Musician – Dream Brother Music
Invitations and Signs – Elizabeth King
Wedding Dress – Gretchen Dawley
Cake – It’s All About the Cake
