Weddings and Events
We are so honored to be sharing Katherine and Nicholas’s story from their first date to their big day. Read below about how they designed their day and about their must have’s at their wedding.
Katherine Liu and Nicholas Schiavi met in Baltimore, Maryland in 2016 through a dating app called Coffee Meets Bagel. Katherine was in graduate school and Nicholas was working for a small business. They met on a Sunday evening at an outdoor movie screening and got tacos afterward at one of the only local restaurants still open on a Sunday night. A couple of nights later, they had dinner together with both of their friend groups. One of Nick’s friends jokingly asked him, “Am I going to meet the new Mrs. S tonight?”
It was clear in the first week that the relationship was a great match, and within a few months, they were certain they had each found “the one.” Once Katherine graduated with her MBA, the couple moved from Maryland to California to be closer to Katherine’s family.
In early 2019, Katherine and Nicolas got a tip about a remote patch of bright orange poppies blooming in Southern California during the Super Bloom. The area had gotten a lot of rain, a rarity for the area, and the mountains turned lush green from their usual dusty brown. Coincidentally, Nicholas’s brother flew into town for a wedding that weekend making Nicholas think California would be the perfect place to propose. While showing him around, they decided to go find the poppy blooms where Nicolas’s brother could “practice his photography.” They hiked up the unmarked trail and sure enough, a small and vibrant patch of poppies covered the area. After a few photos posing with the flowers, Nicholas dropped on one knee and took out a little box. Katherine said yes!
After viewing several wedding venues, Katherine’s father suggested that the couple should check out Casa Romantica. They arrived and instantly knew it was the right venue. The view was hard to beat. There was historical significance and beautiful architecture. The gardens would be an interesting place for guests to explore. There were so many unique corners and areas that the Casa was like 5 venues in one! It had a distinctive Southern Californian charm that they wanted their guests to experience (most of whom they expected to come from the East Coast).
The pandemic brought on many challenges for couples planning weddings, but Katherine and Nicolas took one step at a time to create their ideal day. “It was a labor of love that went through countless makeovers and re-planning sessions since the pandemic forced us to postpone and then pare down the guest list from 80+ to 12,” said Katherine. “Nevertheless, it was a perfect day and we’re so happy with how our intimate wedding turned out. The vendors were fantastic. With such a small guest list, we got to mingle with everyone and take it easy (as easy as a wedding day could be!). There was roaring laughter and heartfelt tears. All the people present as well as those who couldn’t attend sent us warm wishes and were thrilled that we could find a way to commemorate our love in a meaningful way despite all the curveballs and uncertainty.”
When designing their wedding, the venue helped them put together their wedding look. “It’s hard to compete with the gardens, architecture, ocean & pier view. We wanted the venue to shine and not take away from what is already there, so we kept our decorations minimal,” said Katherine. “Wedding colors were never a big part of the equation, and especially with the venue garden and ocean view, we didn’t want to clash with the natural look and feel. Our floral arrangements highlighted our wedding colors, in the blue and purple spectrum.” Katherine found glass terrariums with gold-colored trim, so the gold color was a recurring detail throughout: gold cake stand and serving set, utensils, candle votives, bridal hair clip, heirloom rings. It was a subtle way to tie everything together and keep it all classy, cohesive, and simple.
Katherine’s Must-Haves:
Nicolas’s Must-Haves:
Casa Romantica is a place to be enjoyed by all and we are so happy that Katherine and Nicholas shared such a special day together with friends and family. Are you interested in doing the same? Please contact us to schedule a tour or hop onto our website to explore our space, look at pricing and read about our vendors. We look forward to meeting you!
Website – Casa Romantica Weddings | Email – [email protected]
Phone – 949.498.2139 | Instagram – @casaromanticaweddings
Website – http://katenoelle.com/ | Email – [email protected] | Phone – 949-385-0539 | Instagram – @katenoelle
*Photos courtesy of Kate Noelle.
Additional Vendors
Catering – @ivaleescatering | Coordination – @nenoncarrotevent
Floral – @thetangledvine | Rental – @brighteventrentals
