Seven years ago, April Moe and Kenyon Whetsell met at their mutual friend’s wedding. That night they shared their first kiss, and seven years later, they shared their first kiss as husband and wife. On June 15, 2019, the couple was married by Kenyon’s father on the edge of a cliff on the Santa Barbara coast, surrounded by family, friends, and the Pacific Ocean.

After April graduated in May of 2018 with her master’s degree from University of Southern California, Kenyon planned a day of celebrations. That night, after the festivities concluded, he proposed when they had a moment alone. Since April had lived in Santa Barbara off and on for a few years, and with Kenyon as a surfer, the couple chose to be married at Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm, exchanging vows beside the sea and holding their reception in a greenhouse down the road. April fell in love with the site a few years prior during a wedding trade show she attended in preparation for her sister’s nuptials. “I remember that when we walked into the greenhouse around 6 p.m., the sun filled the space with that perfect evening glow,” April says. “It looked so bright and light, making it feel like you were outside but instead you were inside this incredible space.”

And although Kenyon is from the East Coast and April is from the West Coast, Kenyon’s extended family calls Texas home, which led to the couple’s to discovery of both Jackson Durham Events and John Cain Photography, who helped bring their day to life.

The ceremony site was a quarter of a mile from the reception, so April rented an old black Porsche convertible in which to drive to the ceremony. “I let my dad and Kenyon choose the car since we would have it all weekend,” April says. “I wanted it to be something they would have fun driving around [in].”

They tied the colors of their wedding to the ambiance of the California coast. Jackson Durham Events chose florals in light blues, sandy wood, and light green. “It felt calm and cozy and easy. It was perfect,” April says. Opting for a more casual seating arrangement with low couches, farm tables, and bars, the set up elicited a lounge-vibe, and the music played by DJ Dart Collective matched the relaxed atmosphere, playing songs such as Childish Gambino’s “Redbone.”

And instead of a traditional wedding cake, toward the end of the night an ice cream truck rolled out, giving guests ice cream sandwiches and cones with unlimited toppings, which was just the cherry on top of the day.