The first person Caroline Renezeder matched with on Raya ended up being her future husband. She and former professional hockey player Griffin Foulk both hearted each other while she lived in Los Angeles and he lived in Denver. A serendipitous Tuesday in January led to them being in the same city, and they decided to go out for a drink. A drink turned into two, then three, then before they knew it, the bar was closed. She left him with a kiss on the cheek, and, as Griffin says, “The chase was on!” Two years later in 2022, he surprised Caroline with a thought-out proposal on the beach in front of her childhood home in Laguna Beach.
The newly-engaged couple knew they wanted a destination wedding that would ensure they’d spend time with every guest in a dream locale. They enlisted Wild Heart Events to bring their vision to life and chose Casa de Sierra Nevada, A Belmond Hotel. “The best word I can use to describe the property is ‘enchanting,'” Caroline says. The reception took place just down the street at the Plaza Del Toros, a historic bull ring. “We wanted a venue that we could have full creative jurisdiction over, so when we saw the bull ring, we knew it was it,” she adds. “I wouldn’t say I chose a wedding aesthetic, rather, just created what felt authentic to me.” This entailed plenty of color accents, especially with the whimsical floral arrangements by La Musa de las Flores, custom silk scarves from Wander Scarf, and graphics by Studio Lobo Marino. Valorie Darling photographed and Josh Martin videoed the entire picturesque event, cleverly named with the #IFoulkingLoveYou hashtag. The social media behind-the-scenes content was captured by Stacey Moran of BTS Bride.
For Caroline’s bridal wardrobe, she dressed exclusively in Oscar de la Rena. “I have always been obsessed,” she confesses. “I think their pieces are so timeless and understated in the most elegant way.” She tried to consider other designers, but as soon as she stepped inside of the Oscar de la Renta Beverly Hills showroom, she knew there could only be Oscar for her. She walked out with her three wedding weekend outfits—the welcome party, rehearsal dinner, and ceremony—that very day.
Finding Caroline’s wedding shoes took more browsing, however, but she ultimately chose simply beautiful Manolo Blahnik heels, ballerina pink Saint Laurent heels, Amina Muaddi Begum glass slingback pumps, and Christian Louboutin flats for the after-party. The flats paired with her feathery Santa Brand dress and all of the ABBA music the DJ played. Julio Hernandez of CURE Malibu Beach & The Solo Project Newport Beach styled Caroline’s tresses, while Shiloah Tester for Roots Beauty applied her glowing makeup. Griffin styled himself for the events in Gucci and Tom Ford.
Caroline had a specific vision for the wedding color scheme: cream, pastel green, blue, and pink. Her bridesmaids’ Shona Joy dresses and her flower girls’ dresses matched the hues of the Belmond Casa Parque garden without ever being overwhelming.
On July 29, 2023, Griffin and Caroline married in Iglesia de la Concepcion, a Catholic church in the heart of San Miguel. The hour-long ceremony was traditional, except for the procession with the bride and groom’s siblings who even stood behind the couple during their vows. Their parents closed the service with the priest by sharing a blessing over the couple.
Cocktail hour followed, allowing the newlyweds to sneak off to the reception and have a moment alone. They looked at the space for the first time, relished it, and then soaked up the fact that were actually now married and shared a private first dance.
When everyone joined them, it was finally time to party. The music by Phil Smith, Alina Cherone, Alekos “Kosie” Syropoulos, and Mano Ruiz was sensational. During the dinner catered by Zumo SMA and Casa de Sierra Nevada, the couple’s siblings delivered eloquent, meaningful speeches. The bride’s parents’ then gave a toast, which ended with the father-daughter dance. He is a huge fan of the the Mamma Mia! movie, so the music was a medley of “I Have A Dream” and “Dancing Queen,” which effectively brought everyone to the dance floor. This time, the couple shared their first public dance to “Stuck With You” by Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. While Caroline thought she’d have a more traditional song, this was the couple’s Covid quarantine anthem, which happened around the time they knew they were going to marry each other someday.
The party dwindled down by 1:00 in the morning, and the newlyweds headed out with their parents, siblings, and several friends to a bar for more dancing and ABBA sing-alongs before going to bed.
