Kelsey Jeane Farish and Blake Clayton Anderson Lawless met at their freshman orientation at UCLA. He was friends with a lot of her sorority sisters and would come to their events. “I found out from one a mutual friends at our spring formal freshman year that he had had ‘a big crush’ on me,” she says. After eight years of dating, he proposed at Powerhouse Park in Del Mar, California.
To host their #LawfullyLawless wedding, they chose the Valley Club of Montecito, where they’ve celebrated many special occasions over the years. “We wanted to create a warm, intimate environment in some of the larger open spaces on the golf course, so we incorporated a lot of warm candlelight and lush floral arrangements to create a romantic, garden-feel throughout,” Kelsey says. To help plan everything, they hired local Santa Barbara mother-daughter duo, Colette and Kaitlin of La Fete.
On September 29th, 2018, the day before Kesley’s parents’ 34th wedding anniversary, the bride put on her gorgeous Martina Liana dress, which she found at The Dress. The groom wore a navy suit with a bowtie and black-tie socks featuring a bear—a nod to the mascot of their alma mater. His lapel also had a gardenia pinned on, which Kelsey’s father had worn in his wedding.
Guests gathered in a courtyard, decorated with beautiful florals and candles everywhere, for the ceremony. The ring bearer carried the same pillow used at Kelsey’s parents’ wedding, and then the bride walked down the aisle with her father to Blake, and the groom’s mother officiated the service. “Through the exhilaration and trying to take it all in, I found comfort and calmness looking into Blake’s eyes and holding his hands.”
Once announced as husband and wife, the reception started on the patio, overlooking the golf course with the ocean in the distance. Instead of a traditional guest book, the couple asked their guests to fill out a calendar with special dates for the two to celebrate in their first year of marriage.
For dinner and dancing, Kelsey put on a fuller skirt by Wtoo by Watters, so she could twirl in her “princess dress,” and then she and Blake toasted to everyone using his grandparents’ champagne flutes. After the delicious dinner, their three-tier wedding cake was served, each with a different flavor—banana cake with peanut butter buttercream and dark chocolate ganache, double chocolate cake with fresh raspberry jam, and vanilla bean cake with cinnamon and vanilla cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries.
“I loved the cake-cutting because it was something we’d put a lot of thought into, and it was an opportunity to share and enjoy that moment with everyone there,” Blake says. “We ended up breaking the knife, and it was hilarious. Nothing could go wrong—even if something wasn’t on-script, it was fun how spontaneous and personal it was.”
On the dance floor, the newlyweds had their first dance to “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers. After spinning on the dance floor for a few hours, “Lawless Locals Only” slippers were passed around to guests to keep everyone comfy. “Blake has a particular affinity for hotel slippers, so this was a nice treat for dancing feet that was also very us.”
As the night went on late, Kelsey and Blake headed out in their 1938 Rolls-Royce, known as “Cinderella,” to spend the night at the Four Seasons Biltmore. The next morning, they sent off their guests with a relaxing beach brunch, and then they headed to Napa and Big Sur for a mini-moon.
