Everyone has one family that their parents have known forever. Lindsey Hornbuckle’s father spent 20 years working for Sean Lanni’s father before Sean followed in his dad’s footsteps. Yet somehow, Lindsey and Sean did not interact until they were adults. Their meeting was inevitable, though, as was their quick connection bonding over mutual friends and similar childhood experiences. Around three years later, Sean began planning a holiday proposal, visiting a family jeweler close with his parents, and meeting with the father of his future bride to secure his blessing.

“Since we work together, I think he knew what it was regarding as we didn't have any business to discuss,” Sean reveals. On December 22, 2014, he took Lindsey on a quick tour of the beginning of their relationship – where they first met and where they had their first date – before surprising her with a private chef at their home. “After our dinner, he said he had a Christmas gift for me – and got down on one knee!” exclaims the bride.

Both natives of Las Vegas, Nevada, Lindsey and Sean didn’t want to have a ballroom wedding, which is the standard in their hometown. As the Lanni family is passionate about horse racing, they’ve had a home in Del Mar, California, for years. Since the location was only an hour-long flight or five-hour drive away, the seaside town made for a convenient and sentimental spot for a destination wedding.

“Del Mar is my husband’s favorite place in the world,” Lindsey gushes. “It is such a slice of heaven hidden away from everything!” With the help of a local consulting team, Details Defined, and her family, the bride began planning the wedding she had dreamed of since age six.

The afternoon ceremony featured a romantic display of candles and ivory blossoms, with just a hint of pink and yellow details. Though neither the bride nor groom had familial traditions to bring to the service, there was one person they knew they had to include. “Our Monsignor played a significant role in my late father-in-law’s life and we wanted him to officiate the ceremony,” Lindsey confides.

Violinists played contemporary hits for the processional: bridesmaids strolled to Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” while the bride walked down the aisle to “Sweet Disposition” by Temper Trap – “One of our favorite songs!” she notes. The couple’s personality was on display during a vow exchange that was as full of laughter as it was of tears.

“Del Mar is my husband’s favorite place in the world. It is such a slice of heaven hidden away from everything!”

Guests moved outdoors for an alfresco dinner featuring alternating square and round tables. Each displayed an arrangement of cream peonies, vanilla ranunculus blooms, and verdant greenery. The head and square tables had lush floral runners while the round tables held more traditional centerpieces.

After the newlyweds shared a dance to Louis Armstrong’s rendition of the French classic “La Vie En Rose,” the father of the bride revealed a surprise he arranged. Long ago he had heard Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwoʻole’s medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" and knew it was the tune he would dance to with his daughter at her wedding. When the time came, he flew out a relative of the late Hawaiian singer to perform the song for the father-daughter dance.

As Lindsey and Sean cut their ivory cake showcasing smooth, striped, and floral tiers, the team at the venue finished flipping the ceremony space into a lavish after-party lounge. Primarily planned by the father of the bride, the after-party is where the bride and groom embraced their Las Vegas roots. “It was a nonstop party!” Sean confirms.

Though the color scheme was the same as the ceremony and dinner, soft romance was traded for a glam, nightclub vibe. Outside the entrance to the wedding after-party was a marquee announcing the marriage of Lindsey and Sean in the style of the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign. Noting that the majority of weddings have dinner and dancing in the same space, the bride explains that separating them makes it “feel like the room is fuller and everyone is dancing.”

Considering 300 guests kept the party going until 2AM, the plan proved rather effective. The next morning, revelers managed to get out of bed to find Sean’s much-appreciated stamp on the weekend. “I wasn't involved in most of the wedding planning,” he admits, “but I really wanted a waffle bar at the Sunday brunch!”

Though Lindsey would not change a thing about the grand three-day event, she does express that it can be the simplest things that stand out the most. “I honestly loved riding in the golf cart after the ceremony with just Sean and our photographer with our glasses of wine… just laughing and chatting!” she muses. After all, the fact they enjoy their time together is what the celebration was all about.