While visiting Los Angeles, Kyle Feldman found herself sitting next to her future husband at a dinner party. “I sat next to this beautiful girl whom I didn’t get a chance to speak with,” remembers Jake Weissberg, who told his friend he was interested. “He said I would have no chance as she lives in New York.” When Kyle got home, her friend was a bit more supportive. “She looked at me and told me that I had just met my future husband and that I was going to marry him,” shares Kyle. “I told her she was crazy and brushed the idea of him aside as I lived in New York, and he lived in Los Angeles at the time.” 

A few months later, Kyle and Jake found themselves together once again at a large group dinner in New York while Jake was in town for business. Thankfully, they were able to get to know one another this time. “I instantly fell in love… I knew this girl would be my wife,” confirms Jake. The next day, he asked Kyle if he could fly back to New York to take her on a proper date two weeks later. “The rest was history,” he adds. They visited each other every two weeks over the next eight months, until Kyle moved back to Los Angeles. On their way to celebrate Jake’s birthday weekend in Montecito, Kyle saw a new resort under construction and commented that she wanted to get married there. Little did she know, Jake would propose in a few hours – and they would say “I do” at the property just over a year later. 

Montecito provided the perfect locale for the wedding – “far enough from Los Angeles where we could make a weekend out of it, but also close enough that people could get there easily,” notes the bride. She and her mother worked closely with their good friend Rikki Ladenheim of Rikki Ladenheim Events to organize the details of the day. “I had a very distinct vision for how I wanted the wedding to look, and it came to life even better than I had expected!” muses Kyle. Though her groom didn’t have many preferences, he was involved in selecting the band and catering options for the celebration. “I didn’t want to see one detail of the décor before the wedding day,” confirms Jake. “My wife and her mom did an unreal job of making our dreams come true.” 

“Our wedding was one-of-a-kind. Black tie by the beach… the whole thing was insanely special.”

Following a morning of playing lawn games at the resort with other attendees, loved ones took their seats for the alfresco ceremony. “I really wanted it to feel breezy, beachy, and simple,” notes the bride, who walked down the seagrass aisle to meet her groom beneath an impeccable chuppah embellished with lush tropical greenery. “As soon as I saw Jake, my anxiety faded away, and I had never been so sure about something in my life,” shares Kyle. “Seeing the way he looked at me as I walked toward him was the best moment.” Though they recited personal vows, the ceremony incorporated traditional Jewish wedding customs, including a ketubah signing, a prayer by the rabbi who also presided over their respective bat mitzvah and bar mitzvah, and the breaking of the glass. 

Guests discovered their table assignments for the dinner service calligraphed on round capiz shells in wooden sandboxes before entering the clear-top tent. “We were going for James Perse vibes by the beach,” shares the bride of the look for the wedding reception. The space was decorated with an elegant, tropical feel. Wood-beaded chandeliers were suspended overhead as guests sat atop either bamboo director-style seating, woven rattan chairs, or black-and-white upholstered varieties. Tablescapes showcased lush verdure, light wood accents, seagrass elements, and centerpieces featuring compilations of palm fronds or ivory peonies, calla lilies, tulips, and floating gardenias. 

To truly set the tone for the luxurious soirée, Jake felt it was important to hire an 18-piece live band. “I wanted a lot of Frank Sinatra for the black-tie vibe, but kept the music contemporary enough to keep everyone on the dance floor until we were told to leave,” he smiles. The menu – which the groom also oversaw – featured a wedge salad for the first course, the choice of a cheeseburger or vegetarian burger for a comforting-yet-elevated entrée, family-style sides including truffle fries, charred corn, and creamed spinach, and for dessert, chocolate bread pudding and wedding cake. 

“Our wedding was one-of-a-kind,” confirms Jake. “Black tie by the beach at a gorgeous hotel, the amount of people there that are all close to us… the whole thing was insanely special.” While the newlyweds admit that not everything will ever go as planned, they wouldn’t change a thing about their big day – except to stress less. Kyle advises couples preparing to exchange vows: “Make sure to stay present the day of the wedding. It’s so easy to get in your head, but being able to take a step back and really enjoy the moment is what it is all about.”