During their college summer break in 2011, Kjellrun Owens and Brian Jones were introduced at a house party through mutual friends. “At the time, Brian was entering senior year at Arizona State University, and I was a junior at Chapman University,” Kjellrun shares. “We were immediately attracted to each other, and Brian knew there was something special; so, he continued to pursue me even though we were living long-distance.
Our first date was at Balboa Island, Newport Beach where we strolled along the coastline and talked for hours. Late into the evening, as a fire truck pulled into Balboa Island Fire Station, Brian fake proposed to me, and I found the gesture hilarious. Brian later revealed that after our first date, he felt like we had known each other for years, and although long-distance would be challenging, he knew it would be worth it.”
“OUR VISION CAME TO LIFE WITH A WEDDING EXPERIENCE THAT WAS A PERFECT BLEND OF FORMAL AND FUN.”
Six years later, Kjellrun and Brian were finally living in the same state, when Brian decided they should return to the Balboa Island Fire Station. This time, he proposed to Kjellrun – for real – and sealed the deal with a brilliant solitaire diamond ring. He later surprised his new fiancé with an engagement party with family and friends.
Having made Southern California their new home together, the couple felt it was important to find a wedding venue that embodied the natural beauty of the coastline so their out-of-town guests could have a true California experience. The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel turned out to be the perfect location for their modern, coastal black-tie wedding.
Wanting to share a private moment before walking down the aisle, the bride and groom read personal vows to each other before their first look, while standing back to back. “All
my pre-wedding jitters went away as I held Brian’s hand and we shared our promises to each other,” the bride recalls. “It was a special moment and when we turned around to see each other for the first time, we both started crying.”
“Our vision came to life with a wedding experience that was a perfect blend of formal and fun,” she continues. “Our elegant, romantic ceremony overlooking the ocean led into an epic ballroom party hosted by a DJ that kept our guests on the dance floor all night long. A lot of personalized elements were inspired by our love for Patron Tequila.
We had an escort wall themed – ‘I love you more than tequila’ – that included mini Patron bottles for our guests, and we sipped on a variety of Patron infused cocktails throughout the night. As proud dog parents, we even included an homage to our corgi puppy, Kiwi, with a gold corgi cake topper. We found joy in having Kiwi represented in such a silly way. Cutting our cake was one of my favorite moments of the night.”
After a full wedding weekend, the newlyweds enjoyed a relaxing and romantic honeymoon in Kauai. Kjellrun says, “It was the best feeling in the world laying on the beach next to my new husband, looking at the ocean, and sipping Mai Tais.”
