A Professional Wedding Florist Embraced the Best of Spring When Planning Her Intimate Backyard Wedding in California

Kasia Mikulska and Mitch Walker are proof that an "unconventional" courtship can lead to lasting love. Though Kasia, a professional wedding floral designer and the owner of Plenty of Petals, was living in San Diego and Mitch called Minneapolis home, mutual friends insisted that they "meet." Instead of connecting over coffee or drinks, they started chatting via text messages and phone calls. "It's tough to start a long-distance relationship by phone, but we hit our stride when I started randomly sending food deliveries to her house from 1,500 miles away in lieu of actually taking her to dinner," Mitch explains. "Postmates was pretty integral to our courtship it turns out!"

Eventually, the two made plans to ring in 2020 together with a News Years date in San Diego, and the duo shared a blissful week in the California sunshine. Then, when the pandemic hit a few months later, the pair decided to quarantine together in Kasia's apartment, and they've been together ever since.

By March of 2021, Mitch was ready to propose, and he knew he wanted to pop the question during a vacation to Maui in honor of Kasia's birthday. "But that was the extent of my planning," he laughs. He carried the ring through a series of adventures—from whale watching to biking down Haleakalā, Maui's active volcano—while waiting for just the right moment to pop the question. In the end, he got down on one knee on a secluded red sand beach on Kasia’s birthday.

As a professional wedding florist, Kasia has seen her fair share of ceremonies and receptions, so she had a clear vision for the big day. From the start, the couple knew they wanted to host their wedding at the Rancho Santa Fe, California, home of friend Dani Blasena, the pro behind HauteFêtes Fine Weddings, who was also tapped to organize the details of the big day. "We have done some beautiful weddings there in the past and I had always envisioned being married there and having a beautiful dinner under the olive trees," Kasia says. "It was just a perfect space for an intimate gathering, and the location made it easy for us to work with our favorite San Diego vendors."

They set the date for May 22, 2022, and invited 40 of their closest family members and friends to join them for an intimate, elegant wedding packed with seasonal details like lily of the valley (the bride's favorite flower!) and lemons picked from trees on the property. Get inspired by every element of this couple's springtime nuptials, as documented by Jake Anderson.

Foundry Paper created the couple's custom invitation suite, which was printed on white cardstock with sage green typography. A lily of the valley motif was incorporated throughout, used on vellum overlays, envelope liners, and insert pockets. “Lily of the valley is my very favorite flower and something that’s just so special and sentimental,” the bride explains.

After spending over a decade in the wedding industry, Kasia says she had given her own nuptials a lot of thought. The vendor team, in particular, was something she had been considering for some time. "I had always thought about who would do my wedding once the time came," she admits. "Dani was a no-brainer and the first vendor that we reached out to. We hired Jake Anderson, who’s a dear and super talented friend and we were stoked that he was available for our date. Danielle Ryan who’s also a great friend did hair and make-up, and we used Catalog Rentals for our tabletop. Graydon and Lisa Orr from Farmhouse Catering are incredible people and we knew they could handle the homemade Polish inspired cuisine. We worked with the best team of vendors who knew each other well, which always makes the process so much smoother!"

As an added bonus, the venue's close proximity to her own flower studio meant that Kasia's team could provide the flowers for the big day.

On the morning of the wedding, Kasia got ready with her wedding party. She wore a white silk robe while the rest of the ladies wore blush.

Kasia was born and raised in Poland, so she, her mom, and her sister took a trip to her home country to seek out the perfect wedding dress. "I thought it would be really special to choose a Polish designer, and once I found Anna Kara, I fell in love with her dresses," she says. They visited the designer's flagship store in Krakow and found Kasia's dream dress right away: a lace-embroidered gown with a v-neck and tulle skirt. "The fabrics are so delicate and beautifully made, it looks like fairies sewed them together!" Kasia says.

She added removable sleeves, earrings from Abellie, a simple veil, and Jimmy Choo shoes to complete her look.

The bride wanted a soft, romantic, and feminine hair and makeup look to complement her gown, and her beauty team nailed the look. “Danielle Ryan, who did my hair and makeup is a good friend and she just understood what I wanted,” she says. “I really just wanted a neutral eye, glowy skin, a darker brow, and a classic but slightly imperfect low-bun.” 

Kasia held a petite bundle of lily of the valley as her bridal bouquet. "It's funny because I always tell my brides not to have their heart set on a specific flower because we can't promise that it will be available," she says. “But here I was, basically picking a May wedding just so I can have a lily of the valley bouquet." Her team at Plenty of Petals executed her vision—from the bouquet and the ceremony to the reception décor—perfectly. “Everybody was crying when they handed me the bouquet on the wedding day,” she says.

Mitch initially planned to wear a classic suit for the wedding, thinking that a more casual look was best for the venue and celebration they were planning, but he made a last-minute switch to something a little more special. "Towards the end of our fitting with Randy Reisman, I tried on a tux just for the hell of it," he says. "It was a pretty immediate switch."

In the end, he decided on a deep navy tuxedo paired with Baltic Amber cufflinks he bought while visiting Poland as a nod to the heritage he was marrying into. He completed his look with a simple white floral boutonnière finished with a black ribbon.

Kasia and Mitch loved the idea of waiting to see each other for the first time during the ceremony, but they ultimately decided to have a first look instead. Now, they say, it was the right choice. "I'm so happy we did!" the bride says. "I couldn't wait to see him that morning, and doing a first look prior to the ceremony gave us some time alone and definitely didn’t take away from the moment of me walking down the aisle."

Kasia had a note with some personal vows delivered to Mitch the morning of the wedding, but she was pleasantly surprised that Mitch wrote his own vows, too. He read them to her during their first look as a sentimental way to kick off the celebrations.

The couple's ceremony took place on the front lawn of the property, where a meadow-inspired floral installation surrounded a wooden platform that served as the altar. Guests were seated in a semi-circle facing the couple, and the aisle was decorated with fluffy sprays of white and yellow blooms. "I trusted my team completely to do an amazing job and the final result was even better!" Kasia says. "The bright pops of yellow brought a fresh and bright element to the space."

Mitch walked down the aisle with both of his parents before turning back to accompany Kasia's mom down the aisle. Then, the bride made her grand entrance with her father by her side to Van Morrison's "Warm Love."

They couple exchanged traditional vows before celebrating back up the aisle to Queen’s "You're My Best Friend" as their guests showered them in white flower petals.

As a nod to the citrus fruits growing around the property, guests found their table assignments on a lemon tree escort display. Names and table numbers were delicately calligraphed on faux leaves.

Guests moved to the pool area for the cocktail hour, where Matt Phipps performed a live acoustic set. They enjoyed Bourbon Old Fashioned and Aperol Spritz signature drinks, which were served with custom cocktail napkins featuring the lily of the valley motif first seen on the invitation suite.

The bar and tables were decorated with lemons and all-white flower arrangements featuring lilies of the valley and roses. The couple chose a Polish-forward menu, serving mini pork schnitzels, sausage and potato skewers, pierogi, and smoked salmon and sweet potato latkes as appetizers.

The newlyweds gave the children at the wedding disposable cameras after the ceremony, inviting them to document the wedding from their unique vantage point. "When we got the film developed there were a lot of pictures of people with their heads cut off and a lot of dark pictures when they forgot to turn the flash on—but there were definitely some gems in there and it was perfect!" the bride laughs.

The reception took place in the property's olive grove, where one long table was set between the trees, tucked beneath a canopy of market lights. Garden-style chairs surrounded the table, which was topped with neutral-hued linens.

The table was decorated with candles in cut crystal candleholders and white and yellow florals in aged terracotta vessels. The couple added fresh lemons from the property to the centerpieces and had them spilling onto the table for a fun touch. “Potted lobelia and Sally Holmes garden roses placed in between the centerpieces added a neutral, garden look,” Kasia says.

The place settings featured bone flatware, vintage napkin rings, and napkins with a subtle lily of the valley textural detail.

For dinner, Kasia and Mitch served a spring salad with a sriracha-lemon yogurt vinaigrette to start, which was followed by a chicken dish stuffed with sausage, bacon mushroom gnocchi, and fire-roasted broccolini and carrots.

The couple says that one of the highlights of the evening was when their loved ones shared speeches. “Because we had a pretty small guest list we were able to give anyone who wanted to address the couple the opportunity to do so,” Mitch says. “Kasia’s dad gave a pretty memorable speech that may have set the record in length, but that was the crowd favorite for sure.”

Another memorable part of the day? The post-dinner lemon vodka drinks, which Kasia's mom spent months perfecting. The spirit was served out of Polish grappa glasses the couple brought back from a trip to Poland. As guests sipped on her mom’s "cytrynowka," they also enjoyed affogato for dessert.

A family friend made Kasia and Mitch's blush wedding cake with white sugar flowers, which was made from chocolate cake with hazelnut mousse. The two skipped a first dance, but Kasia danced with her dad to Paul Simon’s “Loves Me Like a Rock” and Mitch danced with his mom to Loudin Wainwright III’s “Daughter." Matt Phipps got the party going with a DJ set for the rest of the evening. For late-night snacks, Kasia and Mitch served their guests “zapiekanka,” a Polish mini baguette with cheese, mushrooms, and fire roasted tomato sauce.

Kasia and Mitch spent their honeymoon in Rome and the Amalfi Coast. To couples planning their wedding day, Kasia has this advice: “Be in the moment, trust your partners, and just say "yes.'"