Flying Flags RV Resort & Campground

Welcome Party

Lavender Oak Vineyard

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Our Wedding

After being in each other’s orbit from preschool through high school, we spent college and our first few post-grad years on separate coasts. When we both found ourselves in New York 5 years ago, we connected in a way we (and our friends for that matter) never really anticipated. It wasn’t a love-at-first-sight, fireworks kind of connection. It was an easy, natural progression of puzzle pieces falling into place — it kind of felt like coming home. So after a year together in New York, that’s exactly what we did. Since being back home, we’ve been so grateful for the closeness of both our families, and of course for the year-round biking and beach volleyball weather. We feel so incredibly lucky to have found what was right in front of us all along, and we cannot wait to celebrate with all of you!!

Our Story

✈️ Getting to Buellton

Buellton is a ~40 minute drive from the Santa Barbara airport (SBA) and a ~2 hour 40 minute drive from LAX. If you fly into LAX, you'll need to rent a car or catch a ride up from LA with friends, but if you fly into SBA and are staying in a property near the venue, you could get away with an Uber/Lyft from the airport. There are direct flights into SBA from SF/Oakland, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Denver, but it's still worth looking into a connecting option from the east coast!

🏨 Staying in the Santa Ynez Valley

The welcome party and wedding are both in Buellton, but Santa Ynez, Solvang, Los Olivos, and Los Alamos are all within 15 minutes of each other and are good areas to explore for lodging. We're sharing some ideas below, but there are also tons of Airbnbs throughout the valley if you aren't seeing availability at your choice hotels!

Cade, Mackenzie, our families, and a number of friends will be staying at Flying Flags RV Resort + Campground, which is a 3 minute drive from our venue and also where we will host everyone on Friday. It's not just an RV park! There are a bunch of different lodging options here (cottages, airstreams, glamping). Check availability and book here: <a href="https://flyingflags.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flying Flags RV Resort + Campground</a>

Sideways Inn is Flying Flags' sister property. It's a small, no frills motel a few minutes walk away from where we will be staying + hosting everyone for the welcome party. Check availability and book here: <a href="https://sidewaysinn.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sideways Inn</a>

Skyview is a super cool, mid-century modern motel set up on a hill just outside Los Alamos. It's a little further from the venue, but still only a ~15 minute drive. This was our favorite spot when we went up to scope out places for everyone to stay! Check availability and book here: <a href="https://www.skyviewlosalamos.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Skyview</a>

The Santa Ynez Valley Marriott is a good option if you are looking for something more standard and prioritizing convenience. It's also a 3 minute drive from our venue. Check availability and book here: <a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sbasy-santa-ynez-valley-marriott/overview/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Santa Ynez Valley Marriott</a>

Also about a ~15 minute drive from the venue, Fess Parker Inn is an upscale spot right in downtown Los Olivos, a great option if you want to visit tasting rooms while you're in town. Check availability and book here: <a href="https://www.fessparker.com/inns-and-cabins/our-inn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fess Parker Inn</a>

Other options to check out: <a href="https://www.hotelynez.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hotel Ynez</a>, <a href="https://www.rememberthealamomotel.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alamo Motel</a>, <a href="https://www.thelandsby.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Landsby</a>, and <a href="https://www.kirkwoodcollection.com/ballard-inn/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ballard Inn</a>.

Travel

🚲 Biking

If it's not too hot, Santa Ynez Valley is a great place to bike. You can rent bikes from Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycling Tours in Santa Ynez, Pedego Electric Bikes Los Olivos, or Dr J's Bicycle Shop in Buellton. Foxen Canyon Road (there are 16 wineries along this road), Drum Canyon loop, and Solvang – Santa Rosa Road loop are all good options for longer rides.

🍇 Wineries

Santa Ynez Valley is known for its wineries. There are a ton of beautiful vineyards in the area that you can drop into for tastings, and many of the vineyards also have smaller tasting rooms in the quaint downtown areas of Los Olivos, Los Alamos, and Santa Ynez.

🍝 Restaurants

SY Kitchen, Brother's Restaurant at the Red Barn, Nella's Kitchen &amp; Bar, The Victor Restaurant &amp; Bar, and Pony Cocktails Kitchen are all top rated restaurants in the area. If you are looking for breakfast, there are lots of good bakeries in the valley including Bob's Well Bread and Olsen's, and Ellen's or Paula's pancake house for Danish pancakes.

🌊 Other activities

About 45 minutes over the hill from Buellton you can surf at Jalama Beach or El Capitan State Beach, and about 45 minutes down the coast you can check out all Santa Barbara has to offer. If you're feeling lucky, Chumash Casino is right there in Santa Ynez, and if you win big, there's lots of boutique shopping throughout the valley. Chances are, one of the towns in the valley will be hosting some sort of food/wine oriented festival while we're there.

Cade & Mackenzie

Cade & Mackenzie

Registry