Music manager Haley Evans and songwriter Ilsey Juber were first introduced at a pre-Grammys party in Las Vegas on April 2, 2022. Beneath the sparkling backdrop of the Chandelier Lounge, the two share that there was an instant feeling that couldn’t be denied. “I called Ilsey my wife from that night on,” says Haley. A few days later, the pair met for a proper first date at Mother Wolf in Los Angeles, and their love story really began.
Just over a year and a half later, Ilsey would ask Haley to call her something else instead: her fiancé. On December 23, 2023, she had Haley join her on a cliff overlooking the ocean at the Post Ranch Inn Big Sur. “It’s our favorite place in the world, and we go once a year around Christmastime,” she says. When they arrived, Ilsey popped the question. “Somehow, Ilsey tricked me into wearing the same all-white attire she was wearing for a ‘sunset photoshoot,’ and I was still completely clueless,” says Haley. The newly engaged couple joined their families the next day to all celebrate at a Christmas Eve engagement dinner at the Rosewood Miramar in Montecito.
Both brides wanted to be very involved in crafting their wedding weekend, and made an effort to put enough time aside to plan for their May 17, 2025 celebration at Grassini Family Vineyard in Santa Ynez, California. “The planning process was both beautiful and stressful,” shares Haley. “We really wanted to create a weekend that felt truly us, and luckily with the help of our wonderful planner, Emily Gaikowski of Heartthrob Events, it was absolutely perfect.” Celebrations would kick off with a rehearsal dinner and welcome party at The Genevieve Hotel, where guests would have their chance to wear all-white at a wedding. The following day, the wedding ceremony, dinner, and dancing would take place at La Tarantella, an Italian-inspired villa at the vineyard. Their vision for their nuptials was a “wedding-themed dinner party” with family-style pasta, “always-flowing natural wine,” and a sense of community and unity. The brides also wanted to tie in the spirit of Santa Barbara wine country and would finish off their festivities with a honky-tonk after-party at Maverick Saloon.
