As a certified sommelier, McKeel Thompson knows a good wine when she sips one. And for many years, she hoped to find a man as fine as the wine she pours.
Having moved to Los Angeles from the Midwest in 2009, McKeel says she dated her fair share of “characters” over the years. When she met Dave Thompson at an event in 2015, something felt different.
“I was looking for a regular guy, someone easy-peasy,” she says. “Dave was polite, charming and really likable. I was pouring wine; he was drinking it. I like to say we’ve been happily tipsy ever since.”
Dave is a retiree who had a long career in retail logistics. He and McKeel dated for two years before they moved in together in Westlake Village. Two years later the couple got engaged. According to Dave, living together allowed them time to get to know one another, weathering the ups and downs of life and appreciating what makes each of them unique.
“McKeel has this amazing energy,” Dave says. “She emits an open and transparent vibe, which is not always easy to find. I was instantly drawn to her.”
When it came time to select a wedding venue, the couple’s preferences aligned. Dave suggested they tour a few venues in the Santa Barbara area. A weekend getaway to El Encanto (part of the Belmond hotel group) persuaded them to choose the hillside hideaway. Dave loved its architectural style and McKeel was impressed with the level of service she found at every turn.
“I wanted a wedding that was classic, elegant and timeless.”
“When you’re in hospitality, you have certain standards,” McKeel shares. “And El Encanto checks all the boxes. The grounds are immaculate, the view is beautiful, the people are gracious and warm and welcoming. I fell in love with its charm.”
McKeel dreamed of a wedding that was both personal and timeless, and El Encanto’s walled arbor and lily pond felt like the perfect backdrop for achieving that goal. The bride used Pinterest to research design ideas. Her most important find? A mirrored aisle, which wound up being installed directly atop the pond.
“The way the walkway reflected the light and trees was just heavenly,” McKeel recalls. “It made the wedding feel so much more elegant.”
The couple jumps over a broomstick, an African wedding tradition that stems from the belief that brooms hold spiritual value, signifying the sweeping away of evil spirits and past wrongs.
Wedding planners Event of the Season came on board to help manage details, including numerous personal touches. Dave’s children and grandchildren helped set the scene as flower girls and ring bearer, and grandson Caden and young family friend Grant acted as “broom bearers.”
“In African culture, jumping over brooms is a symbolic way of saying that we’re sweeping away the past and making way for a new beginning that’s clean and fresh,” McKeel explains. “I wanted that to be part of the event.”
Even Dave and McKeel’s labradoodle, Cognac, walked the mirrored aisle with his brother, Sir Bastian, who is owned by the bride’s brother.
Above The bride’s brother Danny Jacksonn Jr. walks Dave and McKeel’s labradoodle, Cognac, and Cognac’s brother, Sir Bastian, down the aisle.
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McKeel wore a Pronovias dress, purchased from Corona del Mar’s The White Dress, with a hint of blush pink to its ivory hue. That soft rosy tone became a throughline, from the bridesmaids’ dresses to the floral arrangements by Camellia Floral Design. Pastel ranunculus, garden roses, sweet peas and orchids were prominent in the arrangements, with accents of tiny red fountain bush blooms and jasmine vine. The groom and groomsmen were striking in classic navy suits with pink striped ties from Men’s Wearhouse.
After the “I do’s,” guests enjoyed cocktails and canapés on El Encanto’s Channel Islands Terrace. The dinner and reception events took place in the property’s ballroom. The main entrée options were red snapper and flat iron steak—with specific instructions to El Encanto’s chef to prepare the beef well-done, which McKeel notes was perfectly achieved. The dessert table overflowed with sweets by Santa Barbara’s Lelé Pâtisserie, including a three-tiered wedding cake with three distinct flavors—carrot, lemon vanilla, and chocolate and vanilla marble—with meringue buttercream frosting. Other treats: powdered coconut donuts, Goleta lemon pie and Tahitian vanilla bean pot de crème.
The pink pashminas that were gifted to the bridesmaids.
When it came time for dancing, the bride swapped her Jimmy Choo heels for custom bridal platform sneakers (procured on Etsy). A playlist of DJ-spun tunes kept the energy high, and the newlyweds wowed their guests with a choreographed number, which Dave learned to please his beautiful bride.
“Dancing isn’t really my forte, but I loved that it was something we could do together,” he says. “And it came out really well; I don’t think we missed a beat.”
Up until the very end of the event, McKeel’s eye for detail was sharp. The couple exited their party illuminated by the sparkles of cold-fusion fireworks—which produce a nonhazardous effect that resembles traditional fireworks—and to the tune of “I’ve Had the Time of My Life.”
“I wanted a wedding that was classic, elegant and timeless,” she says. “I wanted to be able to look back 50 years from now and not feel like it was dated—and I think we did it. It was the most magical day of my life.”
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