Steeped in history and wrapped in Gothic Revival beauty, Carlton Towers Estate in Yorkshire, England, set the stage for Gabriel & Kaya’s breathtaking March wedding. This storied venue—dating back over a thousand years and recorded in William the Conqueror’s Domesday Book—offered century-old chandeliers, stained glass windows, ornate gold filigree, and towering gargoyles. For their intimate celebration of forty guests, the couple transformed the historic interiors with draped greenery, lush hanging ferns, and florals, bringing the outside in for a weekend-long celebration.
Gabriel and Kaya’s love story spans more than half their lives, first meeting as teenagers, then reconnecting years later in Los Angeles. On their wedding morning, they shared a deeply personal moment—reading vows to each other privately over breakfast in bed before stepping into the grandeur of the day. Their ceremony, held beneath Carlton Towers’ soaring ceilings, was filled with deeply personal details: a custom family crest representing both their heritages, hand-made bridal accessories and attire by Kaya herself, and a celebration that felt both regal and deeply personal.
Despite unexpected hurdles—such as flight cancellations due to a nearby airport fire—the day unfolded with resilience and joy, from fireworks over the estate to a lively dance floor. It was a wedding that embraced history, family, and artistry, layered with personal touches and heartfelt moments.
“Love is work. You have to keep choosing your partner every day—but when you’re with the right person, showing up is the easiest part.” – Kaya Day-Lluch
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
It seems a tad melodramatic to say it was fated and yet it appears the universe did in fact have some semblance of a plan for us. We met sixteen years ago (at about fifteen years old) through mutual friends as we went to neighboring high schools. According to Gabriel he had a crush on me from the moment we met but I was too busy in the throes of teenagehood to notice. We proceeded to dance around one another rather chaotically as the years went on and life took us on our respective adventures, threw obstacles at us for its own amusement, and in the process, watched us grow.
We reconnected properly in 2022 as we both returned to Los Angeles but became “official” in June 2023 after a chaotic dinner conversation months prior about international politics, pain tolerance, and nihilism. Despite knowing each other half our lives it was as though our ears suddenly pricked up, like everything felt a little bit sharper, like it was all starting to make sense. I suppose that’s what our relationship has felt like, like the thing that makes sense—the thing that feels like the whole point to anything and everything else.
Both of us have struggled with our own sense of the world at times, felt a little misunderstood or perhaps even misunderstanding, but finding one another felt like finally understanding the language of the world around us. We no longer felt foreign; we felt like we’d come home. Even deciding to get married—a monumental commitment you quite literally make by law—felt natural, like the obvious thing to do. I suppose getting married in the end ultimately felt a little bit fated and a lotta bit right.
Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship!
We gave our bridesmaids and groomsmen walkie talkies (we come from production backgrounds) which proved incredibly useful in a giant estate but also gave way to some funny commentary as people ran around the morning of.
Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning.
The airport our guests were flying into was quite literally on fire a couple of days before our wedding (and the day prior) so several guests who were meant to fly in got turned around mid-flight and a handful of others also got stuck without transport coming out of the airport. My DJs got turned all the way back from London to Los Angeles and couldn’t make it in time so our venue’s partnered DJ came in and saved the day but had to play for five hours (he took breaks). One extremely determined guest, however, (shoutout to Nick) flew all the way from LA to Germany and then flew to Manchester I think and then took a two-hour train to get to the countryside where we were getting married and got there around dinner.
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
My father actually got a crest made for us becoming the Day-Lluchs (my maiden name being Day and my husband’s family name being Lluch) which he showcased for the first turing his dinner speech and represented the four sides of our family and heritages coming together. Also turns out that the deeply historic Carlton Towers where we got married which has been in the Stapleton family (now Fitzalan-Howard) for multiple generations I’m actually related to which we discovered long after booking the venue.
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?
The ceremony was the best part of the day, closely rivaled by reading our vows to one another privately in bed in the morning where we both bawled our eyes out over breakfast and cuddled up before starting the day.
What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another?
The heart grows in capacity, more than you ever thought possible when you’re with the right person.
What is your favorite thing about each other?
My favorite thing about Gabriel is his personality (not that he isn’t easy on the eyes either), which I know is a broad statement but I think he’s quite literally the best person I’ve ever met. His charisma, kindness, compassion, empathy, intellect, wit, sharpness, humor, determination, and outgoing nature are rolled into one incredible human being. I am convinced he was designed by a very generous god.
My favorite thing about Kaya is how high her stats are stacked overall. She’s maxed out in every category and is bound to succeed in whatever she puts her mind to but it’s her deep compassion which always shines through everything that I love the most. She cares for friends, family, strangers, animals, places, and things in a way I’ve never seen before.
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?
The engagement photo shoots and dress and suit shopping.
If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be?
Protect your peace and energy before the wedding! Prioritize rest, recovery, and energy-saving as much as possible the month leading up to the wedding whether that’s combatting work stress, family/friend drama, anything that might lead to you feeling additionally out of sorts—do what you can to plan for setting boundaries, getting a massage or going to the spa, leaning on others for support, slow activities, and focusing on both mental and physical health. Cause going into your wedding burnt out genuinely sucks.
What is the most honest thing you can say about love?
Love is work. Much like going to the gym, you have to keep going. You don’t just get in shape and then stay that way without maintenance. There is no perfect partner where once you meet everything is right and happy forever. You have to keep choosing your partner every day. That is the commitment you’re making—I choose you today and every day for the rest of my life. The plus side is that when you’re with a great partner, they make it a hell of a lot easier to keep showing up to work every day.
Bride: @kayaday
Groom: @gclluch
Florals & Design: The Blonde & The Blooms / @theblondeandtheblooms
Venue: Carlton Towers Estate / @carlton_towers
Hair & Makeup: @janicefan_makeup
Photographer: Weddings by Dan / @weddingsbydan
Videographer: James Tracey Films / @jamestraceyfilms
VHS Videographer: @mego_o
Wedding Dress Designer: Kyha Studios / @kyhastudios
Wedding Dress Boutique: En Blanc / @enblancbride
Bridal Jewelry & Accessories: Kaya Day-Lluch (handmade)
Reception Dress Designer: Kaya Day-Lluch (handmade)
Groom’s Suit: The Grotto / @thegrottomenswear
Groom’s Suit Customization: Kaya Day-Lluch (handmade)
Rings: Two Perfect Souls / @twoperfectsouls
LED Dance Floor: Elite Sound
DJ: Spectra Entertainment / @spectraentertainments
Cake Design: Deborah Bakes / @deborahbakesyork
Fireworks: The Fireworkers Ltd
Transportation: Britannia Travel
Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate
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