Every Photo From Tarek El Moussa & Heather Rae Young's Stunning Montecito Wedding: 'We're So Happy'

A Day to Remember

Heather and Tarek tied the knot on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, in Montecito, Calif., in front of 150 friends and family members.

"It was just so magical. Better than we even expected it to be. We are exhausted, but so happy at the same time," Heather (who is now using her married name, Heather Rae El Moussa) told PEOPLE of the Old Hollywood-inspired event. Tarek agreed: "Everything was just spectacular."

All About the Gown

Heather wore a corset wedding dress with sheer embroidered sleeves and a French lace skirt custom-made by Israeli designer Galia Lahav for both the ceremony and the reception.

The gown fit the bride like a glove, and intricate details — including a sweetheart-style neckline, crystal embellishments throughout and hand-crafted beading that appeared to be "painted on" — took the design to the next level.

"It's so delicate, beautiful and sexy, but classy and timeless. It goes with the Old Hollywood feel of the wedding," Heather said. "It's hard to describe, but it's the prettiest dress I've ever seen in my life."

A Feminine Look

Heather originally planned on wearing her hair in a mermaid braid on the big day, but when the custom gown arrived from Israel, she changed her mind because she didn't want to distract from its beauty.

"I don't want to cover the detail of the dress because it's so perfect, so I wore my hair in a low bun with a sleek side part and a four-strand braid coming across," the former model shared, describing her makeup look as "soft, natural and glowy."

Fairytale Footwear

The feminine look went all the way from Heather's head to her toes, with a pair of clear pumps from designer Amina Muaddi carrying her down the aisle.

"They're like Cinderella shoes!" Heather said of the heels, which featured crystal butterflies on the pointed toes.

'Fit for a Groom

Tarek chose a classic yet edgy tux for the special occasion. Designed by David August, the suit is all-black velvet with an interior lining printed with skulls and crossbones.

"It almost looks old New York style, and, honestly, it's my favorite tux I've ever got, hands down," Tarek said. "David killed it. He's an artist."

Tarek also sported black Christian Louboutin shoes, a black bow tie and a white boutonniere with flowers matching Heather's bouquet.

Like Father, Like Son

Just like his dad, Tarek's son, Brayden — whom he shares with his first wife and Flip or Flop costar, Christina Hall — also had a unique touch when it came to his tux.

"Bray got a custom suit and inside of his suit, there are little sharks everywhere," Tarek said.

"He loves sharks," Heather explained, adding that he also got a surprise of shark cufflinks, as well.

Ceremony Space

The ceremony was held outside at the seaside Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel, and a 100-foot long, glossy black aisle lead up to the altar, lined with all-white bouquets of roses, orchids, tulips, lisianthus and hydrangeas.

A large flower arch was set at the beginning of the aisle, and three intertwined arches framed the altar.

The Tears Begin

Heather walked down the aisle with her father — a moment that had them both in tears.

"Walking down the aisle with my dad was always a dream of mine," Heather shared. "I hate that I'm saying this, but I wanted him to see me walk down the aisle and become a wife before he passes away... Having my dad walk me down the aisle and hand me off to my husband was everything."

A Look at the Bride

The couple chose not to do a "first look" before the ceremony — and Heather kept all the details of her ensemble secret — so her dress, hair, and makeup were a surprise for Tarek.

"It was magical. She looked so beautiful," he said of the first moment he saw his now-wife. "Her hair was perfect. Her makeup was perfect. She had the coolest wedding dress I've ever seen. I was just smiling huge from ear to ear."

You May Kiss the Bride!

After saying original vows both to each other and to Tarek's two kids — Brayden and daughter Taylor — the couple shared their first kiss as newlyweds! Their officiant, Tarek's longtime friend and ​​attorney Roger Behle, declared the pair husband and wife.

A Skyward Surprise

Little did Heather know, Tarek had an extra-special surprise for her before they did their recessional.

"Right after we said our vows and we were pronounced husband and wife, he had me look up in the sky," Heather said. "So I looked up, and there was writing in the sky."

"It said, 'To my wife, me and you always and forever,'" Tarek said, explaining that the message was spelled out using environmentally friendly smoke.

Forever and Always

"It was just so magical," Heather said of the ceremony. "It was better than we even expected it to be."

For their recessional walk, they chose the song "One Thing Right" by Marshmello and Kane Brown.

Officially the El Moussas

Making sure the kids felt happy and comfortable throughout the wedding weekend was important for Tarek and Heather. They made that happen with plenty of surprises — including the vows, which the children weren't expecting.

"Being able to share that moment with the kids, and share vows with the kids... that was probably my favorite part," Heather said of sharing the stage with Taylor and Brayden.

Tarek agreed: "They came up while we were at the altar and stood with us. And that's the first time we were officially, legally a family of four, so that was very special."

One Happy Family

"I never knew I could feel love like I have for the kids and for Tarek. They've given me a family," said Heather, who quickly stepped into the role of "bonus mom" to the kids when she and Tarek got together in the summer of 2019. "They've opened my heart up so much and made me more patient, and loving and understanding."

The New Mr. and Mrs. El Moussa

After an outdoor cocktail hour, guests were led to the reception. When Tarek and Heather walked in, they were announced as the new Mr. and Mrs. El Moussa by legendary UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, who created a video message for the occasion.

The Reception Space

The reception was held in the ballroom of the hotel, which was hung with crystal candelabras; decked out in crisp white, black, champagne and gold hues; and dressed with hundreds of roses, orchids, tulips, lisianthus and hydrangeas.

"I wanted to be able to look back in 10 years and not regret that we chose colors that aren't popular anymore. So it was very sophisticated, elegant, timeless and classy," Heather said of the refined decor.

Seating Chart

Heather says that the hardest part of wedding planning was, firstly, deciding who would get the invite, and secondly, who would sit where at the reception.

"I really kind of like laid out all the [guests'] names, and started pairing on a piece of paper who I thought would be fun together," Heather explained of the difficult process of creating the seating chart. "Who would laugh together, and dance, and have fun and just drink together."

Delicious Dinner

"We wanted the food to be more eclectic... to have flair," Heather said of designing the menu. "We wanted our guests to experience the hotel's food, because this hotel has such an incredible vegan menu and such an incredible menu, in general." (Heather is a longtime animal rights advocate and vegan.)

The result was a fall-inspired dinner of plant-based ​​bolognese, prime filet with a truffle crust and halibut with roasted squash.

First Dance

For their first dance as husband and wife, Tarek and Heather chose the song "One Man Band" by Old Dominion.

According to the pair, they knew the country tune would be their special song months before the wedding, realizing it was a perfect analogy for their relationship.

"It literally symbolizes our relationship," Tarek said. "It's about this guy that's tired of going out and performing and being famous and being by himself. He's tired of being a one-man band, he wants someone to live that life with. And I was a one-man band until I met Heather."

Happy Feet

The couple wanted the whole crew dancing all night long — so they created personalized flip-flops for all their guests, printed with photos from their engagement on Catalina Island and their engagement shoot.

Crew Love

Of course, Heather's Selling Sunset castmates came to celebrate her special day! Seen here (from left to right), is the show's creator Adam DiVello, Jason Oppenheim, Chrishell Stause, Mary Fitzgerald, show producer Skyler Wakil, Emma Hernan, Heather, Tarek, Davina Potratz and Brett Oppenheim.

Photo Booth Fun

The reception space also had a photo booth — complete with props! — to capture all the memories. Here, Stause, Fitzgerald, Hernan and Portratz pose for a black-and-white shot.

Takes the Cake!

Guests were served two cakes: "We did one vegan, peanut butter chocolate for me," said Heather, "and the other one was gluten-free, raspberry-filled chocolate" for Tarek, who was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

Sweet Treats

The four-tiered cake was dressed with black fondant, gold leaf and white orchids, and was created by French pastry chef Yannick Dumonceau.

In addition to the cake, a dessert bar featured fruit tarts, nut-free brownies, eclairs, coconut cheesecakes, a macaron tower and miniature waffle cones.

Later in the evening, made-to-order cotton candy and wood-fired pizza refueled guests, keeping everyone dancing well past midnight.

Blissful Bride

"The night is such a blur. It just flew by in a blink of an eye," Heather said of the day she'd been dreaming of for so long. "You try to say 'hi' to everyone and have moments with everyone, but it's just impossible. But we really made a point to spend time with our family and the kids. And we literally danced all night. It was incredible."

The Day of Their Dreams

The family-filled affair was everything they could have dreamed of, the pair said.

"We really wanted the weekend to be about our whole family, not just about me and Tarek," Heather said. "We both love our families so much, and our families have united together, and we're so lucky they love each other and get along. The whole night was so emotional."

Tarek agreed, already looking forward to their time together beyond the big day: "I'm just excited to live this life with her. We've got the two babies, we have a family and we have a very bright future."

Relaxing Honeymoon

After tying the knot, the pair left their home in Newport Beach for a three-week honeymoon in the Maldives and Dubai. As usual, Tarek hinted he had a few surprises in store for his bride.

"It's going to be epic," he said at the time.