Sabrina Soto is beginning a beautiful new chapter of her life. The HGTV designer married MLB physical therapist Nathan Whitney on Monday, December 1, at a small avocado farm and vineyard in California. The setting reflected their theme of “organic elegance,” with only 32 close friends and family in attendance, as reported first by People.
Soto, 49, began her television career on HGTV, where she hosted some of the network’s early “White House Christmas” specials in 2007. According to her website, she has since appeared as a host or designer on eight HGTV series. She also spent time on TLC’s “Trading Spaces” and later hosted CBS’s “Secret Celebrity Renovation” from 2021 to 2023, per IMDb.
They Chose an Intimate Ceremony Focused on Love & Meaning
“It’s intimate. It’s us,” Soto told People, explaining that they wanted a day that felt meaningful rather than staged. “We didn’t want something that looked good in photos but felt empty. We wanted something that felt like love, and I think we created that.”
Soto shared that she and Whitney initially planned to elope with just her daughter, Olivia Gray, present. “That felt right to us,” she added.
But as planning unfolded, they realized they wanted their families to share the moment. The vision then shifted to a nontraditional dinner party that included a ceremony.
She added: “We didn’t want a ‘wedding wedding.’ I wanted something that felt like a fun dinner. Outdoors, intimate, no stuffy formality.”
Soto said she and Whitney wanted their wedding to feel more like a meaningful dinner with loved ones than a traditional ceremony. “Quality over quantity was everything,” she told People. “We didn’t want to perform for a crowd. We wanted to be present and actually enjoy it.”
Keeping things simple made the planning process joyful rather than stressful. They leaned into natural textures, warm neutrals, candlelight, and greenery, avoiding anything that felt overdone. Soto said they wanted a venue that felt “organic and alive.”
“We wanted a place that felt grounded and outdoors, not overly formal or stuffy,” she explained. “Plus, there’s something romantic about being surrounded by trees and vines. It felt like us.”
Soto’s daughter, Olivia Gray, walked her down the aisle, becoming a sweet focal point of the ceremony. See Soto & Whitney’s magical wedding pics here.
Soto’s Wedding Dress Came Together Through a Serendipitous Find
Soto told People that her dress found its way back to her through an unexpected twist. She first fell in love with the gown during a bridal appointment, but returned it because of a minor flaw.
While browsing online weeks later, she spotted the same dress on eBay, in perfect condition and sold by someone who lived just minutes from her home.
Soto and Whitney closed the night with a simple, heartfelt celebration and say they’re most excited for the everyday moments ahead. As Soto put it, they’re focused on family, connection, and building a life that feels like home.
While their wedding feels like a true fairytale ending, their love story actually began online years earlier, though timing kept them apart. “It wasn’t until life slowed down that we reconnected,” Soto told People.
Just days after she reached out, Whitney told her he would be in California, staying at a hotel only half a mile from where she was filming. “It was one of those moments where you just know something bigger is at play.”
When they finally met, everything clicked. “We talked, laughed constantly — there was no awkwardness,” Soto says. “It just felt right.”
