Take Style Notes from this Interior Designer Turned Bride

This professional designer and stylist-turned-bride? Let's just say she knows her stuff. "Our vision was an intimate, romantic garden wedding with a sophisticated European aesthetic, incorporating the casual elegance of Santa Barbara," she said. The big day unfolded as all that plus so much more, and we've got it all captured by Diana McGregor Photography with a film from Satellite Weddings below.
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From the Bride... As a designer and stylist, I was completely dedicated to creating a beautiful, romantic, and picturesque backdrop for our nuptials. Our vision was an intimate, romantic garden wedding with a sophisticated European aesthetic, incorporating the casual elegance of Santa Barbara with the warm, Spanish colonial style of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The entire evening was al fresco, and the warm June weather made the outdoor setting absolutely perfect. Our color palette was comprised of pale pinks, blush, creams, and pale ice blue, accented by antiqued silver and gold.

We worked with Kasia of Plenty of Petals as our floral designer. We included a loose, organic composition of peonies, cabbage roses, garden roses, clematis, dahlias, ranunculus, along with greenery swags and jasmine vines, all contributed to an elegant garden feel on the multi-leveled decomposed granite courtyards of the museum grounds.

As the brilliant orange sunset, the white string lights came on to signal the beginning of an intimate evening under the stars. We had just over 100 guests, which kept the celebration small and the dance party strong; the setting allowed us to mingle with everyone throughout the evening.

There wasn’t a detail missed, from chair backs, accented with peonies and greens, custom signage and a gorgeous escort card display by Sophia Loves Letters. Our ceremony backdrop was stunning, made up of romantic soft pink floral, foliage and vines loosely displayed against the wooden pergola. Soft white, light linen draping was added to the pergola. The ice blue bridesmaids’ dresses by Amsale popped beautifully off the lush backdrop. The groomsmen wore light gray tuxedos to complement the pale blue and pink touches. The cake was designed by Jana at Delicious Artistry. We wanted a simple white frosted 3-tiered cake with textured lines and a pink floral cluster. Jana also created a pink palette of French macaroons for our dessert table.

I customized our wedding invitation suite with designer & calligrapher Bianca Mascorro from Little Miss Press. She created a beautiful suite for us, using pale blue and gray, and romantic script. The pale blue envelopes and white calligraphy completed the suite.

It was our dream to celebrate our wedding in the location where we first met nearly 10 years before. Santa Barbara is such a special place to us, and it is where our friendship and romantic relationship first began when we were just 18 and 21 years old. Santa Barbara reflects our personalities as well: casual beach-style with a layer of elegance and charm. Our vision for the ceremony was to incorporate our relaxed spirituality with a desire to share and celebrate our love and vows to each other with our closest friends and family (and even our little puppy Daisy).

We chose exposed farmhouse tables, mixed with linen covered rounds, and a mix of both cane back upholstered chairs and vineyard cross back chairs. We used three different linens: a solid pale blue, an ivory, as well as a subtle cream patterned linen. Plenty of Petals created lush, semi-loose, floral arrangements in a variety of vessels ranging from cement urns, to silver julep cups, to mercury glass, as well as blush milk glass mercury votives. European floral arrangements and tabletop details, such as silver beaded chargers and Fleur De Lis glassware, all served to tie in the sophisticated, chic elegance we desired.

Our French-inspired lounge seating, weathered oak bar, and gold leaf crystal chandelier set a sophisticated tone. For the bar tables, we chose a nude sequin linen for the highboy tables, and a solid ivory linen mixed with French caned upholstered chairs.
What made our reception so special was the fact that it felt like a close outdoor party to all of our guests, even though many were from so many different parts of our lives: from California family and friends to UCSB college friends, to Wake Forest grad school friends, and co-workers, many guests commented on the close feeling and camaraderie of the evening- whether dancing to the expert sounds of DJ Dominic of Red Show LA, or sitting nearby enjoying the stars, all of our guests felt a part of an amazing evening!
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Photography: Diana McGregor Photography | Cinematography: Satellite Weddings | Coordination: Danae Grace Events | Floral Design: Plenty Of Petals | Rings: Blue Nile | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Amsale | Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid | Catering: Omni Fresco Catering | Hair + Makeup: Unveiled Makeup | DJ: Red Shoe LA | Transportation: Santa Barbara Airbus | Venue: Santa Barbara Historical Museum | Groom's Shoes: Allen Edmonds | Bridal Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Lighting + Draping: Bella Vista Designs, Inc | Tie: Brooks Brothers | Dessert: Delicious Artistry | Matches, Napkins, Drink Stirrers: For Your Party | Bridal Dress: Hayley Paige | Veil : Kinsley James | Photographer Assistance: Lauren Guilford | Invitation Suite: Little Miss Press | Musician : Matt Commerce | Grooms Tux: Menguin | Programs: Minted | Bridesmaid Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar | Paper Goods: Sophia Loves Letters | Rentals: Town And Country | Design : Claire Ross Wilbur | Officiant: Peter Ross | Signs: Flora South Designs | Small Signs: Paper & Pine Co | Hotel : Fess Parker | Rehersal Dinner: Santa Barbara Yacht Club