This affair is glamorous, it’s beachy, it’s all those things that make the California coast of Santa Barbara a dream spot for saying “I Do”. And if the crazy gorgeous ocean views aren’t enough to pull you in then maybe the richly draped blooms by Fleuretica will do the trick. A stunning backdrop with an equally stunning wedding photographed by Patrick Moyer; that’s what you’ll find right here in the full gallery. And be sure to top everything off with a sweet film by Love Spun below.
From the Bride…Danny and I met at a Dodgers’ game almost 4 years ago. A mutual friend invited both of us to watch the Monday-night game in his box seats. While everyone was still dressed in work attire, Danny and I were the only two dressed in oversized jerseys. We struck up a conversation that lasted the entire night. Despite Danny being a huge baseball fan, we were so engrossed in our conversation that, to this day, we don’t know what team the Dodgers were playing. From that day on, we were inseparable. And, after two years of dating, we got engaged during an early-morning stroll on Santa Barbara’s Butterfly Beach. Some of our best memories have been made in Santa Barbara — wine tasting, saying “I love you” to each other for the first time, whale watching, getting engaged. When starting to plan our wedding, it only seemed fitting to check out venues in this charming California coastal town.
We had scheduled four venue visits one Saturday morning shortly after Danny’s proposal. We started with The Four Seasons Biltmore and looked no further — we fell in love with the elegant landscaping and the historical architecture positioned right next to the roaring Pacific Ocean. The views from the hotel are nothing short of breath-taking, and Akiko Suzuki, the hotel’s catering manager, was a dream to work with from the day we toured the Biltmore through our wedding day, and we still stay in touch today.
Friends and family traveled in from all over the world for the wedding. Guests were greeted with a bottle of champagne from one of Santa Barbara’s local wineries. The Old-Hollywood-meets-beach-glamour of the Four Season’s resort inspired the style of our wedding. Our event designer, Euri from Fleuretica, helped us develop our romantic color palette of greys and silvers with accents of blush and cream. The ceremony took place on the Four Season’s green expanses of the Monte Vista Lawn. My sister, a professional musician, sang with a string trio as I walked down the aisle. One of our dear friends read a Scottish blessing as a nod to Danny’s heritage. The reception was held at the Coral Casino located directly on the water—only a glass wall separated guests from ocean spray. The sunset over the coast during cocktail hour was spectacular, and we set out grey and blush wraps for guests to keep warm as the weather cooled from its perfect high of 80 degrees.
The reception could not have been more fun—the band, N’Demand from JME Entertainment, kept the crowd engaged the entire evening. Neither Danny nor I are huge fans of cake so while we had a small cake to cut, we served one of our favorite desserts instead– “pizookies”, individual cast iron skillets filled with piping-hot, gooey chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla ice-cream and drizzled with caramel, chocolate or raspberry sauce. The Best Man and Bridesmaid speeches were touching and hilarious, and my sister surprised us by singing “At Last” with the band backing her up. The evening ended at midnight with satiated guests chanting “One more song, one more song!”
The evening was perfect—entirely cliché, I know—but there’s really nothing about the day that we would change. And we have to give much of the credit to our vendors. If we could humbly offer one piece of advice to couples planning their wedding, we would encourage them to choose vendors who they genuinely like. Yes, of course you should like their work/ product, but enjoying the company of each of our vendors made planning the wedding and the day itself so relaxing and a lot of fun. A special shout-out goes to Patrick & Rachel Moyer, photographers extraordinaire, who perfectly captured all of the day’s magic on film.
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Photography: Patrick Moyer | Floral Design + Linens: Fleuretica | Event Design + Planning: Plumblossom Events | Ceremony Location: Four Seasons Biltmore | Reception Location: Coral Casino | Cinematography: Love Spun | Lighting: Ambient Event Design | Music: Jordan Music Entertainment | Wedding Dress: Ulla-Maija Couture “Laetitia” | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids Dresses: The Dessy Group | Groom’s Tux: Isaia