Elegant Montecito Estate Wedding
Sometimes 'simple' takes the cake. An intimate affair set at a family estate, sprinkled with creams, touches of gold and single calla lilies for the bridesmaids. It just works. And then, there's the stunning Bride who had her sweet mother walk her down the aisle in a gorgeous twenties-inspired gown. With a gallery as gorgeous as this one from Maya Myers, I think you'll agree, 'simple' is lovely-as-ever.
About the couple… Sibyl leads the Marketing team for Whole Foods Market in Redondo Beach, CA. Her father, Hugh H. Fenwick, was mayor of Bernardsville, NJ until his death in 2002. Her grandmother is the late Millicent Hammond Fenwick, four-term Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey and 1st United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. Wixon is a freelance film and television editor in Los Angeles.
From the beautiful Bride… We met in high school. It was a small school and we had a lot of classes together, but ran in different circles. While we blew it in high school, God gave us a second chance a few years ago when I moved to LA for my job as a chef. When times are tough Wix puts things in perspective and comforts me. We push each other, support each other, but most important we laugh a lot.
We both knew we wanted an intimate ceremony. Our families are from the east coast, so a destination wedding kept it to our closest friends and family. My uncle Peter is bi-coastal, with a home in Santa Barbara. He was gracious enough to allow us to host our wedding at his beautiful estate. It was one of the places that helped bring us together as we spent many wonderful weekends there when we needed to escape LA. We know it had to be the place where we would join our families and our new life together.
I hate shopping! So when the time came to find my dress, traditional wedding dress shops failed to capture my dreams. Luckily, a friend knew a designer who makes custom dresses inspired by different decades. I always loved the roaring 20's, so when I met with Maria, I knew she was the one. She was able to incorporate my grandmother's family lace into my dress and wedding veil. My bridesmaids chose a simple over the shoulder, draped dress that beautifully complimented my own.
We wanted the ceremony and reception to feel warm and welcoming. The natural beauty of my uncle's property allowed us to keep the decorations simple. We emphasized the verdant landscape, lighting the lush gardens and towering trees from beneath to create our own cathedral ceiling under the stars.
Reinforcing our organic, sustainable ethos, we chose neutral colors and natural fabrics. Silk and burlap, cream and beige. My favorite color is navy blue, so that became an accent color. Navy blue and grey also happened to be our high school colors. Since that's where we first met and some of our best friends and wedding party members (including Maya, our wedding photographer) attended the Millbrook School with us, it was great to incorporate that motif in our design. We even named the tables after each of our old dormitories!
Instead of a traditional layered wedding cake, we opted to get several cakes from our favorite restaurant in Santa Barbara: Jane. We presented them on staggered rustic wine crates we collected over the months leading up to the wedding, and had enough crates left over to fill with the floral centerpieces for each table. The centerpieces emphasized the our location and shared love of food. Desert succulents mixed with Bay branches, Sage, and Rosemary picked fresh from the property.
I brought my passions and experience in working with the best healthy chefs to fill the tables with a bounty worthy of kings while Wixon used his background in media to arrange the music and lighting. The groom and groomsmen strung vintage Edison bulbs across the yards to create a warm glow, there were heat lamps to warm the guests, and copious alcohol to keep the warmth growing. With friends and family helping in wherever they could, from arranging flowers to moving chairs (even the dogs chipped in, cleaning up all the scraps!), it all came together perfectly.
Overall, it was the wedding of our dreams. We had such an amazing time, we're thinking about doing it again next year!
From the handsome Groom… It took Sibyl about six months to convince me that we were meant to be, even though everyone else knew we were. When she's in the room, my eyes were always on her, and now I can’t imagine our lives apart.
From the beautiful Bride… We met in high school. It was a small school and we had a lot of classes together, but ran in different circles. While we blew it in high school, God gave us a second chance a few years ago when I moved to LA for my job as a chef. When times are tough Wix puts things in perspective and comforts me. We push each other, support each other, but most important we laugh a lot.
We both knew we wanted an intimate ceremony. Our families are from the east coast, so a destination wedding kept it to our closest friends and family. My uncle Peter is bi-coastal, with a home in Santa Barbara. He was gracious enough to allow us to host our wedding at his beautiful estate. It was one of the places that helped bring us together as we spent many wonderful weekends there when we needed to escape LA. We know it had to be the place where we would join our families and our new life together.
I hate shopping! So when the time came to find my dress, traditional wedding dress shops failed to capture my dreams. Luckily, a friend knew a designer who makes custom dresses inspired by different decades. I always loved the roaring 20's, so when I met with Maria, I knew she was the one. She was able to incorporate my grandmother's family lace into my dress and wedding veil. My bridesmaids chose a simple over the shoulder, draped dress that beautifully complimented my own.
We wanted the ceremony and reception to feel warm and welcoming. The natural beauty of my uncle's property allowed us to keep the decorations simple. We emphasized the verdant landscape, lighting the lush gardens and towering trees from beneath to create our own cathedral ceiling under the stars.
Reinforcing our organic, sustainable ethos, we chose neutral colors and natural fabrics. Silk and burlap, cream and beige. My favorite color is navy blue, so that became an accent color. Navy blue and grey also happened to be our high school colors. Since that's where we first met and some of our best friends and wedding party members (including Maya, our wedding photographer) attended the Millbrook School with us, it was great to incorporate that motif in our design. We even named the tables after each of our old dormitories!
Instead of a traditional layered wedding cake, we opted to get several cakes from our favorite restaurant in Santa Barbara: Jane. We presented them on staggered rustic wine crates we collected over the months leading up to the wedding, and had enough crates left over to fill with the floral centerpieces for each table. The centerpieces emphasized the our location and shared love of food. Desert succulents mixed with Bay branches, Sage, and Rosemary picked fresh from the property.
I brought my passions and experience in working with the best healthy chefs to fill the tables with a bounty worthy of kings while Wixon used his background in media to arrange the music and lighting. The groom and groomsmen strung vintage Edison bulbs across the yards to create a warm glow, there were heat lamps to warm the guests, and copious alcohol to keep the warmth growing. With friends and family helping in wherever they could, from arranging flowers to moving chairs (even the dogs chipped in, cleaning up all the scraps!), it all came together perfectly.
Overall, it was the wedding of our dreams. We had such an amazing time, we're thinking about doing it again next year!
From the handsome Groom… It took Sibyl about six months to convince me that we were meant to be, even though everyone else knew we were. When she's in the room, my eyes were always on her, and now I can’t imagine our lives apart.