Rustic Elegant Santa Barbara Ranch Wedding
Show me some citrus and I'll show you a smiling blogger right here. Maybe because summer is upon us, or maybe this bright fruity style is just that amazing, but I can't get enough, and this Santa Barbara bash delivered with oranges taking center stage on every lucky guests' place setting. Michael + Anna Costa Photo snapped up every detail and this gallery just might be my new go-to for the sunny days ahead.
From the beautiful Bride... On the morning of February 15, 2014, at the St. Regis in Punta Mita, Connor's alarm went off at 6am. He awoke and told me he had set it because he wanted to watch the sunrise. This is not at all abnormal behavior for him so I told him to, "F off and go back to sleep." No joke. He asked again and for whatever reason, I obliged.
We stepped outside the room and it was pitch dark. Epic fail by Google to determine the rising of the sun. The entire hotel was asleep but we managed to locate some coffee and sit in some chairs on the sand. We had the whole beach to ourselves. Once the sun started rising, we headed out on a walk. About three minutes into the walk, Connor reached for my hand to hold which was not typically how we strolled along the beach. I didn't start to question it until his grasp got noticeably firmer and he began talking about us, our future and the rest of our lives.
The moment couldn't have been more perfect. The sun was rising over the palm trees to one side and the waves from the ocean were crashing on the other. We were the only ones within sight when Connor got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. My eyes filled with tears and I was too stunned to speak. He prompted me, "Say something" "YES!"
We spent that morning laying in a hammock and soaking it all in before we called our family and friends to share the good news.
Reality set in as we realized that August 9th would be our wedding date. We did the majority of our planning from the beaches of Punta Mita. We booked HeartStone Ranch, ordered Save the Dates and began spreading the word before we even got back to the States.
Although I hadn't spent my life planning my dream wedding, I had a very clear vision of what I wanted it to be - outdoors, simple, neutral with a beautiful pop of color, enough food and drink to keep everyone happy.
HeartStone Ranch was beyond beautiful on its own, with its rose gardens that I didn’t want to compete with it, but play to it. Tenley worked wonders with the simple arrangements - whites, greens and pale pinks with a gorgeous pop of orange compliments of the kumquats and oranges. This simple theme carried on throughout the wedding.
Some of my favorite memories and details include:
The first time I told Connor I loved him, I had a little too much El Buho, a mezcal that his buddy created. As a nod to the initial love story, we had him fly in a large number of bottles to be used used in our welcome cocktails for the wedding - a Watermelon Smash.
Our surprise ending to the night was a slider station and a create-your-own sundae station with frozen yogurt. Every Saturday night, Connor and I go to the same restaurant where we order a cheeseburger, a beer and chase it down with ice cream. It was a perfectly fitting way to end this night too.
We each wrote our own vows and didn’t share them with one another until the ceremony. I absolutely loved hearing and sharing these words for the first time in front of those people who mean the most in our lives. We have promised to bring them out to read again every anniversary.
This may be the only time in your life that everyone both you and your husband love are in the same place at the same time. Before you rush down the aisle after being pronounced, “husband and wife,” soak it all in.
Say hello and chat with everyone at your wedding before it’s time for the dance party. This may be the only night of your life that you get to twirl with your husband in your wedding gown.
From Amber Weir Weddings & Events... Knowing all of her guests were coming from out of state, Laura really wanted to highlight Santa Barbara. Not only did we put together welcome bags with all local products, but she also wanted to highlight Santa Barbara's natural beauty with the wedding design. Heartstone Ranch provided a beautiful garden setting. We complimented and enhanced that garden setting by using natural wood vineyard chairs, natural fiber table clothes with golden threads, and garden inspired floral arrangements in whites, greens, and orange tones. My favorite touch was the bright orange clementines placed on each plate to greet the guest and add a pop of color. Not to mention that Tenley Erin Young meticulously hand adorned each clementine with a beautiful green leaf!
We stepped outside the room and it was pitch dark. Epic fail by Google to determine the rising of the sun. The entire hotel was asleep but we managed to locate some coffee and sit in some chairs on the sand. We had the whole beach to ourselves. Once the sun started rising, we headed out on a walk. About three minutes into the walk, Connor reached for my hand to hold which was not typically how we strolled along the beach. I didn't start to question it until his grasp got noticeably firmer and he began talking about us, our future and the rest of our lives.
The moment couldn't have been more perfect. The sun was rising over the palm trees to one side and the waves from the ocean were crashing on the other. We were the only ones within sight when Connor got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. My eyes filled with tears and I was too stunned to speak. He prompted me, "Say something" "YES!"
We spent that morning laying in a hammock and soaking it all in before we called our family and friends to share the good news.
Reality set in as we realized that August 9th would be our wedding date. We did the majority of our planning from the beaches of Punta Mita. We booked HeartStone Ranch, ordered Save the Dates and began spreading the word before we even got back to the States.
Although I hadn't spent my life planning my dream wedding, I had a very clear vision of what I wanted it to be - outdoors, simple, neutral with a beautiful pop of color, enough food and drink to keep everyone happy.
HeartStone Ranch was beyond beautiful on its own, with its rose gardens that I didn’t want to compete with it, but play to it. Tenley worked wonders with the simple arrangements - whites, greens and pale pinks with a gorgeous pop of orange compliments of the kumquats and oranges. This simple theme carried on throughout the wedding.
Some of my favorite memories and details include:
The first time I told Connor I loved him, I had a little too much El Buho, a mezcal that his buddy created. As a nod to the initial love story, we had him fly in a large number of bottles to be used used in our welcome cocktails for the wedding - a Watermelon Smash.
Our surprise ending to the night was a slider station and a create-your-own sundae station with frozen yogurt. Every Saturday night, Connor and I go to the same restaurant where we order a cheeseburger, a beer and chase it down with ice cream. It was a perfectly fitting way to end this night too.
We each wrote our own vows and didn’t share them with one another until the ceremony. I absolutely loved hearing and sharing these words for the first time in front of those people who mean the most in our lives. We have promised to bring them out to read again every anniversary.
This may be the only time in your life that everyone both you and your husband love are in the same place at the same time. Before you rush down the aisle after being pronounced, “husband and wife,” soak it all in.
Say hello and chat with everyone at your wedding before it’s time for the dance party. This may be the only night of your life that you get to twirl with your husband in your wedding gown.
From Amber Weir Weddings & Events... Knowing all of her guests were coming from out of state, Laura really wanted to highlight Santa Barbara. Not only did we put together welcome bags with all local products, but she also wanted to highlight Santa Barbara's natural beauty with the wedding design. Heartstone Ranch provided a beautiful garden setting. We complimented and enhanced that garden setting by using natural wood vineyard chairs, natural fiber table clothes with golden threads, and garden inspired floral arrangements in whites, greens, and orange tones. My favorite touch was the bright orange clementines placed on each plate to greet the guest and add a pop of color. Not to mention that Tenley Erin Young meticulously hand adorned each clementine with a beautiful green leaf!