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We wanted our guests' first impressions of the day to be different than anything they’ve seen before, so we settled on a vivid colorway inspired by a saturated Wes Anderson color palette with a dash of whimsy à la Sophia Coppola. Nicety Studio delivered on a winsome and irreverent invitation suite.
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I had my heart set on a specific pair of heels but was losing hope, as they were sold out everywhere. Enter these beauties by Manolo Blahnik via a great Bergdorf Goodman sale. They were perfect—retro but sculptural and not too high.
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Janet Villa made sure I looked like myself on my wedding day. We went with really natural makeup, and my hair was simple—undulating waves to let the drama of the headband speak for itself.
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One of the first photos of the day! Morgan, our amazing photographer, loved the mirrors in the elevator. The first of many spontaneous shots.
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I loved the way my headband and hair looked from a profile.
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The calm before the storm!
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Janet made sure I had ample pins to hold my hair and headband in place without compromising its simplicity.
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The day started out frighteningly overcast with dark rainclouds overhead but cleared by the ceremony’s onset. Inadvertently, it made the lighting pretty sublime!
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My best friend, who happens to be my sister! I opted out of a bridal party but needed her standing beside me, so maid of honor it was. I let her have total control of her look, and she didn’t fail to stun.
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What you don’t see is the source of my laughter—my parents squabbling over my dad’s bowtie.
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Dane found the perfect Ermenegildo Zegna tuxedo jacket—it’s actually the deepest shade of burgundy. We played around with various ties but settled on a crisp white shirt. He had cufflinks in the shape of pistols from his late great-uncle—they could actually cock and shoot!
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I had told Dane I was wearing something a bit unconventional, and he was thrilled at the reveal.
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The grounds of the Santa Barbara Courthouse are spectacular. Somehow, we were lucky with fresh spring blooms. Coincidentally, we found that many of our guests took photos in front of these trees too!
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After a short spring shower, the clouds opened up and the sky grew clearer just in time for the ceremony to begin.
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Dane and I envisioned our looks to be classic and complementary but striking in their simplicity. It was also at this point that we realized we were missing our personal florals: my bouquet and his boutonnière. Queue the momentary hysterics!
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There were so many stunning locations within the courthouse that highlighted its Spanish-Colonial Revival architecture. Our guests took tours of the grounds before and after the ceremony to explore the slice of California’s design legacy.
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Two very happy people. Interestingly, there was another wedding going on that day, so the energy from everyone around us was just as excited.
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Here, you can really see the construction of my Gabriela Hearst look. My tailor, Laura Basci, nipped the pants in a bit near the waist but kept the hem slightly flared to complement my shoes.
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I also really wanted some sort of sleeve. God did not bless me with a big enough chest to keep a strapless dress up, so this was a perfect combination of neckline and security.
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We watched guests start to arrive and raucous hooting and hollering ensued.
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A private moment tucked into one of the many alcoves at the courthouse.
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Morgan, our photographer, had a lot of fun with the lighting. She had scoped the property months earlier and found some amazing opportunities for us to shoot.
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Here, we sat in the courthouse’s lower most level, where they have a hallway that acts as a gallery for their portraits and landscape paintings.
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Practicing for our first kiss as man and wife!
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My dad told me I was steamrolling him down the aisle and gently pulled me back to a reasonable “bridal” pace.
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The only thing occupying my mind was my missing bouquet. Luckily, Gabriela Hearst had the brilliance to provide pockets, so I could, at the very least, tuck my hand inside. After the ceremony, I asked a few guests if they noticed anything was missing and not a one could tell I was without a bouquet.
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The Mural Room was the perfect backdrop to our ceremony. Thanks to the various murals, heavy velvet drapes, and vaulted ceilings, the space had more than enough of a “wow” factor. We provided some flowers for the makeshift altar that we repurposed later for our reception. Many of our guests had traveled across the country to be there with us, and we knew that they would feel a real sense of historical California in the space.
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And look what arrived promptly following the close of the ceremony—our florals! Our beloved florist, Bright Florals, sent her knight-in-shining-armor husband to find the flowers at our hotel, whose valet team received them early that morning and subsequently lost them in a closet, and brought them straightaway. That is the smile of a very relieved bride.
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Knowing that a guest's first impression sets the tone for the evening, I hired Bubble Bliss to offer Prosecco to everyone entering our reception space. Coupé glasses were filled with bubbling sparkling wine on tap from a vintage Italian Piaggio Ape.
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We selected the Carousel House after much deliberation. Because it is owned by the City of Santa Barbara, we were able to book the space for a very reasonable price, despite it being perched on a private park adjacent to the ocean and Santa Barbara Pier. As an aside, it once was the home to a vintage carousel, which explains the octagonal shape and copious windows
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Dane and his friend, Tom, constructed our escort sign themselves! As you can see, we carried over our invitation colors into the reception. This stood opposite the Prosecco truck, so guests were able to find their seats with a glass of wine in hand. You may also notice the same florals from the ceremony altar!
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I was responsible for orchestrating the name cards, which were made possible thanks to Etsy and a little ingenuity
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The Carousel House is quite bare, which was perfect for our purposes. We had toured many spaces that already seemed to have a theme, which made it even more difficult for us to ideate a cohesive reception in line with what we had in mind. With a space this bare, we brought in all the décor: colored hanging lanterns, colored velvet drapes, and lots of funky florals.
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I urge all those planning a wedding to find a perfect match in your florist. After interviewing several vendors we landed on Bright Florals because Amy understood our intentions. We wanted clouds of foliage and pops of vivid color and needed a team that wasn’t afraid of going outside the box with us.
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Originally, Dane and I did not want to have a traditional wedding cake. After much deliberation (and insistence by my mother), LeLe Patisserie in Santa Barbara crafted a perfect miniature cake for us. Dane travels for work and was largely unavailable to help plan with me, so my sister, Laura, was my tasting partner. Now, as the remainder sits in the freezer for our first wedding anniversary, I cannot wait to eat it again.
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My best friends! Funny enough, I have a photo just like this from 15+ years ago, when we attended a mother-daughter tea fundraiser for our school.
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Our “grand” entrance! You can see how embarrassed we are at the attention.
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We danced to “Love on the Weekend” by John Mayer—a song about a lover’s getaway. About six of the nine years we were together were apart, so our relationship was made up of blissful weekends spent together every few months.
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Dane left his wedding ring (on his finger for a whole 2 hours) in the bathroom to be discovered by a guest, who then brought it to the DJ in order to find its rightful owner. Lo and behold—it was my freshly minted husband.
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Some of my favorite photos are the ones our photographer took spontaneously or in secret. Looking through them feels like stills of a movie and brings me back to moments of the night I may have otherwise forgotten.
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Our photo booth was such a hit with every single guest. Love these gorgeous ladies!
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There are about 100 photos like these, where I’m leaving it all on the dance floor. We had a very curated set list which included classic disco oldies and some more recent music—something for everyone!
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At this point in the night, I had completely lost all sense of grace and dignity. I still have no idea of the origins of this dance move?
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I’m happy to report, we had all our guests with us on the dance floor, and everyone was bringing down the house with us!
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A very classic image of our relationship—Dane going rogue and me standing on the sidelines in distress. We tried to avoid a traditional cake cutting but managed to make a scene regardless.
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Another instance in which I failed in avoiding a classic wedding tradition. My dear friend begged me to toss my flowers to her (much to her boyfriend of 13 years chagrin.) What ensued was utter chaos.
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Otherworldly forces propelled the bouquet not into the hands of my target (see pink dress) but to a more hungry-for-victory guest. If only I had a photo of the absolved and cheering boyfriend.
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Churro time—possibly one of our best surprises. During the last hours of the evening, we had fresh churros weaving through our guests. I even spotted one of my parents’ friends cornering a dessert attendant for a churro monopoly.
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Obviously unaware that I was being photographed, I focused on stuffing my gullet with cinnamon sugary goodness.