Santa Barbara Estate Wedding

So, we just about lost it when we saw this bride’s incredible floral patterned wedding gown by Olvi’s. Not only does it fit Ann like a glove, but the pops of color are the perfect look for spring and put such a smile on our faces. Thank you to Anna Delores and Creations by Nupur for your work on this beautiful day!

From the bride, Ann: We were hoping to have a wedding using eclectic travel vernacular paired with a modern sensibility. Both my husband and I are drawn to modern aesthetics, but we wanted to express a timelessness through our love of travel. Our location was very modern, and our graphics melded modern herring bone patterns with old-style maps, and our flowers took on a more lush, eclectic look through traditional centerpieces paired with modern succulents. Because our guests were also traveling for the wedding, we wanted them to feel like they were joining us on a tropical weekend getaway. Our favorite weddings have been weekend-long events where guests meet and become friends over their shared experience, so we launched the party with a beach BBQ on Friday, wedding festivities and hotel poolside bonding on Saturday, and a Sunday farewell brunch. When it came to Sunday’s brunch, we repeatedly tried to introduce various friends and family members, whom already got to know each other quite well by weekend’s end – which we loved!

The look was lush and eclectic. A meld of modern and antique. It was an intimate outdoor, poolside, tropical garden. We kept with a gold, yellow, orange, sage and white color scheme and tried to bring in touches of antique maps to tie in our love for travel, and our guest’s travel to the destination. We created a DIY garland backdrop to our head table that included our color scheme, zig-zag/herringbone patterns, and maps. My husband and I play trivia weekly at the location we first met, so Larry developed trivia questions about us that they had to solve in order to lead them to a table letter for their dinner place setting. The letters were from my personal collection that I’ve accumulated as a designer over the years. We also had the caterer make my 103-year-old grandmother’s cookie bar recipe as part of the dessert table. It’s a recipe that I’ve repeated and it’s become well known among our friends. It was a great way to honor her since she wasn’t able to travel.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Don’t let people get in your head about what can and can’t be done with a particular budget. We had so many people telling us that it was impossible to stay within our allotted budget and that it was too low. I started second guessing our ability to through a great wedding without throwing thousands of dollars more toward the cause. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

See Also

A Tuscan Inspired Wedding with Pastel Hues at California’s Filoli Gardens

Wedding Music:
Processional: “I’m in the Mood for Love,” Frank Sinatra
Processional: “It Had to be You,” Frank Sinatra
Recessional: “Old Fashioned Love”
First Dance: “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” Elvis
Father/Daughter, Mother/Son Dance: “In my Life,” The Beatles
Transition song where everybody is invited to dance: “Love Train,” The O’Jays