Sometimes it’s the most simple, understated wedding that captures my heart, and this beauty from Toby Tucker Photography has done just that. With dreamy Montecito as the backdrop, Merryl Brown Events crafted an intimate and elegant celebration with the prettiest pink florals and vintage silver accents. See the rest right here!

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For their wedding, this Midwest bride and groom rented a house with spectacular views up in the mountains above Montecito for the ultimate in privacy and seclusion. There, Merryl Brown Events created a masterpiece of old world charm and simple elegance, letting the views dominate the visuals. Merryl Brown Events is often called upon to create perfect little “jewel box” weddings for couples that want to have an elegant and memorable wedding but are looking for a more intimate experience. This is an area in which they excel! When paired with the amazing photographer Toby Tucker, it is a match made in heaven! The bride chose La Tavola embroidered overlays over creamy Peau de Soie underlays, with several dozen candles, masses of garden roses and peonies and crystal vases throughout. On the bar were formal, antique silver trays with old silver accoutrements, along with good wines, Riedel stemware, plentiful cocktails and artisanal hors d’oeuvres. The chef, Erika Heinemann of Savvy Wine Food, created a menu of sublime mini plates for the guests over the course of the evening, and they were followed by a selection of individual wedding cakes by Robin Loves Cake on antique, sterling-footed candy dishes. Floral design and vases were produced in-house by Merryl Brown Events. Incredible views and incredible house paired with a loving and gorgeous couple. What more could you ask for?

Wedding Photography: Toby Tucker Photography / Wedding Venue: Villa Carerra in Montecito, California / Wedding Coordination + Design: Merryl Brown Events / Officiant: Reverend Jerry Bellamy / Catering: Savvy Wine Food / Wedding Cakes: Robyn Loves Cake / Music: Santa Barbara Quartet / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Antique China + Silver: Merryl Brown Events / Linens: La Tavola / Wedding Dresses: Unknown / Hair + Makeup: Unveiled Makeup & Hair

La Tavola Fine Linen Rental and Merryl Brown Events are members of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.

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I can practically feel the love + happiness radiating from these amazing, sunlight-soaked images by leila brewster photography.  Putting together an intimate destination wedding at HeartStone Ranch was a family affair for this adorable couple; glass jars were collected for months + the bride’s sister made 1,000 origami paper cranes to wish them good luck! There is so much more beauty to peruse in the full gallery.

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From the Bride… We envisioned our wedding as small and intimate with a casual, elegant feel. We decided to have a destination wedding. It was important for us to have it in an area we both loved and that was small enough that our family and friends weren’t too far away. It would have been difficult to accomplish this more intimate wedding weekend in LA so we moved it north to the Santa Barbara/Carpinteria area. After much searching, we found HeartStone Ranch, which felt perfect.

We wanted to have a backyard, summer wedding with a laid-back feel. We had lawn games, benches and picnic blankets to chill out on. There was a beautiful outdoor fireplace as the evening cooled down. A lot of our wedding decor was DIY, and as much as we could, we tried to use sustainable materials. We saved loads of glass bottles to use as vases and candle holders (even learning to use a glass-cutter to cut bottles). We used succulents as part of our floral arrangements. We borrowed items from family and friends when possible. My sister Courtney amazingly made 1,000 origami paper cranes to wish us good luck. To showcase the beautiful origami, we strung them on dowels and metal rings to create mobiles. They were also placed on the table around the glassware and used to decorate the place cards. My mom has beautiful writing and wrote out all the place names. We used burlap runners for decor accents and had beautiful vintage glassware all provided by Borrowed Blu (event/floral design) that really completed the table and overall look of the wedding. All of this probably sounds like a lot, and it was, but it worked out thanks to the help of our great vendors, some of whom I mentioned earlier, along with DNT Elite Events (wedding coordination), Main Course California (catering), and Leila Brewster (photography). They made our wedding day amazing and provided us with many great memories. 

We had a wonderful day. The weather was perfect, and we were surrounded by our family and friends who came to celebrate with us from near and far. Our guests were laughing and dancing (even our parents!), the food and desserts were delicious, and we were happy as we enjoyed the short but sweet day. Everything just came together so perfectly. A huge thanks to everyone involved!

Wedding Photography: leila brewster photography / Wedding Venue: HeartStone Ranch in Carpinteria, California / Event + Floral Design: Cassandra Stearns of Borrowed Blu / Personal Floral Design: Simply Bouquets / Wedding Coordination: Naomi Takahashi of DNT Elite Events / Officiant: Ignacio Garceron (A Friend) / Catering: Main Course California / DJ: Gavin Roy Presents / Rentals: Ventura Rental / Lighting: EventRents / Wedding Dress: Galina / Hair: Paul Mitchell Salon / Bride’s Makeup: Courtney Dafaee, Matron of Honor + Heerva Macwan, Maid of Honor / Groom’s Attire: J.Crew

This engagement shoot from Lacie Hansen Photography is so beautiful on so many levels I just can’t even handle it. The sands of Santa Barbara make for some of the prettiest of pictures, but the images of this adorable couple in the trees as the sun sets behind them are real contenders for the most lovely photos ever. If this e-session is any indication for what the wedding will be like, then sign.me.up for even more of the romantic and colorful loveliness I’m seeing at each and every click through our gallery, right here.

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From Lacie Hansen Photography… Nicole and Hiten will be having a Indian wedding this September in Ojai! I am so thrilled to be photographing their wedding. Their engagement was shot in Santa Barbara.

Photography: Lacie Hansen Photography / Location: Santa Barbara, California / Hair + Makeup: Mar of TEAM Hair and Makeup

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