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Peter and Jessica met nine years ago at Brown University.  They now live together in Brooklyn, NY. They chose Santa Barbara as their wedding location because Jessica is from Los Angeles and grew up going to Santa Barbara, because her parents had a place there.

El Mirador is an absolutely magical overgrown estate in the Santa Barbara area.  They wanted the guests to get to experience all the amazing areas of this “secret garden” so they had the guests enter at the top of the property and exit at the bottom, having wandered and experienced the many incredible areas.  Guests drove up a dramatic palm-lined driveway where they were greeted by the valet. They then entered the old foundation of the original house, with a koi pond in the center, built in the 1920′s, that has since been torn down and never rebuilt.  Guitar music greeted them as well as fresh lemonade with a spiked option.  The guests could then wander under the foundation to the Grotto that was used during Prohibition.  With wooden arrows leading the way, guests found their way through old stone paths to the pond with a Japanese garden.  At the pond were the bass and violin players playing Django Reinhardt music.  There was another beverage option of cucumber water.  After the guests explored this amazing backdrop they were queued by a gong to head towards the ceremony lawn, a beautiful grassy area surrounded by huge trees.  The chuppah for the ceremony matched the wild beauty of the location.

After the ceremony, guests were led to another lawn near the reception area where the cocktail hour was held.  While guests enjoyed cocktail they also participated in a Polaroid sign in book that Jessica’s photography friends helped run.  Joaquin Trujillo shot Polaroids of the guests for the sign-in.  Guests strolled over to the old carriage house and courtyard for the reception with strung lights hanging across the structure.  The flowers were a brilliant array of jewel-toned purples, oranges and greens arranged in vintage tins and vases provided by Jessica, Rebecca Stone and Camille (florist).  All the guests had silkscreen printed mini sacks of wildflower seeds on their plates as a party favor listing that a donation to the Natural Resources Defense Council had been made in their honor.  The food from Seasons Catering was displayed as a family style buffet featuring homemade mushroom ravioli as well as local vegetables from Ojai.  The cake mirrored the rustic design of the event with a “Betty Crocker” style of butter cream frosting with organically placed fresh figs, berries, champagne grapes, and flowers.  The wedding was an intimate affair in a naturally beautiful, organic, and warm setting on a perfect late summer day.

Wedding Photography: Corbin Gurkin Photography / Wedding Coordination: {duet} Weddings / Wedding Ceremony & Reception Location: El Mirador Estate / Rentals: Ventura Party Rentals / Floral Design: Modern Day Design / Catering: Seasons Catering / Wedding Cake: Christine Dahl Pastries / Officiant: Rabbi Evan Goodman / Wedding Invitations: The White Aisle / Wedding Ceremony & Cocktail Hour Musicians: Ivan Johnson / Wedding Reception Music: Gavin Roy of Santa Barbara DJ’s / Hair Accessories: Pluma (the bride!) / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale + J.Crew + Priscilla of Boston + Joanna August / Groomsmen Attire: Bloomingdale’s / Hair & Makeup: Kelly of The Studio Agency

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amsale, Bloomingdales, CA, California, Christine Dahl Pastries, Corbin Gurkin Photography, Duet Weddings, El Mirador, Family Style Buffet, Green, intimate wedding, J. Crew, Joanna August, Modern Day Design, Montecito, Orange, Outdoor Wedding, Pluma, Priscilla of Boston, Purple, Rabbi Even Goodman, Rustic Chic, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara DJ's, Seasons Catering, Southern California Wedding, The Studio Agency, The White Aisle, Ventura Party Rentals, Vintage Chic
Post categories: Casual Elegance

click here to see the full wedding gallery!

When David proposed to me on the beach at my parent’s summer cottage on Lake Michigan, we immediately started to think about where we wanted to get married. David grew up in the Village in NYC, but has been a California boy since he was 19. I grew up in a myriad of places: Chicago, Boston, Boca Raton, etc…but have been happily settled in Los Angeles for 7 years now. So it made sense to us to celebrate the place where we found each other, instead of where we grew up and Santa Barbara was at the top of the list, both of us being big wine-lovers.

We knew we wanted to plan something outside and laid back, yet with a classy feel to it. We had spent many weekends up in Santa Barbara while dating and while we knew the area quite well, when we started looking, we found it challenging to find the perfect venue. Enter – Roblar Winery. The moment we walked in the door of this fairly new Santa Ynez winery, we were instantly in love! It was absolutely what we had been looking for. Once we had picked our venue, the rest was a fun creative process that we gladly shared with Rebecca from Duet Weddings. She helped us shape our wedding into an entire weekend of events that just felt like us. We started by designing our own monogram that we used throughout the year. Not only did it go on all of our wedding stationery and thank you cards, but we also ended up putting it on the market bags we filled for the hotel rooms and on the cover of the cd we made for everyone.

Both David and I love to cook, and at home, we are dedicated to eating locally from the various LA Farmer’s Markets. This ended up being a kind of theme for our wedding, as we decided to get herbs from our friend’s Agoura Hills Farm (Maggie’s Farm) and dry them and make our own herb mix to give out as favors. This went in our welcome market bag along with the cd, vineyard maps, itinerary, welcome letter, snacks, etc….

We didn’t have a very large budget for flowers and I knew I wanted to use flowers that grew locally and that were in season. So, when I met with Juniper to discuss ideas, we talked about using white and blue hygrangeas, along with simple white and green flowers, so as not to compete with the natural beauty of the vineyard. We also discussed adding the herb theme in that area as well, so we placed pots of herbs in various places. An idea I got from looking at countless Style Me Pretty posts over the last year!

We lucked out when my husband’s sister, Susan, offered to bake our wedding cake for us as a gift. She is an accomplished baker and had made a few others in the past and we gladly accepted. It turned out AMAZING. Definitely one of the tastier wedding cakes we had ever eaten and it was so special that she was able to make it for us.

Our wedding day was unbelievable…and very peaceful. At the winery, we served a red sangria for pre-ceremony enjoyment. There was also an atrium room adjacent to the cocktails where guests could, keeping with the herb theme, fill paper cones with rose petals, sage leaves,rosemary, lavendar, etc…to throw at us at the end of the ceremony. We also had a table of vintage handkerchiefs laid out for “tears of joy” and Rebecca had brought lots of snuggly brown pashminas to display by the fireplace for later in the evening. Rebecca and her team placed hand-painted wooden signs all over the property, so as guests walked in to the wedding, they passed sentiments such as “To have and to hold” and “From this day forward” which added to the romantic rustic feel we were going for.

Chef Ryan at Roblar catered our wedding and we decided to do a huge cheese and charcuterie station for the cocktail hour (he smokes his own prosciutto!) and then a heavy pass of hors d’oeuvres and a few stations. The whole menu was dedicated to fresh local ingredients and the kind of food preparation that David and I enjoy at home. Simple, fresh and seasonal. Local rock shrimp, baby lamp chops, grilled filet mignon, risotto, etc.. And after discovering that Roblar had an outdoor pizza oven, we decided to have 3 kinds of gourmet pizzas passed as well. We kept with our rustic theme using Roblar’s wooden tables and forgoing the white linens (another great money saver!).

Instead of a guest book, Rebecca had guests write little notes to us and drop them in large vases throughout the night. At the end of the wedding, we were presented with a beautifully wrapped box of notes to open on our 1-year anniversary!

One very special picture that I will cherish forever is the one of my mom putting my veil on me. She wore that veil 42 years ago at her own wedding and time had failed to alter it in the slightest way. Jenny Lee ( who made my dress) was nice enough to alter it to fit me, and also told me that the lace in her veil was from the exact same place as the lace in my wedding dress!

All in all, it was a beautiful night at a beautiful venue with our favorite people in the world. There was a lot of laughter, music, delicious food and wine…and I married my best friend. What more could you possibly ask for? I can truly say that if I could go back and do it again, I wouldn’t change one thing. And I’m a perfectionist, so that’s pretty huge! It’s an amazing feeling….

Coordinator: Rebecca Stone, Duet Weddings / Flowers: Juniper Designs / Photography: Amy Nave at MaryJane Photography / Venue & Catering: Roblar Winery / Band – The Martini Kings / Calligraphy: Little Miss Press / Strings – Diane Siminski’s Festival Strings / Hair & Make-up – TEAM Hair & Makeup / Dress: Jenny Lee / Tux: Hugo Boss / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Groomsmen’s Tux: Calvin Klein / Cake – Susan Sheinkopf

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, Calvin Klein, Duet Weddings, Herbs, Hugo Boss, Jenny Lee, Juniper Designs, Monogram, Priscilla of Boston, Roblar Winery, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, TEAM Hair & Maike-up, Wedding Brand
Post categories: California Weddings, Santa Barbara Weddings, Traditional Elegance

From Rebeccca at Duet Weddings the AAAAAMAZING designer behind the day…

The reception was held at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Santa Barbara. The beautiful Spanish courtyard made for an incredible backdrop to raw wood dinner tables adorned with overflowing urns and distressed terra cotta pots. Loose, overgrown florals combined with fruits, vegetables and succulents created an organic feel to the table tops. In keeping with the organic feel, we used natural materials to create menus and table names. We affixed beautifully calligraphed menus to old, salvaged wood pieces, and hand drew the table signs on old, distressed wood pieces as well. Tables names were words inspired by love in Italian. Guest found their names on tiny manila tags, tucked sweetly under small succulent pots at place settings. Vintage seam binding danced on the breeze as flowy streamers and bistro string bulbs glowed magically.

Instead of a traditional guest book, Giovanna and Schuyler wanted something special that they would cherish and enjoy and be reminded of their wedding, their friends, their family with always. A potted olive tree (which now lives outside of Gio & Sky’s home) sat in the courtyard for guests to hang their wishes upon. The tree will continue to grow with the wishes and be a part of Gio & Sky’s lives.

*A HUGE thank you to Rebecca Stone at Duet Weddings and to Elizabeth Messina for sharing this incredibly gorgeous wedding with us. Make sure to check out Elizabeth’s blog, Kiss The Groom, for even more inspiration. And sign up for her new twitter account!*

Photographer: Elizabeth Messina / Caterer: Village Modern / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / DJ: Red Shoe LA / Cake: Christine Dahl / Calligrapher: Little Miss Press / Hair/Makeup: The Studio Agency (Cathryn Van Breene & Sheila Stone) / Dove release: SB Doves / Antique plates/flatware/napkin/rings (for picnic) – Small Masterpiece / Flowers: Modern Day Design / Lighting: Bella Vista Designs / Planning and Design: Duet Weddings / Bridesmaid Dresses: LulaKate

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Post tags: Bella Vista Designs, Best of 2010, California Weddings, Christine Dahl, Classic Party Rentals, Doves, Duet Weddings, Elizbeth Messina, Kiss the Groom, Little Miss Press, magazine, Modern Day Design, Picnic, Pink, Rebecca Stone, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Historial Museum, SB Doves, Small Masterpiece, The Studio Agency, Top Hat, Village Modern REd Shoe LA
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Traditional Elegance

if you can’t wait for our next feature, click here to see the full wedding gallery!

From Rebeccca at Duet Weddings…

We created a romantic “lovers picnic” for two directly following the ceremony for Gio & Sky to have some time alone to reflect before joining the festivities. In addition to a picnic basket full of goodies, a special, miniature version of their wedding cake was created for them to share together. Antique china and flatware added a special touch to the setting- the antique ivory napkin rings featured the letter g & s, and among the flatware- an engraved spoon (from 1905) that was given from a man to his wife on their wedding anniversary.

Giovanna & Schuyler share a special connection to birds…and doves in particular seem to have a way of following them everywhere they go. (I witnessed this myself at several of our planning meetings- it was quite remarkable!) It was only fitting that a special ‘lovebird’ release take place for the lovebirds on their wedding day.

Photographer: Elizabeth Messina / Caterer: Village Modern / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / DJ: Red Shoe LA / Cake: Christine Dahl / Calligrapher: Little Miss Press / Hair/Makeup: The Studio Agency (Cathryn Van Breene & Sheila Stone) / Dove release: SB Doves / Antique plates/flatware/napkin/rings (for picnic) – Small Masterpiece / Flowers: Modern Day Design / Lighting: Bella Vista Designs / Planning and Design: Duet Weddings / Bridesmaid Dresses: LulaKate

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bella Vista Designs, Best of 2010, California Weddings, Christine Dahl, Classic Party Rentals, Doves, Duet Weddings, Elizbeth Messina, Kiss the Groom, Little Miss Press, magazine, Modern Day Design, Picnic, Pink, Rebecca Stone, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Historial Museum, SB Doves, Small Masterpiece, The Studio Agency, Top Hat, Village Modern REd Shoe LA
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

From Rebeccca at Duet Weddings…

I’ll never forget the first time I met Gio & Sky, I was so touched by their warmth and beautiful energy. Listening to their story, I was overwhelmed with inspiration and emotion. Their wedding would be the ultimate celebration of life and love- full of meaning and beauty in every stitch of the day.

Their family and friends traveled from all over the world to join in celebration in Giovanna & Schuyler’s home, Santa Barbara. Gio & Sky wanted to give their guests a taste of this “home” and what it means to them- inspiration was drawn from the natural beauty and history of Santa Barbara itself, Giovanna’s Italian heritage, and Gio & Sky’s connectedness to the earth and love of nature.

The ceremony was held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Montecito. Florals, by Modern Day Design, were inspired by the colors of the church- soft, romantic blush tones with a hint of dusty plum- peonies, garden roses, sweet pea contrasted with silvery green succulents (a favorite of the groom!). Vintage hankies were offered for ‘tears of joy’ in an antique plate. Old fashioned manila tags bound together by vintage seam binding made for sweet programs.

So much more coming up next!

Photographer: Elizabeth Messina / Caterer: Village Modern / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / DJ: Red Shoe LA / Cake: Christine Dahl / Calligrapher: Little Miss Press / Hair/Makeup: The Studio Agency (Cathryn Van Breene & Sheila Stone) / Dove release: SB Doves / Antique plates/flatware/napkin/rings (for picnic) – Small Masterpiece / Flowers: Modern Day Design / Lighting: Bella Vista Designs / Planning and Design: Duet Weddings / Bridesmaid Dresses: LulaKate

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 38 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bella Vista Designs, Best of 2010, California Weddings, Christine Dahl, Classic Party Rentals, Doves, Duet Weddings, Elizbeth Messina, Kiss the Groom, Little Miss Press, magazine, Modern Day Design, Picnic, Pink, Rebecca Stone, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Historial Museum, SB Doves, Small Masterpiece, The Studio Agency, Top Hat, Village Modern REd Shoe LA
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

Insanity right? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything quite as pretty. The rickity old table set literally in the water. The cut crystal, the lace accents…and THE FLOWERS.  Well if you thought the images that Jose snapped were beautiful, you are going to LOVE Joel’s clip. It’s beyond. Totally beyond.

From Kate Holt, owner of Flowerwild…When I planned this workshop, I had a different vision of how it would come together…and how it turned out is so much better than what was in my brain! That is what is so fun and amazing about collaborating with other designers. My attendee, Grace, owner of Vale of Enna in Chicago was the perfect fit for this one-on-one intensive. She was relaxed, creative and so eager to learn new ways to approach design.

We had a magical hobbit house on the beach, literally feet from the water’s edge, where we played with flowers for two days, combed the sand for additional beauties for our tabletop, and talked shop. It was truly one of the best times ever, and it makes me wish I could do these workshops every month.

To keep things simple and focus on design – we decided on an elopement to give us inspiration. On day two, after hours of building and styling our flowers (foraging some roadside!) – we were joined by my favorite talents in the industry: Jose Villa, Joel Serrato, and the ever inspiring Rebecca Stone of Duet Weddings. WOW! The absolute best in the industry…and the rest is all told best thru the imagery.

Thank you so much to Kate, Jose and Joel for sharing this little piece of heaven with us. If you are interested in attending one of Kate’s workshops, click right here for more information.

Florals by Flowerwild and Vale of Enna /  Styling by Duet Weddings / Film by Joel Serrato / Photography by Jose Villa

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beach, Duet Weddings, Flowerwild, Joel Serrato Films, Jose Villa, Kate Holt, Vale of Enna
Post categories: California Weddings, The Blog, Wedding Cinematography, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers

{click here to see the full shoot}

From Kate of Flowerwild…Rebecca of Duet Weddings arranged to have CEVD create the lovely invites that borrow from the gold fiesta flag inspiration – in a perfect blend of frivolous and sophistication. Love them!  In the lounge area, which was strewn with multi-colored pillows and Moroccan leather seats, guests could be served the signature drink….yummy sangria. This is the kind of wedding I want to be invited to!

For flowers – I was drawn to coral, peach, fuschias, oranges with dark berry accents – and her bouquet had to be dramatic. Chocolate sunflowers paired with copper tulips, fuchsia cattelya orchids, ranunculas, anemones. Really wild and ruffly wrapped with a copper braided trim. I love a bride who is not afraid of color and can use it to express herself…this bouquet would be a perfect compliment to the unique, bold, and bohemian bride.

To top it all off Erica Obrien of Erica Obrien Cakes perfected our workshop environment by creating this fantastic cake. Then everyone showed up with Jessica leading the way – ready to dive into making beautiful pictures of all these somewhat funky imaginings. It was great fun!

Photographer: Jessica Claire / Linen & pillows: La Tavola / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals (flatware and cake table) / Rentals: Badia Design (Spanish door, iron screen, Moroccan poufs) / Plates/glassware: Anthropologie / Cake: Erica O’brien / Invitation: CEVD / Flowers: Flowerwild / Stylist: Duet Weddings

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Anthropologie, badia design, bohemian, Classic Party Rentals, Duet Weddings, Flowerwild, Jessica Claire, La Tavola, Photoshoot
Post categories: Wedding Decor, Wedding Details, Wedding Photography

{MORE coming up but if you simply can’t wait, click here...I don’t blame you}

Kate at Flowerwild…From the beginning, I knew I wanted to bring in a lot of juicy colors for Jessica’s workshop. The inspiration boards I created initially were very fiesta oriented with a bohemian twist. I see so many brides looking to create something unique on their wedding day that allows them to have fun and be frivolous but still romantic. A more relaxed affair with tons of color and poufy pillows is just the way to do it!

I searched for the vintage gown tirelessly in many places throughout L.A. – and after many failed attempts- stumbled across this beauty on Ebay. Keyword “maxi dress.” It was a steal when you consider typical costs of gowns. After that everything began to fall in place. My main approach to the more relaxed vibe was to create a reception area that allowed guests to sit amongst a myriad of pillows as they dined.

Our table was constructed from a vintage etched Moroccan door that made for a really subtle but beautiful relief behind the turquoise plates and bold coral colored blooms. Rebecca Stone of Duet weddings was kind enough to lend her expertise to the day – bringing in all the lovely details. Slender stemware for a touch of elegance, festive flatware for a little flair, gold fiesta flags to frame each place setting, saffron pillows and linens by La Tavola and fluttering ribbon treatments for the napkins.

Photographer: Jessica Claire / Linen & pillows: La Tavola / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals (flatware and cake table) / Rentals: Badia Design (Spanish door, iron screen, Moroccan poufs) / Plates/glassware: Anthropologie / Cake: Erica O’brien / Invitation: CEVD / Flowers: Flowerwild / Stylist: Duet Weddings

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Anthropologie, badia design, bohemian, Classic Party Rentals, Duet Weddings, Flowerwild, Jessica Claire, La Tavola, Photoshoot
Post categories: Wedding Decor, Wedding Details, Wedding Photography