At first glance, I guessed this stunning Mediterranean-style soiree from B. Schwartz Photography to be set in the Greek countryside rather than sweet Santa Barbara. With it’s pure white beauty of a church, olive branches galore and traditions of the locale in every corner, Carter & Cook Event Company nailed this one. And the Bride? She’s a glowing Greek goddess, with a few pretty touches from TEAM Hair And Makeup. See even more here in the gallery.
From the beautiful Bride… Both Teddy and I have played soccer all of our lives from the youth level to the professional level. After Teddy retired from playing professionally, life brought him to Pasadena, California which is where I grew up. One of my first coaching jobs was for a youth club in Pasadena and Teddy was the director of the club. We coached one of the Under 11 girls teams in the club together and the rest is history.
We wanted our wedding to have a Classic, romantic, Greek-infused Style. By far my favorite moment of our wedding day was when my cousin Kolin played the guitar and sang the song “Best Seat In The House” as a tribute to my late father.
From Carter & Cook Event Company… Makenzie and Teddy met when they were paired to coach a local club soccer team together. They developed a strong friendship as they coached the team to win many big tournaments, becoming one of the best girls teams in all of California. As the team blossomed, so did their relationship. After a few years they started dating and the rest is history!
Makenzie and Teddy wanted to create the perfect modern Greek wedding with romantic and ethereal touches. They chose Santa Barbara because of it’s obvious beauty and style… it was the perfect backdrop for their Mediterranean wedding. They really wanted to honor both of their families throughout the wedding day. Teddy comes from a Greek family and they really know how to party on the dance floor! The DJ (Christina Baglin) is a cousin of the groom and had all of the guests on the dance floor practicing their traditional Greek moves. Makenzie’s cousin surprised her with a beautiful song tribute to her late father. He changed a few of the words to Best Seat in the House by LoCash Cowboys and sang/played guitar. There was not a dry eye in the hall! The bride wore a monogrammed patch from her father’s old dress shirt inside her wedding gown as a small way to have him there with her. Alise of Sweet Marie Designs designed the most beautiful arrangements with yellow, green, gold and taupe tones. She brought the couple’s inspiration to life and it truly felt like an indoor, shabby chic garden party. Another special Greek touch were the favors. The family had olive oil shipped in from the father of the groom’s village in Greece (Kalamata), which is where the couple honeymooned. Makenzie and Teddy bottled it for each guest to take home. We created a few chalkboard details throughout the wedding; the seating arrangement sign, vintage plate table numbers, menus and other signage were chalkboards or made to look like it. The menus and favor tags were designed by Alaina of A Kreative Kraning and the extra large seating assignment chalkboard was beautifully done by Margaret of Nightingale Handmade.
It was a beautiful night celebrating the couple and what is most important to them: love, family and life!
Photography: B Schwartz Photography | Videography: Aqua Vivus Productions | Coordination: Carter & Cook Event Company | Floral Design: Olive Willow Designs | Wedding Dress: Enzoani | Cake: Crushcakes | Church: Saint Barbara Event Center | Shoes: Coach | Necklace: Etsy - Somethingjeweled | Bridesmaids Dresses: Dessy Collection By Vivian Diamond | Caterer: Petros | Calligraphy: Nightingale Handmade | Groom's Attire: J.Crew | Garters: The Wedding Garter | Invitation Suite: Wedding Paper Divas | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Makeup Artis: TEAM Hair and Makeup | Menues: A Kreative Kraning | Rentals: Town And Country