When you’ve got a team of talented vendors like Anna Of Michael + Anna Costa Photo and Grass Roots behind your Big Day you’re pretty much guaranteed un-stoppable style. Add in some California sunshine and the unequaled scenery that is Santa Barbara, and you get a gallery that’s as good as it gets. See it all in The Vault!
From the beautiful Bride… Tim and I met in graduate school while studying journalism, and quickly bonded over our mutual loves for traveling, long-distance running and the beach (we both ran track in college and worked as lifeguards in our earlier days). Tim grew up in Connecticut, and I grew up in California, and it shocked me to find out he’d never visited my great state. So early in our relationship, I whisked him out for an epic road trip down Highway One from San Francisco to San Diego. Along the way, we met up with my parents for a couple of days in Santa Barbara. While there, we went on a bike ride along the coast, pedaling our way to The Biltmore, Four Seasons. We parked our bikes and took a long stroll around the hotel’s beautiful grounds.
Three-and-a-half years later, Tim proposed—in New York City, where we both live—and we began searching high and low for a wedding venue from afar. We remembered that lovely afternoon at the Four Seasons, and it seemed like the perfect spot. For me, it was doubly sweet, because I grew up taking weekend trips to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles and have some of my favorite childhood memories there. As for Tim, it seemed like the ideal place to bring in his out-of-town guests for the celebratory weekend.
We especially loved the Biltmore’s Spanish architecture (we’d vacationed in Spain a few years back), its lush gardens and its proximity to the Pacific. That sparked our theme of “California coast meets travels abroad.” I had fun picking out beachy touches like sea urchin place-card holders, and we definitely worked in some Euro accents. Before we met, Tim had lived in Germany, so it just seemed right to adorn our wedding dinner table with a cursive script of the German words for Mister and Misses—”Herr” and “Frau.”
Our specialty drink—Coganc, ginger ale, and a spiral of orange—was inspired by a family boat trip down the Charente river, in the Cognac region of France. We called it the “Jarnac,” after the town where we started and finished our trip.
The best part was watching our family and friends from around the country (and world—my sister and her husband flew in from Australia), laugh, talk, and dance amid the wonderful setting—that, and the whales that just so happened to swim up the coast during our cocktail hour. Our families joke that we hired them for the evening.
Photography: MICHAEL + ANNA COSTA PHOTOGRAPHY | Event Design: Onyx & Redwood | Floral Design: Grass Roots | Wedding Dress: Mark Zunino | Cake: Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids Dresses: BHLDN | Bridesmaids Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Catering: Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis | Hair And Makeup: Shine Blow Dry Bar | Calligraphy: Sophia Uretz | Lighting: AMS Entertainment | DJ: AMS Entertainment | Groom's Attire: Jos. A. Bank | Officiant: Jon Ireland | Transportation: Jump On The School Bus | Venue: Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis | Cake Topper: Laura Hooper Calligraphy | Guitarist: AMS Entertainment | Invitations & Menus: Paper Source | Place Card Holders: Beachy Chic Decor