What exactly is California cool? It’s this Santa Barbara wedding captured to perfection by Carmen Santorelli. Complete with a stunning Bride in a backless Katie May wedding dress, loose, vibrant flowers and colonial-era Spanish touches (how much do you love that chapel and the flamenco?!), this wedding is the very definition of effortless elegance. See each and every detail in THE VAULT!
From The Bride…When Jason and I walked into the chapel of El Presidio de Santa Barbara, we knew that this was the perfect place for us to be married. With Jason’s deep Santa Barbara roots and my Basque heritage we both felt incredibly connected to this beautiful historic Spanish chapel. The interior exudes old world charm and makes you feel as if you are being transported into another time, back to the days of fiestas and flower-bedecked carriages.
Our dear friend, Patrice Handley of Santa Barbara Classic Weddings, wrote the ceremony for us. She happens to be one of Santa Barbara’s top wedding officiants, and we were honored to have her share our love story with our beloved friends and family. Patrice recommended the very talented local Spanish guitarist, Chris Fossek. He created a magnificent piece for me to walk down the aisle to, as well as arranging for an entertaining flamenco show at our reception.
Our photographer, Carmen Santorelli, was like a wispy sprite, taking amazingly artistic photos without us even noticing her. She totally captured how enraptured we both were during the ceremony, as well as the joyfulness of everyone during the whole wedding. Carmen’s photos of my wedding gown by the incomparable designer, Katie May, are radiant; her skill is clearly in creating ethereal wedding photos!
We decided to have the reception at Arnoldi’s Café. Jason’s wonderful Godfather owns the restaurant and there is a local, Italian family vibe that we knew all our friends and family would love. The mood of the starlit night in the courtyard with exquisite Spanish guitar was so romantic, and the fiery flamenco dancing had everyone jump out of their seats in applause!
So many things made our wedding special and unique, particularly the love and support we had from our incredibly loving community of friends and family. We were totally embraced by their warmth and happiness for us, which made every single thing a memory we will treasure forever!
Photography: Carmen Santorelli Photography | Floral Design: Terra Malia Designs | Wedding Dress: Katie May | Cake: Christine Dahl Pastries | Invitations: Maddie Gordon | Ceremony Venue: El Presidio Chapel | Reception Venue: Arnoldis | Rings: Ben Bridge Jewers | Bridesmaids' Dresses: BHLDN | Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss | Officiant: Patrice Pandley, Santa Barbara Classic Weddings | Getting Ready Venue: Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis | Guitarist: Chris Fossek | Programs: Leanna Wolf