Every wedding is a party, but this beautiful Bride and handsome Groom made sure their wedding was the “biggest and best Friday night dance party you could imagine.” From the handpicked playlist to the beer (note, not Champagne) toast, this wedding was full of party! Relive all the fun for yourself, thanks to Michael + Anna Costa Photography and The SB Video Crew, in The Vault!
From The Bride…Our engagement happened on February 15th, 2014 at the Thompson Hotel in Toronto, Canada. For me it was the perfect proposal, a dream really. My entire family including my Mom, Dad, two sisters, were all in on the surprise, and I was COMPLETELY surprised. After Brian popped the question in our hotel room overlooking the lake, champagne, flowers, family and happiness overwhelmed us and from there, each moment in the night got better and better. Brian not only planned to have my family there, but he also arranged to have my life-long friend and her husband meet us to celebrate by flying them in from Chicago. It was magical and kicked-off the festivities with the best of the best vibes.
Wedding planning and everything that came with it was surreal. We are so lucky to have the most amazing family and friends who made each step in the process beautiful. When it came to the actual wedding, our main goal was really to throw a party. We wanted everyone to have fun and for it to truly represent who we are as a couple down to the small details. Santa Barbara has always held a sweet spot in our hearts because we met there, and did a lot of growing up there, and so it was the natural choice for us to pick as our location to celebrate the big day. We knew we wanted the party to be outside, and the SB Historical Museum was the first venue we looked at. After that, nothing could compare. We locked in the venue about a year before our big day, and started to plan out the biggest and best Friday night dance party you could imagine.
We can both honestly say that without a doubt, our wedding day was the best day of our lives. It’s cliche, but it is so true. When the day arrived, I was calm, cool and collected. My mom and her boyfriend had rented an amazing house overlooking the Santa Barbara hills, and this is where my stunning bridesmaids and my mother and mother-in law all got ready together. The views were to die for. Brian and his boys had a house in downtown Santa Barbara, and they got ready together there. Brian and I decided to do our first look on the beautiful Santa Barbara State Beach, and then got to the venue for pictures with the rest of our family and wedding party.
The day went by so fast, but we both tried to feel every moment and internalize what was happening. We had a friend officiate the wedding for us, and the three of us wrote our entire ceremony together. That was such an amazing experience, and a way to make our wedding ours. The ceremony was the right mix of funny, thoughtful and most importantly full of love. I still remember looking out into the crowd and seeing both sets of our parents so happy. I am so happy our photographer, Anna Costa, captured so many of these special moments so beautifully throughout the day.
The night then went into a fun cocktail hour, complete with our signature drink, “The Bunny Gimlet”. From there, we sat down to an amazing meal that we designed with the fabulous Cassie from Omni Catering. Food and drink are both very important to Brian and I, so we wanted to treat our guests. The SB Historical Museum looked incredible thanks to Tenley Young and her floral and design skills. A friend at work once made fun of me for calling our wedding, “Rustic Chic,” but our vendors helped us capture this description so perfectly, and brought our vision of Santa Barbara glam to life. My absolute favorite part, though, was the music. Brian and I hand-picked every song we wanted played and worked with Gavin Roy Presents and his team to bring our playlist to fruition. A standout moment of the night for us was the beer toast (instead of a champagne toast) followed by the limbo contest. Spencer, our MC, brought our crowd to their feet time and time again, and our dance party happened flawlessly. Our 104 guests stayed until 10 pm, and then the entire party , including my grandparents, went on to our after-party, filled with light sticks, pizza and even more music. It was exactly what we could have hoped for.
Brian and I smiled the entire day. I was quite literally screaming with happiness, laughing and just smiling. You can see it in the pictures and in the video the SB Video Crew made for us. It was just the best.
Photography: MICHAEL + ANNA COSTA PHOTOGRAPHY | Cinematography: The SB Video Crew | Floral Design: Tenley Erin Young Floral | Wedding Dress: JLM Couture, Inc | Cake: Crushcakes | Bride's Shoes: Valentino | Hair + Makeup: LunaBella Make-up and Hair | Lighting: Bella Vista Designs, Inc | DJ: Gavin Roy | Venue: Santa Barbara Historical Museum | Coordination + Catering: Omni Fresco Catering | Rentals: Ventura Party Rentals