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Colorful Mexican-inspired wedding at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum

November 6, 2017
Pastel bridesmaid dresses

Pastel lovers, are you dying over this shot by Cara Robbins Studio right about now? Such a perfect interpretation of one of our very fave wedding color palettes. Sara + Brad’s wedding at Santa Barbara Historical Museum was colorful, romantic, with just a hint of boho and Mexican-inspired elements. They both wanted it to feel like a ‘low-key family-style dinner party followed by an epic dance party’ and that’s exactly what they created, with the help of coordinator + floral designer Fern & Foxtail.

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Our bride Sara looking lovely in her Hayley Paige gown…

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We knew we wanted to get married in Santa Barbara because it’s where Sara has spent summers since she was a little girl, and her parents recently moved to the city full time. We also love being in and by the ocean. Living in the Bay Area, it’s our go-to weekend getaway destination and a place we’ve had special memories together since early in our relationship. For us, if love were a physical place, it would be Santa Barbara.

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Scrolling on through all these peeks at the venue, it’s no wonder why so many people choose Santa Barbara for I Do, huh?

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Love that pop of emerald!

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Sara tells it, Since we wanted a visually stunning setting, I searched for a unique, distinctive venue where we could host both the ceremony and the reception for an easy flow throughout the wedding day. The Santa Barbara Historical Museum is romantic, charming, and timeless, and seemed like the perfect al fresco setting for saying “I do.” It was very important to us that the entire event be outdoors, so the Museum was a perfect fit for us because we could have the ceremony in one courtyard, the cocktail hour in a second space around the corner, and dinner and dancing in a third courtyard surrounded by gorgeous Mediterranean style landscaping and fountains, old adobe buildings and terra cotta roofs, and views of palm trees and the mountains beyond. We also loved that the venue felt completely secluded and of a different era, but is in fact right in the heart of downtown.

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They served all local wines and their specialty cocktails were a bright pink spicy prickly pear margarita (a nod to Sara’s Texas roots), and a Negroni Sbagliato (they each lived in Italy in 2007).

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Seating chart perfection, right here. Find everyone involved in all of S + B’s wedding deets at the bottom of this post…

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This cute flamingo-topped cake and their fave, McConnell’s ice cream, were just a couple treats for guests that were reflective of their sunny, playful style.

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Big family dinner and epic dance party to follow? Check and check.

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And finally, Sara + Brad’s love story… We were very committed from the beginning but over a few amazing years in NYC, we knew it was becoming more serious. Fast forward to May 2016 and I had just moved to San Francisco for a job, while Brad planned to transfer with his work to Oakland a few months later. We had never done long distance before and it was tougher than I had expected. During a family weekend in San Diego, Brad completely surprised me with a beach proposal at La Jolla Shores with my whole family in on it. Ecstatic about building a married life together on the west coast, we spent 14 months planning our dream wedding in California.

Cheers!

Photography: Cara Robbins Studio / Videography: Conor Hagen / Venue: Santa Barbara Historical Museum / Event Coordination & Florals: Fern & Foxtail / Hair: Brianna Stewart / Makeup: Tomiko Taft / Invitations: Prim + Pixie / Day-of Paper Goods: Minted / Calligraphy: Sophia Loves Letters / Letterpress: Swell Press / Catering: Omni Catering / Ice Cream Cart: McConnell’s / Cutting Cake: Enjoy Cupcakes / Ribbons: Tono & Co. / Music: Django Foxtrot + Dart DJ of Dart Collective / Rentals: The Tent Merchant / Bride’s Dress: Hayley Paige / Shoes: Stone Fox Bride in NYC / Engagement Ring: Vintage / Wedding Bands: Christensen Heller Gallery in Berkeley, CA / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale, Dessy CollectionDonna MorganJ. Crew, Show Me Your Mumu, Two Birds / Groom’s Suit: J. Crew / Shoes: Sabah