We had a great time with this Santa Barbara session! Shot on location in Santa Barbara, and Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez.
Hair and makeup by Julie Morgan. Photography by Shannon Stellmacher Dress Designer Amy Jo Tatum.
“1940′s inspired” Bridal Session at San Francisco City Hall
Photography by Shannon Stellmacher, Designer Amy Jo Tatum, Hair and Makeup by Julie Morgan
I have SUCH a school girl crush on this San Ysidro Ranch wedding snapped up by Mi Belle Photography. It has me so giddy I can barely put sentences together, I just want to sit here and blush with glee. The flowers alone have my heart all a flutter, which always seems to happen when Flowerwild is behind the bouquets, and the gorgeous, understated blush hues are just my DREAM. Words can’t express just how much I love this pretty little fête coordinated by Event of the Season, but who needs words when the pictures are this pretty? See even more here!
From the bride… When my mom and I toured the San Ysidro Ranch we knew it was the perfect place for me to get married, even though the ranch was the first place we looked! I completely fell in love with the garden, the lavender fields and all those flowers. The lush landscaping meant that I could focus my flower budget and Kate’s incredible talents on tuning the Hydrangea Cottage into an intimate and enchanted dinner party for our closest friends and family. With around forty guests we wanted every detail to be extra special. Jennifer Parsons and Tiny Pine Press helped us set the tone for our wedding before our guests even arrived at the ranch. For our invitations we chose a cream square of hand torn paper with two pressed lavender stems and tied with a dusty rose ribbon. What I loved most about the invitations and all of the beautiful paper Jennifer created for our wedding was that each piece was lovingly made by hand and looked a little bit different.
I could probably write pages on how perfect the flowers were and on all the compliments I got from my guests on Kate’s magic. We went very simple for the ceremony because there were already so many gorgeous flowers in the ranch garden and just had some cream rose petals down the aisle and the bouquets. The bridesmaids bouquets looked good enough to eat! Each adorable little bundle of pink and peach flowers tied with cream lace was unique. I carried a collection of cream, light peach, and pale pale pink flowers, including plump cabbage roses tied with cream lace. Inside the hydrangea cottage, Kate filled the two long feasting tables with “your chic French grandma’s collection” of urns, bud vases and glasses, all filled with the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen in my life! Loose flowers and votives filled the mantle and the remaining space on the tables. It took our breath away when we walked in and saw the room for the first time. Kate ensured my reception looked like a dream, but Anthony kept everyone awake and out on the dance floor with a fantastic line up of songs, including Ben E. King’s Stand By Me, which was our first dance (pre-wedding dance lessons pay off by the way!). Everyone had a great time, and Michelle captured some amazing and endearing moments.
I researched all of my fantastic vendors myself (often using Style Me Pretty!), but Kelly Clark Leopold from Event of the Season was the one to pull all of the pieces and people together for me and make my wedding day run as smoothly as any bride could hope for (this after delivering her baby boy early just a couple of weeks before my big day!). Kelly never missed a beat though and thought to complete the overall look of my outdoor ceremony with a couple of baskets of parasols and a sweet little white cruiser bike to hold the programs and later the bouquets. Even though it was perhaps the only cloudy day on record in Montecito in September and no one needed the parasols or the ice cold ranch grown lemonade we served pre-ceremony, I like to think our wedding was still perfect because I married a truly kind and amazing man who is and will always be my best friend.
Click here for the FULL wedding!
Courtney and Derek are indeed proof that “Opposites Certainly Attract”. Courtney is sweetly reserved and a bit quiet upon meeting…where Derek is an outspoken, larger than life character sure to get any party started. They have an honest joy for each other, and just know how to enjoy life. Now, I know that wedding days are all about celebrating the meaningful and eternal things..but another thing that Courtney and Derek were celebrating this day, was a normal face for Derek. You see, a week ago, Derek was up at the snow for his weekly skiing trip and he got bit by a spider on his forehead. No biggie right???..well this little sucker made Dereks face swell up like a UFC fighter who clearly got a beat down. He showed us pictures on his phone because I didn’t believe it was that bad, until I saw that he was unrecognizable… and his eyes were swollen shut. As photographers, there are things we can retouch, but not entire heads. We were equally excited that the swelling had gone down, and that the remaining bump could be masked by makeup..but clearly this story was an ongoing catch phrase throughout the night…and Derek handled it like a champ.
You know it is going to be a good wedding when the bride agrees to forfeit going to a few favorite landmarks in the city..to climb aboard what seemed to be a pirate ship. Between having “Goonies” flashbacks, and being blown away by the beauty of the city view..I felt myself have to take a few deep breaths to not get emotional. I was just standing next to my darling husband Jason at the bow of the ship, sunshine on my face, getting a few last shots of our love birds, and I couldn’t help but feel SO grateful that this is our job, and more importantly, how much we LOVE IT. {This is where you insert the Celine Dion song from Titanic}. But for reals…It was a perfect day..XOXO..
And because Derek kept joking that this was the “Courtney Show” cuz we were taking a million pics of JUST her, I wanted to do a few shout outs to our groom, and the things that make him awesome.
From Shannon Stellmacher’s Blog : http://www.shannonstellmacherphotography.com/blog/
“It was great to work with a wonderful team of vendors!!
We shot at the gorgeous Annadel Estate Winery in Sonoma’s Valley of the Moon. The Rustic Barn is a perfect backdrop for a wine country wedding.
Thanks to our beautiful model Lori, who was a trouper in the rain and cold weather. Stunning hair and make up by Julie Morgan Hair and Makeup. Custom designer dresses by Amy Jo Tatum; Designer of bridal gowns in imported silks and laces. Gorgeous flowers provided by Nancy Ann Flowers.”
Want to know my favorite part about weddings? I love all the sweet details, like the little jars of pie filling as escort cards used in this affair. I love the fabulous style, and the way it comes out in the fashion and the decor, like those great little seating areas. I love the floral design, intricate, sweet, modern, or romantic. But I capital LOVE getting to see what makes the couple tick from the photos, which Kate Harrison did such a great job with on this Sonoma wedding. Bliss Event Productions knew these two were total rockstars, and helped them design their complete dream of a rockstar wedding. I love getting to know each couple through their special day.
Justin and I are music and food nerds whose idea of a perfect evening involves dinner with good friends at a neighborhood gem, a little 80s karaoke, and some major dancing…so when we stated planning our wedding, we looked away from the formal venues in NYC (our home town) and turned to wine country to get the laid-back, foodie vibe we wanted.
We scheduled our first planning tip to Sonoma in the middle of the NYC winter (a destination wedding bonus!) and hit the ground running. Over the course of four days, we drove over 600 miles and saw many gorgeous spaces, but none felt right until we stepped onto a storied private estate, tucked into the Sonoma hills. Stone ruins, an old barn, and gnarled, mossy oaks charged the air with drama, but felt informal enough to have the kind of rockstar party we wanted. Justin and I high-fived as we left the property, knowing that we’d found the place where we’d marry.
With the help of the immeasurably talented Brandy Cabral at Bliss Event Productions, we designed a wedding filled with details that celebrated our love for each other. Surrounded by 110 of our closest family and friends, Justin and I became husband and wife in a ceremony we had written together. We honored our families by referencing them wherever we could: my grandmother carried my late grandfather’s beloved Red Sox hat with her down the aisle; I wore bracelets that represented each part of my family; we changed into traditional Chinese wedding attire during the reception. We served our favorite foods (pork chops and pie!) and got everyone on their feet during a dance-off/air-guitar battle. Justin took the whole thing next level when he jumped on stage to sing “Sweet Child of Mine” with the band!
Our little wedding-turned-concert was the perfect combination of love, laughter, and fun. We wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without the tremendous efforts of our amazing vendors (huge, ridiculous thank you)! Justin and I feel like the luckiest couple in the world.
Style Me Pretty
The Vintage Estate Wedding by Kara Pearson Photography + Suzy Berberian Weddings & Events
Was inteviewed to give hair and make up tips in the Summer edition of Northern California Brides Magazine.
Style Me Pretty
Holman Ranch Wedding by Amy Nichols Special Events & Alisha + Brook Photographers (Style Me Pretty)
Sylvie Gil has this magic way of capturing an event. It’s the kind of photography that stops us right in our tracks, that makes us forget about any other gorgeous wedding we’ve ever seen and has us focus all of that “for the love of weddings” adoration on this… a Napa beauty complete with a wondrously ruffled dress and polka dot linens. Oh be still our detail loving hearts. The pretty doesn’t stop here people. High-tail it over to the gallery for more, more, more.
Leave a Comment