Santa Barbara Wedding at El Presidio Chapel: Perrin + Michael

Santa Barbara wedding

Though Perrin grew up in California + Michael in rural Vermont, they met in New Mexico, so the historical El Presidio Chapel in Santa Barbara was the perfect setting to capture the architecture of the southwest + dirt-under-your-feet feeling of where they first fell in love!  There were many fun + thoughtful details incorporated into this wedding, making it feel personal + close to home. Perrin wore her mother’s wedding dress (with some expert alterations by Alina Pizzano), traditional red chile ristras were shipped in from New Mexico as a nod to the couple’s college days, and succulents grown (from seed!) by the bride’s uncle + aunt decorated the reception tables. I’m majorly in love with the floral design from Simply Bouquets – I mean check out that amazing garland! And you won’t want to miss the 100-person dance parade through the Santa Barbara streets following their ceremony, a bit later in the post! :)

Big thanks to Limelife Photography for the gorgeous photography and congrats to Perrin + Michael!

green door garland

bride

bridesmaids

bright bouquet

groom

Santa Barbara wedding

bride and groom


Seriously, can you believe this was Perrin’s mother’s wedding dress?! It’s probably one of my all time faves….

bride and groom

bride and groom

bride and groom

Santa Barbara wedding

Santa Barbara wedding

papel picado

Santa Barbara wedding

Santa Barbara wedding


The chapel where Perrin + Michael exchanged their vows was Santa Barbara’s very first church. Such a pretty + colorful setting!

Santa Barbara wedding

Santa Barbara wedding

Santa Barbara wedding

Santa Barbara wedding

wedding parade march

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

The 7-piece mariachi band that never stopped playing from the moment they descended the choir loft (where they played during our ceremony) and led all our guests on the 5-minute walk from the Presidio, through the streets of Santa Barbara, and to the reception, creating a 100-person dance line. We planned it in advance, of course, but had no idea how much fun it would be or how perfectly it would set the tone for the rest of the reception.

wedding parade march

wedding parade march

wedding parade march


The vibrant papel picado was hand-made on letter-press + sewn by hand. I love how itt adds such a great dose of color to the venue’s neutral backdrop!

papel picado

wedding rings

succulent favors

succulent favors

first dance

first dance

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

We're organized list-makers by nature, but we learned that we needed to decide what key elements were most important to us and just let some of the smaller things go. We were pretty good about keeping everything in perspective, and really just looked at the day as an excuse to throw an amazing party. Honestly, though, we couldn't have pulled off some of the inevitable hiccups that arise on the day itself without our incredible day-of coordinator (Sophie, of Amazing Day Events). She took care of every last detail so we were free to relax and enjoy what ended up being the best party we've ever been to in our lives.

photography: Limelife Photography // venue name: Casa de la Guerra // wedding dress: I wore my mother's wedding dress and albeit drastically (and beautifully) altered by bridal designer Alina Pizzano // hairpiece: Simply Bouquets // hair stylist: I did it myself (after receiving a helpful tutorial at Woodley and Bunny // makeup artist: I did it myself (after receiving a helpful tutorial at Woodley and Bunny // groom attire: J.Lindeberg // paper goods: Heidrun Mumper-Drumm // catering: Los Arroyos // music: Mariachi Camarillo, DJ Malik, Goodbeat Productions // ceremony venue: El Presidio de Santa Barbara // event planner: Sophie Spier // floral design: Simply Bouquets // dessert: Macarons by Euro Pane, mini-pies (lemon, chocolate cream) by Simply Pies

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