From Virginia to Santa Barbara: An Elegant Elopement

ByCherry PhotographyBelmond El EncantoSanta Barbara CourthouseHogue FloralCeremonies by NanetteSB Hair & MakeupBarbareno RestaurantLele Patisserie

May 12

Written By Guest User

From the Couple:

Our wedding day was delayed multiple times as we were supposed to get married in April 2020, and right before, the world shut down. Our photographer, Cherry, was wonderful at being flexible with our timing and schedule. After several resets, even though we got legally married in Alexandria, VA on 04/03/2020, we were able to commemorate this life event with a small wedding on 07/27/2020. The day was beyond perfect and it couldn't have been achieved without a team of experts, who not only do what they do so well, but were extra sensitive to the dynamics of having a wedding during COVID- from being flexible, to moving around dates, to having multiple calls and Zooms to make this perfect (at the time, we were still living on the east coast).

We consider Santa Barbara our second home and go there often. For that reason, it was important to us to marry in such a beautiful place. With a special appreciation for the architecture of the Santa Barbara Courthouse, it was actually always our wish to have our small nuptials at the courthouse. COVID adjust that a bit as the courthouse was closed for marriage licenses, so for that reason, we married in Alexandria, VA, and still had our belated wedding ceremony at the place we love so much- the Santa Barbara courthouse.

Thanks to a bit of research as well as our wonderful photographer Cherry who provided a lot of references and resources, our team was complete. The day was beyond perfect and special and went as follows:

We started with hair and make up at The Belmond where we were staying. I was extremely stressed because OBVIOUSLY on that very day, the electricity was going to be shut off in that part of the neighborhood by the City for maintenance, right during the hours of my hair and make up session with Santa Barbara Hair & Make Up's Emily Kvancz. Emily prepared multiple back up options and The Belmond went out of there way to make sure that we had electricity. They opened the completed closed spa to us and put back up generators there, and the Head of Engineering was available for any needs throughout the set up. Being that this wedding was right in the middle of COVID times, we could only have 10 people celebrate with us, so I was very grateful to have a few of my closest friends there- one particular who not only treated me to champagne, all the meats and cheeses, and snacks while my hair and make up were being done, but also kept me get into my massive wedding dress.
I was running slightly late and forgot my bouquet (thank goodness for my friend to remember the details), but I was finally able to step out of the spa and start our photo session with Cherry on the beautiful Belmond grounds. IT WAS MAGICAL, in every sense of the word. We are very grateful to Cherry for her flexibility to let us photograph at The Belmond, too, which we didn't originally think of- but the grounds are so beautiful that we fell in love and really wanted those special memories. The First Look happened at our favorite hotel in Santa Barbara and to have that captured is very special to us.
Afterwards, we rushed over to the Santa Barbara Courthouse where the remaining of our few guests and our amazing officiant Nanette were waiting for us. The ceremony was....so special. It's amazing how much emotion and feeling can go into an overall quick process. We cried, and we cried some more, and it was like April 3rd all over again but with so much more feeling and passion and the wonderful people in our lives around us. I will never forget this part of it or this day. Nanette exceeded my expectations in the creation of our ceremony, the words, the writings, the order- all of this was absolutely perfect.
And of course, shortly after that, we had the privilege to continue photographing at the Santa Barbara Courthouse grounds- a memory we now get to keep forever. Cherry knew all the right spots and places to have that variety of scenery and variety of impressions- I couldn't have asked for a better photography experience. Truly.
With that, we then met our guests back at The Belmond for drinks, followed by an INCREDIBLE dinner at the Barbareno Restaurant, where everything, again, was SO perfect (and trust me, that is very difficult to do during COVID times). Our specially-created menus for our party were adorable, the wine was out of this world, and spending some quality time with a few friends and family was really special. This is one of the first restaurants we stumbled upon when we first started visiting Santa Barbara on the regular basis. So again, having it be part of this memorable experience meant so much to us. Our guests were floored by how amazing the food tasted and towards the end of the evening, they were even kind enough to let us have a first dance (which I totally didn't even think of, but my very smart friend who ensures I have champagne, meats & cheeses, and definitely a bouquet on my wedding day definitely thinks of everything). So thanks to her, a first dance happened as well- to one of my husband's favorite artists and song.

For a wedding that was cancelled 2-3 times, included very few people, and happened under such tough circumstances, I'm beyond amazed at how perfect everything turned out. And as I look back on 2020 and this adventure, I absolutely wouldn't have it any other way at all.