Vibrant Beach Wedding Planned Around the Couple's Love for Paddling

Lerina WinterDanny MilesMacLaren RobertsLos ArroyosThe Tent MerchantLulusNordstromWalter Claudio StudioLilac PatisserieTeri EvansMesa Lane BeachChromatic Gate

Jun 26

Written By Megan Hageman

Two brides on the beach after Santa Barbara Wedding

From the Brides Alana & Kaleena:

Kaleena proposed to Alana on the beach in October in front of our outrigger canoes. We both started paddling 3 years into our relationship, and it has been an integral part of our lives ever since. Our ceremony featured a few traditional elements of paddling—our unity ceremony was done with sand from the beach into Koa wood boxes (which is what Hawaiian outrigger canoes were traditionally built from). Our officiant, and OC-6 coach from our first year, had our traditionally made Leis overnighted from Hawaii. Our photographers, Lerina and Danny, both paddle with Santa Barbara Outrigger as well, and Danny was our novice coach, too.

Getting married on the beach was a must for both of us. A sort of natural choice given our lifestyle, but we wanted somewhere we could really dance afterward. Our reception was held on the patio that separates our house from my (Alana) mom's. We had oscillated between wanting a small, intimate (almost elopement-style) wedding and having a big party. When COVID happened, we were forced to choose the smaller option, even after a year-long postponement, and it worked out perfectly. Holding the reception on our patio saved us a ton of money, and with the help of our families and friends, we spruced the place up with flowers and lights and it looked like it made build for the occasion. We are ultimately so happy with how our budget-friendly wedding turned out, and have zero regrets about not going big.

Our post-ceremony, pre-reception photos were taken at Mesa Lane—a beach we've walked together for many years, many times before we were even dating. The stairs and wide stretch of sand made for perfect Fall golden hour photos before sunset.

We chose to do our first look at the iconic rainbow arch on Cabrillo Blvd. It was a convenient choice since our ceremony was across the street, and added some (intentional and unintentional) pride to the photos, too. We felt the arch has sort of morphed into a pride symbol in Santa Barbara, even if not intentional by the original artist.

You can see the rainbow archway from the stretch of ocean where we paddle in our 6-man and 1-man canoes, and while it didn't hold any real significance to us before our marriage, it sure does now. We paddle and coach Santa Barbara Outrigger together, and it's nice to see that splash of color on the shoreline while we're out there—a reminder that we are teammates on and off the water.

We demonstrate commitment to diversity by publishing LGBTQIA+ weddings, every month, not just on Pride Month to help normalize same-sex marriages in the wedding industry.