Whitney and Tyler’s wedding day at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum is exactly what the bride envisioned—”understated elegance.” We’re so into the way Whitney Werts Events infused some seriously, gorgeous color into the details like the fun paisley and pink linens from La Tavola Fine Linen Rental , vibrant, raspberry-hued florals by LouLoudi Boutique Floral Design, and those pink wax-sealed escort cards—aaaahmazing! See all the beautiful details is these lovely images by Scott Andrew Studio.
from the bride: When Tyler and I got engaged, we knew we wanted to get married near our hometowns of Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, CA. Like it is for many engaged couples, the venue search was the hardest step for us! My mom and I visited venues up and down the Central Coast, everywhere from Valencia up to San Louis Obispo! The moment I was on site at The Santa Barbara Historical Museum I knew it was “the one” for us. It had the most simple yet elegant outdoor setting and exudes the classic Spanish style of early Santa Barbara that we grew up with.
If I were to describe my design outlook in two words it would be “understand elegance”. I wanted all aspects of our wedding to feel classic and traditional, yet personal, warm, heartfelt, and memorable for our guests. Since the adobe setting of The Historical Museum was very neutral, I wanted our color palette to be vibrant and pop. Michael Mantalos of LouLoudi Design blew me away with our gorgeous florals; simple, yet strong and vibrant with much depth and color. The flowers complemented our gorgeous linens from La Tavola Fine Linen Rental. We went with a neutral raw organdy tablecloth with a raspberry dupioni silk napkin to tie in the floral arrangements. Our flowers and linens were my favorite design aspects of our wedding!
There were so many personal creative elements that went into our wedding day making it memorable. Food was an important detail as we wanted it to reflect the Santa Maria BBQ heritage from Tyler’s hometown. Testa Catering created a delicious custom menu for us incorporating a BBQ pizza station during cocktail hour, grilled artichokes, and steak all cooked fresh onsite over red oak. We also had the Testa team create a replica of our favorite rumrunner cocktail from Lake Tahoe (where Tyler’s family goes every summer and where we got engaged), Garwoods Restaurant’s “Wet Woodie”, as our signature drink.
Above all, the most meaningful detail for me was the ring pillow that my grandmother petit-pointed for our ring bearer to carry down the aisle. It is so special to have as a keepsake from our day.
Photography was extremely important while planning our wedding. My dad is a commercial and portrait photographer so, needless-to-say, having beautiful photos as keepsakes from our day was a must! Scott Andrew and I had worked together in the Bay Area and I have always loved his classic, romantic imagery. Not only is Scott talented and professional, he has a very kind, and positive energy. I knew I wanted him to be the one to document our wedding!
One thing I cannot stress enough to bride and grooms-to-be, is to follow your gut when picking your vendors and choose people to work with that you connect with, enjoy being around and can TRUST! Since I am a Wedding Coordinator, deciding on the right person to take over the coordination for me the month before my wedding was the hardest decision of them all. Having Beth White and Katie Harris (whom I work with at La Tavola Fine Linen Rentals) managing my day allowed me to completely separate myself from the logistics and enjoy being the bride!! I am eternally grateful to them and my entire team of vendors who worked together to bring our day to life.
Photography: Scott Andrew Studio // Coordination and Design: Whitney Werts Events and Beth White // Floral Design: LouLoudi Boutique Floral Design // Venue: Santa Barbara Historical Museum // Invitations: The Card Bar // Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone // Makeup: Tomiko Taft Makeup Artistry // Hair: Chi Beauty Artistry // DJ: Elite Disc Jockeys // Groomsmen Attire: The Black Tux // Catering: Testa Catering // Linen Rentals: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental // Lighting and Draping: Bella Vista Design // Event Rentals: Ventura Rental Party Center