BUTTERFLY BEACH WEDDING

This past September I had the pleasure of working with Kim and Ken on their beach wedding in Santa Barbara. Kim and Ken were friends during college at UCSB ... they each went their own way, got married, had children and built lives. Both now divorced and living in London, they met again ... and this time, they fell head over heels. They agreed on Santa Barbara for their nuptials, in celebration of where it all began and how they have come full circle to find each other again.

Chuppah by Kaleidoscope.

Wind screens, an umbrella and a wooden plank (all from Classic) make a friendly environment for the string Quartet.

Kim and Ken included blank muslin flags with their wedding invitations. They asked each guest to decorate their flag in celebration of love, marriage and Kim & Ken's story. We set up 40 bamboo poles in a semi circle around the event site, and as each guest arrived, they hung their flag on one of the poles. The time and effort each guest spent on their flags was humbling and beautiful. As they billowed in the wind, it made for a very personal and very intimate space that separated the wedding from everything else happening on the beach that afternoon.
It's easy to see how windy it was that afternoon. Anticipating this possibility, the officiant worked hard to make sure he projected and could be heard. Kim and Ken, knowing they would be emotional, did not want to worry about projecting as they recited their vows. Instead, the couple each gave me a written copy of the vows they had penned and I had them printed and inserted into their programs (so the other would not see them in advance). As they got to that point in the ceremony, the officiant announced that guests could follow along in their programs while Kim and Ken spoke their vows to one another. Now they have them as a keepsake to cherish for all time.

A beautiful beach wedding is possible. It just takes a little planning. xo!