Me oh my, I’ve been meaning to blog this past fall’s weddings forEVER. Let’s get started with a seriously gorgeous wedding from Santa Barbara. We’re also doing a little something special today: Kim is here to share 3 ways to make your wedding a smashing success!

You’ll find helpful tips and advice mixed in with the gorgeous mages from her wedding, scroll slowly and enjoy! My favorite part of the wedding was the surprise mariachi band and subsequent march through downtown! Kim and Alex led all of the guests to the sound of mariachi playing while people ooooo’d, ahhhh’d, waved, took photos and shouted their heartfelt congratulations. It was a joyful moment!

I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but we really do have the most beautiful (inside and out!) brides. I’ve so enjoyed getting to know Kim. We have very similar taste and her heart for loving people shines through in all that she does. Alex is quite the catch as well! This was our first Santa Barbara wedding and we can’t wait to visit again soon.

1.     Add surprises along the way: 

a.     One of our favorite components of the wedding was that we had little surprises for our guests throughout the day. From a mariachi led parade through the streets of Santa Barbara to the Burger Bus food truck pulling up to provide late night bites, it was incredible to see our guests’ faces light up when they realized it was all for them. I admit keeping secrets from your wedding party isn’t easy, but do your best to fight the urge to spill it all.

2.     Make every guest feel like a VIP:

a.     Since having everyone stand up on the steps might have been a little crowded, we thought of a different way to incorporate our guests into the ceremony. Rather than have only our officiant (who was one of our oldest and dearest friends) pronounce us husband and wife, we asked all of our family and friends to say in unison, “We, your family and friends, now pronounce you married!” Hearing all of their voices was just a perfect moment of love and support.

3.     Take some time to DIY, but don’t take the “Y” to literally: 

a.     One of our wedding favors were hand painted mini-maracas. One night, a group of us gals gathered the wine, queued the DVR, and pulled out some paintbrushes. The result was just what I had hoped, no two sets were identical; perfectly-imperfect.

b.     I had so many ideas for the wedding and at times I realized that my vision was outside my own DIY-reach, so I turned to my incredibly talented friends and family for help. Our “Just Married” parade banner was hand stenciled and painted by two of my sorority sisters. I loved it for many reasons, but none more than the fact that it was made by people I love.

Venue: Sunken Gardens, Santa Barbara Courthouse | Reception Venue: Canary Hotel | Photography: Katie McGihon | Coordination: Amazing Day Events | Florals: Kaleidoscope Flowers | Hair/Makeup: Luna Bella | Invitation Suite : Pretty Little Pastimes | Videography: Cloudless | Officiant: Chad Houser | Mariachi: Mariachi Alma de Mexico | Ceremony vocals and reception DJ: Moss Blues Entertainment | Wedding Cake: Christine Dahl Pasteries | Decor/Details: All She Wrote Notes | Film Scans: Richard Photo Lab | Color Work: Weditoo