Villa Verano Estate Wedding Santa Barbara - Cristina and Jesse
Originally published at Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Wedding Photography Blog by Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there.
Villa Verano Estate Wedding - Santa Barbara, CA
Wedding Venue/Reception: Villa Verano Estate
Though Ian and I always love to meet a couple before their wedding day, sometimes the couple might be from out of state and doing a pretty nice destination wedding. Cristina and Jesse were from outside the California realm so we didn't have a chance to get to know each other in person before the wedding, but as soon as we met it felt like we were old friends. I'm sure you can tell by the photos, but they are incredibly warm and welcoming and totally crazy about each other. It doesn't hurt that they are beautiful and easy to shoot!
Cristina and Jesse had a Villa Verano estate wedding, a private residence up in the Santa Barbara hills. I think this might be a new favorite wedding venue - there is so much to work with, from the stunning ceremony lawn, to pools and courtyards and sweeping staircases. Seriously, every turn brings another exciting view. Joy de Vivre designed the event and it was one of the most relaxed and intimate affairs we have been to. If you couldn't tell, we love us some outdoor sunset weddings- and up in the Santa Barbara area you really can't beat the light. Such a gorgeous place for a wedding.
-xo Tanya
You can see more of our Santa Barbara wedding photography work at www.distinctphoto.com
Photography: Ian Grant Photography
Planning: Joy de Vivre
Officiant: Jerry Bellamy
Florist: Florette by Kelly Kaufman
Lighting: Lani at LBPS Lighting
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Cristina and Jesse opted for a reveal, which gave us the opportunity to get some really beautiful moments of them seeing each other for the first time. A reveal is one of the easiest ways to keep the day calm and stress free and it lets you get the jitters out nice and early. I think in a way it's a special moment you both get to share together, free of the chaos and timelines of the wedding day. A few moments to breathe and take everything in of sorts! So while we still love the traditions, reveals are a lot of fun and a great way for us to capture the two of you seeing each other for the first time- something I think you'll always treasure.
After a beautiful sunset ceremony, the reception was held on a balcony overlooking Santa Barbara. Check out the monogram in the middle of the dance floor! The night turned out to be a scorcher with the Santa Ana winds blowing in hot air, but it didn't stop everyone from dancing the night away. From our roof-top location everyone stopped to watch a long drawn out shooting star fly across the sky - not a bad way to bring luck to their first night as a married couple!
You can see more of our Santa Barbara wedding photography work at www.distinctphoto.com