Oak & the Owl: Santa Barbara ~ Four Seasons Biltmore Wedding

Today’s wedding is another beauty from Pat Moyer Photography and took place at the stunning Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara this past July. I collaborated with my good friend and amazing coordinator/designer Erica Espana of Twine Events on this and I really love how it turned out. I created my first ever four posted altar – with a very funny story involved - and worked in the popular and always lovely palette of creams, blushes, and peach with silvery greens. There was a slight spin on the typical flower selection with the inclusion of China mums. I’ve never had a request for those and I really enjoyed working with them. The bride made this request since they were used in the wedding invites and were special to her. I think these gorgeous and large face flowers should be considered more often. They’re an economical choice when peonies aren’t in the budget, available year round, and have such a pretty shape to them. I’ll definitely be singing their praises to future brides.

But back to the altar… I love working with wood. My dad had me in his workshop as a kid holding pieces of wood together while he glued, drilled, or hammered, etc., and I have always enjoyed being able to build things with my hands. So when it comes to either renting an altar or making one, I’m always going to try and build it myself. It was really easy to make and I’ve even written up plans and sent them to other designers so they can make it. But… I debated back and forth about how tall to make the vertical posts. They come standard at 8’ high but for some reason I really thought I needed to cut it down to 7’. It was going to be an overall small altar and I wanted it to have an intimate feel. I also thought having it so high would make the scale a bit wonky. Some folks seriously disagreed with me. The argument made to me was what if I get an NBA player up there, it would be too small. I though phfft, that will never happen. So, I get the altar up, it looks awesome, I’m so proud of myself. Then, I’m told the best man (who had a major part in the ceremony) was… wait for it… 7’ tall. O.M.G. They had to reconstruct the ceremony layout and place everyone in a different spot so he didn’t have to hunch during his part. So, if you’re going to make one, save yourself the extra work and just leave it at 8’. Haha.

I hope you enjoy Pat’s beautiful photos and happy Friday!