Rosewood Miramar Beach Wedding | Katarina + Dominic

Rosewood Miramar Beach Wedding

I had the pleasure of photographing a gorgeous Rosewood Miramar Beach wedding earlier this year in Montecito. The Rosewood opened just over a year ago and now serves as one of Santa Barbara’s premier luxury hotels. The property boasts private villas, five-star dining, and even a trained hawk to keep stray birds away. This beautiful venue served as the backdrop for the day’s festivities.

Getting Ready

Katarina and her bridesmaids got ready in the upstairs bridal suite of the hotel. Everyone was in great spirits while the ladies of TEAM hair and makeup worked their magic. A Chinese tea ceremony was held in the morning before Katarina slipped into her wedding dress. Both families attended and gave gifts to the couple along with words of wisdom and well wishes.

Following the tea ceremony was the first look for the bride and groom. Katarina slipped into her dress with the help of her bridesmaids and Mom. She paired her outfit with a pair of sparkly Louboutin heels and a bouquet from Toast Santa Barbara. The bridesmaids all wore stunning velvet dresses from Jenny Yoo’s newest line. The couple’s dog, Teddy, was included in the big day and even donned a tux of his very own.

Ceremony

Nina Moore and her team designed the most beautiful ceremony space. The aisle was lined with cherry blossom trees and loose petals were given to guests to toss. Roses, orchids, and hydrangeas adorned the floral arch at the head of the aisle. A live artist was present on the day to paint the couple as they recessed back down the aisle and enjoyed their first dance as husband and wife.

Reception

The reception space was decorated with stunning monochromatic white and gold tones. The sweetheart table was adorned with candles and surrounded by cherry tree blossoms.

Katarina and Dominic enjoyed a sparkly cake-cutting white surrounded by all of their loved ones.

Photography | Alex W Photography

Venue | Rosewood Miramar Beach

Planning | Nina Moore

Florals | Toast Santa Barbara

Videography | The Quail and The Dove

Makeup + Hair | Team Hair and Makeup

DJ | LIV Entertainment Group

Dance Floor | RCD Dance Floors

Rentals | Bright Event Rentals

Linens | La Tavola Linen

Photo Booth | Mir Mir Photo

Fine Art Desert Bridal Editorial

The close of wedding season called for a styled-shoot. I teamed up with an insanely talented group of Los Angeles wedding professionals to embark on a journey to a far-away location for a desert bridal editorial featuring Floravere gowns. There’s nothing better than collaborating with a team of creatives. This is where magical happens.

Having dreamt about the desert for months leading up to planning, we knew this would make the perfect location. Surrounded by miles of beautiful sand dunes, multi-colored mountains, and open-skies truly makes a dreamy environment. While it took several hours to travel to destination, it didn’t take long to spot its beauty. The desert can be so surreal. It’s beauty, and immensity of landscape, alone – is worth the drive.

Seat-belts were unbuckling right as we pulled up, and in unison, we hopped out of the car to feel the warm sun and cool breeze flowing off the mountain. I can’t describe how truly beautiful the day was.

Considering the long drive, and limited daylight, hair and makeup needed to start immediately. Dana (Cheek to Cheek Artistry and Britt Rafuson got down to business as we scouted the perfect location – not that it was difficult to find. Upon returning, we shuffled through the four Floravere gowns to determine the first look.

The gowns were complimented with vintage and gold accessories, which was inspired by the hues of the butter-soft sand. The ring and bouquet were perfectly complimented with deep and rich reds – the perfect reflection of autumn. One of my favorite floral designers, Inessa Nichols, crafted a whimsical and unique gold floral crown made of lunarias; and a bouquet filled with wild grasses, nigella pods, and ranunculus.

As the sun started to set behind purple and green speckled mountains we set up our tablescape. We kept the look cohesive with a minimalist approach. There was no shortage of warm candlelight, antique jewelry boxes, and gorgeous desert florals. We followed Britt across the sand, illuminating the darkening landscape with candle in-hand. We enjoyed the last few moments of cotton candy skies, thankful for the gorgeous landscape we were provided and for the incredible talent that collaborated to create such a beautiful story.

As seen in Style Me Pretty.

Photography | Alex W Photography
Styling | Fifth Atelier
Hmua | Cheek to Cheek Artistry
Florals | Inessa Nichols Design
Video | Marmo Films
Gowns | Floravere
Model | Britt Rafuson
Jewelry | Trumpet & Horn // Claire Pettibone
Calligraphy | Arturo Fribourg
Accessories | BHLDN
Film Scanning | The FIND Lab

Destination Lake Wedding in Greece | Ellie + Charles

Destination Wedding in Greece

This lakeside wedding is particularly special because I personally know the bride and it was my first destination wedding in Greece. Needless to say, there was a lot of preparation that had to be done for a trip of this magnitude. Luckily I have an incredible girlfriend who helped throughout the process and even accompanied me to Greece. We flew into the Athens airport a few days prior to the wedding. This gave us ample time to adjust to the time difference and scout the area for the wedding day. 

The days leading up to the wedding were quite nerve-racking. Every day we experienced scattered showers, strong wind, and even severe nighttime thunderstorms. Needless to say, this was not the weather we were expecting. Thankfully, once the wedding day arrived the clouds rained themselves out and we had nothing but sunny skies. This was a huge relief considering the entire day was to take place outdoors. 

Bridal Details

I met with Ellie on the morning of in her suite. Her hair was styled to absolute perfection without a single strand out of place. The jewelry was simple and elegant, much like her custom-made dress.  Ellie’s friend and Swedish-based designer Lina Nordin, worked with Ellie to create her dream gown.

Ceremony & Reception

The wedding went off without a hitch. The couple kept things very traditional and saved their first look until the bride walked down the aisle. In Swedish tradition, Ellie and Charles were adorned with crowns during the ceremony. Following the ceremony, we hopped in a van with the bridal party and headed to the coast for portraits. We returned to the lakeside reception after bridal party photos and sunset portraits for family photos and the evening’s festivities. Heartfelt speeches were given throughout the night and a flash mob surprised Ellie on the dance floor. Everyone danced the night away with drinks, enjoyed homemade Greek ice cream, and a cigar bar.

Photography | Alex W Photography

Planning | Bright Blue Weddings

Venue | Vouliagmeni Lake