An Italian Garden-Inspired Wedding in Santa Barbara, California

The Perfect Place

Much like her first interaction with Erik, Kati knew Sunstone Winery and Villa had to be their wedding venue from the moment she saw it. "We loved that we could rent the villa for the entire weekend and host small get-togethers with our family and friends leading up to the wedding," she says.

Sweet Suite

The couple's invitation suite, designed by Kelly Patrice, was created with ivory paper and sage green envelopes—and hand-tied with ivory silk gauze ribbon and fastened with a white wax seal. White calligraphy was used to address the envelopes.

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Time for a Toast

Kati and her 10 bridesmaids celebrated the morning of the wedding with some Champagne, while dressed in matching light pink pajamas (her flower girls clinked their juice glasses!).

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Wedding Dress

The bride never pictured wearing a lace wedding dress. (Instead, she'd envisioned a modern and sleek style—something Carolyn Bessette might wear.) But as soon as she slipped on her lace Monique Lhuillier gown, she knew it was the one. "Everyone else knew it was the one as well when I walked out of the dressing room," Kati says. "There were a lot of tears and 'ohs' and 'ahs."

Lace Accessories

A lace veil and peep-toe heels—also by Monique Lhuillier—complemented the bride's dress.

Family Ties

Kati's wedding shared a special connection to her parents': Doug, a close friend of the mother-of-the-bride, pictured here, served as the couple's officiant. "He had never officiated a wedding in his life, but the night Erik and I got engaged and we started thinking about who would marry us, I instantly thought of Doug," Kati says "Doug walked my grandma, who has passed away, down the aisle when my parents got married, and he has always been a close family friend. Having Doug up there to marry us made us feel more at ease."

Bride's Troupe

The bridesmaids wore sage-hued Show Me Your Mumu dresses in various styles.

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Pretty with a Hint of Pink

Hogue & Co. made Kati's bouquet with ivory peonies, roses, and greenery. Bridesmaids carried similar arrangements—but with more pink worked in.

Ceremony Site

Kati and Erik chose their ceremony site, a vineyard on the property, for its unique oak tree, which has intertwined branches—a literal symbol of two lives becoming one. A large wood oval was designed as the backdrop for the space, and was later decorated with peonies, roses, stock, and greenery. (The structure was later reused at the reception's exit.)

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Spreading Love

Two flowers girls, dressed in white lace dresses, sprinkled petals down the aisle.

Can't Help Falling in Love

Kati's dad escorted her down the aisle to a live vocalist singing "Can't Help Falling In Love"—but that wasn't the only memorable moment Kati shared with her dad that day.

"Our father-daughter dance was a definite crowd pleaser," Kati recalls. In fact, she and her father took dance lessons so that they could really wow the crowd. At the reception, they slow danced for 45 seconds—then broke out to an upbeat mashup of songs. "Everyone was so surprised and cheering us on," she says. "By the time the dance was over, everyone was feeling super upbeat and ready to get the party started."

Fond Memories

The couple chose to write their own wedding vows. Looking back now, Kati says hearing them for the first time at the ceremony is a favorite memory. "It was very intimate and emotional," she says.

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Take a Seat

Escort cards—sage-colored pieces of paper—were displayed on an eight-foot-tall acrylic board. Each piece was affixed to the board with a wax seal, harkening back to the couple's invitation suite.

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Mountainside Reception

The couple hosted their reception on a yard with views of Santa Barbara's mountains. "The setup was an intimate mix of round tables and wood king tables flanking the dance floor," Kati describes. But inarguably, the focal point was the couple's sweetheart table—their intimate station, complete with a settee, was placed on a platform overlooking the reception space.

Mix and Match

Some of the wooden tables were decked with towering arrangements of roses, Italian ruscus, white stock, sweet peas, and ranunculus, while others—including the linen-topped round tables—featured smaller centerpieces.

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Round and Round

The couple's round menu cards were another unique touch. "We wanted a round piece to peak out of the classic folded ivory napkins," Kati says, noting that they were a fun, modern detail on the otherwise classic tabletops.

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Sweetheart's Table

Erik and Kati's stunning sweetheart table was "decked out with chandeliers, candles, and florals," Kati describes, which created "a garden pergola feel."

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Italian Feast

Kati's family is Italian, and the couple wanted to honor that heritage with their wedding food choices. In addition to Italian classics created by their caterer, Catering Connection, Kati and her family also made gnocchi for the big day. "No caterer's gnocchi was up-to-par with my mom's," Kati explains. "So, with the help of my family and friends, we started making the Cattaneo family homemade gnocchi a month before the wedding and freezing the pasta so it was fresh. We served it with Erik's favorite browned sage butter sauce and it was a huge hit."

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Ice, Ice Baby

Iced treats kept guests cool throughout the open-air reception.

The Cake

Kati and Erik's cake was created in a hexagon shape, iced in white frosting, and decorated with fresh flowers. Inside were layers of vanilla sponge cake with lemon curd filling and raspberries and chocolate sponge cake with chocolate ganache and chocolate mousse.

Sources

Photography, Jenny Quicksall

Location, Sunstone Winery and Villa

Event planning, Percy Sales Events

Catering, Catering Connection

Flowers, Hogue & Co.

Videography, Luxury Lifestyle Studios

Stationery and calligraphy, Kelly Patrice

Cake, Christine Dahl Pastries

Music, Ybarra Music; Let's Party LA

Rentals, The Tent Merchant; Party Pleasers

Bride's gown and accessories, Monique Lhuillier

Hair and Makeup, Elwynn and Cass

Bridesmaids' dresses, Show Me Your Mumu

Groom's suit and accessories, Bree Jacoby Inc.

Menswear, The Black Tux

Lighting, Waveform Events; Light Up My Holiday; Vogue Candles

Transportation, Santa Barbara Air Bus