A Courthouse Wedding with a Red-and-Gray Restaurant Reception

Eva and Tommy

wedding couple walking down hall — Lavender and Twine

Eva Situ-Kim, a researcher in pharmaceuticals, and Tommy Kim, a craft beer brewer, first met in college during freshman orientation, where they became friends through Tommy's roommate, who was in Eva's orientation group. Over time, Eva realized she wanted something more and started coming up with ways to get closer to Tommy, like bringing him breakfast to wake him up so he wouldn't be late for their morning class. The tactic worked, and they soon started dating.

Years later, after over a decade of dating, Tommy popped the question on a normal Sunday night while relaxing in their pajamas. The San Francisco-based pair wed on January 15, 2017, but their journey to "I do" came with a major setback. The couple originally scheduled a wedding in the City by the Bay with 140 people. When Tommy's father's cancer came back during the middle of planning, they instead decided to cancel the larger affair and have a smaller one with 35 guests in Santa Barbara, closer to where the groom's parents live. The nuptials occurred at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, followed by dinner in a private room at The Lark restaurant.

The couple's big day was incredibly meaningful: They chose the month based off the title of their favorite song, "January Wedding" by The Avett Brothers. After that was set, Eva's mother looked through the Chinese Lunar calendar for dates considered lucky for marriage. And when choosing a color palette, they decided on shades of red, which symbolizes love and prosperity in their culture, to weave into their industrial-yet-rustic celebration, which was planned with help from Michel B. Events.

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The Attire

Eva accessorized her white J.Crew dress with a gold lace veil by Marisol Aparicio, an heirloom jade necklace from her grandmother, and red suede Sam Edelman pumps. Tommy gussied up his J.Crew suit and shirt with a red tie and pocket square from the same brand. He also donned a silver tie clip from The Tie Bar and brown leather Allen Edmonds wingtips.

The couple got ready together until it was time for Eva to put on her gown. Tommy stepped out of the hotel room until she was ready for their first look on the balcony.

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A Bold Bouquet

Eva's vibrant bouquet, arranged by Lavenders Flowers, featured a mix of red peonies, quicksand roses, red garden roses, privet berries, dark plum ranunculus, chocolate cosmos, and eucalyptus, all wrapped with a hand-dyed silk ribbon by tono & co. Following the big day, Eva dried her bouquet in the sun as a special memento.

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His Boutonniere

wedding boutonniere — Lavender and Twine

To coordinate with Eva's bouquet and the wedding's rustic color scheme, a boutonniere of privet berries and a hellebore was pinned onto Tommy's lapel.

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Party of One

wedding maid of honor — Lavender and Twine

"We grew up together and she's really like an older sister to me," the bride says of her older cousin, Wella, who served as her maid of honor. She was clad in a light pink fuzzy cardigan by ASOS and dress in the same shade by Paper Crown by Lauren Conrad from Nordstrom.

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One Little Lady

"She's a little shy so I didn't ask her to be the flower girl," the bride says of her cousin's daughter, who decided to join the wedding party for a photo-op.

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A Dashing Dad

The groom gave his father a hearty hug during family photos, which were taken before the ceremony in the sunken gardens at the Santa Barbara Courthouse.

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The Location

The bride and groom wed at The Mural Room in the Santa Barbara Courthouse, which features architectural elements with artistic flair, like hand-stenciled high ceilings and elaborate murals gracing the walls. The bride and the wedding party processed to Vivaldi's "Winter," and the newlyweds recessed to a string arrangement of the Avett Brother's "January Wedding" played by the Santa Barbara String Quartet.

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Vow Wow

Sophia Loves Letters transcribed the bride's pre-written personal vows, which were then placed in an Italian flocked velvet book from Wedding Story Writer, which Eva read from at the ceremony. Eva's vows mixed the more traditional with some more offbeat—promising to always listen and to never take Tommy or his love for granted while also promising to eat chili dogs, cheeseburgers, and steaks with him whenever.

When it was his turn, the groom decided to speak from the heart.

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The Reception

the lark wedding venue — Lavender and Twine

The couple held their reception in the Pullman Room at The Lark restaurant, where they feasted on dishes like orecchiette pasta, toasted farro risotto, and 72-hour marinated wagyu flat iron steak. After, the party traveled to McConnell's Fine Ice Creams for a sweet treat and then hit Santa Barbara's Funk Zone for a celebratory bar crawl.

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Timeless Tables

wedding reception tables — Lavender and Twine

Following their industrial-meets-rustic theme, The Lark's existing wood tables and black Chiavari chairs were arranged in a U-shape to create an intimate feel under the restaurant's Edison bulb chandeliers.

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Flower Power

wedding installation — Lavender and Twine

Eva asked her wedding planner for lots of flowers at their reception, so Michel B. Events and Lavenders Flowers created an indoor canopy for guests to dine under. To achieve the look, they used a base of willow eucalyptus and pepper foliage with snapdragons, amaryllis, roses, tulips, and carnations. "I remember when we asked our guests to move into the private dining area, everyone was in awe and stopped at the door," the bride says. "We had a bit of a traffic jam going into the room."

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The Centerpieces

Michel B. Events and Lavenders Flowers filled clear glass vases with single-stemmed hellebore, garden roses, chocolate cosmos, and ranunculus for the centerpieces.

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Lighting Up the Night

The family style-dinner was set up in the middle of the room. To utilize the rest of the space, mauve silk runners by tono & co. were laid out on side tables and topped with varying heights of taper and pillar candles in clear glass vases, giving off a nice, soft glow. Loose flowers, including garden peonies, tied the look together.

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Put in Your Place

The Lark's china rested on cement chargers from Buena Tile + Stone, along with a menu calligraphed by Sophia Loves Letters and a garnet peony.

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Picture-Perfect Poster

An illustrated poster by Clare Vacha served as the couple's guestbook. It was inspired by Eva and Tommy's engagement photos taken in China, and now hangs in the dining area of their home.

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The Cake

Eva and Tommy's semi-naked cutting cake by Lelé Pâtisserie featured layers of almond and citrus cake and buttercream, and was topped with dark berries and flowers by Lavenders Flowers. The couple took a tier home for a late-night snack, and saved a piece to eat on their first anniversary.

Guests dined on vanilla bean cheesecake and peanut butter chocolate ganache from The Lark.

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Winter Wear

wedding couple kissing — Lavender and Twine

As it was winter, the bride brought a faux-fur bomber to keep cozy—and kept her husband close by to keep warm.

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Straightforward Favors

Eva and Tommy gave their guests custom bottle openers from Summit Engraving Ltd.—a nod to the groom's profession as a brewer—featuring their wedding date and metal place cards cut by VC Metals with guests' names calligraphed by Feast Fine Art and Calligraphy.

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