Warm-Toned Vintage-Inspired Santa Barbara Wedding

Kira Annette PhotographyAxil & OakWoodstock FarinaMorrison DriveDolce VitaSugar Lab Bake ShopHalf Baked Treats Ventura

Sep 3

Close up of bride and bridesmaids warm-toned floral bouquets

From Kira Annette Photography:

Lindsay and Michael met when they were 16 years old at a Boys Like Girls concert at the Ventura County Fair. After dating for a few months, life got in the way and they broke it off (such is teenage romance!) until 7 years later when Michael reached out again, and they picked things up right where they left off. It was like no time had passed at all. They began officially dating again in 2021, and in 2024, Michael proposed to Lindsay in Joshua Tree National Park, with their sweet doggos as witnesses to the moment.

One thing about Lindsay is that she planned this wedding to perfection. Every detail was so intentional and perfectly told their story. And all the vendors from their day were friends, or someone they already had a connection with, which was so special and made the day 10x sweeter.

Their wedding day was vintage-inspired, with lots of warm-toned colors. And each guest received a vintage goblet to drink out of for the evening and take home at the end of the night. (and from a photographer's perspective, it was so fun to take photos of all the gorgeous vintage glassware they thrifted in the months leading up to their wedding!)

If I had to choose two of my favorite parts of their wedding, the first would, of course, have to be the ceremony. Lindsay and Michael opted for an intimate ceremony backed by the most gorgeous, lush greenery, with a thoughtfully placed archway in the background. The shared personal vows that had everyone in the audience in tears, and even had a time capsule where they placed letters they wrote to each other and a bottle of champagne - to be opened a few years down the road.

My second favorite part of the day was definitely the dancing. Lindsay and Michael love emo music (as evidenced by the fact that they met at a Boys Like Girls concert), and even wrote in their inquiry form when they reached out that they “...just like to be sad”. They hired a live band to MC the evening and play their favorite songs for the celebration part of the evening. Instead of playing classic wedding music (like Sweet Caroline, Yeah!, I Wanna Dance With Somebody… you know the vibes), they opted for all their favorite emo and rock hits. And everyone, and yes, I mean EVERYONE, was super into it, and everyone stayed on the dance floor until the end of the last song.

One thing that was important to Lindsay and Michael for their wedding was that they spent the majority of the time hanging out with their friends and family, and getting lots of candid shots of that. They didn't care too much for the posed couple photos, or a ton of detail photos of their setup. This meant their gallery was so full of life and love and all the sweet lil’ happy moments. Nothing posed or fake or cheesy- just the real stuff.