I actually cannot believe I am sitting in my dining room finally on the other side of our nearly 4 year engagement. It still feels a bit surreal but so incredibly satisfying to think back to our big day. For those of you who might be new here check out my Wedding section for the full history on our engagement, booking our original venue, how I became a Covid bride and the second planning process. I am so excited to share a little from our November 4th wedding and will be doing a full details post once we get all the photos back.

My wedding week started out with rain, cold, and wind which made me a bit concerned but thankfully after a year long postponement the weather Gods smiled upon us with a gorgeous day. We hosted a rehearsal dinner on the beach (full recap coming next week) followed by drinks at Pearl Social on Thursday November 3rd. It was the perfect way to get the party started, spend time with our friends & family and just soak up all the love before our wedding.

The wedding day was absolute perfection. I never felt stressed, overwhelmed, or like I was not present in the exact moment, something that I now wish for every bride out there. I really have to thank our team of incredible vendors for creating and executing an impressive timeline that we stuck to (and even came out ahead of!). I enjoyed a mellow morning of coffee and champagne with my bridesmaids before putting my dress on and taking our photos. One of the most fun moments was having an Aperol Spritz at the bar before our transportation arrived with my step-daughter.

We had our ceremony on the lawn of the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Gardens, a stunning venue that needed nothing to make it shine! When we arrived for photos there were actually 4 other brides who got married elsewhere at the gardens taking photos. We all congratulated each other, complimented the dresses, the veils, and I felt a little bond with these women who I now share an anniversary with. The ceremony was short and sweet since Chris and I chose to exchange our personal vows privately during our first look. Once we wrapped up photos we (along with half our guests) walked the 3 blocks from the ceremony to the reception…the claps, honks and cheers we got were the best part of the 3 blocks (walking in 4 inch heels was the worst, if you were wondering).

That is where I will leave off for today. I promise more detail is coming once the photos are back to us. In the meantime, follow along on Instagram where I have been sharing photos and Reels from the wedding and honeymoon!

XO, Niki