Tania & Oscar knew from the get-go that they didn’t want a big wedding. An intimate wedding with only their dearest friends and family suited their personalities to a tee.
The couple chose the venue where they shared their first date – the Santa Barbara Courthouse, as their ceremony location. After the heartfelt ceremony, the couple – along with their 40 guests, celebrated at a private residence rented through Airbnb.
“We wanted it to be easy and casual and that’s exactly what it was,” explains Tania.
Thanks to Ryanne Bee Photography for sending over this beautiful little wedding so that we could share it with you today!
Tania & Oscar
Location: Santa Barbara Courthouse
Wedding Date: September 24, 2016
Number of Guests: 40
Wedding Cost: ~ $10,000
Wedding Ceremony Location: Santa Barbara Courthouse
Wedding Reception Location: Private Residence through Airbnb
Why did you have an intimate wedding?
We wanted our nearest and dearest friends and family there for one of our most special day and didn’t want anything too big.
What are some the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?
Our biggest challenge was trying to decide how small of a wedding we wanted. We struggled with doing something as small as having only 10 people to having a wedding as large as 60 people. We changed locations a couple times and finally settled on Santa Barbara because that was where we had our first date.
Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?
Absolutely. We wished we could have had the many close friends in our life there, but we invited our childhood friends and our families, those who helped shaped who we are today.
Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?
No issues that came up.
What were the highlights of the ceremony?
My two year old asking to nurse as I started to walk down the aisle and then proceeded to strip down to her underwear at the altar. And then having our four year old daughter hold our hands during the entire ceremony. It was just so ‘us’ and we wouldn’t have had it any other way.
What were the highlights of the reception?
It was so laid back and that was what Oscar and I wanted. We wanted it to be easy and casual and that’s exactly what it was.
What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?
For us, it was being able to make it our own. Oscar and I planned the whole thing by ourselves.
What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?
It’s a lot of work and it’s important to go step by step and be organized. And be patient with yourself and be open to unexpected mishaps. Two days before our wedding we found out our caterer had our date wrong by four months and we almost did not have catered food at our wedding. Luckily we were open to moving the reception up by two hours and that same caterer was able to make our wedding reception happen.
Vendors:
Photographer: Ryanne Bee Photography
Florals: Petals and Pop in Seal Beach
Ceremony Venue: Santa Barbara Courthouse
Reception Venue: Private Residence through Airbnb
Dress: The Stone Cold Fox
Shoes: Stuart Weitzman
Menswear: Banana Republic and J Crew
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