Saturday was a very special day… Brooks + Samantha got married at The Santa Barbara Historical Museum!! YAY!! I had been counting down to their wedding for many reasons… First, I adore these two!! Over the past 4 months I’ve actually gotten to know them very well and they feel like more than clients, they feel like friends! I also adore their family! Brooks’ father, Bryan, was our realtor and made the very scary and stressful first-time home buyer experience so easy. He was there for me and AJ during a stressful time and we felt like he truly looked out for us every step of the way! So there is a closeness there too. A few months ago, Bryan asked me to photograph Brooks’ grandma’s 80th birthday and through that experience I got to know the family even more. By the time the wedding rolled around, I knew so many of the guests. It added to the already warm feel of the day! I was also so exited for this wedding because I got to work with the amazing mother-daughter wedding planning duo Colette + Kaitlin of La Fete Weddings. They are wedding icons in Santa Barbara (heck, in all of SoCal) so it was definitely a delight to be working with them! As you can see there was lots to be excited about with this wedding!
And… the wedding did not disappoint! It was such a beautiful day, both because of the out-pouring of love that was felt, and also because of the stunning details. Samantha looked gorgeous in her La Sposa bridal gown. The dress had a very sexy Spanish Flamenco-esque vibe to it which I loved! The Santa Barbara Historical Museum and Covarrubias Courtyard are old adobe structures and definitely have that Spanish/Mexican influence. So it was fun to see other details through out the day that alluded to the history of the venue– from Sammie’s gown, to the taco bar for dinner, to the succulent escort cards! It was all so charming!
But the highlight of the day for me was the expression on Brooks’ face as he watched Samantha walk down the aisle. Brooks’ eyes welled up with tears and you could see how overcome he was with love in that moment as Samantha came towards him. It is so wonderful to see a guy love his girl so much, and let me tell you, Brooks really loves Samantha! I also swooned over the heartfelt toasts, and of course Brooks + Samantha’s amazingly choreographed first dance! These two have the moves!
Thanks so much to my hubby AJ and also Megan Sharp for assisting me on this wedding! Also much love to La Fete Weddings for coordination, Simply Bouquets for the gorgeous bouquets and ceremony decor, and Pure Joy Catering for a killer Mexican feast! Check out all the beauty and love below….
The details leave me breathless…
A little bling never hurt anyone!
Sammie was so calm before she got dressed. She just wanted to soak in the day
A sweet moment from the First Look! I LOVE First Looks!
The First Look allowed us to get many of the group photos done before the ceremony… which also meant extra time for fun bridal party shots like this!
Vanity Fair, ladies! Work it out!
The boys opted for some more Ninja-like moves
Okay so this one just makes me laugh. Brooks decided he wanted a shot where they all stared straight ahead and looked like zombies (Brooks is a goofball, yes). But the funny thing was, though it may sound easy to stare ahead with a blank stare, it’s actually quite challenging. The groomsmen had a hard time holding it together!
The CEREMONY! LOVE.
Cutest thing ever!!!
Brooks’ face as Sammie walks down the aisle? PRICELESS. This is why I do what I do.
I had so much fun shooting the romantics! I love this part of the day so much! And the Historical Museum was such a great and rustic backdrop!
Sammie, you are STUNNING!
SERIOUSLY?? GORGEOUS!
FIERCE!
I adored the little succulent escort cards!
The reception details were so cute! Lots of blooms in mason jars and burlap table runners! Oh and chalkboard table numbers! Cute cute cute!
The first dance!
I don’t usually post toast pictures, but I thought these two below were so touching. So much love was felt!!
To see more from this lovely wedding feel free to check out SLIDESHOW below or watch it by clicking here:
So lately I’ve been talking about HBO… but it’s only because they’ve been killing it with awesome programming! One of my current HBO obsessions is the new comedy 
I am a food nerd! That is true. And one of my favorite types of food is Mexican Food! YUMMY! Lucky for me, I live in Santa Barbara where Mexican food is plentiful. We have lots of options to choose from in town and some are quite famous. But the truth is, my number one favorite place in SB to grab some south of the border cuisine is at 
by ashleightaylorphotography
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