I first met Dana & Patrick at a house party in Chicago a few summers back. We totally hit it off— Dana and I were both teachers and the two of them together just radiated this amazing energy. When they asked me if I'd be interested in heading out west to photograph their wedding I had to rewrite my email a handful of times to edit the exclamation points down to a socially acceptable level. So that's how we got here!
On their wedding day, I drove up the coast from LA to Santa Barbara and nerded out over the rolling hills covered in wildflowers along the highway. I don't have the right words to describe their wedding day— it was just as intimate and honest as it was wild and fun. Their informal theme became "disco forest" and they drew inspiration from free-spirited gatherings with firepits and huge dance parties. My personal favorite moments include their purely unique and earnest vows, getting the full wedding party into the creek bed and yelling "I'm going to blog the shit out of this!", and the flash mob their friends secretly choreographed and practiced from all across the country in the months leading up to the wedding. It was flawless and magical and totally surprised Dana and Patrick.
I'd also have to agree with Dana, she said, "The moments that we had with just the two of us and Sarah taking our couple photos were honestly some of our favorite memories from our whole wedding day because she made us so comfortable and really allowed us to feel like we had some alone time to breathe." Those are legitimately always some of my favorite moments— I love getting to photograph couples, but I also love giving them a moment away from it all to just enjoy each other. It's so easy to get swept up in everything that couples often don't get the chance really look at each other and process the day. Well, I think it's time to let the images speak for themselves! I hope you enjoy them.
If you're craving some more earthy goodness, check out Olivia & Daniel's lovely wedding or you can see Boho Wedding’s feature of Dana & Patrick’s wedding here.
Wedding vendor team:
Venue: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History // Wedding Coordinator: Jaime Kostechko with Wild Heart Events // Florist: Tracey Morris with Ella and Louie // Caterer: Seasons // DJ: Michael Easbey // Lighting: Cristina Bentley with Bella Vista Designs // MUA & Hair: Nickie Dipierri with Pretty Please Beauty // Furniture Rentals: Party Pleasers