A Presidio Chapel Wedding in Santa Barbara

All Photographs by B. Schwartz Photography

What makes the details of a wedding so meaningful is when the couple decides to work together to create something uniquely their own. Amber and Nick are no exception. Here is what bride Amber had to share with us about their love story and wedding planning process:

Nick and I have a relationship that thrives when we are spontaneous. Neither of us are “type A” people; we are easy going and tend to roll with the punches, and together, life has just happened to us in a beautiful and poetic way.

In that theme, Nick spontaneously asked me to do life with him while we were walking to dinner in New York City. His follow-up question was if he could take me ring shopping. That moment in Washington Square Park will be one I never forget. We were in our favorite city, walking to a fabulous dinner, looking at an incredible view of a giant Christmas tree on 5th Avenue, framed by the famous arch. 

The next day Nick and I found my rings in a trendy SOHO jewelry boutique. I found the band first and after hours of trying on engagement rings, I picked a random one out of the case. It just happened to be a match with the band that I had already fallen in love with.

It is only fitting that while we were in Portland, Nick picked out his ring. After purchasing the ring, we found out it was hand made by Carla Caruso in New York. I found my wedding dress in Santa Barbara; it was the first one that I tried on, and it was a Robert Bullock dress, also made in New York.

Keeping our wedding relevant to us as a couple was important. When we got home from our trip to New York, we shared the news with everyone. My parents asked where we wanted to get married. Our priorities were a short engagement; it turned out to be just over five months. A small ceremony; we had 55 guests with six children. Excellent food; we handpicked our menu with all of our favorites from our top date night location and were able to have our reception on the rooftop of the location. It was perfect, we danced all night with a 360-degree view of Santa Barbara, and everyone went home with full bellies.

The Presidio was our top choice because it is not only gorgeous but in 1782 my ancestors came to Santa Barbara to build the Presidio. One of my ancestors is actually buried in the Presidio Chapel with her name on a beautiful tile on the wall inside. The Presidio also happens to be across the street from our favorite coffee shop.

Every Sunday, Nick and I walk to Handlebar and order our coffee, one large red-eye for Nick and a large cold brew for me. It is a busy location, so we often cross the street to enjoy our Sunday coffee on the benches outside of the presidio chapel. This location has become a place for us to connect. We often discuss the week that has passed and discussed the week to come, and if we are really chatty, we talk about our future dreams. The Presidio has become such a special part of our weekend ritual that is vital to our relationship; it goes without saying that we were more than happy to get married there.

We put our wedding together in a matter of months, and the process of decision making was fairly easy. Both our photographer and florist are people that we know and love. The venues and details followed in the same way. We took a look at all of the things that bring us joy in life and our decisions were made for us. Our wedding was perfectly us.

Full Story Credits: Ceremony Venue, Presidio Chapel Ceremony Musician,  Dustin Janson Reception Venue, The Canary Hotel Day of planning, Rae & Moore Catering by Finch and Fork Photography by B. Schwartz Photography Officiant, Randall Shulman Stationery by Minted Musician/DJ, Elite Disc Jockey’s Videographer, Claudio Zungri Florist and all wedding styling by La Fluer Du Jour Lighting by Patrick Pell (Hotel) Hair by Walter Claudio Salon Makeup by Beauty by Leah Rose Transportation by SB Trolley’s Seamstress/Steamer, The Dress Bridal Boutique Dress designer, Robert Bullock (New York) Boots by Jeffrey Campbell Bridesmaids dress by Sorella Vita Groom & Groomsmen tux by Vera Wang, Black, for men's warehouse