Joe and Katerina met after Joe saw her working at the office and he knew he had to talk to her. He decided to stop by her office to ask her a very important question…he asked her where the water fountain was, even though he already knew EXACTLY where the water fountain was located. She told him, and the rest is history!

Later on in their relationship, during what was supposed to be a trip to Carmel-by-the-Sea to celebrate Katerina’s birthday was really a trip to PROPOSE. Right as the sun was setting, Joe took Katerina for a walk on the beach at Carmel-By-The-Sea. He got down on one knee (at which point Katerina started to cry), and proceeded to ask her why she was crying since he was just tying his shoe.  She then pointed out, “You’re not wearing shoes with laces!” (he was wearing slippers). Caught. Joe proceeded with the most romantic proposal, one which Katerina will have memories of forever. This is the perfect glimpse into how hilarious, spectacular, and in love this couple is.

Joe and Katerina’s wedding day started off with everybody getting ready at the Hilton Santa Barbara overlooking the ocean. Such a beautiful spot to start off a wedding day! One of the bridesmaids made all of the florals and they turned out GORGEOUS! She even had extra florals for detail photos, which makes our job so much easier, fun, and helps the photos turn out great too!

Katerina bought her dress at Vera Wang on a rodeo drive. She just happened to be in the area, so she popped in to browse and ended up finding her perfect dress there!! Since her girls were not with her when she bought the dress, Katerina decided to keep her dress secret from her bridesmaids and do a first look instead. When she came into the room their faces were absolutely priceless! Everyone had their mouths wide open! It was so fun getting to capture their reactions.

After the bride was ready, her entire family came in for a Greek getting ready ceremony. They danced around her and blessed her marriage while family members played instruments and everyone clapped. They did the same thing for the groom too! It was so special and made us realize how much we love wedding traditions like this! Then Joe gave Katerina a Tiffany’s infinity necklace, because today starts their forever. How thoughtful is that?! And let’s be honest, anytime a Tiffany’s box shows up you know it’s going to be good.

The ceremony was a perfect depiction of the love Joe and Katerina already show for one another and what they desire out of their marriage. The priest reminisced about asking Katerina when they were first engaged whether or not Joe was worthy of her, ultimately coming to the conclusion that Joe is more than worthy. His marriage advice for them was to never go to bed angry. Even if it means you don’t sleep for a few nights, he encouraged them to never let the enemy have that place in your marriage. We loved how he described each year in marriage as a new season and a new opportunity to learn about your spouse. Coming from a marriage of 36 years, we think he knows what he’s talking about!

Afterwards, everybody transitioned to the reception in the rotunda of the Hilton Santa Barbara by the ocean. It was an incredible celebration. The cocktail hour was on top of the rotunda and the reception took place below. It started with a greek dance where the bride, groom, and bridal party danced around in a circle while family and friends threw money at them! They made it rain!! Such an epic way to get things started! The night continued with amazing food, great speeches, and the most incredible dancing circles we’ve ever seen. Sometimes we got caught up in the middle of it and got to dance along. The Greeks clearly know how to party!

The day was a perfect celebration of Joe and Katerina and we were THRILLED to get to be a part of it!

 

Ceremony Location: St Barbara Greek Orthodox Church
Reception Location: Hilton Santa Barbara
Hair/Makeup: Tayler Rad Hair & Style Me Kristi
Planer: Festive Event Planning 
Dress: Vera Wang
Catering: K Syrah Catering
Rental: A Rental Connection

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