1. Real Weddings

Beachfront Wedding in Santa Barbara, CA

When Barry moved to New York City, a childhood friend from California introduced him to Rachel. The two became friends, and three years passed before

When Barry moved to New York City, a childhood friend from California introduced him to Rachel. The two became friends, and three years passed before they became an item. Two years later, Rachel and Barry were visiting family in the San Francisco Bay Area when they decided to have a picnic on the beach. It was a cold day, so they had the place to themselves. The Bride Rachel Schwartz, 30, actor The Groom Barry Taylor, 32, cancer researcher The Date September 13 Barry asked Rachel to close her eyes for a minute, and when she opened them, Barry -- ring in hand -- asked her to marry him. They planned their Santa Barbara destination wedding from New York City with the help of a planner. The couple wanted the wedding to feel relaxed but elegant, so they chose a “beach-chic” style, incorporating aqua and shades of tan and brown.

To make their beach ceremony more chic, the couple added orchids and greenery to driftwood.
Wine Wedding Favors
Rachel and Barry’s Manzanita and driftwood huppah was a seamless addition to the sandy ceremony. Dark-wood chargers full of dendrobium orchids for tossing lined the aisle.
Iridescent seashells hung from the stems of Rachel’s mostly white bouquet of cattleya, cymbidium, and phalaenopsis orchids.
Rachel walked barefoot on the beach for the ceremony, so she couldn’t wear heels to the reception without re-hemming her dress. Instead, she slipped on champagne-colored flats.
Rachel and Barry’s three-tiered, pale-blue, buttercream-frosted cake was decorated with white sugar orchids and chocolate-brown ribbon.
To coordinate with their color-block dresses, the bridesmaids carried multicolored bouquets of white garden roses surrounded by rings of chocolate cosmos and lamb’s ear.
Barry wore a white phalaenopsis orchid decorated with ribbon and a single seashell to coordinate with Rachel’s bouquet.
Guests sat at two long, rectangular tables covered with chocolate-brown linens and champagne runners. Candles of varying heights and shapes were scattered across the tables.
Champange Place Settings
Four Seasons Resort Reception