A Vera Wang Bride for a SUPER Luxe Jewish Wedding with a 20-Person Bridal Party and Epic Chuppah at Bacara Resort & Spa, Santa Barbara, California

OK, we do not say this lightly: prepare yourselves. Seriously, Adriane and Sam’s super luxe Jewish wedding had us rubbing our eyes in disbelief, because it’s genuinely one of the most INCREDIBLE (note the gratuitous and well-earned use of all caps) real weddings we’ve ever featured on the blog. No exaggeration, this wedding is truly something else. There are not enough adjectives in the thesaurus to describe just how divine it is.

Editor Karen found this beauty on Instagram and immediately knew it HAD to grace the Smashing The Glass pages.

Where to start? The dà©cor was simply out of this world, which is no surprise, given that the wedding brought together some of California’s most coveted wedding vendors. The epic two-night celebration took place in dreamy Santa Barbara, California, at Bacara Resort & Spa, with its beautiful view of the ocean. Night one had a whimsical, boho-chic aesthetic (and a two-hour silent disco), while the second night boasted a stunning, clean all-white formal design with an abundance of white orchids and a stunning display of hanging lights.

Their chuppah was the stuff of fairytales, with a romantic, rustic walkway (those doors!!) leading to a showstopper of tumbling flowers and lit candles. It is genuinely gasp inducing and spine tingling in equal measure.

We don’t have enough words of praise for wedding planner Kate Carlson Event, florist Butterfly Floral and LIV Entertainment for forming what is every bride’s dream team and creating something so special it looks pulled from the pages of Vogue. Just amazing.

Words don’t really do any of this justice, but fortunately the happy couple had the one and only, yes THE Jessica Claire (!!) on hand to capture the magic (pro tip, if you’re going to have a larger-than-life wedding, make sure you have one of the world’s best photographers) as well as incredible videographer, David Medill, whose gorgeous, cinematic wedding video you can watch above.

Bride Adriane looked like a Hollywood A lister in her perfect blend of bridal and sexy Vera Wang gown, and with her expert hair and makeup artist team at her side. Adriane also layered phenomenal pieces of jewelry from her own bohemian-chic jewelry company, JAE Jewelry, which she co-owns with her sister, so she really knew her stuff (and you guys should totally check it out)!

Adriane had no fewer than 17 bridesmaids, two bridesmen and one maid of honor, making it a 20-person-strong bridal party!! 

OK, if we don’t stop gushing now, we never will. Ladies and gentlemen, please get your best Pinning fingers ready, and give it up for bride Adriane and her fabulous writeup. 

 
How we met

Adriane, the bride: We met at a mutual friend’s birthday in Palm Springs, California. We immediately connected and our story continued from there… 

A venue with special energy

We got married at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, California. We picked this venue because of its gorgeous property and the beautiful feeling we feel when in Santa Barbara. It has a special energy to it.

We also wanted a destination wedding and thought it was the perfect fit for us, individually and as a couple. Funnily enough, we both went to UCSB for undergrad, but not at the same time, considering our five-year age difference. With that being said, Santa Barbara has a huge significance to both of us.

A two-night wedding celebration

We made our wedding about us by implementing our personality through our aesthetic and curating our views to meet our requirements, ie: guest list, guest count, location, theme, set up, and our Rabbi of choice.

We wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before, something we’ve yet to see by adding our untraditional flare. We had a two-night celebration, Friday and Saturday night. On Friday night, we went for an outdoor, bohemian-chic theme, where everyone was encouraged to wear all white and dress in bohemian chic attire, and our decorations were wooden tables and chairs, with an unlimited bar serving rose, red and white wine, and beer. We avoided hard alcohol for this particular event, so it would match the vibe.

We had a silent disco from 10pm to midnight, which was definitely one of the highlights of the whole weekend.

On Saturday night, we went for an elegant, more formal black-tie theme where the room was completely decked out in all-white draping, furniture, lighting, and flowers. The room was filled with all white orchids and it was balanced between tables and chairs on one side of the ballroom, and a lounge-style themed design on the other side of the ballroom, with the round dance floor centered directly in the center of the room.

Over the dancefloor was a cabana-inspired white tent, covered with white orchids and vines and elegant moroccan themed lanterns hanging from the top. We worked with a wonderful wedding planner, Kate Carlson, and our incredible florist, Inna from Butterfly Floral, both who helped bring my vision to light.

Gold-foil invitations

Our invitation design was created specially for us. It was a gold foil embedded invitation.

A perfect hair and makeup team

I went with Tammy Pham for my makeup, because she is the most incredible artist I have ever worked with. She is my usual makeup artist, and I couldn’t have imagined my wedding look without her.

We went for a bright-faced neutral peach lip for Friday night and a darker look for Saturday night.

The reason I love her so much is because she “paints” me to still look like myself, while making me look glamorous and picture ready!

I went with Sami from Cristophe Salon for my hair, because she is super talented and is an expert at creating a high ponytail to look chic and classy. She added a braid and incorporated white orchids in my ponytail.

During my ceremony down the aisle; however, Sami styled my hair down with beach waves with one white orchid inserted in. As for Friday night, I had it styled down with beach waves and added a braid that wrapped on side of my head with gorgeous flowers surrounding it.

The dress version of myself

My dress was from Vera Wang in Beverly Hills. It was a very daring edgy Jessica Parker-style dress.

I realized it was “the one” when I tried it on and felt that if I were to be a wedding dress, this is the one I’d be; it was the dress version of myself.

I initially wanted something super tight and fitting, but I was still very open to trying on a bunch of styles and having fun with it, and it wasn’t until I tried my dress on that I realized it was the perfect balance of bridal and sexy, which is actually exactly what I was going for.

It’s like JAE Jewelry, the perfect balance for the diverse woman. I never want to stick to one style of design for one specific target audience. It’s perfect for all types of women.

Jewelry to stack and layer 

I definitely was decked out in the most elegant of diamonds and emeralds. I have a love affair with emeralds and accessorizing, what can I say… you can never go wrong with it!

Something around each body part (ie: finger, wrist, neck, ear, ankle, etc.) is my motto! Stack and layer, as we say in JAE!

I wore flowers in my hair both nights and my veil was a Carolina Herrera veil. Flowers in my hair make me so happy and make me feel grounded, beautiful and at one with myself. They are feminine and it was the perfect fit for me and who I am.

Shoes fit for a Spice Girl

I wore the classic blue Manolo Blahniks that I have been eyeing all my life, and later changed into a Spice Girls platform for more height.

The handsome groom

Sam wore a blue Dior tuxedo with Ferragamo shoes. He looked so sharp and handsome, I couldn’t keep that smile off my face all night.

A 20-strong bridal party 

I had 17 bridesmaids, two bridesmen and one maid of honor. I have a big family and I’m surrounded by special people, what can I say? I am lucky to have each of them in my life and close to my heart. The bridesmaids all wore silver dresses. The bridesmen got some more leeway.

A magical rustic dream chuppah

We had a separate party for our ketubah signing (this was the Friday night bohemian chic party). Our ceremony was the most magical part of our entire wedding weekend for us. Aside from our vows being so authentic and intimately deep, we had the most beautiful and unique chuppah.

The entrance to our chuppah was two custom-made wooden balinese doors to promote good karma and purity. The wooden catwalk was also specially handmade for us, and so well put together.

Our chuppah was unique in the sense where we did not want it to be covered in flowers, instead we decided to go rustic chic. We wanted a more organic feeling. Our rental company and florist created a wooden chuppah stand decorated with mainly orchids and other beautiful arrangements of flowers that were hanging down from all four sides, creating the magical essence of our ceremony.

It was as if we had stumbled upon a beautiful forest that felt pure and untouched. It was so organically created and executed to perfection. We had lit candles above us on the chuppah shining throughout the night (my wedding planner gets all the credit on that part).

Save the first dance for me

Our first dance song was Bella Luna by Jason Mraz and my aisle song was Love Story by Indilla.

An abundance of orchids

We chose white orchids for the entire ballroom on Saturday night. Our wedding planner, Kate Carlson, our florist, Butterfly Floral, and our rental company, Palace Party Rental truly created the most memorable design for us. They were able to manifest our vision and bring all of our ideas to life.

I emphasized on specifications for the aesthetic and vibe we were going for and they completely exceeded our expectations. They are a group of creative geniuses and collaborate extremely well and professionally together. It’s almost as if they are in each other’s brains when they deliver an idea… it’s amazing!

Next-level photography and videography 

We decided to use Jessica Claire after her seeing her work at a wedding she photographed in Napa. We knew that she was it for us right then and there. No one else compares to her, she is in her own league.

We used David Medill for videography because of his talent, his skill and how incredibly great he is to work with! He was there for us from the proposal to the engagement to the wedding! He does it all!

Entertainment for the perfect night

We chose LIV Entertainment because of their DJ and musician selection, the quality of their equipment, their professionalism, their eagerness to make your night perfect, and more! When we signed DJ Nathan, I was just as happy as when Sam proposed! He’s THAT good!

Wedding hashtag baseball caps

For our favors, we had customized baseball caps in two different colors that had our hashtag – #rezfortwo embroidered in them. These were perfect for the time of year.

Advice to couples currently planning their wedding

My advice to all and any brides out there – be cool throughout the process because there are moments and days where the planning becomes chaotic because of all the people involved. But more importantly, be present that day, and throughout the planning!

Take moments during your wedding day/night to be thankful and to observe whats going on around you so that you can take it all in. This is the reward that pays off all that hard work. Take some moments to leave the dance floor and socialize and embrace your guests. Go to the bar, get a drink, you deserve it! Don’t be stuck in one place all day/night… move around and explore! you created all this to experience it, too!

For sure eat some carbs before to gain energy… you’ll need it for all that dancing! Oh and if you are debating on saying your vows, I highly recommend you saying them. It’s one of the most meaningful parts of it all, nothing compares to it.

Adriene & Sam’s little white book

Photographer – Jessica Claire
Videographer – David Medill
Wedding planner – Kate Carlson Event
Venue – Bacara Resort & Spa
Bride’s dress – Vera Wang
Bride’s veil – Carolina Herrera
Bride’s shoes – Manolo Blahnik
Jewellery – JAE
Groom’s attire – Dior and Ferragamo
Hair + Makeup – Sami from Cristophe Salon and Tammy Pham
Flowers – Butterfly Floral
DJ –  DJ Nathan from LIV Entertainment
Lighting – LIV Entertainment
Chandeliers – Amber Event Production
Ketubah – 1-800-Ketubah