Santa Barbara 25 - The weddings

The following are my all-time favorite Santa Barbara weddings.

In addition, I also think that these were the best weddings Santa Barbara ever staged.

First off - Mason and Julia



The witty, playful banter belied the traumatic previous year they experienced. In addition, these two are cynics at heart, so over the top, flowery vows would not work for them. Besides, some of the things that come out of Mason's mouth on an everyday basis sounded like poetry anyway.


Next - Keith and Gina



Like Mason and Julia's wedding, Keith and Gina's wedding matched their personalities. Gina's son, Brandon, had to beg the guests to attend, given that both Gina and Keith were the town pariahs. Again, this was another example of Gina's bizarre need to get validation from the people she hated. Nevertheless, this wedding was fun and touching.

And finally - Cruz and Eden

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


I wish that Eden's descent down the ornate staircase was a part of the footage, but I don't want to quibble. At 14, I thought that this wedding was the gold standard of weddings - then I went a step too far and thought that this would be my standard for my wedding. Mercifully, I grew up and recognized that a wedding can be a bear and that an over the top wedding wasn't worth it. But for Cruz and Eden, anything less would have been an abomination. The thing that I will take from this wedding is the vows. Both Cruz and Eden demonstrated how well they knew each other and how they treasure each others' gifts, personalities and ambitions. The level of intimacy that these two character share continues to be my yardstick.