Events by Philippe - Santa Barbara, California - Blog

Wedding at the Bacara Resort

2010-09-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

This July we coordinated a wedding for Skye and Eric at the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara. Both the wedding ceremony and reception were hosted at the resort. Photographs were taken by Baron Spafford.

We have uploaded an album of pictures from the wedding that can be seen here in our showcase:

http://www.eventsbyphilippe.com/weddings/showcase/72157624857573406

Behind the Scenes: Summer Wedding

2010-07-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had our fist major wedding of the 2010 summer season. The wedding was held at a private ranch North of Santa Barbara along the coast. Events by Philippe had the honor of coordinating all elements of the wedding production. We had a fantastic group of local vendors that helped us create both a beautiful ceremony and a stunning tented reception area. We also had an unbelievable group of servers, and kitchen staff as part of our catering service. Please enjoy these photos that we took to document some of the work involved before the start of the wedding.

View the full album on our Flickr account here.

Building the altar of flowers:

Getting the aisle and chairs set for the ceremony:

Chairs all put in place:

Setting up the tables and unloading the glassware from crates:

More bare tables:

Musicians warming up:

Chefs prepping appetizers:

Folding napkins for the tables:

Glasses, plates, and silverware added to tables:

Starting to add flower centerpieces to the tables:

Adding more table centerpieces:

Setting up one of the bars:

Glassware prepped for the bar:

Kitchen area ready to go:

Staff preparing the scullery area:

Coverage in Santa Barbara Wedding Style

2010-06-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

Recently Events by Philippe was featured in Santa Barbara Wedding Style for a wedding we did for Holly and Leo back in August of 2008. You can view the coverage with images here: http://santabarbarawedding.com/blog/?p=2189

Also, more images from the wedding are available in our wedding showcase section here: http://www.eventsbyphilippe.com/weddings/showcase/72157612471622046

This was a gourgeous wedding that took place at the historic Santa Barbara Mission. The photographer for the wedding was Melissa Musgrove.

Wedding for Anne & Chris

2010-06-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

Last September (2009) we had the honor of planning and coordinating the wedding for Anne and Chris. The ceremony and the reception were both held on the beautiful grounds of the Santa Barbara Club. Photographs were taken by Megan Sorel Photography.

View more photos from the wedding here in our showcase: http://www.eventsbyphilippe.com/weddings/showcase/72157624156402286

Girls Inc. Cocktail Party

2010-05-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

We recently did a great event for the local chapter of Girls Inc. here in Santa Barbara. All food was catered by Events by Philippe, with wines from Chamisal Vineyards, and cheeses from selected California producers. Photos in our showcase album were captured by Vita-Bella Photography.

View all photos from the event here: http://www.eventsbyphilippe.com/events/showcase/72157624006661172

Juilliard Quartet Event

2010-04-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

We have added a new gallery of images to our events showcase. These are photos of an event we did last week here in Santa Barbara for the Juilliard Quartet. The event was put on by UCSB Arts and Lectures. Photographs by Ahnika Johnson.

View all the the photos from the event here: http://www.eventsbyphilippe.com/events/showcase/72157623774374319

Wedding for Maggie & Bryan

2010-04-09T10:03:00.001-07:00

We have added a new gallery of images to our wedding showcase. These are photos of a wedding we did last year (September 2009) here in Santa Barbara. Photographs captured by Mike Larson Photography.

View all the the photos from the wedding here: http://www.eventsbyphilippe.com/weddings/showcase/72157623796268778

The Importance of a Wedding Coordinator

2010-04-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

What is your biggest day of wedding fear? I think most of us would say that that we have had nightmares about some of the things that could go wrong on our wedding day. I had dreams of getting married in the wrong dress, my tables not being set up come reception time, and the band playing the YMCA song the whole night.

My sister-in-law was on a tight budget and had planned every part of her own wedding to the very last detail. However, when it came time for everything to begin, none of the vendors knew who to talk to so they went straight to the bride. Imagine the stress she must have felt! The caterer approached her about the food. The site manager asked her why there weren’t enough tables. Her own cell phone even went off during the ceremony and no one was able to find it! My sister took DIY to a whole new level, but even she would tell you that it was a mistake not hiring someone to take over on the most important day of her life.

So why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we cut back on budgeting in a coordinator to help make everything run smoothly on our wedding day? Perhaps we’ll choose instead to go with a friend that is willing to help, or a relative hoping to oversee things. The truth of the matter is that our weddings are a time of celebration. Friends and relatives can become distracted by the excitement of the festivities and forget to make sure that everything is going according to plan.

Whether it is a forgotten bouquet, a lighting vendor who doesn’t show up, or an attendant who has gone overboard with the open bar, hiring a wedding coordinator could simply make your life a whole lot easier.

Here are 8 good reasons to hire a wedding coordinator:

Experience – Knowing what to do in case the worst happens will be a walk in the park for a coordinator who has a couple of years behind them. They will also have an idea of which vendors would be your best fit.
Vision – Bringing in a professional will assure that the design of your wedding is exactly what you had anticipated and more.
Cost-Effectiveness – Hiring a coordinator will most likely save you money. You may spend hours researching hotel rates and blocking off rooms, while an experienced planner may already have the answers for you. Plus, day of the wedding you need to feel confident that you are getting your money’s worth from each vendor…a coordinator will oversee everything that goes on.
Time – This is a no-brainer. Some brides spend up to 200 hours planning their wedding and researching vendors. Why waste so many hours when a professional has spent years accumulating a list of the best.
Security – A coordinator will keep the other vendors on their feet and watching their steps. It’s hard to slack off when you know there is someone constantly watching.
Stress Relief – It’s should come as no surprise that having every person you love in the world all in one place at one time can be overwhelming. A planner helps you focus on enjoying yourself and your loved ones without thinking about anything else.
Creative Design – With so many options it may seem at times impossible to make a decision. Should you go with the celadon green table cloths or the kiwi green table cloths? A coordinator can help you reel in the indecisiveness and come to quick decisions.
Peace of Mind – Knowing that there is someone you have hired to make sure that your wedding day is unique, personal, and precisely what you imagined makes a world of difference.

Wedding for Katherine & Will

2010-03-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

We have added a new gallery of images to our wedding showcase. These are photos of a wedding we did last year (June 2009) here in Santa Barbara. Beautiful images captured by Michelle Warren Photography.

View all the the photos from the wedding here: http://www.eventsbyphilippe.com/weddings/showcase/72157623496380613

Sarah & Neil's Wedding

2010-02-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

Events by Philippe had the honor of being mentioned in photographer Dia Rao's blog this past summer. The photos are from a wedding we coordinated at the Montecito Country Club.

View Dia Rao's blog post about the wedding.

Unique Save the Date Invitation

2010-03-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

Green Wedding Shoes posts about a catching Save The Date invite that was photographed by Kelty from Steep Street. Great inspiration for card design & photography!

http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/2010/03/underwater-engagement-photos-save-date.html

Thought For Food

2010-03-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

Dan Barber gives a thought-provoking speech about different ways of farming fish.

Watch Video

TED Talk Description:

Chef Dan Barber squares off with a dilemma facing many chefs today: how to keep fish on the menu. With impeccable research and deadpan humor, he chronicles his pursuit of a sustainable fish he could love, and the foodie's honeymoon he's enjoyed since discovering an outrageously delicious fish raised using a revolutionary farming method in Spain.

Eating in Santa Barbara

2010-03-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

We love great food! And there's a lot of great food in Santa Barbara. Recently I discovered a local blogger writing about her outings at some of Santa Barbara's best restaurants. I thought you might also find an interest in her explorations. Read her wonderful posts at: gutfud - the food, es ist gut

Holiday Party in Montecito

2010-02-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Santa Barbara Event Professionals at the Granada

2010-02-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

Events by Philippe had the privileged of catering an event at the Granada Theater for the Santa Barbara Event Professionals. We are delighted to be featured in Infocus Studio's pictures from the event.

Santa Barbara Magazine Holiday Party

2010-01-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

40th Birthday Party Event

2010-01-20T15:49:00.000-08:00

Montecito Open House Event

2010-01-04T22:35:00.000-08:00

Yo Yo Ma Reception

2010-01-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

Ladies Luncheon in Montecito

2009-12-27T20:28:00.000-08:00

Four Seasons Biltmore Wedding

2009-11-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

Pictures by Brian at BB Photography