Palm Terrace Ceremony, Then a Trolley to The Lark

The Santa Barbara Courthouse Palm Terrace

The Palm Terrace is the open courtyard at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, surrounded by the building's Spanish Revival arches and the palms the space is named for. Danielle and Cody's guests were all seated, no one stood at the front.

The processional brought in the officiant, then the families, then a seven-year-old flower girl scattering petals ahead of Danielle. She came last, her father and her son Kael walking beside her, and the three of them made their way to where Cody was waiting. A guitarist played throughout, and the ceremony was over within the half hour.

“They really made the whole wedding planning process and the day of truly special.”

Family Photos on the Courthouse Grounds

Family portraits happened on the courthouse grounds before the trolley loaded up. The Spanish Revival courtyard, the sunken gardens, and the arches all give you enough variety to move a large blended family through groupings without everyone standing in the same spot.

The trolley left from the courthouse for the short ride to The Lark in the Funk Zone, while the couple finished their portraits. The Pullman Room was being set while guests rode over, bud vases, hurricane candleholders, and name cards at every seat, and the cocktail hour on the Santa Barbara Collective patio next door kept everyone comfortable until the room was ready.

Dinner at The Lark. Pullman Room

The Lark's Pullman Room was set with bud vases, hurricane candleholders, and name cards at every seat. Kirby Ruiz announced Danielle and Cody in, and they went straight into their first dance.

Dinner was family-style over four courses, the children at the table on pasta and grilled cheese while the adults worked through a full menu with specialty cocktails alongside. Five people gave toasts: the mothers, a brother, a sister, and a close friend. The speeches ran about fifteen minutes, the kind that land differently when the whole blended family is together in one room.

Cake came out from Frances Baking Co, and the reception ran to the venue's end time. All 44 of them, six children included, were still there for the last of it.