A Gorgeous Wedding in Santa Barbara With An Amazing Love Story

Two grooms embrace by the pool under a tree in a romantic scene

William and Andrew’s love story is one that spans the globe, literally! They met in Dublin, had their first date in London, and now live in Hong Kong. Their gorgeous wedding at Belmond El Encanto in Santa Barbara was a true celebration of their lives together, and it’s off the charts beautiful!

Magnolia Event Design and Planning made their intimate wedding vision a reality, and included personal details throughout the day of some of their favorite things. It’s a love story you have to read to believe, so keep scrolling for more and be sure to visit the full gallery on this one captured by I Heart My Groom, because the venue is stunning!

Elegant wedding invitation suite with teal envelope and floral details

Elegant black shoes and bowties for a sophisticated event setup

Two grooms embrace on their wedding day, surrounded by greenery

how they met

From Magnolia Event Design and Planning: William and Andrew have an amazing love story. They met in Dublin in 2013 and William had to fly out the following day for work in London; he was just passing through. Andrew jumped on a plane and met him for a proper date and the rest is pretty much a whirlwind from there. You see William was being offered a new job on this work trip and the destination was Hong Kong. Andrew decided to take the leap of faith and join him on the next adventure. From there they have worked and traveled all over together. They currently reside in Hong Kong and their respective families are in London and Dublin.

Two grooms embracing tenderly on their wedding day, love is in the air Two grooms share a tender moment on their wedding day, smiling

Elegant floral arrangements at an outdoor wedding ceremony

Wedding ceremony setting with pond and tortoises in beautiful garden Turtles basking on a stone in a tranquil pond setting with greenery

Two grooms share a kiss at an outdoor wedding ceremony

Two grooms hold hands as they walk down the aisle at their wedding

heartfelt details

They decided to host their guests for an intimate wedding of 50. We planned the details with them from afar and made sure each item personally resonated with them. The bar featured their favorite drinks- Hendricks and Tonic with cucumber for William and Vodka Martini with a lemon twist for Andrew. They walked down the aisle to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and had readings from the Velveteen Rabbit and EXTRACT FROM THE SUPREME COURT DECISION IN OBERGEFELL v. HODGES.

Two grooms share a tender moment on their wedding day Two grooms embrace on their wedding day in white suits

Two men standing reflected in a pool with a scenic background

Elegant wedding sign with names and date outside a house Outdoor gathering with people on a deck by a white house

Waiter offering refreshing pink cocktails on a tray for guests Refreshing cucumber cocktail with ice and white flowers

Two grooms share a tender moment on their wedding day, close

Elegant white flower arrangement with name cards on display

thoughtful details

Their escort cards sat atop boxes of The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong Truffles and their bar was called The Long march bar after one of their favorite places to grab a drink together. The wedding cake was a three-tier gluten-free cake which featured the city outlines from their 3 home towns- Dublin, London, and Hong Kong and was handprinted in rainbow tones. Each detail was lovingly chosen and decided on to compliment the two of them. It was a truly magical day.

Elegant wedding table setting with floral arrangements and decor