I can’t wait for you to see Sara and Michael’s intimate Santa Barbara beach elopement! They originally planned to throw a big wedding down in Orange County. To sum it up, they scaled down their big bash to a celebration that matched their personalities better.

They decided to elope with their closest friends and family! I love that the connotation around eloping has changed. It’s starting to be seen as an intimate, intentional celebration focused on the couple! Sara and Michael stayed at the Riviera Beach House and walked over to West Beach to share their vows.

Keep scrolling to see all of the special moments from this Santa Barbara beach elopement!!

I loved seeing Sara and Michael include their French Bulldog, Scuba, in their elopement! Scuba was on her best behavior and loved waddling to the beach.

The city of Santa Barbara was so excited for these two! Every couple of minutes we’d hear cars honking and people shouting “congratulations”.

And this photo below is my favorite from the day!! While It’s so sweet and tender, it’s also so Santa Barbara. All the things that were Sara and Michael’s wedding day.

And this may just be my favorite photo from this Santa Barbara beach elopement! Sara’s dad walking her down the “aisle” – aka walking Sara from the hotel down to the beachfront. They wore matching sunglasses and goofed the whole way!

With all of the family photos done, Sara and Michael shared an impromptu first dance! A beautiful way to wrap up their elopement.

Katie B Creative is a Southern California wedding photographer specializing in bright and true-to-tone imagery.

Looking for more elopement inspiration? Take a look at Kaleena and Jan’s San Diego Sunset Cliffs elopement.