MEET THE TEAM
Catherine Forester
Wedding Planner
As Creative Director and Wedding Planner at Weddings by the Sea, Catherine finds unending inspiration in the beauty of Santa Barbara and the individual love stories of each couple. Catherine draws on years of experience producing and designing events and attractions for the themed entertainment industry. Her experience spans events, theater, theme park design, costume and floral design. She has worked with both large companies and boutique design firms. With a strong attention to detail, she combines the many elements of event planning to create an unforgettable experience.
Drew Wakefield
Officiant
Drew’s ministerial background includes associate pastor, worship Leader, and youth pastor. Drew was raised by his Grandparents Reverend Henry W. & Viola Cowie who were the Senior Pastors of Church of the Open Bible on 329 West Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara for well over 60 years. Reverend Cowie was known as Santa Barbara’s Community Pastor. Drew is very evangelistic in nature & style and has a powerful voice that can speak directly into your heart and soul. His fundraising expertise has helped raise 10’s of millions of dollars for charities/non-profits, schools, and churches.
Bex Spiegelman Photographer
Bex Spiegelman specializes in wedding and engagement photography. Her enthusiasm and energy is evident in her ability to make couples feel comfortable and genuine in front of the camera.
Bex has worked as a professional photographer for over 6 years and hold a BS degree from UCSB. She has shot weddings in numerous locations in Santa Barbara and Southern California. She consistently delivers beautiful photos capturing the truly special moments.
Mayra Romero
Photographer
Mayra hold a BA degree in photography from Sacramento State University. She was born and raised in Santa Barbara and is fully bilingual in both English and Spanish.
She finds great importance in “keeping” moments. Photographing a moment means that you are able to look back and revisit that time and place. This can bring back the emotion from a special event, such as a wedding. Mayra is honored to be the photographer responsible for allowing her clients to revisit their wedding day.
Wendy Brewer
Officiant
Wendy Brewer is an Ordained Minister and a Soul-Centered Life Coach with an MA in Spiritual Psychology. She has officiated hundreds of joyous, delightfully diverse, and meaningful wedding ceremonies over the years. Wendy enjoys capturing the heart, spirit, and deep connection of each couple she works with. She honors all religions, races, cultures, beliefs, and sexual orientations. Wendy is a nurturing presence and will help make your wedding a beautiful shimmering reflection of who you are as individuals and as a couple.
Julia Garcia
Officiant
Julia Garcia is a multilingual (English, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian) and California Wedding Day award winning officiant. She loves to customize the look and feel of each wedding ceremony to meet the aspirations and imagination of the couple. She specializes in incorporating cultural traditions; Mexican (Lasso), Persian (Sofreh Aghd), Jewish (Breaking of the Glass), Slavic (Karavay), etc. as well as unity ceremonies, such as Sand Blending, Candle, etc. As an Ordained Minister with Universal Life Church, she honors all marriages: Traditional, Non-Denominational, Intercultural/Diverse Faiths, and Same Sex.
Zoe Abrams
Photographer
Zoe is a Southern California couples and elopement photographer. With a love for color and a passion for storytelling, Zoe aims to capture the energy that makes each couple special. Her favorite thing about weddings is connecting with her clients while helping celebrate and document their biggest life moments. Specializing in both digital and 35mm film, Zoe has photographed couples across California. Outside of photography, Zoe loves to travel and always has her next adventure planned. You can find her exploring California’s scenic landscapes (likely with a camera or two in hand).
Alex Garcia
Photographer
With over 10 years experience in both wedding photography and videography, Alex Gonzalez has curated an extensive portfolio of high quality images. Alex focuses on capturing those precious, candid moments and the uniqueness of each couple. He has photographed weddings in numerous locations in Southern California. Multi talented, he also holds Masters Degree in public health. Alex is bilingual in English and Spanish and excels at coordinating families and guests, resulting in gorgeous wedding photos!
Lisa Lechuga
Floral Designer
Lisa D. Lechuga is a floral designer based in Southern California. She began her creative career as a painter for film and theater and holds a MA in theatrical design from UCLA. Her love for flower styling began when she was given her first Hawaiian flower lei 30 years ago. Lisa studied as an apprentice with some of LA’s top floral designer and then founded her own business Lechetti Design. In addition to creating luscious designs for wedding flowers, she also specializes in floral wear, including leis, flower crowns, floral earrings and more for special occasions.