Christopher Lee Pearson, the vice president of creator partnerships at Captiv8, showed up to a friend of a friend’s beach birthday party in a long jacket and high-tops. He especially made an impression on Erin Alexandra Pearson, an account executive at CoStar Group. “He was so embarrassed because his friend told him it was a cabana party,” Erin explains. “When he got there, it was just people hanging in the sand and his outfit was hilarious.”
On their first date, Chris and Erin watched La La Land. “The ending always gets me,” Erin starts. “Chris was so sweet as I balled my eyes out, and the movie was just special to us from that moment on.” The Griffith Observatory scene in the film also stood out, as they both revealed that they’d never visited during their years in Los Angeles.
Like in a movie, when their two-year anniversary came around, Chris sent a car to whisk Erin away to meet him at the Griffith Observatory. There, he got down on one knee and said, “I know you never liked the way the movie ended and that they didn’t end up together, but our story is going to be a bit different.”
Once engaged, the pair realized they were very aligned on the vision for their summer wedding in Santa Barbara. “We didn’t want necessarily a Gatsby feel, as that felt more NY, but rather the Old Hollywood that felt more Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, etc. with a lot of black and white,” Erin shares. Melanie Levin of LuckEleven Events brought that exact vision to life, and Ben & Kadin captured every moment.
Erin and Chris were also aligned on wanting to feel like elevated versions of themselves on their wedding day. Chris chose an ivory jacket with his signature red carnation, black tuxedo pants, and patent shoes. And groomsmen matched his vibe in looks from The Black Tux.
“The moment I put on my Rita Vinieris dress, I knew it was the perfect dress for me, understated yet dramatic,” Erin says of her ceremony look. She styled it with gloves, a blusher veil, and her mother’s jewelry. “She had a necklace made with her original engagement diamond and earrings made from my grandma’s diamond collection. She even made my maid of honor a necklace from her great-grandma’s old mine-cut diamond—a piece from the early 1900s!”
On the morning-of, Marla & Co. gave Erin a glam look that stayed true to her everyday style and was inspired by Sofia Richie. Bridesmaids complemented Erin well in Show Me Your Mumu dresses.
On June 23, 2023, the couple were filled with so much emotion during the ceremony. “To look around and see our closest family and friends who made the trip to Santa Barbara to celebrate us both was such a joyous feeling,” Erin gushes. “The happiness and excitement on the day was amazing.”
The newlyweds served locally-inspired dishes at their reception like central coast yellowtail crudo, Santa Barbara sea bass, and fresh kale Caesar salad with wines from the region.
Later on, Erin changed into a Katherine Tash mini dress and visited the espresso martini bar with her guests. The dance floor was electric, and everything from ‘60s hits to current chart toppers blasted through the speakers until 2:00 a.m.
