On a boat in Newport, tech entrepreneur Sam Winkler won YouTuber and influencer Sierra Furtado over with his hilarious personality and good heart. And after two years together, they were on a boat again under the famous Arch of Love in Capri, when Sam got down on one knee. “I can’t lie, I kinda saw it coming, but he planned it so perfectly,” Sierra smiles.
Inspired by their Italian engagement, Sierra and Sam aimed to bring European touches to their Montecito villa wedding venue. “[The Santa Barbara town] was the first place Sam and I visited as a couple,” Sierra shares. “We immediately fell in love with its charm and beauty.”
To help bring their summer wedding vision to life, Pure Lavish Events stepped in, and Nicole Ivanov and Peyton Frank were behind the lens for every moment. Sugared Fig Paperie set the tone with a delicate invitation suite.
The welcome party kicked off celebrations. Sierra worked with Nicole + Felicia on a dress from the Spring 2025 collection for the occasion. “The sequin fabric and rosette detail complemented my other looks throughout the weekend so well, and I instantly fell in love,” she says.
The next morning, the bride got ready with makeup artist Jay Laflare and hair stylist Anyssa Maciel in a Rime Arodaky camisole and short set with the brand’s handmade Solstice coat and Miu Miu ballet flats. Bridesmaids then put on their Bec + Bridge butter yellow dresses.
Wanting a timeless look for her ceremony dress, Sierra found “the one” in Monique Lhuillier’s Papillon from the Spring 2024 collection. “I was drawn to the delicate floral lace and added the long sleeve high neck jacket,” she explains. For the after-party, the bride worked with Nicole + Felicia again on a fun mini. “The whole wedding was giving ballerina core, and this dress matched that perfectly!”
On July 20, 2024, everyone gathered for the romantic, alfresco ceremony. “Birch Event Design absolutely killed it with the design!” Sierra exclaims. “The lavender lining the aisle was magical and complemented our lush floral chuppah so beautifully. It was so surreal walking down the extra long aisle over the pool through the garden. I truly felt as though I was in France walking through lavender fields.”
After being announced as officially married, Sierra made a last-minute decision to cinematically toss her bouquet from the villa’s balcony during cocktail hour. Guests then made their way around the pool to the single long table for dinner. “We made our grand entrance while ‘Murder on the Dance Floor’ was playing. It was giving major Saltburn energy,” Sierra laughs. “We got our first dance out of the way right away so we could relax and it was NOT easy dancing in my gown, but we nailed it!”
During the 24 Carrots–catered meal, ballerinas from Tease Productions performed in-between speeches from the couple’s fathers and best friends. “It was so nice to take off my shoes under the table and just be present with Sam, taking in the beauty and everything going on around us,” Sierra remembers. One of the bride’s favorite moments of the reception was watching artist Joshua Spieker live paint a beautiful work of art featuring the villa. “We will have that forever.”
“As soon as the parent dances were done, I bolted to the pool house to change,” Sierra laughs. Upon her return, she and Sam cut their tiered Room For Cake wedding strawberry shortcake—the bride’s favorite flavor—and the party continued with saxophonist Tyler Varnell, DJ Juan Castro, Invisible Touch Events. At one point during the Hora, Sam even fell off his chair—seemingly from excitement. “I did not want the night to end, so of course when the curfew was up, we ended up back at the Rosewood down the street for a little after-party in our friends suite until 4 a.m.”
