Jessica Batten’s happily ever after has arrived!
The Love is Blind alum and her partner, Benjamin McGrath, eloped in September 2021 after being engaged, and they shared exclusive details of their intimate wedding with Brides.
Batten, 38, and McGrath, 36, a foot and ankle surgeon from California, were joined by only four guests for the modest wedding at a historic Santa Barbara courtroom. It wasn’t the wedding the couple had planned, but they explained that “many personal issues” led to them abandoning the concept of a grander wedding for the time being.
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“We both went through COVID after the engagement, and we had to move residence soon after,” the couple told the publication. “This unexpectedly delayed our planned procedure. We discovered there were more complexity than we anticipated when we began diving in after the beginning of the year.”
Though the couple has plans for a grander celebration “down the road,” they both agreed that now was the ideal moment to elope. Crowned Events planned their small event and their grander celebration in August 2024.
While the ceremony took place at the historic courthouse, the couple then shared a private dinner and week-long vacation at a private residence in Montecito, per Brides. They told the outlet that the experience was “beautiful,” and buzzed about the Spanish architecture of the location.
“My planners made it easy to select vendors because they completely got the vision (and made it even more dreamy). They have extensive knowledge of wedding planning in Southern California from Santa Barbara down to San Diego,” they said. “We ended up using vendors from everywhere in between! I stood by in amazement and watched it all come to life!”