Montecito Matrimony

A planned equestrian fest went from bridle to bridal when Montecito real estate developer Xorin Balbes celebrated his New Year Mexico wedding to floral curator Truman Davies at the charming estate of Lily Hahn.

The dashing duo, who live at the former Hot Springs Road home of Leslie Ridley-Tree, tied the knot in Tulum on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, near Cancun, in January with a Mayan shaman conducting the ceremony, but decided to save their celebrations until the pandemic had abated in our rarefied enclave. Originally the date and locale were set for a polo party, but when that was postponed Xorin and Truman decided it was the perfect time to organize their boffo sunset soirée.

“We are celebrating our love and our love of the community we live in!” enthused Xorin as he welcomed 100 guests to the seated banquet, organized by Duo Catering with exquisite floral arrangements featuring birds of paradise, designed by Lily and Truman, dotting the extravagantly decorated Belshazzar’s feast-sized table. 

Los Angeles-based David Bergeaud provided an Oriental musical background, playing an assortment of Indian instruments including a sitar, oud, and dilruba. As the fun evening progressed, Big Orange DJ Robin Parrish took over with decibel thumping hits. Among the colorful crowd helping the tony twosome celebrate were Anne Towbes, Michael Smith, Belle Hahn, Merryl Brown, Marc Friedland, Marsha Kotlyar, Ben Sprague, and the always delightful Thomasine Richards. A blooming glorious fête!…