Breanna O’Toole greets me on the second floor of the University Club of Santa Barbara with the warmest smile. The Club is also known as the Riviera Mansion for Weddings, and O’Toole’s office there gets a lot of sunlight. Decorated appropriately in all white, and with a romantic poster of the Eiffel Tower hanging across from the desk, it’s the perfect setting for meeting with a Marketing and Events Director who handles all of the many weddings that take place at the Club. There’s a sense of warmth and elegance as we tour the whole building and end up at the dining room for lunch. Breanna tells me that what’s special about having a wedding at the University Club is “the feeling of having your wedding at a private home. Guests really feel comfortable.” Breanna herself is charming company. “I always liked planning events,” she shares with a smile. “Getting involved with people on happy occasions – I find that rewarding.”
Born in Ventura, Breanna graduated from UCSB in 2008 with a degree in communications, but her dream of being a reporter was quickly snuffed. While doing an internship for KEYT and helping Tracy Lehr with some tough stories, she understood that emotionally, she wasn’t cut out for that career. In 2009, she went for an internship at the University Club to assist the Wedding director and instead she was offered to work as Members Services Director. She loved the environment and working with the members.
After her husband (who is also from Ventura) proposed, she relocated to where he was working in San Diego and got a job at that city’s “University Club atop Symphony Tower” doing membership, marketing and sales. The newlyweds eventually moved to Orange County, where Breanna worked for Jay’s Catering Company doing weddings.