Mira Vista Wedding by Flory Photo

The ampersand is such a sweet symbol of togetherness and unity.  This Mar Vista wedding by Flory Photo incorporated it so nicely into their design and decor from the awesome, modern ceremony programs to the fun, quirky centerpieces.  The little playful touches bring an element of whimsy to this country club affair.  Click here to see the entire event in the full gallery!

We also have this really sweet video of these two lovebirds from Grey Speck!

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From the Bride… Our wedding was inspired by US. I wanted people to walk away and remember our day not just as something pretty, but something that was beautifully and uniquely us, Sam & Jensine, which is where I fell madly in love with the Ampersand. This symbol of togetherness really inspired me to represent our relationship in a way where our family and friends would have a great time. We used wire ampersands designed by Michaela at L’alfabeto on Etsy as centerpieces, and you could see traces of the ampersand on our card boxes, programs, and even the photobooth! I had been intensely studying wedding and decorating blogs for years before I even started dating, so I already had lots of ideas, color schemes, and inspiration boards floating in my head. It was all a matter of putting in the love and making it come alive!

We’re immensely blessed to be surrounded and loved by the dearest people who are not only the funniest, craziest, most loving friends & fams on the planet but they are ridiculously and awesomely talented. While Sam & I planned the majority of the wedding, we handed off the love child to my dear friend, Jamie, for day-of coordination. Sam & I designed, printed, and assembled all the paper goods with particular love to friend and photographer, Nathan Kwok, for help with the invitation photos. The bouquets and boutonnieres were crafted by a wonderful local florist especially close to our hearts. Jean from 4th St. Flowers in Berkeley has been helping Sam create beautifully unique bouquets for me during our college years.  Grace at Seko’s Chair Covers was extremely helpful in helping us get chair covers. They are the best deal around! And we owe the biggest, warmest thank you to our musically gifted friends who made my dreams a reality. I told them what I wanted, and they arranged and coordinated everything. The girls walked down to Coldplay’s “Fix You,” while I walked down to Bruno Mars’ “Just The Way You Are.” It was so special! And how can I forget Daniel Chae of Grey Speck for the amazingly gorgeous video of our special day. Words won’t do it justice. I fall in love all over again!

We DIY’d anything we could get our hands on. Everything from the save the date, invitations, and website to the programs, place cards, seating chart corkboards, guest book, ceremony decor, family boutonnieres and rose centerpieces, everything had a little piece of us, which is exactly the way we wanted it. For example, while we were “just friends,” we went bowling almost every week; and I wanted guests to remember that, so I designed guest cards using a bowling score sheet template for guests to sign in. And we also used old root beer bottles on the guestbook table to look like bowling pins. The seating chart corkboards also had mini movie posters of movies and tv shows we watched together, all the way from friendship, dating, to engagement.

My favorite moment was definitely the biggest surprise to me. I originally had the idea to walk down the aisle to an a capella version of “Just The Way You Are” by Bruno Mars sung by our friends, but Sam surprised me by busting out a mic of his own and singing to me as I came down the aisle. I was ready to burst into tears! It was just really wonderful seeing all of our friends and family together, and the night ended perfectly with a nonstop dance party, just the way we like it. It was awesome. I randomly burst out in laughter when I remember that night. Thank you to everyone who got up on their feet and down on the dance floor!

To other brides swamped with decisions, decisions, decisions, remember that this is one day to start many, many more days of happiness, growth, and love. And even though this is the BIG day, the day you’ve been dreaming of for forever, don’t forget to take time to love those around you and be loved. You will love your wedding day no matter what!

The biggest and deepest thank you I could possibly muster goes out to Joel and Cara. Thank you for capturing this day for us so that we could remember it forever. And thank you for helping us throughout the day, keeping us calm, and helping us carry on! THANK YOU!

Wedding Photography: Flory Photo / Wedding Ceremony Location: Skyline Church / Wedding Reception Location: Mira Vista Golf & Country Club / Wedding Gown: Nicole Miller / Bride’s Shoes: Steve Madden / Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Selix / Bridesmaid Dresses & Hair Accessories: J.Crew / Event Design & Coordination: The Bride & Groom / Day of Coordination: Jamie, Friend of the Bride / Wedding Invitations & Paper Goods: The Bride & Groom (Design) + Nathan Kwok (Photos) / Bouquets & Boutonnieres: Jean of 4th Street Flowers, Berkeley, CA / Chair Covers: Grace at Seko’s Chair Covers / Music: Friends of the Bride & Groom / Cinematography: Daniel Chae of Grey Speck / Wire Ampersands: Michaela of L’Alfabeto