I honestly had to catch my breath when I first laid eyes on this Bel-Air beauty captured by Picotte Photography. Every moment planned by Amber Events is pure perfection, and the couple in the center of it all couldn’t be more gorgeous. Add florals from the always-fabulous Holly Flora - and ladies and gents, we have the definition of a breathtaking soiree. See it all here.

 

From the Bride…Brian and I knew instantly from our first date that there was something special about us.  Being with each other felt like “coming home.”  Our first several dates were so amazing that we remember them with complete clarity – where we went, what we wore, what we talked about.  These dates were so special to us that we named our ten tables at the wedding after our first ten dates.  Beneath the table name, we wrote a little paragraph about each date so that our guests could follow along and share in our love story.  The best part about our wedding day was the time we spent together at our “First Look.”  Leading up to the day, we weren’t sure we wanted to see each other before the ceremony.  Our wedding planner and photographer suggested that we see each other beforehand, and we are so glad we did.  It was one of the few moments that day that were just between us.  The entire day was magical, but for us nothing compares to those first few moments alone together, where we were able to kiss and hug each other before walking down the aisle. 

Photography: Picotte Photography | Floral Design: Holly Flora | Event Planning: Amber Events  | Cinematography: Skyline Videography | Ceremony Location: Corpus Christi Church | Reception Location: Bel-Air Bay Club | Hair + Makeup: Design Visage | Cocktail Hour Music: Strings by Reiko | DJ: Lee Dyson

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“Our bellies full and our hearts warm.”  Is that the best quote ever or what?!?  Not surprising, since it’s coming from a bride who is one of the coolest we’ve ever gotten to know.  (Seriously.)  A bride that, along with her dapper groom and the oh-so-talented All You Need Is Love Events, planned a day that will most definitely go down in SMP history with a stunning SmogShoppe backdrop and detail after detail that just screams whimsy and personality.  See all of the pretty captured by Christine Chang in the full gallery.

 

From the Bride… When we got engaged, neither of us were prepared to answer all the immediate questions about getting married that engagement is attached to. So when it came to planning, it was a little rushed at first. We began the process trying to theme it, match this, match that… but we quickly realized that it wasn’t us. So we threw it all out the window & started from scratch.

Jack & I value character, so when it came time to choosing our venue, we wanted something non-traditional & unique with a touch of class. After narrowing down our list, the SmogShoppe ended up being the first and only venue we toured. We knew once we walked in, it was the one! We felt in our gut that it would set the tone for the type of wedding we envisioned.

Being the hands on (aka, particular) people that we are, planning this wedding was no joke! You don’t realize how much teamwork, compromise, thought, budgeting & change of plans are involved when you sign up for creating your day. So our advice? Hire a wedding coordinator! If you can’t afford one, get a second job… just kidding! No, but seriously, hire a day-of coordinator at the least! Better yet, hire our coordinators! Because after putting in your tears & sweat (which you will experience!) you’re going to want to hand it over the day of so that you can take it all in & enjoy the full day with everyone.

For us, we wanted to make sure we were working with a solid team that we trusted completely to execute our vision. We knew we had just that with Vikki & Shannon of All You Need is Love Events. We had met with other wedding planners, but connection is important to us and we clicked instantly with these girls!

Our photographer, Christine Chang, has an insane natural eye to capture those perfect candid moments. And BBQ at a wedding? Why not?! Baby Blues is like family to us, so it was only fitting to have them cater our wedding and everyone raved about how great the food was.  Our DJ, Lady Monix, totally rocked it out! We had people dancing on tables & even got a dance train going on! Our hair & makeup, flawless. Our suits & dresses, timeless. Our bellies full and our hearts warm.

It all didn’t necessarily flow on paper, but in person it came together gracefully with a new “theme” emerging of simply, us. And in the end, it wasn’t the knickknacks or things that made our wedding, it was the people, our love for one another & our love for everyone. You could truly feel the energy of love in the air. So to us, that was our success.

Our most memorable moment? As soon as we saw each other for the first time walking down the aisle, we locked eyes, we locked souls & it was like telepathy, we both knew that it had ALL paid off in the end. This was our wedding and we made it our own.

Wedding Photography: Christine Chang Photography | Wedding Venue: SmogShoppe in Los Angeles, California | Wedding Coordination: All You Need Is Love Events | Floral Design: Valerie from All You Need Is Love Events | Catering: Baby Blues BBQ |  Desserts: Cake Monkey + Bottega Louie | DJ: Lady Monix | Typewriter + Photo Book: Make Collectives | Rentals: La Piñata + Huntington Catering Co. | Wedding Dress: Carlyn Nuyda Calloway via Thumbelina Designs | Bride’s Ring: Jewels by Peter B. | Groom’s + Bridesmaids’ Rings: Sirciam Jewelry | Groom + Groomsmen Stylist: Warren Baker | Bride’s Hair + Makeup: Leslie Alejandro | Bridesmaids’ Hair: Symone Prince | Bridesmaid’s Makeup: Mathais Alan

All You Need Is Love Events is a member of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.

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I think we can all agree that there’s nothing quite like an al fresco affair in sunny CA, so planning a destination soiree in Beverly Hills?  Kind of a no-brainer.  Which is exactly what these two sweeties did, enlisting the help of the oh-so-talented Bella Destinee to coordinate their French meets English garden dream day at the stunning Greystone Mansion and the fab Luxe Hotel on Rodeo, while they anticipated every last detail from their home in Chicago.  The result?  A breathtaking vision with crazy gorgeous blooms from Dolce Design Studio and an beautiful moment after another captured by Duke Photography. See it all in the full gallery.

 

From the Bride… Knowing that we wanted to have a destination wedding, but not knowing where, I spent a long time reading wedding blogs in search of the perfect venue. I knew I wanted the ceremony to be romantic French/English garden inspired with a unique, modern, glamorous, and intimate atmosphere for the reception. I came across Greystone Mansion and the penthouse at Luxe Hotel on Rodeo in Beverly Hills by chance on Style Me Pretty.  We immediately knew they were the perfect wedding venues for us.

Planning a wedding in L.A. from Chicago wasn’t easy but I found a great wedding planner, Katie Lee from Bella Destinee, that made it all stress-free. Drawing from the inspiration of French and English gardens, we brought in vintage furniture from Found Rentals for the ceremony site. Wanting something different, we mixed vintage settees and chairs with gold chiavari chairs. With fashion editorials and bridal photo shoots as my inspirations, I placed a vintage white couch as a prop along the cypress walkway for my wedding portraits. The photos turned out amazing! Guests were asked to take polaroids and write well wishes.  These were placed in an album as our guestbook that we will always look back on.

The penthouse terrace at the Luxe Hotel had a unique layout and was a blank space with so much potential. With tents draped of white fabric and chandeliers, I wanted a space that drew inspiration from interior design to make our guests feel as though they were entering our home for a dinner party. Our flowers were not elaborate or over the top, but more simple arrangements and vignettes, used to give the space a pop of color. We wanted each of our guest to be reminded that they played an important role in our life.  Each detail had to be personal and we had a lot of fun creating this experience for our family and friends. With my Chinese background and my husband’s Mexican background, we found Don Chow Tacos, a Chinese Mexican fusion taco truck. We ended our night with Don Chow arriving to the hotel to serve our guests.

It may sound cliché, but I’ll never forget us exchanging our vows. We had decided to write our own and I knew it was going to be emotional for me. My husband’s vows were the most beautiful things I have ever heard. In my head, all I kept thinking was “Oh no, my vows aren’t as good as his!” and I could not stop crying, but had no tissues in hand. I saw my husband reach into his jacket pocket, happily thinking he was going to hand me a tissue for my runny nose. Instead, he handed me a tiny blue oil blotting paper. At that moment, I wanted to laugh, because it didn’t help at all. For the rest of the day, our guests told us how amazing his vows were and that it had brought everyone to tears. The day was unforgettable and we are so grateful to all of family and friends who were there for us.

Wedding Photography: Duke Photography | Wedding Venue: Greystone Mansion + Luxe Hotel on Rodeo (The Penthouse) both in Beverly Hills, California | Event Planning: Katie Lee from Bella Destinee | Floral Design: Dolce Design Studio | Ceremony Catering: Jackson Catering | Taco Truck: Don Chow Tacos | Ice Cream Truck: Sweet Lucies | DJ: Prokreation | Rentals: Reflection Rentals | Vintage Furniture: Found | Lighting: The Event Company | Reception Furniture: FormDecor | Reception Chairs: Classic Party Rentals | Hair + Makeup: Kelly Zhang | Harp Trio: Ted Nichelson

The EVENT Company and Found Vintage Rentals are members of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.

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