Matthew proposed to me in Venice, Italy at sunrise at the point of the channel across from St. Marks Cathedral and the Doge’s Palace.

When we first got engaged and began talking about what kind of wedding we wanted and where and when to have it, we began with more traditional venues and caterers. All good choices but the event we were creating seemed to lack a lot of who we were as people. We re-grouped and began to talk about the “feeling” of the wedding. What did we want the day to feel like? What did we want our friends and family to feel? How did we want to feel? What we finally came up with turned out to be the perfect combination of both our personalities and a night of fun that we couldn’t imagine any other way.

Matthew and I wanted our guests to have a wonderful time, we wanted the evening to be memorable, but not because of the over the top décor, or how exotic the menu was, or how expensive everything seemed. We wanted our friends and family to remember the warmth of the event, the good food, relaxed atmosphere, and the personal touches that were all me and Matthew. We wanted the event to not just be a great wedding but also a memorable party. As we talked more we were also excited to share local LA and Orange County and what was great about these places.We kept that in mind when choosing a caterer and our beer, creating our website and a few other items. Overall vision was a mix of modern with a sophisticated but relaxed vibe. Colors were black and white with accents in jewel tones – mostly magentas, greens and purples.

I had literally “Stumbled Upon” The Smog Shoppe two years or so ago. Just browsing around the Internet and it popped up. I looked around the site thinking how unbelievably cool it was and wishing I had some sort of event there. I filed it in the back of my head as a totally awesome place for a party and that wast hat. Cut to two years later when Matthew and I were discussing place after place to have our wedding. There wasn’t anywhere we seemed to agree on. It was too traditional for me; it was too modern for him, too far, too expensive, too overdone, etc. After a lot of thinking, The Smog Shoppe popped back into my head. I tentatively shared the website with him not having any idea as to what he’d think. I was pleasantly surprised that he loved it. We visited the venue a few weeks later and it looked exactly like the pictures. Just being there gave us so much inspiration for the rest ofthe wedding. When we got back into the car, it was a short “I love it”, “So do I” and that was it. We were sold.

After we decided on the venue, we moved on to catering and flowers. I stared stalking wedding blogs and found La Partie Events. I loved Meg’s use of color. I loved her sense of “casual elegance”. Nothing she did was stuffy or traditional. It was like you, your friends and family gathered up your vision and went hunting for the perfect flowers and vases but it was cohesive and amazing and beautiful and so much better then you could have done on your own. We met with Meg early on in the process and talked about what we wanted and the dreaded word – budget. She was so wonderful, she talked about what she could do for us and suggested ideas that we could do on our own that would cost less then her doing it. End result – Somuch more then I expected and SO exactly what I wanted.

The Smog Shoppe had given us a list of their “preferred vendors” and HeirloomLAwas on it. I had found them on my own as well a few weeks prior and I loved not only how the food looked and choice of food but the fact that they utilizedlocal organic vendors to source their food. The whole concept of locally grown is something that really is important to us and really solidified our feelings about using them as our caterer.In addition to their practices, there food is DELICIOUS! The big thing for me was the food. I always feel like the meal is the gift you give your guests so it should be amazing and HeirloomLA does NOT disappoint. So many of our guests still talk about how much they loved the food.

Matthew and I also loved the idea of having a local craft beer at the wedding. For libations we looked to The Bruery. We took a visit to their tasting room, The Burery Provise, in Orange, CA and gave them our menu so they could assist us in choosing beers to complement our food choices. We loved what they recommended for us, and so did our guests.

Bobby Earle was our “no other options, he is the one” wedding photographer. Matthew had met him about a year or so prior to our engagement and was crazy about him. Bobby has a photography trip he takes people on (Raddest Photo Trip Ever) and Matthew and I went to Thailand and Cambodia with him last December. Bobby captured the emotion of our day perfectly. Love him. Love his wife Lindsey.

Heather from LVL Events was our day of coordinator. Matthew and I originally weren’t planning on having anyone. I thought it interesting that wedding coordinator websites would always say how integral the coordinator was. I thought that since I was a stage manager and I did events for a living that I wouldn’t need one. SO WRONG. File me along with the other people who say a wedding coordinator (even if its just day of) is the best and smartest investment you can make for your wedding. After Matthew and I decided on the flow of our day we realized that it would be sort of a mess if there wasn’t a “go to” person to coordinate set up and execution of the day. Being a stage manager, I really wanted someone with the same level of organization and attention to detail. I needed to know that everything we had planned would be put together the way we envisioned it. Heather was perfect. I loved her personality. I found it easy to talk to her and she understood what I wanted, and what I needed from her so I could have fun the day of the wedding. Day went off without a hitch,largely because of Heather. Huge thanks to Heather at LVL Events.

Photographer: Bobby Earle / Venue: The SmogShoppe / Makeup: Mandy Leppke / Hair: Andrea Neal from Capella Salon / Cake: Cake Monkey / Caterer: HeirloomLA / Coordinator: Heather of LVL Weddings & Events / DJ: Hey Mister DJ / Wedding Gown: The Dresser / Floral Design: Megan of La Partie Events / Officiant: Uncle of the Bride / Beverages: The Bruery / Party Dress: Monique Sandoval for Ouma / Bride Flower Hair Piece: Bethany Lorelle / Bridesmaids Feather Headband: De Lovely Designs / Photobooth: Photo Box LA / Runners, escort cards, paper flowers and place cards: DIY by the Bride / Table numbers: hand crafted by Father of the Bride

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Post tags: Bethany Lorelle, Bobby Earle, Cake Monkey, California, Capella Salon, Culver City, De Lovely Designs, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Etsy, HeirloomLA, Hey Mister DJ, La Partie Events, LVL Weddings & Events, Mandy Leppke, Modern, Ouma, Peacock, Peacock Feathers, Photo Box LA, Stripes, The Bruery, The Dresser, The SmogShoppe, Vibrant Color Palette, Vintage Chic, Wedding Planners & Designers
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Vintage Chic

Click here to see the entire galley of images!

And this is the wedding event that keeps on giving. We have the ever so touching film of the day shot by Shade Tree Films and I have a feeling there might be some tears shed over this one.

From the Bride…Jay and I are both love language and literature, so I always knew that the feel of our wedding would evolve out of language that captured the kind of day we wanted.  Ultimately, we decided on ‘transcendence,’ a word that captured everything we hoped our day would be, from the visual to the abstract.  Visually, transcendence evoked an ethereal quality, the sky and teal, turquoise, orange, and peach.  It was also appropriate because not only did we love the colors themselves, but we’d spent innumerable hours together, staring at the sky.  We especially loved watching the sky as it transitioned between different times of day – the brightness of day softening into dusk, and then deepening toward sunset.  This, to me, reflected our unique relationship as well, as Jay and I met in junior high school (I was 12, he was 14), and had seen each other go from braces-wearing adolescents, to post-college young adults, to people about to exchange vows that would carry us into the rest of our lives!

I decided to break up the day into three parts: the ceremony would be ‘daybreak,’ with the boldest, darkest iterations of the colors; the reception would be ‘dusk,’ with watercolor washes of the colors; then the dancing portion would be twilight, with a deepening of all the colors as the day wound down into night.  I loved this idea of a progression, one that we would hopefully continue on forever.  Our programs and menus reflected this progression as well, the programs folded out to reveal each part of the day in the respective colors, and the menus came in little sleeves that guests pulled out to reveal each course.

Since our ceremony was outside at 4:30 in the afternoon, the sky itself captured our theme beautifully.  But just to infuse a pop of our colors, I tied ribbons in teal, turquoise, orange, and peach to wooden dowels to line the aisle.  I also made a ‘wall’ of white paper streamers, tied to a fishing line and suspended as our altar, which lent a lovely dreamy, ethereal quality to the ceremony as the streamers swayed in the wind.  For the reception, our beautiful centerpieces captured the watercolor washes of our colors beautifully, and my mom and I made huge paper flowers to break up the vast white walls inside Siren Studios.  We hoped that the paper flowers would catch the peach tinged lighting and give the feeling of the sky at dusk.  Overall, I just wanted a very dreamy feeling to the day, with details that all had a reason, that reflected who Jay and I are as a couple.  It definitely was dreamy and so special for me, my husband, and all of our family and loved ones!

Wedding Photography: Image is Found / Wedding Cinematography: Shade Tree Films / Floral Design: La Partie Events / Wedding Coordination: Just Wenderful / Ceremony and Reception Location: Siren Studios / Stationery: Design Funhouse / Hair: Thy Mai / Make-up: Diane Mayo / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Cake and Dessert: Fantasy Frostings

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Post tags: California Weddings, Christian Louboutin, Contemporary Wedding, Design Funhouse, Diane Mayo, Image is Found, Just Wenderful, La Partie Events, Los Angeles, Shade Tree Films, Siren Studios, Thy Mai
Post categories: Contemporary

click here to see the full gallery!

Sigh. Didn’t I tell you it was good? Well brace yourselves. One of our very favorite SMP friends, Curtis Heyne of Living Cinema sent over a little vignette of the day as well. But beware, it’s kind of like all of that goodness taken to an entirely new level…

click here to see the full gallery!

Our ceremony and cocktail hour were held at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, tucked away from the city in a quiet garden. We had originally envisioned a modern wedding in an industrial space, but as the planning process unfolded that vision completely changed. My mother owned a store that sold antique furniture when I was young, and images from that part of my life ended up guiding the design. I started with a paisley-patterned fabric for inspiration. I ended up using this fabric throughout the wedding, and the invitations and cake were both designed with the print in mind.

It was important to us to include Persian traditions in our ceremony, representing the blending of our families and our cultures. In one tradition, women who are happily married sprinkle sugar over the couple to symbolize sweetness in the marriage, while in another ritual the bride and groom give each other a taste of honey. We knew the ceremony would be amazing, but had no idea how profound those short twenty minutes would be. Amir’s uncle served as our officiant, and had us laughing and crying from one minute to the next! The ceremony so perfectly reflected our personalities, and was truly amazing.

After the ceremony we celebrated at the London West Hollywood Hotel, where hand- picked and hand-made items were incorporated into the decor. My mom collected an assortment of blue vases from e-bay that we used as centerpieces. Amir and my dad also helped by restoring old frames we picked up at thrift shops to use in the escort card display.

Our guests danced the night away and hammed it up at the photo kiosk, which was an absolute hit! Later in the night we were surprised by an on-the-spot spoken word performance and more than one dance-off. What a party! We had an unforgettable day and are beyond blessed be surrounded by so much love.

Photography: ErinHeartsCourt /  Ceremony Location: Greystone Mansion, Beverly Hills / Reception Location: The London West Hollywood Hotel / Coordination: Fresh Events Company / Flowers: La Partie Events / Cinematography: Living Cinema / Bridal Gown: Monique Lhuillier /Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale / Groom’s Suit: Theory / Cake: Vanilla Bakeshop / Invitations: Wiley Valentine / Photo Kiosk: Lensley / Bride’s Shoes: Valentino /  Bride’s Earrings: Nadri / Bride’s Robe: Anthropologie

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Post tags: Amsale, Beverly Hills, California Weddings, Erin Heart's Court, Fresh Events Company, Greystone Mansion, La Partie Events, Lensley, Living Cinema, Los Angeles, Monique Lhuillier, The London West Hollywood Hotel, Vanilla Bakeshop, Wiley Valentine
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

see more of the festivities here!

From the Bride…

My wedding on May the 14th, 2010 was absolutely perfect and a dream come true! My two favorite moments (besides seeing my handsome groom the first time!) involved the two ladies that helped me make my vision come true, Nicole Hill Gerulat my photographer and stylist extraordinaire and Megan Fickling of La Partie Events who was my florist and day of wedding planner.

Nicole is a long time friend, and even before I was engaged I knew I wanted her input! Nicole created all the paper goods and helped expand logo design my husband created into a common theme that was used to tie everything together. Most importantly Nicole was my photographer. My first favorite moment of the day was when Mike and I took pictures before the ceremony. At first I was hesitant because I thought that I wanted to wait and see him first when I walked down the aisle, but Nicole set up a perfect moment and location right outside the Gene Autry house where we saw each other and embraced for the first time. From there we frolicked all around The Parker property taking pictures that captured some of the most memorable moments of the evening. Nicole put together a photo booth at the reception that was a hit! Nicole’s calm, positive attitude and gorgeous pictures helped make the day very special.

My next favorite moment of the wedding was when Mike and I entered the ballroom lawn for the first time during the reception and I saw the flowers and table settings that Megan head created! I was blown away with the beauty of the pink and yellow peonies that were perfectly open, the mercury glass and vintage pink votives, the simple bloom on each dinner napkin, and the pink and white stripe and polka dot table runners she had made, I really could go on and on! Every detail we had discussed was executed more beautifully then I could have ever imagined! Like every bride, I wish I could relive the day over and over. I feel very lucky!

Photography: Nicole Hill Gerulat / Flowers and Day of Coordination: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events / Ceremony and Reception Location: The Parker Hotel, Palm Springs, CA / Shoes: J. Crew / Dress: Christos / Band: The Jason Parker Quartet

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Post tags: California Weddings, Christos, J. Crew, La Partie Events, Megan Fickling, Nicole Hill Gerulat Photography, Palm Springs, The Jason Parker Quartet, The Parker Hotel
Post categories: All Real Weddings, California Weddings, Palm Springs Weddings, Real Weddings, Whimsical

{click here for the FULL wedding gallery}

From the Bride:

Zak and I are very passionate about vegetarian and sustainable cuisine, thus the Inn of the Seventh Ray seemed like the obvious choice for us for a venue. Zak instantly fell in love with the positive and spiritual feel of the Inn and was the one that had known from first sight that that’s where we had to have our wedding. As the Inn has a very strong look on its own, I wanted to make sure I picked colors and decor that would add pops of fun but wouldn’t fight with the original aesthetic. After many months of obsessively looking through blogs (particularly Style Me Pretty), I came across Megan’s work and instantly fell in love. When I saw images from her own wedding, which was also at the Inn, I knew we absolutely had to have her be a part of our special day!!

Back in a bit with more from this most perfect of weddings!

Photography: Vero Suh / Flowers: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events / Venue: Inn of the Seventh Ray, Topanga Canyon / Day of Coordinator: Kelly Hancock / Cake: Inn of the Seventh Ray / DJ: Scott from Good Times Entertainment / Wedding Dress: Pronovias / Veil: Bandeau birdcage from Marisol Aparicio / Hairpiece: Velvetowl / Groom’s Suite: Jim’s Formal Wear / Bridesmaid Dresses: Lulu’s / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka

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Post tags: Badgley Mischka, California Weddings, Good Times Entertainment, Inn of the Seventh Ray, Jim's Formal Wear, Kelly Hancock, La Partie Events, Lulu's, Marisol Aparicio, Megan Fickling, Pronovias, Topanga Canyon, Velvetowl, Vero Suh Photography
Post categories: All Real Weddings, Casual Elegance, Real Weddings, The Blog, Vintage Chic

{click here to see all of the images}

In an effort to stay as close to “reality” as possible, we created many of the other details of the day ourselves.  Napkins were sewn by hand from fabric bought in Los Angeles’s garment district, as were the burlap and silk table runners.  Milk glass and cake plates were gathered from our own collections.  While the silverware was purchased new especially for the shoot, it could just as easily have come from a thrift store (granted, collecting vintage silverware for 150 people would be pricey!) or rented.  The wedges of cheese were wrapped in inexpensive but lovely muslin, and tied with baker’s twine.  Our biggest undertaking was the backdrop we created for our ceremony!  Again, we used inexpensive cotton fabrics and burlap and attached them to a wooden backdrop.  It was time consuming, but super fun to work on, and very inexpensive.  We’d love to see more brides incorporate custom backdrops into their ceremonies or receptions.  A nice way to personalize and spice up an outdoor event!

The Vendors

Styling and Coordination: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events + Lindsey Hinderer & April Killingsworth of Sweet Monday Photography / Photography: April Killingsworth & Lindsey Hinderer of Sweet Monday Photography / Flowers: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events / Cake & Sweets: Amy Berman of Vanilla Bake Shop / Stationery & Paper: Megan Gonzalez of MaeMae Paperie / Calligraphy: Kathryn Murray / Make & Hair: Jaimi Brooks of Fiore Beauty

The Good Stuff

Birdcage Veil: Le Chic Studio / Chairs: Fete Accompli Events / Sea Salt Caramels: Little Flower Candy Co. / Pies – Dupar’s / Cheese: The CheeseStore of Silverlake / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Anthropologie / Wedding Gown: Edgardo Bonilla / Plates and rubber lace Coasters: Gretel

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Fiore Beauty, From Inspiration to Reality, Kathryn Murray, La Partie Events, MaeMae Paperie, Sweet Monday, Vanilla Bakeshop
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality

We always think it’s a good idea for couples to start planning the look and feel of their day based around what aspect is most important to them, and for us, that was the FOOD!  Our design began to come together as we discussed ideas for the sweets table and the guest favors.  We knew we’d have some pies, but we also wanted to incorporate some other treats, and the bundt cake and sea salt caramels made their way into the plan.  We brought Amy from the wonderful Vanillla Bake Shop on board to create a cake that would be a perfect mix of the down home feel of the rest of our desserts and the more glam elements we were bringing in with the rest of the shoot.  Once we found a perfect pink birdcage veil for our bride, Amy gave our cake a veil of it’s own!  For our favors, we selected artisan cheeses and gave each guest a wedge of their own, along with cheese knives and mini graters.

Next we brought in Megan Gonzalez of MaeMae Paperie and calligrapher Kathryn Murrayy to create the paper goodness that would tie all the parts of the day together.  Especially when incorporating several different “feels” in a wedding, as we did, it’s wonderful to have a suite of paper elements to unify the look, from the invitation through the reception.

The Vendors

Styling and Coordination: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events + Lindsey Hinderer & April Killingsworth of Sweet Monday Photography / Photography: April Killingsworth & Lindsey Hinderer of Sweet Monday Photography / Flowers: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events / Cake & Sweets: Amy Berman of Vanilla Bake Shop / Stationery & Paper: Megan Gonzalez of MaeMae Paperie / Calligraphy: Kathryn Murray / Make & Hair: Jaimi Brooks of Fiore Beauty

The Good Stuff

Birdcage Veil: Le Chic Studio / Chairs: Fete Accompli Events / Sea Salt Caramels: Little Flower Candy Co. / Pies – Dupar’s / Cheese: The CheeseStore of Silverlake / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Anthropologie / Wedding Gown: Edgardo Bonilla / Plates and rubber lace Coasters: Gretel

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Fiore Beauty, From Inspiration to Reality, Kathryn Murray, La Partie Events, MaeMae Paperie, Sweet Monday, Vanilla Bakeshop
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality

{click here to see the inspiration board that started it all}

In searching through the inspiration boards for our favorite, the first thing we fell in love with about the board Shawna created was the dreamy color palette. We were drawn to the contrast of the dark berry with the pale shades of pink. We also loved that the elements in the board appealed to both our homey sides (those pies!) and our glamorous sides (that dress!), and we hoped that in order to keep things fresh, we could inject a little bit of a modern feel into the shoot as well.

As wedding vendors and former brides, we know all too well how easy it is to blow your wedding budget – things add up fast! In conceiving this shoot, we really wanted to try as much as possible to keep things realistic overall. We did allow ourselves a few splurges – namely, Ghost chairs for the table and some seriously gorgeous flowers for the centerpieces and bouquets, but we know that in an actual wedding with 20 plus tables, those items alone would eat up a large portion of any budget. So for the rest of the shoot, we tried as much as possible to sway toward the “reality” side of things, and choose just a few things that we felt were really important to the overall look.

The Vendors

Styling and Coordination: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events + Lindsey Hinderer & April Killingsworth of Sweet Monday Photography / Photography: April Killingsworth & Lindsey Hinderer of Sweet Monday Photography / Flowers: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events / Cake & Sweets: Amy Berman of Vanilla Bake Shop / Stationery & Paper: Megan Gonzalez of MaeMae Paperie / Calligraphy: Kathryn Murray / Make & Hair: Jaimi Brooks of Fiore Beauty

The Good Stuff

Birdcage Veil: Le Chic Studio / Chairs: Fete Accompli Events / Sea Salt Caramels: Little Flower Candy Co. / Pies – Dupar’s / Cheese: The CheeseStore of Silverlake / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Anthropologie / Wedding Gown: Edgardo Bonilla / Plates and rubber lace Coasters: Gretel

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Fiore Beauty, From Inspiration to Reality, Kathryn Murray, La Partie Events, MaeMae Paperie, Sweet Monday, Vanilla Bakeshop
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality