We Heart Photography is taking us from garden to glam without batting an eyelash with this wedding at the swanky and modern W San Diego in San Diego. You know a photographer has got the chops when they can bring their gorgeous style to so many different types of weddings – rustic, modern, traditional – and it meshes perfectly every single time. Of course, when you combine their photography skills with a show-stopping, blush Vera Wang gown on the prettiest of brides magic is just bound to follow. Get your fill of this luxe and lovely event in the full gallery!
Click here for the FULL wedding!
This mid-day treat just wouldn’t be complete without the incredible film by Shane Aguon!
From the bride… I had always wanted a night ceremony, and AJ wanted a big dance party. After looking at several locations in San Diego, we knew we wanted an urban, downtown wedding. We both live downtown, and it fit both of our personalities together along with our wedding guests. We chose the open lounge space at The W Hotel which included the restaurant area and outside patio as it allowed our guests to spread out and enjoy themselves throughout the night. About 65% of our guests were from out of town so we really wanted to combine the ceremony location with the reception to make it easier for all the guests. As the details came together, it seemed like our wedding vibe was going to have a glamorous look without pouring a lot of money and time into details, and the location was perfect as it created its own ambiance. I absolutely loved my pink dress — I bought it the week Vera Wang released it, and I feel like the wedding kind of surrounded the look of my dress. AJ and I wanted to keep the Southern California feel so we tied in his tie with the flowers and colors of the wedding that matched the hotel’s ambiance.
Our wedding musicians are friends of ours and have released quite a few albums so we tied two of their albums together with vintage lace as wedding guest presents. One of the reasons we chose our venue was because it offered the ambiance that we wanted without having to create our own. AJ and I both designed our wedding rings together. After visiting a local metal-smith’s studio, we knew we wanted her to make his ring and we chose a local jeweler to help us design and make my rings. The morning of my wedding, I hosted a friendship brunch for all the important women in my life, each of the women received homemade strawberry jam. AJ and I picked many of the strawberries together in Carlsbad, California. Then with some girlfriends we canned the jam leading up to the wedding. I had found 3-inch stained glass butterflies in Mexico to tie on to each jar, and they were my thank-you’s for our friendship and support over the years.
It was special to spend the morning with all my favorite women and enjoy a wonderful brunch. I also absolutely loved our time at the salon, A Style Concierge — they were amazing and made our bridal party feel like celebrities. Taking photos with AJ before the wedding party arrived was very special. We had about an hour of just us two and loved laughing together and feeling like the day was truly about our love for one another. I also really loved the ceremony. It was such an overwhelming feeling of love to enter into the ceremony area and see all of our friends and family in one room celebrating our marriage, then looking up and seeing my husband with joyful tears in his eyes. AJ remembers at the end of the night as we tried to shut down the wedding. Many of our friends were still there dancing until 1:45 a.m. — he obviously got his dance party! As far as advice, I would say work with a wedding coordinator because they make everything simpler and run more smoothly. We had a great time working with Cara at Luxe Events and she was able to offer us insight and practical advice. Also, remember that a wedding is a celebration of two people becoming one, and it is a lot more freeing when the wedding doesn’t become a “show,” but is indeed a celebration.
Wedding Photography: We Heart Photography / Wedding Venue: W San Diego in San Diego, California / Wedding Coordination: Cara Thomson of Luxe Events / Florist: Botanic Allure / Wedding Cake: Heidi Gheshmi / Entertainment: DJ Naz-E + Trevor Davis / Graphic Design: Kiki Kornblatt / Wedding Cinematography: Shane Aguon / Groom’s Ring: Monkeys Always Look / Wedding Gown: Vera Wang / Hair: A Style Concierge / Makeup: Brett Gallagher