If you say Jenny Packham, I say YES. Immediate, hands down, absolute yes. But when you pair one of her glittery-goodness-times-one-thousand gowns with a wedding at the Adamson House that is perfect in maybe every single way possible? Well, that causes this little blogger the best problem she could ask for. It has taken me a painstakingly long (slash, best time ever spent) time to choose just which of Jenny Tenney’s ah-mazing images to use for this post. You just have got to check them all out in our gallery right here.
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride… The story of Charlie and me seems like a fairytale. After our first few dates, we knew we’d be together forever. We never said it to each other outright, but we knew. When we did decide to get married, it was only a few months after we moved in to our apartment, and we wanted to do everything together. We picked my ring together, we picked the venue together and we even picked my dress together. This would not be your “traditional” wedding. When it came to wedding details, the venue was very important to us. We spent a long time looking up and down the coast of California but eventually found the perfect place practically in our backyard. The Adamson House is an early 20th century masterpiece of Spanish-style architecture and tile-work right on the beach of Malibu. I am an archaeologist and Charlie is a classical scholar, so its aesthetics and interesting history were key.
Neither of us really had time to do everything ourselves, so we were lucky enough to have a good friend working for one of the best caterers/planners in Malibu. Jennifer Naylor and her team were amazing. We spent time with them at the venue and told them about our vision of a laid-back but imaginative wedding that fit the venue itself. We came up with the plans for a 1920’s-inspired, Moroccan-themed reception. They not only took care of every detail, but also went above and beyond any of our expectations. Aside from the venue, the food was very important to both of us. We travel around Europe for work during the summers, and we wanted to incorporate some of those flavors in our wedding. Jen’s training in Italy came in handy and she cooked up quite the feast! We even had Spanish seafood paella cooked live in front of the guest to go with our theme. And for dessert we made sure to include French macarons and lavender crème brulee to bring out our love for Paris.
The day of our wedding was amazing. Being on the coast, we had a perfect view of the ocean and the mountains behind us. Charles and I didn’t have an official bridal party, so my mom and one of our best friends (and officiant for our ceremony) helped me get ready in the beautiful pool house of the venue. The ceremony was so personal since we had all picked out the readings together and it was only the three of us standing in front of the massive oak tree on the lower lawn. After the ceremony, the guests went to the front patio for cocktails, amazing hor d’oeuvres and flamenco guitar while we took pictures around the grounds with our fantastic photographer, who also happened to be a good friend of mine from college. The reception was so much fun with everyone dancing the whole time and enjoying all the food. Growing up on the opposite sides of the country, the presence of both friends and families together made it the most joyous occasion.
Wedding Photography: Jenny Tenney Photography / Wedding Venue: Adamson House in Malibu, California / Planning, Floral + Event Design: Jennifer Naylor Catering / Officiant: Heidi Dodgen (A Friend of the Bride) / Wedding Cake: Crumb Fairy Bakery / Wedding Invitations: DIY by the Bride & Groom / Music: Roger Espinoza / Wedding Dress + Bolero: Jenny Packham / Bride’s Shoes: Hey Lady / Hair + Makeup: Brittany Hunter