Look out Los Angeles, there’s a new wedding in town! Let me just first let you know that I am from Los Angeles and just planned my wedding. So, when I saw that this day by {bookend events} took place Cafe Pinot, I was pretty amped up to see it! This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful wedding’s I’ve seen yet {LA or not!}. From the elegant flowers to the intimate details, the stunning stationary and delectable sweets… it will all bring a huge smile to your face. The brides words below not only describe her wedding to a “T” but the entire vibe of Los Angeles. Be sure to head to the full gallery to take it all in!
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From the Bride, Co-Owner of {bookend events}… My husband Genna and I met almost seven years ago during our freshman year of college. We were in a play together and started dating that November. We’ve been together ever since, and getting married almost felt like a formality. Getting to have everyone we love under one roof (or sky, as the case may be) was the most incredible thing. I couldn’t have anticipated the love we felt that night, and it’s not something I’m likely to forget for the rest of our lives. People traveled not just from all over the country, but from all over the world (including England, France, Israel, China and Australia!), and we could not have been more grateful.
We envisioned our wedding day as a cross section of all the things we love. We are urban but cozy, handmade but elegant, inclusive but intimate… Cafe Pinot provided the perfect venue for us to have a secluded garden wedding with the downtown skyline all around us. We also loved the fact that the library was our backdrop – we are huge bibliophiles, not to mention the fact that my maternal grandmother was a librarian. I wanted to include as many DIY touches as possible: we made the table numbers, one of the groomsmen curated our book centerpieces all the way from Chicago, and my sisters and I made the tea bags and jam jars. We spent months going to flea markets every weekend to collect the jars for the BEAUTIFUL flowers, all the scrabble tiles and the knickknacks for the escort cards. The whole tone was set perfectly by Ashling Loh-Doyle of Lotus & Ash with her beautiful stationery, and all of our vendors from there on out were spectacular.
I was so nervous to recite my vows in front of everyone, but once I was standing there looking at Genna, everything else just melted away. I can’t say I didn’t cry, but I managed to hold it together and make it all the way through. Under the most delicate chuppah, we exchanged amazing rings with each others’ fingerprints engraved on the inside. After the ceremony, we sneaked away inside and took a few minutes for ourselves just to take it all in. During the cocktail hour, guests were served white wine sangria and vodka (as a tribute to Genna’s Russian roots). We ate dinner under our own personal chandelier and danced the night away to music spun by the spectacular Ian Gotler of RedShoe LA. For dessert, we cut my favorite cake from Sweet Lady Jane while the rest of the guests feasted on my mom’s special recipe for chocolate chip bundt cake as prepared by Leslie at Fantasy Frostings. And if that wasn’t enough, there was a mini dessert buffet to truly satisfy the sweet tooth. I even got a bit daring and attempted to thank everyone for attending in Russian (of which I speak about 10 words), and it may have turned into one of my personal highlights of the night. I truly can’t think of anything that I would do over or differently. The whole night was executed perfectly by Claudia from One Darling Day and captured magically and magnificently by our photographer Leila Brewster.
Wedding Photography: leila brewster photography / Wedding Venue + Cafe Pinot: Cafe Pinot in Los Angeles, California / Event Design: {bookend events} (Owned by the Bride + Her Cousin) / Floral Design: Michelle of Larchmont Village Florist (323-464-8146) / Wedding Coordination: One Darling Day / Officiant: John Rosove of Temple Israel of Hollywood / Wedding Cinematography: The Groom’s Cousin / Wedding Cake + Desserts: Fantasy Frostings + Sweet Lady Jane / Wedding Stationery: Lotus & Ash / Band: Organic String Quartet / DJ: Redshoe LA / Lighting: Vini’s Party Rentals / Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston (Now Closed) / Bride’s Earrings, Bride’s Bracelet + Bride’s Mother’s Earrings: Nina / Bride’s Shoes: Steve Madden / Bride’s Hair Accessory: Fascinate Me / Hair: Bettie of Drybar / Bride’s Makeup: Jessica of Blushington / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Their Choice / Wedding Bands: Brent & Jess