A worldwide romance turned fairytale wedding – that sums this beauty up quite well. And not only is it beautiful, this stylish affair is sprinkled with meaning and filled to the brim with a style that is all this couple. That combination? Well, it doesn’t get better. Captured to perfection by RomaBea Images, this gallery is one you simply cannot miss. See why here.
From Beatrice… Jennifer and Joe’s wedding was in one word, magical. We first connected via Skype because their wedding was a destination wedding (they live in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and also had friends and family all over the world).
They met at a friend’s wedding in Phuket, Thailand (hence the signs at the Wedding referencing it) and instantly felt a connection. They courted over the next couple of years while she lived in Los Angeles and he in New Jersey. When his job decided to take him overseas, they took the plunge and went together and began planning their destination wedding in Los Angeles since that’s where they spent most of their ‘dating’ time and wanted to pay tribute to that time in their lives.
The wedding took place in an historic 1930’s farm house nestled in the Santa Monica mountains under huge Oak trees, surrounded by their closest friends and family who flew in from Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Russia, Greece, Canada, Lebanon, Tennessee (she’s a Southern girl at heart)..the list goes on and on. The Officiant was one of the Groom’s best friends, who also happened to be the “friend” whose wedding they both attended and met at in Thailand. It was so perfect and fitting and insanely romantic.
The details included old trinkets and photos from both sets of Parents and Grandparents. They wanted to honor the grandparents that were no longer with them but by including things such as lace runners, trinkets and vases from their collections, they felt they were with them in spirit on that beautiful day. Even the sweets were dates from the Middle East, almonds from Jordan, Sprinkles’ famous cupcakes instead of traditional cake- their personalities were infused in every detail of the wedding.
Inspired by the French 1920’s Vintage Style (he speaks French as does his family, and his sister currently lives in Paris), they set out to create a warm and romantic setting for all to enjoy. It was one of the most beautiful, genuinely touching weddings I have ever had the pleasure of capturing and I was so honored to have witnessed it all.
From the Bride… Having organized our wedding from overseas (Abu Dhabi), we really struggled with finding the perfect location to complement our personalities, but most importantly to truly inspire our family and friends to make the journey (since they were scattered all over the world…CA, TN, SC, NJ, NY, DC, VA, CO, MI, MA, Canada, Qatar, Lebanon, Dubai, Russia, Greece, Egypt, and Hong Kong! After weeks and weeks of research and soul searching, we discovered this beautiful location in California! Since I had lived there when we first met and that’s where our romance bloomed, it just seemed to make sense! Plus the mountains were sure to highlight our wedding day full moon! After some back and forth, the stars truly aligned and it really was the start to everything falling into place! With such an amazing and inspiring backdrop we could truly begin to visualize the details, keeping it simple and full of love!
You may not think it, but Southern and Arabic are actually very similar! We wanted so much to incorporate the beauty of our cultures and bring a sense of who we were to the event. Not only what “things” have shaped us…but who. Since Joe and I were very close to our grandparents, all of whom have since passed, and they exude in so much of what we do and love in this life, we wanted to make sure they were felt in every detail of the day. And they surely were!
From their wedding pictures on our welcome table to the crochet doilies and lace runners on the tables to the small trinkets scattered about, they shined on our big day brighter than the sunshine! What’s more, since it was a relatively small crowd (95 of our dearest), some family members took notice and mentioned to each other how a particular something looked like “Meme’s” or “Mama’s,” only they really had no idea that it actually was! [dotted]
Wedding Photography: RomaBea Images | Wedding Venue: Diablo Dormido Weddings | Event Coordination: Dana Barrett of Orange Dove Events | Catering: Kitchen12k | Floral Design + Vintage Decor: Designs by Katy (part of Kitchen12k) | Bride’s Gift + Wedding Rings: Tiffany & Co. | Bride’s Shoes: Stuart Weitzman | Hair: Blo Dry Bar | Wedding Dress: Vintage *Off the Rack | Groom’s Attire: Custom made in Dubai | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Various, Neutral Tones | Lighting: Pacific Event Lighting | Cupcakes: Sprinkles