This wedding had me at hello. Well, actually, it had me at Palm Springs, food trucks and late-night grilled cheese sandwiches, but you get the point… this is one awesome wedding. From the cool as can be signage to the crazy gorgeous rustic details to the garden-like setting, it’s one seriously stunning moment after anther mixed in with a whole lot of happy. See it all captured by Max & Friends Photography right here.
And a little something extra special from Son Of Sharkpig…
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From the Brides… Casa Cody has always had special place in our hearts (we had a weekend getaway there early in our relationship), so when we were thinking about a venue for our wedding, it seemed like the perfect option. The grounds of Casa Cody are incredibly lush and beautiful – full of bougainvillea, citrus trees and succulents. It’s nestled at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains and is a block away from the main drag, so offers a private, yet convenient location. The property has 31 rooms, and over the course of our weekend celebrations, every room was occupied by our friends and family. It offered a great opportunity for everyone to mingle and get to know each other, so by the time the reception rolled around on Saturday night, it felt like we were all one big family.
We wanted our wedding to be warm, inviting, fun, and most importantly, we wanted every detail to reflect our relationship. Liz and I met through work (we both work in music supervision for film & tv), so needless to say, music is very important to us. In fact, our relationship began after Liz made me a mixtape. We then exchanged several more, and continue to do so to this day (as evidenced by the wedding day mixtape in the photos).
We wanted music to play an important role in our wedding day, so lyrics from some of our favorite songs were peppered throughout the entire event. Our save the date was a laser cut of the lyrics from Lamb’s “Gorecki” (“All I’ve known, all I’ve done, all I’ve felt was leading to this. I’ve found the one I’ve waited for.”) Our invites included a kraft paper poster (which acted as an envelope) with the lyrics from “Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space” by Spiritualized (“I will love you ’til I die, and float in space just you and I”), and the back of the invite itself included the lyrics from “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave (“And I believe in love, and I know you do too. And I believe in some kind of path that we can walk down, me and you”). We also asked our guests to enclose their favorite song lyric with their RSVP (a keepsake for us). The theme continued through into the wedding, as each table at the reception was designated by a song found on our mixtapes.
Our friend and designer, Annessa Braymer, worked with us from the start to craft everything from the save the dates to the table numbers. She had this incredible way of taking our ideas, interpreting them, and making them a reality (that was even better than we could have imagined). One element of the invites that really showcases this is the Casa Cody Map. When Liz and I had gone to Casa Cody to confirm the wedding date with the manager, we were sitting at a table and a hummingbird flew right next to us. In my family, we have a firm belief that hummingbirds are a way for our loved ones who have passed to remind us they are still with us. I snapped a photo and later sent it to Annessa. She took a novice iPhone photo and turned it into something not only beautiful, but incredibly personal and special.
We wanted the atmosphere at both the ceremony and the reception to feel natural, warm and to really showcase the incredibly beautiful grounds (rather than try to compete with them). Enter Gregory Goodman from My Little Flower Shop. When I met Gregory we clicked instantly. He is such an incredibly lovely man and I could just tell he GOT me. I do a bit of floral design myself, so this was an extremely important element to me. My vision was soft, warm tones with subtle pops of color. I wanted to feature more wild, organic arrangements to compliment the rustic environment. I didn’t want anything too polished – my goal was for it to look like someone had walked through a garden and pulled together these incredible bouquets of wild flowers, berries, and succulents. Instead of grand, large centerpieces we opted for a variety of smaller arrangements at each table, using mason jars and milk bottles that we’d collected as vases.
We knew we didn’t want tables with tablecloths (they just wouldn’t fit the rustic vibe of Casa Cody), so when Gregory introduced us to Planks and Patina I just fell in love. John at P&P provided the rustic tables and chairs (that he builds from reclaimed wood) which fit our vision perfectly.
To stay in line with our more relaxed vibe, we chose to have a food truck instead of the traditional sit down dinner or buffet. HeirloomLA brought their amazing truck, Black Betty, and provided the delicious food for our guests. The menu included: a farmers market salad, cabbage slaw, fish & chips, beef sliders, signature Heirloom LA lasagna cupcakes, wedding cake, raspberry trifle and chocolate chip cookies with sea salt. Then after the reception we moved to another area of the grounds for the after party where they provided late night snacks: a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches and fries.
Christian & Reinna Cruz from Max & Friends photographed our special day, and Steve Pappin (also known as Son of Sharkpig) was our videographer, and we couldn’t be happier with all of their work. They so perfectly captured the atmosphere of our wedding. They floated through the day with us and we barely noticed they were there (which I think is so important) – it allowed us to be natural, and I think that really shows in the photos and videos. They have a genuinely candid feel, and that is what I love most about them.
My biggest piece of advice: Remember that your wedding day is a CELEBRATION not an EVENT. Although planning your big day is fun and exciting, it can also be totally overwhelming at times – especially if you lose sight of the purpose of the day. Every time we started to get overwhelmed or crabby or too wrapped up in everyone’s wedding expectations, we took a step back and reminded ourselves what the day is really about – celebrating our love and commitment to each other surrounded by the people we love most. Of course you want the day to go smoothly (i.e. as perfect as possible!), for your guests to enjoy themselves, and for the details to reflect who you are as a couple, but a hiccup here or there is to be expected and at the end of the day you’ll be married to the love of your life, and that’s REALLY what it’s all about!
Another tid-bit of advice: I’d absolutely encourage you to at the very least have a day-of wedding coordinator! We had wedding planners who came on early in the planning process (Morgan Talbot Ickovics & Emily Janecek Young – previously of Glitterati LA), but we all quickly learned that I was not very comfortable delegating tasks. So while we researched and chose our vendors and handled the creative projects, it was so nice to have them to bounce questions/ideas off of! They also managed all of the contracts, made sure we were covered, and dealt with all the not so fun stuff (negotiations, awkward calls with vendors, minute details, etc).
But even if you don’t have planners in the lead-up to your big day, I absolutely encourage you to get a day-of coordinator! Our planners were literally GOD SENDS on the big day. They made sure all of the vendors arrived on time, set up in the correct locations, gave them their payments/tips. They wrangled our wedding parties and family members and made sure they were in the right place at the right time. They gently moved the reception along and made sure everyone had exactly what they needed (they even made Liz & I each a plate of food which was waiting for us at our sweetheart table!), and when a glass broke on the dance floor they were standing there, broom in hand, within milliseconds!
You’re big day is about celebrating, and having someone there whose sole job is to make sure everything goes smoothly just gives you that extra bit of comfort. Having Morgan & Emily there allowed us to fully enjoy and take in the beautiful moments of the day, without stressing that something wasn’t going to get done (or get done properly). And I truly think that kind of comfort and confidence is priceless!
Photography: Max Wanger | Videographer: Son of Sharkpig | Flowers: My Little Flower Shop | Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham | Bridesmaids' Dresses: J.Crew | Catering: Heirloom LA | Wedding Favors: Stone Candles | Bridal Party Suits: Indochino | Ceremony & Reception: Casa Cody | Designer: Annessa Braymer | Hair & Makeup (For Brides): Maranda Widlund | Hair & Makeup (for Bridesmaids): Salon 119 | Rentals: Planks And Patina | Wedding Dress & Alterations: Panache Bridal | Wedding Suit Designer: Lindsay Woods