This wedding is stunning. So, so, sooo stunning. But you know what I love most of all? It just looks FUN. Like that kind of kick off your shoes and dance the night away with the coolest people you know kind of fun, all set against one of the most awesome locales EVER. Throw in some DIY details (those bouquets, though), a VAULT full of captures from Jenn Emerling and a fab film from SparkStory Cinema and it’s basically the perfect Saturday. Dive in NOW.
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From the Bride… I was never the little girl or young woman who daydreamed about her wedding, but the moment I got engaged, it was all I could think about! From the start, I knew what we had to work with—a limited budget, a large guest list and an amazing selection of vendors—and I knew what we lacked. To work within our budget, I quickly realized that we needed a venue with built-in personality to limit the need for rentals to build our own space. Fortunately for us, the perfect venue was somewhere we used to spend A LOT of time in our early days of dating. With its patterned tile floors, indoor and outdoor space, chic design aesthetic and ample space to hold 200+ people, Palihouse West Hollywood was our dream venue come true.
I knew I wanted an emphasis on little details, the ability to blend DIY elements with professional design and an overarching vibe that represented us as a couple. Palihouse embodied this vision, so I took their aesthetic and ran with it. I love the mixture of different styles and sought out to avoid anything matchy-matchy. I mixed neutrals, soft pinks and metallics with the deep blue walls and rich, dark furniture. Edgier materials like glass and metal were paired with organic components like wood and eucalyptus. Chalkboards, mason jars and kraft paper provided a subtle rustic undertone. It all sounds a little crazy, but it worked so well together!
To keep costs down and as a fun way to stay connected throughout the craziness of wedding planning, my mom and I combed through thrift stores once a month and found materials to DIY anything possible. We got beautiful silver serving trays, ornate candlesticks, lanterns, hurricanes of all sizes, vintage suitcases and more. A little spray paint and glue goes a long way… we made the platters on the dessert table purely from thrift store finds! My parents made the escort card display board from an example on Pinterest using a pre-stretched canvas, cork and beautiful fabric overlay. My family saved every wine bottle, beer bottle and glass jar for 6 months (and painstakingly removed the labels!) to use as floral vases. I designed our invitation suite, programs, menus and thank you cards, and I got very resourceful at the Target $1 bin to source many of the signs. My amazing calligrapher, Jasmine at Inkwell LA, made them look like a million bucks!
My signage had a bit of a rustic feel, so to carry that through to the reception, we chose exposed wood tables with eucalyptus garland runners. Using greens over floral centerpieces helped us to save while still having the tables look lush and pretty. My amazing friend Rachel worked at a greens farm, Continental Floral Greens, and helped me every step of the way from choosing the right types of eucalyptus to mix, to sizing, sourcing and even building the garlands by hand. My mom does floral designs as a hobby, so we decided to tackle flowers ourselves. The LA Flower Market is a bride’s best friend – the vendors at CF Greens and Holland Flower Market special ordered King White Proteas, lush peonies, ranunculus and garden roses for the bouquets, chuppah and vases. My family and squad of bridesmaids spent the few days leading up to the wedding at my house putting together some of the most beautiful bouquets I have ever seen… I just might be a little biased, but I could not have been happier with the flowers.
The only things better than the flowers were the donuts. While the guests were on the dance floor, our coordinator, Katie, from Best Day Ever LA, reset the welcome table as the donut table. Guests were very pleasantly surprised with plates full of delicious donuts from Kettle Glazed Donuts. I probably ate 10 of them!
From the donuts at the end of the night to the first sip of coffee the morning of our wedding, it really was the best day of our lives. Every moment from the wedding was my favorite – it’s impossible to pick just one. Some things stand out above the rest, like the fact that our best friend officiated our wedding, that our only living grandparent (who is 91) flew in from FL to be there and that my best friend from childhood came from Amsterdam with her two month old baby. But what I remember most and am the happiest about is the amount of love in the room from start to finish. The feeling of being surrounded by the people you love the most, who have all shown up to support you as a couple, is indescribable. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel when you’re mired in planning details and you think you won’t get through it. You will, and it’s worth it. Enjoy every moment!!
Photography: Jennifer Emerling | Cinematography: SparkStory | Coordination: Best Day Ever LA | Floral Design: Continental Greens | Flowers: Holland Flower Market | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Invitations: Paperless Post | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Catering: Pailhouse | Makeup: Suzie Moldavon | Hair: Sarah Tevis | Calligraphy: Inkwell LA | DJ: THE FLASHDANCE | Groom's Attire: Mark Pomerantz | Officiant: Friend of Couple | Venue: Palihouse | Bride's Robe: BHLDN | Bridesmaids' Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar | Donuts: Kettle Glazed Donuts | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
