Mark & Raquel...

Mark and I are both from Utah. Although, we started dating long after high school, we have known each other for years. Mark is an amazing artist (I'm not biased, he really is!) ha!.  He studied at Otis College of Art and Design here in LA.  Currently, he co-owns and runs an art gallery in downtown LA called R&R Gallery. Recently, I have taken over as manager of the art gallery.  We both enjoy Kundalini Yoga.  I am now a certified teacher, and teach a weekly class at our art gallery.

Our entire wedding was held at The Inn of the Seventh Ray (Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles), based on its ability to accommodate small groups and be an outdoor venue with great ambiance for our special day.  

We kept our event small with only 20 guests, mostly family and a few close friends. 

Being outside the decor needed a organic, natural, yet sophisticated feel. The moms carried nosegays - mini versions of the bridal bouquet.  

The groom and the fathers (and officiant) wore traditional Indian marigold necklaces. The centerpieces were all varied with different heights, sizes, and colors of vases which were filled with equally different variations of flowers.  

The ceremony was outside under a tree canopy at sunset, then the guests were moved to the patio along the river to the reception site. 

 Food:

The guests enjoyed a non-cocktail hour which included asparagus bundles with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese and a tomato bruschetta on crostini with basil.  For dinner guests had a choice of Crispy Vegan duck with baby bok choy, and green salad, or whole wheat vegetable strudel (also vegan) with peppers, broccoli rabe and vegan Tarragon Creme.  

Mark and I are both vegetarian, so we appreciated our guests being open minded and willing to enjoy the menu.  All food was catered by the Inn of the Seventh Ray.  Our wedding cake was done by Babycakes (NYC and LA) because the bride and many of the guests require gluten-free diet, we decided to go with the best in allergy-specialty cakes.  Our cake was a delicious gluten-free and vegan vanilla cake with vanilla frosting.

For guest favors, I wanted something cute, small and would travel well for the visiting guests.   I found this lady (On Etsy) that sales young succulent plants in little cans - she had these small galvanized metal watering cans.  I had one of these at each place setting. They reflected the succulents that I had in my bouquet.   

The DRESS!  My dress was created for me by L'ezu Atelier.  Made of silk taffeta in "oyster" (just a little off-white).  I love this store and their service, trying to stay local and semi eco-conscious was very thrilled to find that their dresses are made right in Beverly Hills.  I even walked to one of my fittings!

My favorite of the details are near the bottom of the dress.  This was because I wanted to accessorize more!  I wore a 3-strand pearl necklace that was long.  I attached a beautiful 'borrowed' diamond and sapphire broach to the necklace.  The blue in the broach coordinated with my sapphire blue heels.  

My headpiece was locally made also, and is ostrich-feather (faux) and blonde peacock feathers with a netting cage. 

Homage to our parents - I wanted to create an homage to our parents', who are are still married  My mom displayed her beautiful wedding gown and their wedding photo on the table next to the place cards for all to see.  It helped bring that modern-vintage feel to the patio where our reception was held.  

Something every bride should know:  Remember to keep perspective.  Your wedding is a moment in time- and it goes by so quickly!  Sweat the details, just a little.  Let it evolve into something that is truly you and your future husband. It is OK to toss some tradition, to make your day more you!

If I had it to do over, I would only do one thing different - I would have a little bit more lighting at our reception.  It makes for better pictures!  Many pictures were blurry, even though our lighting was beautiful and serene!  Think about your pictures - besides your memories you will cherish these the most. 

Old: My ring.  The stones are all vintage (Pre 1950)

New: My dress.  Also a handkerchief given to me by my mom that I held during the ceremony.

Borrowed: The beautiful broach with sapphire and diamonds that I attached to the pearls around my neck

Blue:  My shoes, my ring and the broach

Wedding services found on Etsy were great!  I got the guest favors, my headpiece,  and our wedding stationary/ invitations all from Etsy!

Vendor List:

Our flowers were done by Holly Flora

Cake by Babycakes 

Invitations by Studio G Designs (found on Etsy)

Guest favors by Succulents Galore (found on Etsy)

Headpiece by Batcakes Couture  (found on Etsy)

Hair by Dean Roybal, Planet Salon.  Friend and trusted hair guru.  

 We honeymooned in Kauai, which is also where Mark proposed a year before.  Our married months have been fantastic and I have no complaints.  Life is an adventure, and I'm glad I've got such an amazing person to share it with!

Happily Ever After to Raquel & Mark!

Alicia & Brandon: Pink & Brown Wedding...

WLB: What were your top 3 favorite design details about your wedding day?
Alicia: My tiara and veil. I picked out a medium-length, shear veil and had my mom sew this amazingly beautiful tiara onto it so that the tiara was worn more like a headband and the veil "fell" from it, b) My cake. I wanted a pink cake, with white frosting embellishment on it and fresh flowers. I didn't have any idea about cake design, so I turned the who thing over to my mom. I told her to make it "romantic" and definitely not "modern" because that is my style, c) My dress and bouquet. My favorite feature of my dress was the shear lace and floral details on the skirt and I loved having a monochromatic bouquet. I think that monochromatic is the way to go on the bridal and flower girl bouquets because it is always in style. Also, no plastic or bead details in the bouquets was my preference.

WLB: Something every bride should know?

Alicia: I had a difficult time on my wedding day overall. The temple sealing itself was perfect. The rest of the day, I felt like a lot of attention was on me and I clammed up. That said, I would tell every bride to try to "let it all go." Try not to worry about pleasing everyone and being the perfect hostess. Let others step in to do that. Definitely don't be what has been coined "bridezilla," but try to let others host while you just enjoy standing next to your man. My maid of honor, Ashley actually had to lean over during the wedding line and say, "stand closer to Brandon" (my groom). I was in shock when I realized that half the reception line had gone through and I was standing about a foot away from my groom! I moved in closer and held his arm. It was like that the entire day. Both bride and groom were trying so hard to be a good host and hostess. It was exhausting and I tell all brides to remember to stand close, link arms and even flirt with your groom on your wedding day. And try to have more fun.

WLB: Close calls, disasters or something funny?

Alicia: Between the wedding lunch and reception, Brandon and I checked into our hotel room so we wouldn't have to after the reception. It was in downtown Salt Lake. We didn't plan on construction and we were stuck in traffic to get from our hotel to the reception. We were 15 minutes late for pictures and the photographer was getting paid by the hour and he had another wedding to do after, so missing those 15 minutes caused some stress for him, as well as my mom who was paying for him. I would just say skip any errands you can avoid between wedding events. Even if it seems like you have a couple hours to kill between the festivities, you really don't. Just stick around until everything is over.

WLB: If you had it to do over, would you do anything differently?

Alicia: Yes, definitely. I wish I had danced. My whole life I had wanted to have some dancing at my wedding. I wanted to play a meaningful song to me and dance with my dad, probably "The Wind Beneath My Wings" and then have Brandon (my groom) cut in and dance to our love song "Songbird." But at the end of the reception, I was so exhausted that I didn't do it. Also, I was shy about it. And I couldn't find my dad anywhere as he was busy taking pictures of the pretty surroundings. I had not communicated to my dad or my groom or anyone that I wanted to do this. It really slipped my mind, but it is something I keep wishing I would have done so I could have the pictures of it. That said, I still loved my wedding day and it doesn't make a huge difference. It's really not about what you do on your wedding day, but who you marry that is the important thing.

WLB One thing that made the day meaningful?

Alicia: The day was meaningful because I married the right guy. It really wasn't easy for us that first year together especially. He was 32 and I was 27 and both of us had established careers for ourselves and were very independent when we married. But over time, we have worked together better and better. I would say that the most important thing about your wedding is WHO you marry. It sounds like a no-brainer but I think that with all the pretty details and all the excitement of a wedding, sometimes people unfortunately forget it.

Vendor Note: Bridal Photo at top by Robert Dyer

Melissa & James: The Citrus Wedding

WLB: Melissa, what were 3 of your favorite design details?

Melissa: One was the lace overlay on my dress. Beautiful! It was the first dress I tried on and it made me feel amazing. Second would be the ribbons. Ribbons everywhere! There were bright ribbons dangling from my bouquet, some dangling from the topiary, and of course the fun maypole we had the kids dance around. Third would be all the bright colors. We wanted a fun summer party, and you can't have that with dark reds or blues. The bridesmaids were in bright pink, the tablecloths were bright green, even the cake was bright yellow. The flowers were all bright colors, and we even had a candy table with jars of green and yellow and pink candies.

WLB: Something every bride should know?

Melissa: Every bride should have someone they can trust to take care of everything, whether it's a planner, a maid of honor, or your mother. For me, it was my mom. She planned out every detail. She asked me for my opinion, and then ran with it. Of course, I was a lot more easy going than some brides, and I trusted my mom to throw an amazing party.

WLB: Of course your mother is an amazing event planner and one of the most fun people anyone knows! WLB: Close calls, disasters or something funny?

Melissa: We really didn't have any disasters. Something funny though: I had a big satin sash on my dress. My mom had to re-tie it three times at the temple so it looked right. When I was getting ready for the reception, Aunt Jackie and Rachel were helping me get ready because my mom was busy decorating the banquet room. Aunt Jackie said "Well if Sherry did it three tries, I guess I'd better do it in two." Also, when we were taking pictures, my niece Anna, a flower girl, had a meltdown and flopped down on the floor. She was just inconsolable. We have pictures of her crying. It was cute.

WLB: If you had it to do over, would you do anything differently? Melissa: I wouldn't change a thing about the day. Everything ran so smoothly and it was so beautiful. I probably would have done my hair differently. Maybe down with big soft curls, rather than up. I absolutely loved my dress, but I wonder if I should have tried on a few more, and gone with a full skirt. When else will I have the chance to wear a full skirt? WLB: One thing that made the day meaningful?

Melissa: Oh gosh I don't know if I can pick just one thing. The whole experience was magnificent. I get to be with my sweetheart forever, and I have all those wonderful memories. My favorite part of the reception was watching the kids dance around the maypole and do their little routine. They were so cute in the polka dots! I danced with my dad and we had a moment together, talking about my mom. My mom is amazing. We talked about how creative and wonderful she is, and how happy she had been all day, throwing parties is her element! My Dad and I both got teary-eyed. She truly is amazing. And it was special to see my Dad get emotional talking about his Sherry-baby.

Life can have it's complications and irritations and that is why it's so important to really celebrate those occasions when people find each other or accomplish something. Sometimes we ought to bake a cake because it's Monday. I love this wedding because of all the love and joy that went into making it the beginning of Melissa & Jame's...

Happily Ever After...