Palos Verdes Wedding by Cakes and Kisses

Anytime I see a wedding with Sprinkles Cupcakes, my heart does a pitter patter. But with this wedding, it wasn't only the cupcakes that got me giddy. It was the awesome pink, gray and white color palette. The shock of pink is SO chic and really brings this style to a level of gorgeousness that I love. Plus, the bride and groom really made an effort to make their day hugely personal...from the flowers that the bride's girlfriends crafted to her collection of vintage hankies that were handed out to guests at the ceremony. Every detail was a reflection of who they were as individuals and who they had become as a couple. Photographed by Holly Steen at Cakes and Kisses, this is definitely a keeper. Click here to see even more.



palos verdes wedding by cakes and kisses



palos verdes wedding by cakes and kisses



palos verdes wedding by cakes and kisses



palos verdes wedding by cakes and kisses



palos verdes wedding by cakes and kisses



click here to see the full wedding gallery!



My wedding day was one that I had pictured many times and in many different ways. Still, the actual day was much better than any I had imagined. Jason and I met the first day of college and were inseparable right from the beginning. He waited until after we graduated to propose and then 16 months later, on November 6th, we were married. I had the most fun planning! I wanted our wedding to feel very personal so we decided on a small guest list of 50 people. After finding the chapel and my dress (the second dress I tried on), everything fell into place. We chose the Wayfarers Chapel because of its natural beauty and simplicity. The walls and ceilings are mostly glass so although we had an indoor ceremony, we had the element of nature as well. The chapel is so beautiful on its own that we didn't need to decorate it at all. My dress, originally an A-line, was altered to more of a mermaid shape - which I love! I fell in love with how simple and beautiful my dress was. It was raw silk with cloth-covered buttons that ran all the way to the end of the train. Love! I walked down the aisle to an acoustic piano version of Coldplay's "Yellow." The moment I walked into the chapel on that perfectly crisp fall day with husband- to-be waiting for me at the altar was pure magic.



Choosing our photographer, Holly Steen of Cakes and Kisses, was the easiest decision of all. Not only is she jaw-dropping talented, but meeting her felt like meeting a friend that I hadn't seen in years. In fact, all of the vendors that helped us were so incredibly kind and I feel like the luckiest bride to have had all these amazing people lend their talents to our special day. We knew we wanted something different than a traditional wedding DJ and finding Paul Lemire, an acoustic guitarist, was a dream come true. Courtney, our wedding coordinator, from Bellagio Group Design, was nothing less than amazing. She took my vision and made it so much better than I could have imagined. One of my favorite moments from the day was a surprise that Courtney had planned. When Jason and I saw each other before the ceremony, he was waiting down by the marina and as I walked down to meet him, one of my favorite songs started playing.



Two of my dear dear friends did the flowers the morning of the wedding. We woke up before the sun that morning to buy the flowers from the Los Angeles Flower Mart. Walking through the flower mart, we came across the most vibrant pink peonies I had ever seen. I couldn't resist them! Although the original plan was to have all white flowers, I knew the peonies were meant for me. When Jason proposed, we hid the ring in a bouquet of pink peonies so carrying peonies down the aisle made perfect sense.



I wanted guests to remember our wedding as true to our personalities. The smallest of details really helped achieve this. A vintage suitcase with hankies was at the entrance of the chapel for guests to take "for their tears of joy." The hankies were my own collection that I had collected from antique stores during our engagement. Sprinkles cupcakes took the place of a traditional tiered cake because of my crazy love for cupcakes. The song we danced to for our first dance was beyond perfect for us. Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am" is sentimental and humorous. We went to her concert earlier this summer and as soon as she played this song we knew no other song would be as perfect for us.



Even with all of the countless hours I put into planning, nothing contributed so much to the magic of special day as the presence of our closest friends and family there with us. Many of our guests traveled long distances to celebrate with us. To this day I continue to tell Jason how incredible it was to have all of our loved ones there with us that day. I am especially lucky that my youngest sister was able to come to the wedding. Being in the Navy, she had to leave for Guam the very next morning. Having her there with me meant the world to me. Growing up, I imagined my wedding day more times than I can possibly count but I couldn't in even my wildest imagination picture just how perfect everything was.



swirl



Photography: Cakes and Kisses Wedding Photography / Wedding Coordination: Courtney Lollis Petruzelli of Bellagio Design Group / Bridal makeup: Mariah Nicole / Ceremony Venue: Wayfarer Chapel, Palos Verdes, CA / Transportation: Classy Chassis Rentals / Reception Venue: Double Tree, San Pedro, CA / Invitations: Papeterie / Wedding Favors: C Salt Gourmet in Long Beach, CA / Dress Designer: 2be Bridal by Gavin Michaels / Bridal Shop: The Dresser in Fullerton, CA / Groom's Attire: Banana Republic suit, Burberry tie, Burberry cuff links / Guest sign in: paper hearts from Paper Source, vintage suitcase / Bridal Shoes: Steve Madden (gold shoes), GAP (blue shoes) / Musician: Paul Lemire / Dessert: Sprinkles Cupcakes / Heart Banner: Etsy / Floral: Los Angeles Flower District

Featured Vendors
Other Vendors
Photography: Holly Steen | Event Planning: Mount Tabor Park | Invitations: Papeterie | Invitations: The Paper Source | Vendor: The Dresser | Venues: Wayfarers Chapel