A cliff side soiree planned in a mere three months is no easy feat but leave it to the ladies of Mindy Weiss Party Consultants to design and plan a day that takes the cake in terms of style and laid-back luxury. How does a combination of ocean views, succulents and other fab florals from Bash, Please and ever flowing Prosecco sound? Like a little slice of heaven! Annie McElwain Photography made some magic with her gorgeous shots and we are the lucky ducks that get to soak it all in. Bask in more of that glorious Malibu sunshine in the FULL wedding gallery.
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From the bride… What my husband and I really wanted was a fun party. We figured that the best way to kick of a marriage was with some whimsy and adventure. My husband and I met while rock climbing and shortly after moved to Italy together for a year. We are both passionate about the outdoors and travel and wanted a wedding that reflected this.
We decided on the mountains of Malibu that overlook the Pacific. It was important to me that we marry somewhere that we could personalize, and not at some pre-set wedding venue. Luckily, on our first day of searching we found a gorgeous cliff side private property that we were able to rent for our event and a neighboring house that served as a home base for us and our immediate families through the weekend. This created a mini destination wedding.
We wanted to make sure the wedding was a soulful experience so we incorporated aspects from our mixed heritages and our life together. We honored Jewish and Chinese traditions for our families and had an Italian appertivi and dinner to capture a taste of our year in Italy. A Cantor led a Jewish ceremony. We married under an ethereal Chuppah that blended a vintage curtain from my grandmother’s home along with gauzy fabric and fresh cut flowers. The traditional Chinese red wedding color was subtly highlighted in the reception. We also had an intimate ceremony during the evening where my husband’s Chinese grandmother presented me with a gold bracelet that symbolized locking me into their family. My mother in-law created table numbers by painting some Chinese characters on small rocks fusing her heritage with our passion of rock climbing.
I wore a vintage looking slinky gown that I found the first day I looked. My flower girls wore different brightly colored dresses and held woven baskets with colorful flower petals. I wanted my bridesmaids to be and feel like the incredible unique women they are, so I asked them to choose their own dresses.
To keep the wedding day high energy, we created three distinct experiences. Guests began with a slightly hair-raising cliff-hugging drive up to the property where they were greeted with fresh lemonade, a walk through a garden and then led to sit cliff side facing the ocean. The ceremony was held with the ocean and wild flowers as a back drop; a band trio played Latin Jazz throughout the procession. Following the smooch and glass breaking, the festivities moved to a poolside cocktail hour. The Latin trio picked up the beat a bit, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were passed, and the sun began to set behind the Pacific. For the main event guests meandered their way to the reception on a candle lit walk. Three long wood tables that sat all of our 85 guests under the warm summer stars and created a familial feel that encouraged everyone to mingle. The tables were romantic, lined with succulents, brightly colored wild flowers, lots of candles and dark red linen.
Dinner featured an Italian feast with risotto, fish, beef and a finishing salad from Heirloom catering – we love you Matt and Tal. Desert was a gigantic bowl of tiramisu surrounded by three Magnolia Bakery cakes. An espresso bar on the side drew was a hit drawing crowds all evening – we can’t recommend this enough. Prosecco was on continuous pour and a DJ spun awesome party music. Everyone danced throughout the night under the stars. The night truly exceeded our dreams! We really did have the time of our lives.
Wedding Photography: Annie McElwain Photography / Flowers and Chuppah: Bash, Please / Event Planning: Melissa Torre + Mindy Weiss of Mindy Weiss Party Consultants / Ceremony & Reception Location: Private Estate, Malibu, CA / Wedding Dress: Les Habitudes / Hairpins: Foreti Designs / Event Lighting: Peterson Event Lighting / Catering: Heirloom-LA