I may be a little bit biased since I now call the city of angels home but I'm pretty sure that Los Angeles throws the best modern soirees! Take this Skirball Cultural Center beauty flawlessly put together by Platinum Weddings by Kerrie, for example. You just won't find glamour like this anywhere else! After you finish drooling over these gorgeous images by Lin & Jirsa Photography make sure you check out the awesome film from Avec Lumiere Productions below! Then head over to the full gallery to see even more!
Los Angeles Wedding at the Skirball Cultural Center by Platinum Weddings by Kerrie
From the Bride... The idea for our wedding was super modern with a vintage twist and unexpected details. I knew I wanted dark slate gray and white with a pop of mustard yellow and a splash of cool black. We wanted things clean and contemporary but at the same time “fun.” I designed and hand-made the menus, parents of the bride/groom chair signs, rose petal cone holders, table numbers, escort cards, reception game “paddles,” escort card sign, sign-in book sign, ice cream sundae bar cups and the “20 Things you Didn’t Know about Simon and Steph” game. I also collaborated with a designer friend to incorporate this theme with the invitations and cartoon reception program. We loved our florist, and he designed three completely different centerpieces using all-white flowers and was so excited to see everything all come together.
The most memorable moment of the ceremony was definitely my bridal entrance from the side (guests could see me walking across to meet my dad) and then down the stairs. It was very dramatic. We wanted to use modern non-traditional music (Foo Fighters, Dashboard Confessional, etc.), and guests commented they loved our song choice of "Kissing You" by Desiree for my bridal entrance. I was also told that the wind blew my veil throughout the entire ceremony, and it looked absolutely magical. We wrote our own vows, and our officiant was a personal friend of the groom — he did such an amazing job. He met with us, but what he said in our ceremony was a surprise. Our guests complimented our officiant throughout the night. Although the colors for the ceremony were mainly slate gray and white, the guests threw yellow rose petals as we exited.
For the reception, we wanted our guests to have fun and feel entertained. We played a “How Well Do you Know Simon and Steph” game hosted in both English and Chinese, where each table was given a double-sided paddle with a cartoon version of each of us on either side. When a question was asked, guests had to choose Simon or Steph. (Examples: Who is more likely to cry at a sad movie? Who is more likely to get a traffic ticket?) The winning table won Starbucks gift cards. On our wedding website, we asked guests to request their favorite dance songs, and we played most of these songs during our reception. We had a large 24’x24’ glossy white dance floor and four intelligent light columns on each side of the dance floor. We loved the party atmosphere it created and how the uplights changed colors throughout the night. As for food, we wanted guests to enjoy lots of desserts! We had an ice cream sundae bar with three different ice cream flavors, six different kinds of cupcakes, cake ball lollipops, and of course, a plated flourless chocolate cake.
As far as advice, get started getting ready even earlier than you think is necessary. I loved my hair and makeup, but it took more than 3.5 hours by the lead artist, and the bridesmaids' hair and makeup girls were more than an hour late due to a flat tire, which put us behind. Also, don’t sweat the details. I was up late nights making sure the paper in the frames were lined up just right and the stickers on the cups in the perfect position, and no one noticed! Instead, spend that time with your significant other, and enjoy the process and the moments that lead up to the big day. Finally, if you want photos of specific tiny details (signs, menus, etc), make sure to create a list, especially if you hand-made many of your items or want them in photos for memories.
Wedding Photography: Lin & Jirsa Photography / Wedding Venue: Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California / Wedding Coordination: Platinum Weddings by Kerrie / Floral Design: Be Buds Florist, Inc. / Wedding Cinematography: Avec Lumiere Productions / Officiant: Daniel Lee (A Friend) / DJ: Eric Houchin (A Friend) / Bakery: Sweet and Saucy Shop / Cupcake Tower: Pedestals / Cake Topper: Ready Go / Chairs + Dance Floor: Chiavari Chair Rentals / Linens: Fusion Linens / Lighting + Sound: LSM Entertainment / Photo Booth: Cheesy Photobooths / Transportation: California Coast Limousine & Transportation / Wedding Dress: Tadashi Shoji / Bride's Other Dresses: BCBG / Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo + BCBG / Bride's Veil + Flower Pin: Custom by Tessa Kim / Bride's Earrings + Bracelet: Nadri via Nordstrom / Bride's Reception Necklace: BCBG / Bride's Garter Set: Etsy / Beauty: Theresa Huang Makeup & Hair Design / Bridesmaids' Dresses: White by Vera Wang / Tuxedos: Calvin Klein via 2000 Dreams Bridal / Accommodations: The London West Hollywood / Rehearsal Dinner: Soleil Westwood
The most memorable moment of the ceremony was definitely my bridal entrance from the side (guests could see me walking across to meet my dad) and then down the stairs. It was very dramatic. We wanted to use modern non-traditional music (Foo Fighters, Dashboard Confessional, etc.), and guests commented they loved our song choice of "Kissing You" by Desiree for my bridal entrance. I was also told that the wind blew my veil throughout the entire ceremony, and it looked absolutely magical. We wrote our own vows, and our officiant was a personal friend of the groom — he did such an amazing job. He met with us, but what he said in our ceremony was a surprise. Our guests complimented our officiant throughout the night. Although the colors for the ceremony were mainly slate gray and white, the guests threw yellow rose petals as we exited.
For the reception, we wanted our guests to have fun and feel entertained. We played a “How Well Do you Know Simon and Steph” game hosted in both English and Chinese, where each table was given a double-sided paddle with a cartoon version of each of us on either side. When a question was asked, guests had to choose Simon or Steph. (Examples: Who is more likely to cry at a sad movie? Who is more likely to get a traffic ticket?) The winning table won Starbucks gift cards. On our wedding website, we asked guests to request their favorite dance songs, and we played most of these songs during our reception. We had a large 24’x24’ glossy white dance floor and four intelligent light columns on each side of the dance floor. We loved the party atmosphere it created and how the uplights changed colors throughout the night. As for food, we wanted guests to enjoy lots of desserts! We had an ice cream sundae bar with three different ice cream flavors, six different kinds of cupcakes, cake ball lollipops, and of course, a plated flourless chocolate cake.
As far as advice, get started getting ready even earlier than you think is necessary. I loved my hair and makeup, but it took more than 3.5 hours by the lead artist, and the bridesmaids' hair and makeup girls were more than an hour late due to a flat tire, which put us behind. Also, don’t sweat the details. I was up late nights making sure the paper in the frames were lined up just right and the stickers on the cups in the perfect position, and no one noticed! Instead, spend that time with your significant other, and enjoy the process and the moments that lead up to the big day. Finally, if you want photos of specific tiny details (signs, menus, etc), make sure to create a list, especially if you hand-made many of your items or want them in photos for memories.
Wedding Photography: Lin & Jirsa Photography / Wedding Venue: Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California / Wedding Coordination: Platinum Weddings by Kerrie / Floral Design: Be Buds Florist, Inc. / Wedding Cinematography: Avec Lumiere Productions / Officiant: Daniel Lee (A Friend) / DJ: Eric Houchin (A Friend) / Bakery: Sweet and Saucy Shop / Cupcake Tower: Pedestals / Cake Topper: Ready Go / Chairs + Dance Floor: Chiavari Chair Rentals / Linens: Fusion Linens / Lighting + Sound: LSM Entertainment / Photo Booth: Cheesy Photobooths / Transportation: California Coast Limousine & Transportation / Wedding Dress: Tadashi Shoji / Bride's Other Dresses: BCBG / Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo + BCBG / Bride's Veil + Flower Pin: Custom by Tessa Kim / Bride's Earrings + Bracelet: Nadri via Nordstrom / Bride's Reception Necklace: BCBG / Bride's Garter Set: Etsy / Beauty: Theresa Huang Makeup & Hair Design / Bridesmaids' Dresses: White by Vera Wang / Tuxedos: Calvin Klein via 2000 Dreams Bridal / Accommodations: The London West Hollywood / Rehearsal Dinner: Soleil Westwood