Let’s face it – Wedding Wednesdays are totally awesome. Not only do we get to spend our day happily gazing upon NINE gorgeous (and I mean gorgeous) weddings, we have one gallery after another filled to the very brim with lovely little details and heartwarming moments that will ensure an entire day of non-stop swooning. A swoon-fest and a whole lot of pretty? This is going to be sooo good.
Up first is a sweet Santa Monica soiree by the ever-fabulous onelove photography. A vintage chic fête meets all kinds of wonderful, this DIY extravaganza is sending our hearts into a serious frenzy. I’m talking classic novels as centerpieces (LOVE), a soft pastel color palette and a stunning (and oh-so in love) bride and groom. Oh, and that cake? That gorgeous creation from Porto’s Bakery? To die for. Click here for more.
From the Bride… Tom and I come from different cultural backgrounds (Tom’s family is from Croatia, and my family is from Taiwan), and we wanted to include small parts of our families’ cultures in our wedding. Therefore, my bridesmaids and I had lavender in our bouquets (lavender is very prominent in Croatia), and each guest received a Taiwanese pineapple cake as a wedding favor.
We fell in love with The Victorian the moment we saw it, and all of the decorating choices fell into place after that. I really wanted to highlight the intimacy and “home-y” quality of the Victorian, so I thought books, frames, and jars as vases would do the trick. I had professional help for the ceremony flowers, but to save money, I designed the reception area with the help of my best friend and bridesmaid, Monique. We did all of the floral arrangements for the reception. I bought gold frames at various thrift stores and discount stores and crafted the table numbers. I bought some old books on Etsy and supplemented with my own small collection of vintage books. Monique helped me collect recycled mason jars, and Tom and I kept all of the wine bottles we drank during our engagement (we drink a lot of wine!), and I used my favorite bottles for the menus. I had a lot of help elsewhere as well. My friend Jennifer helped me design the menus. My cousin’s husband Jackson designed the invitations. My aunts brought the pineapple cakes from Taiwan, as well as the cute little boxes we wrapped the cakes in.
One of my favorite wedding memories was my first look with Tom. Our wonderful photographer Jessica had given us instructions so that both of our reactions could be visible when the first look happened, but when Tom turned around to look at me, he was so excited that he raised both of his arms up and totally blocked Jessica’s view of my face. It wasn’t the perfect picture, but it was perfectly “us.”
Wedding Photography: onelove photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: The Victorian in Santa Monica, California / Officiant: Fr. Tim Klosterman of St. Monica Catholic Church / Ceremony Flowers: Fleurs du Jour / Reception Flowers: DIY by the Bride + A Bridesmaid / Wedding Cake: Porto’s Bakery / Doughnuts: Spudnuts / Wedding Stationery: Jackson Wang (The Bride’s Cousin-in-Law) / Menus: A Friend of the Bride / DJ: Black Tie DJ Entertainment / Fingerprint Tree: Bleu de Toi / Tote Bags: Wedding Chicks / Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston (Now Closed) / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Bride’s Hair Accessories: Priscilla of Boston (Now Closed) / Hair + Makeup: Ashley Sul / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Various / Groom’s Attire: Theory / Groom’s Shoes: Allen Edmonds