Black and white details are as classic as they come but when you put a striped twist on things and add beautiful red and pink florals by Chestnut & Vine Floral Design, LLC into the mix, it’s a whole new modern ballgame. One that Va de Vie Events has blended seamlessly with the backdrop of Hotel Shattuck Plaza. Now add images by onelove photography into the mix and BOOM, we’ve got ourselves a pretty party. See it all right here.
From the Bride… We looked at every step of planning our wedding as an opportunity to share who we are with our guests, starting with where and when to have the wedding. Currently, we live in Los Angeles, but we both felt that having the wedding take place in our hometown of Berkeley would be most fitting. The wedding took place on our seventh anniversary, which made the date feel extra special. We took the smaller details as a chance to show off some of our favorite things — we used our favorite colors, served our favorite cake flavors and fully stocked the candy bar with the candy we always snack on. We were also sure to capture special details, such as including my grandmother’s locket in my bridal bouquet and reading our favorite story to each other during the ceremony, “The Lovely Love Story” by Edward Monkton. The story includes illustrations of dinosaurs, which inspired our dinosaur cake toppers.
When we first sat down to discuss how we wanted our wedding to feel, Amit and I both agreed that we wanted it to have a lush, romantic atmosphere, but we also wanted to show off our silly, whimsical side. When we had our first walk-through at Hotel Shattuck Plaza, we knew we had found the our space. It is the perfect balance of being playful and fun, yet something about the hotel feels so classic and sophisticated. To set the tone that our wedding wouldn’t be too stuffy or fussy, our save-the-dates were a timeline of our relationship and our RSVP cards were mad libs. We learned really quickly that you can’t please everyone. It is important to be considerate of your guests, but it is also important to remember that you probably can’t make 125 guests unanimously happy with each decision you make. Once you accept that, it becomes so much easier and more fun to plan a wedding that is true to you and your partner. More than anything, enjoy the day, and enjoy the process! Things will go wrong along the way, but if you roll with it, the end result can be even better than your initial plan.Other than that, be sure to have great people helping you on the big day, be it a friend or professional. We both agree that hiring Vera was the best decision we made throughout the process. She made it easy to relax and actually enjoy our wedding day.
Where we could, we tried to have our friends and family participate in the wedding. My childhood Hebrew teacher (a rabbi) happens to also be close family friends with my husband’s family, and that made her the obvious choice as our officiant since she knew us both so well. We also were fortunate to have an old high school friend play the violin during our ceremony, and my aunt sang to us during the reception. It made the whole day feel really personal and communal, and seeing your worlds collide on your wedding day is a pretty amazing feeling. There were also all sorts of little hiccups that actually made the day more fun and memorable! Our flower girl walked down the side of the room and then UP the aisle, my shoe got caught in a grate on the way to meeting Amit for our first look photo, and our rabbi spilled wine during the ceremony. Those moments proved more memorable and helped remind us to remember what was important! Other than that, our group of friends had not one, but two, very rowdy renditions of “SHOUT!” on the dance floor!
Wedding Photography: onelove photography / Wedding Venue: Hotel Shattuck Plaza in Berkeley, California / Event Design + Coordination: Vera Devera of Va de Vie Events / Floral Design: Chestnut & Vine Floral Design, LLC / Officiant: Tsipora Gabai / Wedding Cinematography: Wing Hon Films / Catering: FIVE Restaurant / Wedding Cake: Torino Baking / Wedding Stationery: Yellow Brick Graphics / DJ: Big Fun DJ / Lighting: Event Magic / Rentals: Hartmann Studios / Chuppah: Miracle Chuppahs / Wedding Dress + Veil: Winnie Couture / Bride’s Shoes: Designed by Bride via Milk & Honey / Bride’s Jewelry: Vintage from the Mother of the Bride / Hair + Makeup: Beauty Bug Makeup / Groom’s Attire: Hugo Boss / Rings: Oscar’s Design Jewelry