Give me a modern wedding and you’ll get a big, fat smile. Make that modern blended seamlessly with bright colors and elegant styling and you’ll probably get some cartwheels and high kicks. It’s a good combo crafted by The Stylish Soirée and floraled by Natalie Bowen Designs; one deserving of some spirit fingers. There is also one of the best face-smushing kisses captured by Larissa Cleveland Photography. Now THAT is how you do a first kiss as Mr. and Mrs. See it all right here.
From The Stylish Soirée… Lauren and Mike came to me looking for a wedding that was a blend of their personalities and aesthetics. Mike loved the industrial look as well as clean mid-century modern lines, Lauren loved fun pops of color, and they both had an appreciation for understated elegance and a soft sophistication that is still inviting. We settled on a theme that can best be summed up as, “colorful, industrial chic.” The backdrop for the wedding was kept fairly neutral (gray linens, silver chairs, taupe draping), and we let the color really pop in the florals to strike a good balance between cheer and sophistication. Some of the elements I hunted down and incorporated into the design and decor included exposed lightbulbs, metal wine barrel brackets as chandeliers, custom wood and metal shelving from Heritage & Craft, and plenty of unique interior decor items that went with the theme. We created the succulent escort card backdrop by hand with about 7 layers of magnetic paint, mini magnets and recycled wine corks, as well as miniature succulent cuttings and twine. In lieu of a guestbook, we ordered these beautiful organically shaped wine carafes and labeled them with different anniversaries, instructing guests to write a piece of advice to Lauren & Mike that corresponded to the anniversary they wanted them to read it on. Lauren and Mike collect wine and champagne corks, so I carried that tradition into their wedding design with the cork and wine elements, also asking guests to sign blank corks that were placed around the reception in bowls for the couple to add to their collection after the wedding.
From the Bride… The entire wedding weekend exceeded all of my expectations. We were so lucky to have friends and family join us from near and far including my 90+ year old grandparents who traveled from Florida to be with us. We wanted the night to reflect our personalities, our love for each other, and the love and appreciation we have for our incredible friends and family. Since my husband and I had been together for more than eight years by the time we got married, the wedding was like the best childhood/college/family reunion we could have imagined. The incredible decor details were stunning thanks to our super-talented-planner extraordinaire and kept us smiling the entire night. We can’t thank our vendors enough for listening to what we wanted to achieve, and truly listening and making their work reflect our vision. One of my favorite moments from the night was a surprise a capella performance in the middle of our ceremony! My sister had planted an entire men’s signing group within the crowd who serenaded my husband and me after the exchange of our vows. I could not have been more surprised and delighted. There is no way to describe what it feels like to be surrounded by almost everyone you love in the world at–the whole experience was like a dream.
From the Groom… Some of the best reactions we received from the whole night were from strangers walking on the streets of San Francisco as my wife-to-be and I were taxied down the Embarcadero in two pedal cabs — one for us and one for our adventurous photographers. People stopped to clap, honk horns, snap pictures, and share their congratulations. It was a moving and unexpected reminder of just how joyous the day really was. And that was just the start. The whole night exceeded our expectations in every way possible. And unlike a lot of brides and grooms I’ve heard about, we even stopped to eat the amazing food.
Wedding Photography: Larissa Cleveland Photography / Wedding Venue: Ferry Building in San Francisco, California / Pre-Wedding Venue: Le Meridien San Francisco / Wedding Planning: The Stylish Soirée / Floral Design: Natalie Bowen Designs / Wedding Cinematography: Cinematt / Catering: Paula LeDuc Fine Catering / Wedding Cake: Perfect Endings / Music: Dave Kim Music / A Cappella Group: The Richter Scales / Wedding Stationery: Press Engaged / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals + Blueprint Studios / Lighting: Got Light? / Wedding Dress: Angel Sanchez / Hair + Makeup: Jane Kim / Transportation: Cabrio Taxi / Chuppah: Carol Attia of Under the Chuppah / Custom Bookshelves: Heritage & Craft