Los Angeles Wedding from Max Wanger
Max Wanger takes the kind of images you obsess over, the kind of images that burst with sooo much emotion and sooo much pretty, it's impossible to look away. And he also happens to attract some of the coolest bride and grooms on the planet, duos who throw drop-dead gorgeous weddings with Fantastic Mr. Fox themes and crazy beautiful contemporary meets classic stylings from Lace and Likes. It's lush blooms from Modern Bouquet meets beautiful stationery from Wiley Valentine meets The Donut Man bringing the yummy... and you can see it all right here in the full gallery.
And a sweet film from Today's The Day Weddings to wrap up the day... enjoy, lovelies. xo
From the Bride...Our story began in Los Angeles. It was at a dinner party at his high-rise, downtown apartment that I met Brendan, my now husband. And a year after that first meeting, our relationship revolved around that apartment while we explored the city we knew as kids and returned to in adulthood. So from the moment he proposed, I knew the wedding would be in L.A. (even though we moved to Silicon Valley shortly following the engagement).
Inspired by all the gorgeous, thoughtful weddings on SMP (we also found our wedding planner through the Little Black Book), we set out to create an experience that would be meaningful and memorable until the end of our days. We chose an overall theme of "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" because of our pup Layla, a fox-like red heeler, who serves as our constant inspiration (and obsession, some would say). So we immediately began collecting vintage editions of the Roald Dahl book and buying all things foxy (my favorite find was the Thomas Pink fox cufflinks in the exact shape of Layla!). We also identified our heritage (Irish for Brendan, Korean for me) and our families as important aspects of our wedding.
Finding a venue in Los Angeles proved to be tricky. Our wedding of 250 guests was too large for many of the favorite L.A. venues. And it was important for us to have a rooftop and a view in acknowledgement of the "apartment in the clouds" where our story began. Through word of mouth, we found LoftSEVEN, the penthouse apartment (with rooftop) in the historic Haas Building. The ceremony was at the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, only a mile down the road. We chose to hold the rehearsal dinner at the Los Angeles Athletic Club because Brendan's late grandfather frequented the Club daily when he lived downtown, teaching as a law professor, in the '80s and '90s.
In my mother's generation, the traditional Korean wedding ceremony "pae baek" immediately followed the main ceremony, ahead of the reception. But the outfit changes didn't appeal to us on our wedding day (we didn't want to miss a thing!) so we chose to hold the "pae baek" at the rehearsal dinner. It was important for us to bow to my grandfather and ask for his blessing in his native tongue.
We also included Irish influences like a bagpipe player in the wedding procession and the presentation of lavender to our mothers during the ceremony. In addition to old traditions, we incorporated new traditions of our own to mark the beginning of us. At the altar, we fed each other tastes of honey to symbolize the promise to bring each other sweetness throughout our marriage. And we mixed two different colors of sea glass in homage to our love of beach travel (Brendan won my heart on a tiny, beach village in Fiji) and as a symbol of a union that still honors individuality.
Brendan concocted the specialty cocktails for the reception: the "Whackbat Manhattan" and the "Lavender Cuss." We also looped the Wes Anderson "Fantastic Mr. Fox" movie on two projectors throughout the space to continue the theme. Our planner Rachael of Lace & Likes worked her amazing DIY magic with homemade jam as favors, beautiful signage all around the reception space, feather chandeliers, chicken wire decor, and so much more. The rustic details perfectly complemented the more modern feel of our reception venue. And, finally, to dance under the L.A. stars, in the crisp January air, surrounded by family and friends -- it was a wedding we will forever cherish.
Photography: Max Wanger | Wedding Planning + Design: Lace and Likes | Wedding Stationery: Wiley Valentine | Paper Goods: Alexandria Manson + Pinhole Press | Floral Design: Modern Bouquet | Reception Venue: LoftSEVEN | Ceremony Venue: St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church | Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Los Angeles Athletic Club |DJ: DJ Mike Farmer | Catering + Dining Rentals: Huntington Catering Company | Furniture Rentals: Found Vintage | Lighting: Town & Country Event Rentals | Cake: Cake Divas | Doughnuts: The Donut Man | Cinematography: Today's The Day Weddings (footage edited by Bride's brother) | Hair: Salon Pure | Make Up: Janelle Nelson | Wedding Dress: R-Mine Bridal Couture | Groom's Tux: Custom, Zegna | Bridal Party Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar | Groomsmen's Ties: Marc Jacobs
Inspired by all the gorgeous, thoughtful weddings on SMP (we also found our wedding planner through the Little Black Book), we set out to create an experience that would be meaningful and memorable until the end of our days. We chose an overall theme of "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" because of our pup Layla, a fox-like red heeler, who serves as our constant inspiration (and obsession, some would say). So we immediately began collecting vintage editions of the Roald Dahl book and buying all things foxy (my favorite find was the Thomas Pink fox cufflinks in the exact shape of Layla!). We also identified our heritage (Irish for Brendan, Korean for me) and our families as important aspects of our wedding.
Finding a venue in Los Angeles proved to be tricky. Our wedding of 250 guests was too large for many of the favorite L.A. venues. And it was important for us to have a rooftop and a view in acknowledgement of the "apartment in the clouds" where our story began. Through word of mouth, we found LoftSEVEN, the penthouse apartment (with rooftop) in the historic Haas Building. The ceremony was at the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, only a mile down the road. We chose to hold the rehearsal dinner at the Los Angeles Athletic Club because Brendan's late grandfather frequented the Club daily when he lived downtown, teaching as a law professor, in the '80s and '90s.
In my mother's generation, the traditional Korean wedding ceremony "pae baek" immediately followed the main ceremony, ahead of the reception. But the outfit changes didn't appeal to us on our wedding day (we didn't want to miss a thing!) so we chose to hold the "pae baek" at the rehearsal dinner. It was important for us to bow to my grandfather and ask for his blessing in his native tongue.
We also included Irish influences like a bagpipe player in the wedding procession and the presentation of lavender to our mothers during the ceremony. In addition to old traditions, we incorporated new traditions of our own to mark the beginning of us. At the altar, we fed each other tastes of honey to symbolize the promise to bring each other sweetness throughout our marriage. And we mixed two different colors of sea glass in homage to our love of beach travel (Brendan won my heart on a tiny, beach village in Fiji) and as a symbol of a union that still honors individuality.
Brendan concocted the specialty cocktails for the reception: the "Whackbat Manhattan" and the "Lavender Cuss." We also looped the Wes Anderson "Fantastic Mr. Fox" movie on two projectors throughout the space to continue the theme. Our planner Rachael of Lace & Likes worked her amazing DIY magic with homemade jam as favors, beautiful signage all around the reception space, feather chandeliers, chicken wire decor, and so much more. The rustic details perfectly complemented the more modern feel of our reception venue. And, finally, to dance under the L.A. stars, in the crisp January air, surrounded by family and friends -- it was a wedding we will forever cherish.
Photography: Max Wanger | Wedding Planning + Design: Lace and Likes | Wedding Stationery: Wiley Valentine | Paper Goods: Alexandria Manson + Pinhole Press | Floral Design: Modern Bouquet | Reception Venue: LoftSEVEN | Ceremony Venue: St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church | Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Los Angeles Athletic Club |DJ: DJ Mike Farmer | Catering + Dining Rentals: Huntington Catering Company | Furniture Rentals: Found Vintage | Lighting: Town & Country Event Rentals | Cake: Cake Divas | Doughnuts: The Donut Man | Cinematography: Today's The Day Weddings (footage edited by Bride's brother) | Hair: Salon Pure | Make Up: Janelle Nelson | Wedding Dress: R-Mine Bridal Couture | Groom's Tux: Custom, Zegna | Bridal Party Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar | Groomsmen's Ties: Marc Jacobs