Maravilla Gardens Wedding from Weddings by Sasha Gulish
Sasha Gulish and stylish weddings go hand in hand. So we knew we should sit down before opening this Maravilla Gardens stunner, but we had no idea just how jaw-droppingly gorgeous it would be. I mean, when you start off with a pair of Valentino pumps and a Sarah Seven dress, you just know you are in for something good. Featured it in our latest SMP Fashion & Beauty Magazine, this wedding is the gift that keeps on giving. Oh and this gallery is just.that.good.
The Venue... Damien and I are both east coast kids living in LA, who knew as soon as we got engaged, that we wanted an outdoor California wedding. We wanted a laid back ceremony & reception that was easy and fun! I found Maravilla Gardens through a blogger friend of mine. It was the perfect location and they took care of everything including the delicious catering, leaving me with the time and energy to focus on the aesthetics. Being both in entertainment and being a style blogger myself, meant we were surrounded by super creative and talented friends who wanted to help make our day absolutely perfect. Everyone involved with the design elements of our wedding, was a close personal friend (or myself) making it an intimate affair, we'll remember forever.
Dress & Shoes...I wore a Sarah Seven gown I found at Lovely Bride. After trying on a slew of large princess dresses I thought I wanted, it became clear, once I put on this beauty, that it was THE ONE. Simple yet intricate with a vintage feel. It was also the most comfortable dress and I happily wore it into the wee hours of the night. The shoes were a score the week before the wedding. I had given up on finding "the perfect shoes" which to me were something edgy that I could wear long after our big day. As soon as I "gave up" and decided to go with anything I found, entered a pair of Valentinos that were comfortable and cool, not to mention on sale for 40% off! It was very exciting. My girls wore dresses from Ceremony. I picked out the two colors and let each girl pick what style they wanted. We went for an "old Hollywood glam" vibe with the hair and makeup and they all accessorized themselves to reflect their personal styles.
The Flowers…The flowers were all done by two of my friends and improv teammates, Angela & Stacy. I wanted small bouquets that looked like my bridesmaids had picked them themselves. The location was so lush on it's own, I didn't want to overpower it with excess. We visited the wholesale markets in the LA downtown flower district and made prototypes, then a week before the wedding we put in an order. The morning of the wedding, Angela and Stacy picked up the flowers and brought them to our hotel in Camarillo. Together they created all the bouquets and centerpieces and I made my own bouquet. It was perfect and they were beautiful. Not to mention, we saved a ton of money not hiring a florist. More on our DIY wedding flowers here
The Decorations…Having a DIY master/woodworker as a close friend really helps when coming up with decorating ideas for your wedding. My friend C.C. made all the table numbers, the "reserved" signs and the "mr & mrs" signs for our chairs. I printed the menus myself and ordered vintage pencils with our names engraved on them as favors. I loved the look of the pencils but they also had a special meaning because both Damien's parents are school teachers. A lovely tie in.
The Cake(s) and Cocktails…A friend of ours, gave us amazing advice, he said "Large wedding cakes are almost never delicious, go with a small "wedding cake" and other cakes for dessert." We did just that. We had a chocolate and vanilla wedding cake that we cut into for the reception then 3 other cakes in Damien's favorite flavor (carrot), my favorite flavor (coconut) and a crowd pleaser (red velvet). I had a piece of each one and I'll tell you, they were all equally delicious! For the cocktails, I thought of coming up with two speciality drinks to reflect each of our backgrounds in a quirky way. With that, The Latina (tequila and pineapple with a spicy salt rim) and The Irishman (whiskey and ginger beer with a lime) were born.
The Photography…Sasha had photographed a friend of mine's wedding and when I saw those photos, I knew I wanted her for our wedding. She has an amazing eye and I absolutely LOVE our pictures. She captures moments and goes way above and beyond typical, posed shots. The photos really captured the amazingly perfect day we had. Plus, she's the coolest chick around.
Dress & Shoes...I wore a Sarah Seven gown I found at Lovely Bride. After trying on a slew of large princess dresses I thought I wanted, it became clear, once I put on this beauty, that it was THE ONE. Simple yet intricate with a vintage feel. It was also the most comfortable dress and I happily wore it into the wee hours of the night. The shoes were a score the week before the wedding. I had given up on finding "the perfect shoes" which to me were something edgy that I could wear long after our big day. As soon as I "gave up" and decided to go with anything I found, entered a pair of Valentinos that were comfortable and cool, not to mention on sale for 40% off! It was very exciting. My girls wore dresses from Ceremony. I picked out the two colors and let each girl pick what style they wanted. We went for an "old Hollywood glam" vibe with the hair and makeup and they all accessorized themselves to reflect their personal styles.
The Flowers…The flowers were all done by two of my friends and improv teammates, Angela & Stacy. I wanted small bouquets that looked like my bridesmaids had picked them themselves. The location was so lush on it's own, I didn't want to overpower it with excess. We visited the wholesale markets in the LA downtown flower district and made prototypes, then a week before the wedding we put in an order. The morning of the wedding, Angela and Stacy picked up the flowers and brought them to our hotel in Camarillo. Together they created all the bouquets and centerpieces and I made my own bouquet. It was perfect and they were beautiful. Not to mention, we saved a ton of money not hiring a florist. More on our DIY wedding flowers here
The Decorations…Having a DIY master/woodworker as a close friend really helps when coming up with decorating ideas for your wedding. My friend C.C. made all the table numbers, the "reserved" signs and the "mr & mrs" signs for our chairs. I printed the menus myself and ordered vintage pencils with our names engraved on them as favors. I loved the look of the pencils but they also had a special meaning because both Damien's parents are school teachers. A lovely tie in.
The Cake(s) and Cocktails…A friend of ours, gave us amazing advice, he said "Large wedding cakes are almost never delicious, go with a small "wedding cake" and other cakes for dessert." We did just that. We had a chocolate and vanilla wedding cake that we cut into for the reception then 3 other cakes in Damien's favorite flavor (carrot), my favorite flavor (coconut) and a crowd pleaser (red velvet). I had a piece of each one and I'll tell you, they were all equally delicious! For the cocktails, I thought of coming up with two speciality drinks to reflect each of our backgrounds in a quirky way. With that, The Latina (tequila and pineapple with a spicy salt rim) and The Irishman (whiskey and ginger beer with a lime) were born.
The Photography…Sasha had photographed a friend of mine's wedding and when I saw those photos, I knew I wanted her for our wedding. She has an amazing eye and I absolutely LOVE our pictures. She captures moments and goes way above and beyond typical, posed shots. The photos really captured the amazingly perfect day we had. Plus, she's the coolest chick around.