Give us a glided soiree, and we’ll give you an entire office of happy SMPers. Throw in a Vera Wang gown, DIYs done oh-so-right and gorgeous imagery from Erin Hearts Court, and well, we are down right thrilled. Overjoyed actually. Because every image sitting pretty in this gallery will leave you aching for more, and you can see all the glittery goodness right here.
From the Bride…When you have been dating for 10+ years, a bride has a lot of time to dream about her perfect wedding day! Darryl has a passion for film that rivals my passion for literature, so we decided to merge both of our loves and take a modern and personal approach to the opulent glamour of “The Great Gatsby” for our wedding celebration. On March 16, 2013, a year and a half of wedding planning came to life as Darryl and I exchanged vows in front of 185 of our most cherished family and friends (most of whom traveled from the Bay Area where we reside) overlooking the Hollywood Hills and Los Angeles skyline. Our color scheme took a nod from the interior of the London West Hollywood where our ceremony and reception took place: classic black and white accented with pops of bright gold and balanced by soft shades of blue.
Inspired by a Chanel runway and hinting at my love of books and paper, I crafted the giant paper flowers that adorned our tufted wall panel ceremony backdrop. Darryl & I made the oversized white and gold confetti dots and circles that outlined the ceremony seating area – black dots were also included in our ceremony programs, gold dots were foiled onto the corners of our menu cards, the groom wore blue polka dot socks and the groomsmen donned pin dot bow ties. Bows are another obsession of mine (maybe more so than gold and dots!), so they were naturally sprinkled throughout the wedding – the sweet finishing touch on the sashes wrapped around my dress and around the flower girl dresses, the organza bows lining the back of my dress, the black suede bows on the tips of my shoes, the reception place cards, signage on the back of my groom’s chair, and the antique gold bow bracelet fastened around the base of my breathtaking white anemone bouquet.
After the cocktail hour concluded, guests were escorted to the rooftop of the London and the magical tented reception of my dreams. Airy, white fabric softly cascaded down the walls and the ceilings while four glittery crystal chandeliers sparkled along the tent’s peak. When the sun went down shortly after dinner commenced, icy blue lights beamed from the tent floors to create an iridescent shimmer of light that to this day I can still envision when I close my eyes. A mix of long king’s tables and rounds were dotted with lush, white flowers housed in black vessels alongside gold brushed and gold glitter candles. Guests found their seats by a DIY project that was so much fun to make with my groom: film roll escort place cards (when the strip was pulled, the table number was revealed). We referenced the table numbers as chapter numbers, and the courses on the menu were separated into Act I, Act II and so on…just another hint to our guests about the inspiration behind our big day.
For our first dance, Darryl created this fun and personal video that played behind us as we danced under the stars as husband and wife. Playing off our new last name “Baybay,” we used “The Great Gatsbay” as the video title and the hashtag we asked our friends and family to use for all of the photos and videos they uploaded. We painstakingly slaved over our DIY and creative projects as we felt that it would inject a necessary dose of fun, personality and whimsy to our elegant soiree. We can’t stop beaming about our big day and the magical world we created for our loved ones.
Photography: The de Jaureguis | Event Design And Planning: My Bride Story Weddings & Events | Floral Design: Heavenly Blooms | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Cake: The Butter End Cakery | Invitations: Mae Mae Paperie | Bride's Shoes: Miu Miu | Bridesmaids Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Lighting: Event Plus | DJ: THE FLASHDANCE | Groomsmen Attire: Black Tie Tuxedos | Bride's Hair & Make Up: Fiore Beauty | Bride's Headpiece: Twigs & Honey | Ceremony/Reception Venue: The London Hotel | Chandeliers + Draping: Chiavari Chair Rentals | Day-Of Stationery: Carol Hung | Flower Girl Dresses: Janie and Jack | Groom's Tux: Hugo Boss | Hair & Make Up (Bridesmaids): Nicole DeAnn | Personalized Hanger: Lila Frances | Trio: Strings by Reiko