We are big fans of pink around these parts. Huge fans, actually. So when a pink-hued pretty like this beauty captured by Chelsea Nicole Photography lands in our laps, we let out audible squeals. It’s layered with some seriously gorgeous florals from Layers of Lovely, picture perfect desserts from Sweet & Saucy Shop and sweet stationery from Paper & Home (I’m pretty darn obsessed with that ah-mazing escort card display…), everything sitting in this gallery has SMP written all over it.
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From Chelsea Nicole Photography …This wedding goes down as one of my all-time favorites, and I’m so excited to share it with you guys! One of my favorite moments was the groom’s emotional reaction during the first look. But the day was also overflowing with beautiful details. From the stylishly-mismatched maids, delectable dessert table and all the creative hand-made touches (such as custom chargers and unique butterfly-heart seating arrangement created in the bride’s pottery shop), it’s filled to the brim with inspiration. It was an incredible day, and I hope you love their wedding as much as I do! Some more words and DIY details from the bride below.
From the bride, Liz…From the moment I met my husband Jean, the connection between us was undeniable. We were briefly introduced at a co-worker’s baby shower 9 years ago, but it wasn’t until four years later that we met again and made a true connection. Fast forward another four years to our wedding day and I can truly say that I have been blessed. I’ve met the man of my dreams and our wedding was just as I had dreamed it would be. All the planning and hard work paid off and it turned out better than I could have ever hoped.
It has always been my dream to have an outdoor garden wedding inspired by the romance of the French countryside. I wanted the surroundings to evoke what I was feeling inside, my fairy tale romance come to life. Picking the perfect venue and city to get married in proved to be the most challenging task for us. We decided on Southern California where I grew up for the beautiful weather, beaches, and lush surroundings. Since most of our guests would be traveling, we wanted a place that would make our guests feel like they were on vacation and allow them to enjoy themselves before, during and after our wedding. I knew we had found the perfect location when we visited Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. It was exactly what I had in mind with its charming exterior, beautiful fountains, and its manicured lawns and gardens. It was the perfect setting for our fairytale wedding.
In keeping with my French Garden theme, I decided on soft shades of blush, pinks, peaches, and added pops of gold to give the occasion a little sparkle. I liked the idea of all my bridesmaids wearing different shades and styles of dresses that reflected their different personalities. My sisters wore custom gowns made by mother, who also made my reception dress from French tulle and a lace bustier. We decided to dress the men in Vera Wang tuxes, with fun bow ties that were color coordinated with the bridesmaids.
One of the biggest challenges in planning our wedding was narrow¬¬¬ing down the endless ideas I pulled from Pinterest and Style Me Pretty. I loved so many ideas and wanted to do them all for my wedding. Thankfully my coordinators from Scheme Events helped me put together a cohesive look that incorporated all my ideas for our perfect wedding. They did a wonderful job executing and bringing my vision to life.
It was very important for me to put my own personal and unique touches to our special day. We own a pottery painting shop In Las Vegas, so it was only natural that I include some custom made pottery pieces for our wedding. Our invitations were tied with bakers twine and ceramic tags that were hand-stamped with butterflies and our initials on them. We made larger ceramic butterflies for the escort cards that were pinned to a large moss covered frame. The butterflies were painted in cream, blush and peach and designed into an ombre heart by the Scheme girls. Our Friday nights were spent painting English garden roses on the chargers with my in-laws and making small clay dishes with a lace and butterfly design that would hold the individual macaron place cards. We made and hand painted a clay plaque that was carried down the aisle by the ring bearers that read “to love and cherish…” . One of my favorite things was the cake toppers made from clay. One was a banner that read “Happily Ever After” and the other one was three hearts with our initials on them. Non-ceramic items included chalkboard signs that were used throughout the wedding from the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. We made envelopes from doilies that held the beautiful custom letterpress invitations designed by Paper & Home.
We scoured thrift shops looking for crystal glass plates and goblets which were used as cake stands for the dessert table. The cake stands were painted with a gold leaf trim to tie in with the sparkle theme. We used photos from our engagement session with Chelsea Nicole Photography to make the ceremony fans for our guests. Items not personally hand-made by us were purchased through Etsy like the stripe and floral straws used during cocktail hour.
My favorite memory of the day has to be Jean’s reaction to seeing me for the first time during our “first look”. I had no idea he would be so emotional, his facial expression said it all. Another memory that I will never forget was walking down the aisle towards my husband to the instrumental of “A Thousand Years” played by our violinist Tamboura Baptiste. We were surrounded by so much love with all of our families and friends there to witness our commitment to each other. Everything went as planned, with so many memorable moments; it was truly a magical day that I will never forget.
Photography: Chelsea Nicole Photography | Videography: Something New Video | Wedding Coordination: Scheme Events | Gown: Pronovias | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Catering: Wolfgang Puck Catering | Hair and Makeup: Le Brian Salon | Entertainment: Frank Sinatra / Gary Anthony | DJ: HEY MISTER DJ “DJs that PLEASE without the CHEESE” | Officiant: JP Reynolds | Ceremony and Reception: Greystone Mansion | Custom chargers and Decor: The Pottery Shop | Day After Session: Mission San Juan Capistrano | Floral: Layers of Lovely - An Inspired Floral Art Studio | Getting Ready Location: The W Hotel - Hollywood | Invites and Paper Goods: Paper and Home | Main Cake: Peridot Sweets | Men's Vera Wang Suits: Men's Wearhouse | Mini-Cakes and Desserts: Sweet & Saucy Shop | Rentals: Elm Concierge | Vintage Rentals: The Wooden Trunk | Violinist: Tamboura Baptiste