This darling Bride right here? She’s making us blush. Not only because she’s absolutely stunning, but her sweet words about how SMP was such a source of inspiration throughout the planning process? Well, it makes our hearts burst with a thankful kind of love. Not to mention, all the pretty that was made possible by the rockstar team of vendors. ART IS FOR LOVERS snapped it all up, as they so beautifully do every time, and we can’t get enough.
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From the beautiful Bride…Since Bryan and I met as children, fell in love at sixteen, and remained together ever since, we wanted our wedding to be a celebration not just of our love story, but also of the people who had invested in us through every season, and of the faith that had taught us how beautiful and good love could be.
We wanted the evening to be dreamy, warm, and joyful – our whimsical twist on a classic fairytale. After searching for venues throughout Los Angeles, we selected the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, the city we both grew up in. It was the perfect fit for our vision of timelessness with a dash of glamour. The gorgeous ballroom, with its blush decor, gold accents, and crystal chandeliers captured our colors perfectly. Our ceremony was held at San Marino Community Church, where my parents married twenty-eight years prior.
Honoring each of our lineages was a priority to us: many details of our day told stories of where our families had been and pointed to where we hoped to go as a new family. We took elements of Bryan’s family coat of arms and images from my family’s Armenian heritage to create our own crest, adding details that marked meaningful elements of our love story, most significantly a verse from Scripture. My bouquet included a piece of my mother’s wedding veil and a cameo brooch from my grandmother’s engagement season, and one of my favorite details of our day were the scalloped lace napkin treatments on each guest’s place setting, topped with a cameo to echo this treasured piece of jewelry of my grandmother’s. To tie in with the gorgeous antique china in the reception foyer, we displayed our parents’ and grandparents’ china, and we incorporated our family’s silver pieces throughout the décor.
It was a priority to us to communicate that we cherish every person who celebrated with us, and that we wouldn’t have our love story without the influence of theirs! When we started planning, one of my first dreams for our day was honoring all of the marriages in our lives by creating a display of all our guests’ wedding photos. Throughout our engagement, my mom, sister, and mother-in-law worked tirelessly to collect over 100 frames – a mix of big, small, new, and vintage – and the final product was beautiful! To emphasize that we intend to continue doing life with our guests far beyond our wedding day, in lieu of a guestbook we asked guests to write us letters to be read when we reach major life milestones. Guests penned sweet notes that we’ll open many years from now.
As part of our ceremony, we also took a new spin on an old wedding tradition: two close friends whose marriage we had recently celebrated were our “something new,” our grandparents who have each been married for over fifty years were our “something old,” and a pair of our close friends from college were our “something blue.” We also chose to be given away to one another by both sets of parents, as a way for us to acknowledge all that each of our families had done to love us as individuals and support us in our relationship.
Our cakes were absolutely spectacular, designed and created by one of my bridesmaids’ very talented mother. Our two flavors were hazelnut and rose — unconventional and so delicious — and I especially loved that one of our cakes featured our new married monogram for the very first time!
I had been noting small details for quite some time that I knew I’d want included in our wedding, but scouring Style Me Pretty and brainstorming with our fabulous vendors were the best ways to find ideas throughout wedding planning. From personalizing our signature drinks with names of our long-loved hobbies (Bagpiper & Ballerina) to foregoing individual place cards for one large menu displayed on a large vintage mirror, Style Me Pretty was a treasure trove of inspiration!
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to pick vendors who are not only exceptional at what they do but also wonderful people. They are so much a part of your engagement season and wedding day! Our planner, Deanna Tat, turned all the wild dreams I had for our day into a reality, and she did so with such enthusiasm and warmth. When our wedding day came, I could hardly believe how seamlessly she had woven every detail together! She was phenomenal! We were similarly thrilled to have ART IS FOR LOVERS as our photographer – we had a specific vision for our photos and also wanted someone who would be a beam of light on our day and know how to spot all those tender, candid moments. Sara was all that and so much more! From your floral designer to your hair and makeup artists, pick people who are sold out to how uniquely special your day is to you and your partner, because those are the people whose work is driven by passion and I promise that makes all the difference!
Amidst flurried guest-list editing, seemingly endless rounds of envelope-stuffing, and late-night Internet searching for that perfect vintage side table, know that your wedding day will be beautiful and your marriage even more so. As tempting as it is to seek perfection, remain gracious with yourself as you discover you just can’t do everything, and be bold in bringing your distinctive touch into your planning. Remember that ultimately, it’s your love that makes you radiant.
It was so special to spend the morning and afternoon with some of the most important women in my life. From my stunning momma to my gorgeous-in-every-way maid of honor and bridesmaids, they reminded me on my wedding day as they do every day what selflessness and beauty look like! We had such fun lounging around in our shortie sets, and our final champagne toast and prayer before we left for the church was the best way I could have imagined to make that leap from Miss to Mrs.
Bryan and I loved saying our vows to one another and then praying with our pastors as three of our groomsmen performed a beautiful song in our ceremony. After over eight years of dating, it was such a powerful experience to commit ourselves to one another, come what may, for the rest of our lives.
Our band was a unanimous favorite, and we thought we might explode with joy during our first dance to “Beyond the Sea,” a song from one of the first movies we watched together as teenagers, and then dancing through midnight surrounded by cheering friends and family. Even our grandmothers, who we share special relationships with, got out on the dance floor with us! It was pure bliss to find ourselves amidst that much love and watch all the people we care about celebrating and partying together!
Photography: ART IS FOR LOVERS | Videography: Zomei Film Stories | Florals: Ixora Floral Studio | Wedding Dress: JLM Couture, Inc | Cake: A Dash Of Ganache | Stationery: copper willow paper studio | Ceremony: San Marino Community Church | Reception: Langham Hotel Pasadena | Shoes: Kate Spade | Jewelry: Sol Jewelry Designs | Jewelry: Tiffany & Co. | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Amsale | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Caterer: Langham Hotel Pasadena | Hair And Makeup: Fiore Beauty | Lighting: TMMPRO | Groom's Attire: Bloomingdales | Groomsmen Attire: The Black Tux | Bride And Bridesmaid Shortie Sets: Plum Pretty Sugar | Bridesmaid's Dresses via: Bella Bridesmaid | Coordinator And Event Designer: Deanna Tat Of Chic Ambiance Events | Flower Girl Dresses: Maeli Rose | Groom's Shoes: Crockett & Jones | Groomsmen Cufflinks: Net Exchange | Live Band: Soulville Band | Rentals: Found Rental Co. | Veil And Headpiece: BHLDN | Watercolor Crest: Juliet Grace Design