Dreamy Tented Reception at Private Estate

Melissa Hammam
November 21, 2022
Categories: Fall, Real Weddings, Romantic, Seasonal Wedding Trend, The Blog

It’s official, we’ve fallen into a fairytale. This green and white wedding expertly planned by Imoni Events is endlessly dreamy. The tented reception is filled with opulent white flowers designed by White House Design Studio, and each image captured by Valorie Darling Photography Collective looks like a work of art. Step inside the larger-than-life day inside the full gallery.

From the bride… We met in Three Arch Bay a cute little neighborhood in Laguna Beach. At the time we had a second house there, and that’s where Grif grew up (two doors down from our house) we met at a mutual family friend’s easter party. That day we met, I told my sister I was going to marry him, and now we are here, 9 years later!! We started dating that summer in July 2012 and have dated ever since! We did long distance while I finished high school in AZ for two years, and then we both went to Chapman in OC and now we live in Arizona together! One day Grif told me we had a “business dinner” we never have ever had one of those so I was definitely skeptical. So I got my hair done, nails, spray tan, the works just in case! And then he took me to my childhood backyard in this beautiful garden area and his best friend Brock was there playing “Marry Me” by Train on acoustics, and a photographer was there to capture it. And then he got down on one knee, I promised myself when that day came I’d remember every word he said, I don’t remember a thing! And then his friend was waiting on the other side of the gate in a full chauffeur outfit to take us to dinner, and then we went to our family country club down the street and I walked into 80 of my very favorite people in the whole wide world. All of our bridesmaids and groomsmen, both of our families, extended family, and family friends who hold a special place in our hearts were all there in that one room, it was perfect! I have never had a surprise done for me, I usually catch on to things and I had no idea they all would be there, I was truly speechless. I may have had an idea an engagement was maybe coming… But I never could have dreamt of a better night. And then every single person came back to our house and we played music and danced the night away in our pool house. I felt like I was living in a fairytale for the next week. It was the best engagement ever! And true foreshadowing of what the wedding was/is going to look like celebrating our special night on November 13th, 2021 the same place we celebrated our engagement.

We both have a strong faith in God, we love to be active and play golf and work out together. We have a Red Golden Retriever named Sailor, who is our love bug! We love doing things with her and taking her on walks! Grif loves to karaoke, I love to watch! He really honestly just makes life fun. If we’re going out to do something we will have the best time whatever it is! We love being with our family and friends and planning trips with them, living life together and to the fullest. How would you describe your style as a couple? I think we’re really similar in some areas and also different. We both have been athletic and the good kind of competitive our whole lives. And I think because we met so young, and have dated for so long we grew together and evolved together, which is really neat and special. We are who we are because of each other, but also let one another be who the other person is and have so much respect for one another. I think our styles are a little more different in the sense of he’s the beach boy at heart and so he could wear no shoes, board shorts, and be more casual. I think I have a ton of casual aspects to me, but I also like to get dressed up. I love anything with a ruffle, something classy but youthful and cute. I love a cute dress with flip-flops. And he wears jeans a t-shirt and cool tennis shoes, and is obsessed with surfer-type hats! He’s learned to get more dressed up. He had never worn a collared shirt before we met. We totally complement each other in different ways! I think our style is youthful, timeless, FUN, and also our style is so me and his is so him.

I love how timeless and just gorgeous all of Valorie Darling Photography Collective photos are! It looks like the people. I love that in 50 years the photos are just as beautiful/will be just as beautiful! Your photos are stunning in every way!! Grif and I’s wedding is truly so special because of the family and friends that we get to celebrate with. We’re both some of the very first people in our lives to get married, and so we just planned the wedding how we wanted it to. Our wedding is really special having it at my childhood home. The house I grew up in is the house that every family and family friend comes over to for Easter, Christmas, or a Friday night because my parents love to entertain. My Mom is incredible at making a home, a party, anything so beautiful, timeless, gorgeous, and feel like home. My mom makes a party of 5, or a party of 100 feel just as special, just as homey, and just as beautiful. So it’s really special to have all of our family and friends celebrate in a home that really feels like home for so many. Our wedding also has this almost theme of a Ralph Lauren wedding, every single room in my parent’s house has at least something from Ralph Lauren whether it’s a pillow, couches, or plates, my Mom has always been inspired by his timeless beauty. And so in planning our special night we used a “Ralph” mindset with trying to create a “homey”, classy, elegant, and true timeless beauty of a night.