Classic Black And White Wedding With A Pretty Pop Of Green In California
We met through my mom — kind of. My mom met Kenny before I did through a work colleague, and upon learning he's Black and Salvadoran (like me, funny enough), she immediately tried to set us up, texting me at the moment and forcing me to follow him on all my socials. Kenny and I never actually met or even talked to each other until I ran into him at a lounge after a concert nearly eight months later. We connected instantly; it was electric. We set a formal date for the end of that week and never looked back. Kenny proposed just a week after our third anniversary. He told me he was taking me to a Black Excellence brunch by the lake in Oakland, but when we got there, it was a group of our closest family and friends and a beautifully set table for a catered lunch right by the lake. Funny enough, it was right next to a children's playground, so we also had a friendly audience of kids and their parents!
The wedding attire situation was... difficult for both of us. For my part, I went wedding shopping three times: the first time was just with my MOH and a close bridesmaid, and I didn't leave with anything; the second time, I went with almost my entire bridesmaids group and fell in love with a beautiful gown within my budget and bought it on the spot, but left the salon feeling like I'd compromised on a couple details I'd originally wanted. Funny enough, I had another appointment at a different salon so that I could try on dresses with my parents, sister, and grandma — my third appointment. And, as I'm sure you could guess, I found THE dress at that last and final appointment, along with a stunning veil and even a tiara fit for a princess. My parents bought me all three right there (thanks, Mom and Dad!), and even though I was ecstatic, it took me nearly six months to sell my first (unused) dress. Definitely stressful. On the day of, I wore an ivory ballgown with a cathedral-length train and buttons extending down the back, modernized by an exaggerated V-neck in the bust. Kenny wore an all–ivory double-breasted tuxedo with ivory satin buttons and detail on the lapel, along with ivory dress shoes.
Kenny had an even worse time with his tux. He wanted to pay homage to his dad, who'd worn an all–white morning coat at his parents' 1989 Bay Area wedding, but it's *astoundingly* difficult to find an all–ivory tuxedo these days. And to make it more complex, Kenny was dead set on having a double-breasted tuxedo jacket and tapered pants instead of the single button and slim cut that's popular today. He searched for the perfect tux for months to no avail and nearly gave up entirely to go with a regular black suit and white dinner jacket. I encouraged him to keep at it, even if it meant designing the tux himself — which is exactly what he ended up doing. He designed the tux and entered his measurements using an online retailer, then had it tailored at a locally–-owned suit store near our home. Much to his (and my) relief, it came out even better than we imagined.
The wedding waws catered by Palm Event Center in the Vineyard.
The flowers were something I was initially stuck on, but my florist, Vanessa Blythe (owner of Bell & Trunk Flowers), was incredibly helpful in defining and shaping my vision. I knew I wanted lots of greenery and drama, but I wanted it to still feel natural and simple. Vanessa, who's actually my MOH's mom and whom I'd grown up with my entire life, let me go to the San Francisco Flower Market with her just a few days before the wedding to pick out everything I wanted so that everything I envisioned would come to life. We didn't do very much with decor — I used the venue's provided linens and chairs, and the drapery was minimal. I was counting on the flowers to bring everything to life, and Vanessa made it happen!
In the early days of planning the wedding, we wanted a more elaborate cake, but as I settled into the theme and look, I realized something more simple was what we wanted to go for! We wanted to bring in more black to the decor, and I figured an all-black cake with white flowers would be beautiful! The look of the cake topper with the bride & groom in white, exactly replicating our wedding attire, was just a bonus.
