Kira & Anthony’s chic Los Angeles wedding perfectly matched their relaxed personalities and the feel they were going for for their wedding details. Kim Sing Theatre, an old venue from the 20s totally restored and furnished beautifully, was their ideal spot to celebrate with its modern murals and art pieces, unique lofts, and cool lounge areas. The best part was the side roll-up garage door where they were able to have their Italian food truck, Prince of Venice, pull up for dinner.
The simple outdoor patio was a great setting for their romantic ceremony and also their flip to an intimate, candlelit reception. Along with the amazing location, the couples special details truly made the night unforgettable. They included a twenty-foot charcuterie table covered in artisan cheeses, meats, olives and spreads, which was a huge hit. Adding to the display was their jaw-dropping, modern, black wedding cake with gold elements sitting the middle of the spread so guests could have a 360 degree view of the masterpiece designed and created by her “bridesman.”
Kira and Anthony also incorporated two of their favorite things into their day: whiskey and video games. They hired Swift & Stiff to craft their delicious, whiskey-based signature cocktails and included a game lounge with a Guitar Hero station for their guests to enjoy. This wedding was a dream come true.
How did you meet?
Anthony and I met on Tinder! I had just moved back to LA and had been on the app about 6 months or so and then kind of forgot about it honestly. Another month goes by and I get a message from Anthony who only had one picture of his face (haha); the rest was all mountains (later I found out he was an insane outdoorsman). But I agreed to go out with him anyway. He was so polite and sweet so I thought “Why not!”. We met at a local bar for our first date and bonded over our love of Old Fashions, played lots of shuffleboard and talked for hours. We were pretty much inseparable from then on. He took me on so many adventures and introduced me to activities I would have never gone on before. I can now proudly say I have repelled from an 80ft waterfall! I feel very cool. It’s 4 years later and now we’re married and happy as ever 🙂
What is your proposal story?
Our proposal story is a happy/sad one. Originally, Anthony had planned an elaborate proposal in some amazing beautiful spot with his photographer friend, Ron, hiding in the bushes to take pictures of the whole thing. It had been thought out and planned for weeks. Tragically (and out of nowhere) Ron passed away and we were all left heartbroken and grieving for weeks. I did not expect a proposal AT ALL after that. But one weekend, Anthony asked if I wanted to go for a camping getaway. I thought nothing of it since we camped and hiked and spent weekends away all the time. He rented a yurt on Airbnb in Ojai for the night, and the plan was to drive up Friday, grab dinner, spend the night and drive home Saturday. When we got there we explored the campsite and put our luggage away; it was a beaut spot! Set up on a hillside over looking a mountain range. Anthony grabbed his camera and said we should grab a quick picture before we went to dinner, to catch the sunset. I walked out of the yurt in front of him and was heading to the picture spot when he said “But first…”. I turned around and he was on one knee, ring out and everything!! He asked me to marry him and I was speechless. I think I literally said “Are you serious!??!!”. I of course said yes and we hugged and he put the most beautiful ring on my finger. Then he showed me the ring box. Custom made by Nick Offerman!! I am obsessed with Ron Swanson and Parks & Recreation so I was FREAKING out and jumping up and down. He then told me of his original proposal plans, and how Ron was going to be apart of it. It was a bittersweet moment. We cried out of sadness because we missed our friend but also out of joy because we knew how happy he would have been for us. We called all of our friends and family to share the good news, and will always be one of my most cherished memories.
Tell us a little a bit about your wedding.
I’m originally from Los Angeles, so we thought it would be fun to have our wedding in the heart of downtown. Our vision & style for our wedding was simplicity, elegance and we wanted it to feel formal without a stuffy atmosphere. Most importantly we wanted to figure out how to make it work with our budget. We needed a venue that stood out, had personality and didn’t need much decor. Luckily we found Kim Sing Theatre located in Chinatown, DTLA. It’s an old theatre from the 1920’s totally restored with both urban and vintage touches. It was perfect! Despite being located on a busy street corner, it felt very private and tucked away from the city. We’re both drawn to minimalist colors, and thankfully the venue was already beautifully decorated and furnished so the space spoke for itself. We settled on midnight blue, dark greens and whites for our colors.
Tell us about your attire choices.
With our wedding being formal, I wanted my dress to feel timeless and elegant. But comfortable enough to dance in. I chose a gorgeous silk gown with a full skirt and a deep V neck. My husband went with a tux, but chose a different color fabric and paired it with a bowtie so it was more his style.
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
Anthony and I both agreed that above all else, we wanted to throw a really great party for all our friends and family. We both wanted to have an amazing bar, great food and fun entertainment.
My favorite thing we splurged on would have to be our huge grazing table. I
had a vision for it from the beginning an my amazing friends helped set it up and bring it to life .It was a 20ft table covered in artisan cheeses, meats, olives and spreads and we still to this day get compliments on it.
Second favorite would be the drinks! Swift & Stiff is the company we hired and they were beyond amazing. We are whisky lovers so both of our signature cocktails were whisky based and delicious .
Lastly I would say our gaming room set up. We love video games so we turned one of the lounges into a Guitar Hero station. Our guests loved it!
What were your favorite parts of the day?
I have so many! But to pick a few; when Anthony said “I do” before the vows were finished. We were so nervous being up there with everyone watching us so it was actually a nice relief when he messed up because everyone laughed and applauded and it helped us relax a bit.
We also were so thankful to have a quiet moment to ourselves after the ceremony. We shared some snacks, talked about our days and just soaked in how surreal everything had been.
Lastly, dancing with all my friends and family!
Tell us about your wedding flowers.
I searched high and low for a florist and luckily discovered Bloomsdunnright, run by Billian Dunn. Her designs were classic, simple and beautiful. She took my ideas and turned them into stunning bouquets for me and my bridesmaids. For the tables I preferred to have dark greenery and vines wind along the center of the table with candles for a romantic feel.
Tell us about your wedding cake.
I wanted a very non traditional wedding cake, and being a baker myself my husband gave me full reign on the design. Our cake was make by my dear friend who is also a cake artist, and together we came up with a design; a towering black wedding cake with gold accents surrounded my dark greenery at the base. For the flavors, each tier was something unique. It was stunning and most importantly delicious!
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
If possible, all decisions (designs, guests, cake flavors, food choices, colors schemes) are made by you and your husband. It is a day celebrating YOUR marriage. It is 100% about you two and no one else. People will try and push their opinions on you the entire planning process, but trust me just say “no thanks!” I can’t tell you how proud I was of the party we had planned. We were able to look around and admire every single detail that we had planned, picked out and designed. And it was the most rewarding feeling!