Emmanuel and Elizabeth were inspired by the winter season and wanted to incorporate the dreaminess of an LA winter with modern elements and design. Though they had a very romantic style, they still wanted to keep things fun for guests. They created custom napkins that each had a fun fact about the couple and also had games for guests to play during the reception. Our personal favorite detail of their day was their fluffy, cloud-like floral arrangements that filled their arbor and hung above their table during reception. What. a. dream!
How did you meet?
Emmanuel and I met in college and became best friends. Three years later, he confessed he’d developed feelings for me, to which I promptly responded with a no, thank you. A few months later, we went out for beers and he asked whether anything had changed for me (it hadn’t). But this time, he said he was less afraid of rejection than the idea of never having done anything—so he’d still like to ask me out. This eloquent speech impressed me so much, and after admitting I’d never had the opportunity to see him in a different light other than as just friends, I said yes to one date. The rest is history!
Tell us a little a bit about your wedding (your vision, color, style, and location choices).
Inspired by the season, I wanted our wedding to incorporate the dreaminess of winter with modern elements and design. Our florals, for instance, brought this ethereal and dreamy effect, while some of our other design elements, like our paper goods, balanced this with a modern touch. I loved all of the special details of the day. Our florals blew us away. In addition to my lovely bouquet, we had the floral arch of my dreams and a couple floral clouds hanging above our reception area. I loved our custom napkins that each had a fun fact about us, which were a fun way to give our guests a peek into our relationship. We also absolutely loved all of our beautiful paper goods, created by our good friend and designer, Stacey Uy.
Tell us about your attire choices.
I wore a Sarah Seven gown, and Emmanuel wore a suit from Klein Epstein & Parker. Funny enough, I first thought I didn’t want a dress with sleeves, and I was considering another dress that initially felt more like the obvious choice for me—in the sense that it fit my style and seemed like something I might have in my closet (in a world where that would happen). But when I tried on this dress, I felt stunning… If the other dress was “me,” this one feltlike the “elevated” version of me. And that’s how I knew this was the dress I wanted for my wedding day.
What were your favorite parts of the day?
Some of my favorite wedding day memories include our first look, my dad’s loving speech during dinner, eating nachos and drinking Old Fashioned’s right after the ceremony, and watching our guests get super competitive playing games during our reception. We just loved seeing our guests have a great time and enjoy themselves.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Take a breath. Plan as efficiently and effectively as possible, and then let go of what you can’t control. Not every single detail may go according to the plan, not everything might be textbook perfect—but it will still be the BEST day.