"When Joe and Kristin started their summer jobs at J. Crew many moons ago, they never imagined they’d become drinking buddies, best friends and forever partners! They only worked together for six months, but left a lasting impression on one another. They started dating a couple years later and were engaged just a few years after that.
Joe and Kristin wanted their wedding to feel as comfortable as a party in the backyard of their cute bungalow – but with a fancy flair. They felt at home the second they stepped into Millwick. It was in a neighborhood where they enjoy spending time and it fit their style perfectly. They loved every detail of it from the wooden bar and fountain outside to the corn stalks and cool furniture inside. And on the day of their wedding, they couldn’t have been more pleased with how exquisite the place looked. The elegant floral design by Little Branch coupled with over 200 candles, created a beautiful and romantic setting. Guests dined on perfectly cooked prime rib from Lawry’s – selected because Joe and Kristin’s frequent visits to Lawry’s owned Tam O’Shanter in Los Feliz. And rather than traditional cake, Joe and Kristin served a variety of rich and creamy cheesecakes – their favorite! The photo booth was done by Joe’s uncle, calligraphy by his sister and favors by his aunt. Every detail was personal to the couple and the entire day was a demonstration of the importance of people – particularly family - in Joe and Kristin’s lives.
Joe and Kristin had a magical evening – with so many perfect moments. They were especially touched by their grand entrance, where they were introduced as husband and wife for the very first time. They felt incredibly loved and adored as they walked through the doors of Millwick to the jubilant cheering of friends and family. But perhaps the most memorable moment of all was when Joe, a rather reserved guy with a great sense of humor, read his vows. There wasn’t a dry eye in the courtyard. Kristin was especially moved because she was finally able to confirm that his feelings for her were stronger than the ones for his motorcycle.
The couple couldn’t have thrown a better party for their family and friends. The evening was a complete success!"
Joe and Kristin wanted their wedding to feel as comfortable as a party in the backyard of their cute bungalow – but with a fancy flair. They felt at home the second they stepped into Millwick. It was in a neighborhood where they enjoy spending time and it fit their style perfectly. They loved every detail of it from the wooden bar and fountain outside to the corn stalks and cool furniture inside. And on the day of their wedding, they couldn’t have been more pleased with how exquisite the place looked. The elegant floral design by Little Branch coupled with over 200 candles, created a beautiful and romantic setting. Guests dined on perfectly cooked prime rib from Lawry’s – selected because Joe and Kristin’s frequent visits to Lawry’s owned Tam O’Shanter in Los Feliz. And rather than traditional cake, Joe and Kristin served a variety of rich and creamy cheesecakes – their favorite! The photo booth was done by Joe’s uncle, calligraphy by his sister and favors by his aunt. Every detail was personal to the couple and the entire day was a demonstration of the importance of people – particularly family - in Joe and Kristin’s lives.
Joe and Kristin had a magical evening – with so many perfect moments. They were especially touched by their grand entrance, where they were introduced as husband and wife for the very first time. They felt incredibly loved and adored as they walked through the doors of Millwick to the jubilant cheering of friends and family. But perhaps the most memorable moment of all was when Joe, a rather reserved guy with a great sense of humor, read his vows. There wasn’t a dry eye in the courtyard. Kristin was especially moved because she was finally able to confirm that his feelings for her were stronger than the ones for his motorcycle.
The couple couldn’t have thrown a better party for their family and friends. The evening was a complete success!"
How did you choose your wedding venue?
We knew we wanted a certain feel - something intimate, with an indoor and outdoor space, somewhere that was not a hotel ballroom. We narrowed it down and then we went with Millwick, because of the lovely staff, the flexibility to make the space into whatever we wanted and the fact that they would let our friends keep partying until 2am.
Joe had bought the engagement ring and had been holding onto it to ask my dad his permission and for a grand plan to come to him. We had thrown a party at our house for Joe's birthday and the next day we had an amazing lazy Sunday recovering in our pajamas and eating fast food. Joe says he was sick of waiting for the perfect moment, so on our patio that night he got down on one knee and promptly forgot his speech. I said yes, of course and it was perfect.
The only theme we really stuck to - was things that felt like us. We wanted the wedding to feel fancy, but casual. The color scheme was my choice and I wanted a color that I loved and that felt like Autumn - so we went with a wine color and then brought in some gold and other colors that seemed like they would complement Millwick. Our amazing friends loaned us almost 200 candles from their wedding and then really Meg from The Little Branch did the rest. Her florals were spectacular, we were totally blown away when we arrived that day.
Joe's favorite parts were doing the seating arrangements (because he's crazy), picking music and shopping for his tux. I loved researching and meeting all the vendors and assembling the perfect team. We both love hosting parties so we really enjoyed spending time together planning the biggest party we will ever have.
We didn't get too stressed out, Joe kept me really calm the entire time and it never felt like I was doing anything on my own. The most stressful time was probably in the days leading up to the wedding and the fact that a hurricane was coming for Florida where my family all lives. We would not have gotten up to the fun part without our day of coordinator Sarah from Pop the Champagne. The support they provided us during the planning process and on the day was the reason it was a breeze.
We have really great memories of the music - our DJ, DJ Art was amazing. He captured the mood we wanted and made the whole night feel like a dream. I even saw my mom on the dance floor which was a first!
Our ceremony is really memorable to both of us, it was important for us to really soak all that in since it's the reason we did the whole thing. One of our best friends married us and it was really special. We remember people crying that we never thought would and everyone laughing.
We loved our grand entrance and first dance and we didn't even do anything special! We just walked in to one of our favorite songs Fire & Gasoline by Sia and there was this overwhelming show of love that hit us. Everyone was so excited and happy for us, we will never forget that feeling.
Take time to enjoy planning together and especially take time right after the ceremony. We had wanted to go to the end of our cocktail hour, but we are actually really glad we ran out of time. It was nice to just be together for a bit afterwards having a drink and taking pictures. It made everything feel less rushed.
Do things for yourself, it's so easy to get caught up in what your family or friends thinks is best and while you want them to enjoy the wedding, it should be about you two as a couple.
Hire a day of wedding coordinator, even if your venue provides one - it was one of the best decisions we made.
We would not have done anything differently, because even the things that went "wrong" made it the day it was.
We took trip from San Francisco to Oregon. Neither one of us had ever been to the Redwood Forest and so we wanted to see that and spend some time in Portland, OR which is where took our first vacation together 6 years before.
We would highly recommend it! It's so peaceful and relaxing after the hectic pace of the wedding. We took our time on the drive and got to recount the wedding together. We didn't really plan much just decided from day to day what we wanted to do. It rained a lot and it was actually really romantic.
Catering - we used Lawry's, because we wanted to serve food that we actually know and like to eat and one of our favorite restaurants is Tam O'Shanter in Los Feliz and they are owned by Lawry's. The food and service was amazing and we were so happy we went with them.
Photography - I found Evangeline Lane on the wedding blog A Practical Wedding and her photos just jumped out of us - they were not too posed and felt so natural and beautiful. We wanted to look like us. She also takes amazing candids which was important to us. We loved having her and her husband Evan share the day with us. She was the only photographer we interviewed.
Flowers - The Little Branch was recommended by Millwick. For that, we knew it was a good idea to go with someone who knew the space and Meg really knows how to make it look even more beautiful.
DJ Art actually works at Millwick and gave us our tour when we first looked at the venue. We just really liked him from the start. Then we heard him at a open house they had and it was a simple decision. We knew he would be perfect and we have gotten so many compliments on our music. People thought we picked out all the songs they sounded so much like us, but we hardly did anything!
Coordinator: Pop the Champagne - I could go on for days. BOOK THEM NOW. I also found them on A Practical Wedding.
I don't know if this counts as a vendor, but I want to mention Lovely Bride in Pasadena. I was somehow lucky enough to get Rebekah the owner on the day I tried dresses and I had not been enjoying dress shopping at all. I was about to throw in the towel and get some other kind of gown. I almost cancelled the appointment actually. I think I found them on Yelp. They are so kind, listen to you when you give them a budget and tell them what you prefer. They have a great selection for people who don't want to look too bride-y. Then they referred my to A Stitch in Time alterations and Olivia the tailor is amazing. She has a wealth of wedding information and made the gown even more perfect.
We didn't have traditional bridal party, but all of our family and friends pitched in and helped in so many ways. They loaned us things, went to fittings and tastings with us, made the take home gifts, came over in the days leading up to the wedding and listened to us go on and on about all the details for a year and half. So, we just want to say thank you and that seeing and hearing about how much fun they had made it worth all the work.
Photography: Evangeline Lane | Venue: The Millwick | Day of Coordination: Pop The Champagne | Floral Design: The Little Branch | Wedding Gown: Watters from Lovely Bride | Alterations: A Stitch in Time | Bridesmaids Gowns: BHLDN | Hair Stylist: Glenn Nutley | Make-up: Yuzu Tanaka | Catering: Lawry's Prime Rib | Desserts: The Cheesecake Factory | DJ: DJ Art