"Our overall style was what we called “LA romantic.” We did a lot of things that were “non-traditional” with our wedding— our entire bridal party wore black (and looked SO chic,) we didn’t do a formal dinner at our reception and instead set up multiple grazing tables and had open seating and our first dance song was “Hollywood Nights” by Bob Seger. We wanted the entire day to feel like “us” and the decor absolutely reflected that. Our colors were a deep burgundy, dusty rose, and ivory accented with lots of gold and lush greenery. We wanted it to feel romantic and slightly moody with lots of Los Angeles accents. We had old movies playing silently during our whole reception as a nod to our love of film and the LA movie scene. We had custom cocktail napkins with fun facts about ourselves and we had a custom neon sign made to hang over our sweetheart table. Overall everything felt chic, very old-Hollywood inspired and so perfectly “us.” - Bride & Groom
How did you choose your wedding venue? My (Lauren’s) parents were married in the chapel at Occidental College, which is why we wanted to get married there. For our reception, we knew we wanted to stay in the East LA/DTLA area and Millwick fit all of our needs. We loved that it was essentially a blank slate decor-wise, so all of the furniture and decor that we brought in made it feel even more “us.” The whole space felt customizable and we loved that. Also, the more modern industrial vibe of the space contrasted nicely with the more romantic, dramatic decor we brought in.
What was your favorite part of wedding planning? What was the most stressful part of wedding planning? Our favorite part of wedding planning was probably planning (and taking) our engagement photos, navigating design elements with our coordinator and doing walk-through at our venue and envisioning the day. The most stressful part was definitely staying on budget!
Memories and stories about the day you would like to share: We really feel like our day was perfect. We spent the morning getting ready with our best friends. We had an awesome first look (something we both loved and highly recommend) and from the moment we got to the chapel for the ceremony we both felt so incredibly calm and at peace. We had been anticipating that moment and that day for so long it was nice that it was finally there! We were so overwhelmed (in the best possible way) walking into our reception and seeing how magically all of our ideas had come together. We both couldn’t have imagined anything more perfect. We both loved doing a “last dance” at the end of the night. As our friends and family lined up for our grand exit, we had a private dance to a song that we both loved (and knew would be way too emotional for our first dance.) Those moments alone in our reception space at the end of our wedding day will be something we both cherish forever.
Any words of wisdom you'd like to share for brides currently planning their wedding? Is there anything you would have done differently? We personally loved having a long engagement and I think having so much time to plan allowed us to tackle the process slowly and with slightly less stress. Of course, there were (and will always be) stressful moments when it comes to wedding planning but overall we are grateful to have had a longer engagement! Another piece of advice—don’t sweat the small stuff! It’s so easy to get obsessed with every little detail when it comes to planning but on the actual day, it’s more of the big picture stuff that really matters. If you end your wedding day and you are married to the love of your life and you spent the day celebrating with family and friends, then the day was a success. All of the details and personal touches are special and fun, but try not to stress about all of them too much!
Tell us about your honeymoon! Where did you go? Would you recommend it to other couples? Fiji! We stayed at The Remote Resort and it was insanely beautiful, relaxing, fun and romantic. It is definitely a hike getting there (11 hour flight from LA to the main island, a 1.5 hour flight from the main island to the smaller island of Taveuni, a 30 minute ride from the Taveuni airport to a dock, and a 45 minute boat ride to the island where the resort is) but once you’re there it’s SO worth it. The staff is beyond helpful and kind and the food is out of this world. We had an amazing time in Fiji and we highly recommend it for anyone looking for a great honeymoon experience!
How and where did you find your wedding vendors? The more specific, the better! I found a few of our vendors on my own! For example, I knew I wanted to work with Details, Darling (wedding coordinator) and Tenth & Grace (photographer) from the get-go. I had found both of those vendors on Instagram and I loved their work. I also knew that I wanted to work with Sierra Fusion (caterer) because they had catered family parties of mine before and the food and service were amazing. We also had heard our hand (The Sundowners) perform live before and we knew we wanted them to be part of our reception. The rest of our vendors I pretty much found with the help of my amazing coordinator, Mackenzie. She knew the style and vibe we were going for and she helped pair us with vendors who understood what we wanted to capture and experience on our wedding day!
Photographer: Tenth & Grace | Wedding Planner: Details Darling | Ceremony Venue: Occidental Chapel | Reception Venue: The Millwick | Videography: Iron and Fern | Floral Designer: Honeycomb Affair | Catering: Sierra Fusion | Rentals: A Rental Connection | Invitations: Prim + Pixie | Linens: La Tavola Linen | Beauty: Daniella Benita | Gown: Sarah Seven |