From Jennifer:

The Guests:

The most important thing for us when planning our Wedding was that it felt like a great party, rather than a formal Wedding. We wanted it to be about our guests, the food, the drinks & music. We kept it small and intimate, inviting only 50 of our closest family & friends. When I say “closest”, I mean we probably hurt some feelings…but for us it wasn’t important to have cousins we never speak to or trainers, or someone we used to work with etc…we were picky which put us at 50 on the guest list. 

The Venue:

We wanted a venue with a beautiful view and with indoor and outdoor flow. We looked around online for something with these traits. After a couple months of looking we decided to take the money that we would have spent on a venue and put it into freshening up our home. We did things like added wallpaper in the entrance hall, put a coat of fresh paint on our deck and added new flowered plants. It came together nicely & we were able to continue enjoying it after the Wedding. Not to mention it was so comfortable to be able to get ready in my own room & bathroom. Making it impossible to forget something! 

The Design: 

We both like navy blue & white…but we needed a third color so we decided to go with a champagne gold for a touch of elegance. We went with mostly white flowers with blue & purple sprinkled in here and there, in clear large cylindrical vases and silver antiqued vases on the tables. White tablecloths & napkins with white plates with a thin band of gold. Candles…lots of white candles, hanging, in large clear vases, anywhere we could put them we did. 

The Food & Drinks: 

Catered by “Taste” in Pacific Palisades, CA. We had a simple yet delicious menu with items like Blood Orange and Arugula Salad, Roasted Pork Loin, Short Ribs & Crispy Chicken Paillard for the kids. The four of us (my husband, daughter, son & myself) each created our own signature drink. The kids being non-alcoholic & ours with alcohol but of course! 

We had a small cake for the two of us on the top of a tiered display filled with pretty, delicious cupcakes! The pastry chef was Heather, The Scootabaker, Los Angeles CA. 

The Photographer: 

Aurelia and her team photographed our wedding. Aurelia is such a professional & will go the extra mile to give you stellar wedding photos! I didn’t realize how stunning everything was until I saw her photos. The quality & color of the photos simply put is ‘beautiful’ and what else would anyone want on their wedding day. 

The DJ & Entertainment: 

Jason from Dash Entertainment was super cool, professional, great energy to have around on your big day. He played everything we asked for, he even found some hard to find old school blues music my husband likes. 

We had several kids attending and wanted to have something fun for them so we made a Photo Booth with a backdrop & lots of props including, hats, mustaches & boxing gloves. The funny thing was the adults had just as much fun taking photos as the kids. The photos still make me laugh when I see them. 

For a keepsake, on the entrance table we had a Wedding Blessings Box, where our guests could send us a wish, blessing, or a piece of marital advice. This was a great way to greet guests as they entered. It was so special to read all the notes & wishes afterwards & have a place to keep cards & keepsakes. These are available at www.puredesignsforliving.com 

The Dress:

I wanted something simple, yet elegant. I went with an ivory, silky dress from Nicole Miller. It had a plunging neckline & back line. It was drapey, yet fitted my curves. My daughter (my made of honor) wore a long, crepe, purple-blue, strapless Nicole Miller dress. 

The guys (my husband & son) wore matching summery tan 3 piece suits with white shirts & blue ties. 

The Day: 

We still talk about how much we loved our Wedding. The best part of our Wedding was that our guests said they had a great time & we also were able to enjoy the day. Having a smaller guest count with a more informal approach really made it more relaxing & fun! We set out to have a Wedding that felt more like a great party & I think we accomplished just that.