History was made a year ago Sunday, June 26th, 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is legal throughout the United States.

"No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."-  Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy

I think that it's fitting that I post this same sex inspiration shoot during Pride month. I was honored when Jennifer from Burlap & Rose asked me to work with her on this inspiration shoot. 

From the Planner: Burlap & Rose

"Why this venue?: The Spoke Cafe is an affordable, unique venue space along the LA River which is currently undergoing massive revitalization efforts. It is a wonderful hub for renting bikes and cycling along the river, and one of the few venues in LA where you could incorporate a bike ride as part of your wedding reception. Artist, Mikolaj painted the murals on the exterior and interior of Spoke and they were fun to photograph with our talent. Spoke Cafe will be open for hosting events very soon!

We love when couples prioritize the things they love, and decide to save on the things that are less of a priority. For this shoot, we wanted to highlight fun, simple, classic items you can wear to your wedding for less that $50. Both the short white dress and white jumpsuit were found online at a fraction of what many people pay for an Uber ride to the wedding. The jumpsuit was a fun alternative to a pant suit or dress for folks who don’t want a typical bridal look. Spending a little less on formal wear could allow a couple to put money towards something unique and artistic, like a henna artist providing beautiful artwork for their wedding party.

One of our favorite areas to splurge on is food and drink for guests, because it’s something guests appreciate and remember after the wedding. We loved how Chef Amy created colorful appetizers that fit the mood and vision of the shoot in a whimsical way. The color and texture of the food she prepared totally tied into the bright colors and bicycle theme. We especially love the  bicycle spoke inspired macaron display.

Our florals were inspired by a love of succulents that feel fresh and native, paired with colorful flowers that reflected the cheerful spirit of the shoot. We choose simple florals that hold up well in the California sun and won’t break the bank.

Jennifer Kidd designed our tablescape from her Cherished Rentals collections.The goal was to create a setting that was cheerful and elegant, without being too fussy.

Aurelia D’Amore totally got what we were going for on this shoot and shot non stop to capture all the details that we prepared. Even though this was a styled shoot, it was really important to her to capture images of our couple that felt connected and that had a fun, whimsical energy to them. Our brides met for the first time the morning of the shoot and with Aurelia’s encouragement and direction, they totally embraced the concept and the joy and love of a real wedding celebration.

For a fresh take on ceremony shots we chose the LA River Bike Path as the setting for the ceremony further incorporating the couple’s love of cycling into the story-telling of their wedding. (For a real wedding, we suggest staying inside the walls of The Spoke Cafe as to not block fast moving cyclists). 

Immediately after the ceremony, taking a little bike ride is a fun way for a couple to get those first precious private moments together as a married couple before joining the rest of the wedding reception. Plus photos riding bikes are so much fun.

Working with a talented make-up artists  can make a huge difference in how long your look will hold up, in addition to how well the make up will be photographed on you. We had a great group of artists that normally work independently, but for our shoot, they worked brilliantly together as a team.

Invitations were designed by Jackie Phillips of Precious Beast. We love how she drew the bicycles into the invite suite so that from the very beginning guests being welcomed into this wedding know to expect some really fun elements like bikes!

Our Talented Team!

Coordinating + Florals: Burlap & Rose

Styling Assistance: Mari Suarez-Orozco, Holiday Celebrate

Catering: Chef Amy Jurist

Invitation: Precious Beast 

Photography: Aurelia D’Amore 

Table-scape Rentals: Cherished Rentals 

Videography: Abigail Collins, Lovelit Films

Make-up: Katie Leonard

Hair: Debra Goddard 

Hair: Tay Sims Cas Experience

Make-up: Josie Napenas 

Henna: Henna Caravan