Published:on Apartment Therapy & Daily Wedding

From The Bride: 

Our Story

Erik and I met in 2012 while filming Breaking Pointe, a docudrama reality show based on Ballet West that aired on the CW Network for two seasons in Salt Lake City, UT. I was part of the cast as a Soloist with the ballet company and he was part of the production crew as the Sound Supervisor. We started seeing each other after the filming of the first season and were married July 18, 2015. Breaking Pointe literally set the stage for our love story!

Wedding Uniqueness: “Diamonds Are Forever”

Dancers will be dancers especially when they have a captive audience! It was Erik’s idea to do a “serious dance” so I asked a former ballerina colleague of mine turned professional ballroom dancer to choreograph a short piece for us. Brittany Peterson adapted a piece for us to a shortened version of “Diamonds Are Forever” and she loaned me a costume purchased from a “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom professional. We intentionally did not record the performance, wanting to make our first dance together a once in a lifetime event, because diamonds are forever. Mission accomplished!

Design Inspiration: The Culver Hotel

My venue, the classic boutique Culver Hotel located in the heart of Culver City, was all the design inspiration I needed for my wedding.

The Culver Hotel is a rare gem where “vintage glamour meets modern chic”. This design style sharpened my wedding vision and set the tone, palette, and style for our ceremony, cocktail party and reception.

The all white Parisian Room with its raw haring bone oak floor, extensive moldings complete with lovebirds, crystals chandeliers, white orchids and wonderful natural light was the perfect backdrop for our elegant nuptials. I let the French ambiance influence my selection of the crystal Deco picture frame that held my vows as well as the geometric glass wedding ring display box and fleur-de-lis tissue for guests.

The Crystal Dining Room with its black and white checkered floor, dark paneling and stunning chandeliers perfectly accented the touches of Art Deco design that I had blended into my invitations, bridal accessories and overall neutral metallic color palette.

The Culver Hotel also has a rich cinematic history. My guests’ formal attire, the wedding party’s hairdos, and the reception photo booth props had the essence of vintage Hollywood glamour. We even had the Wizard of Oz projected silently in the Velvet Lounge throughout our reception. I loved that I could incorporate the beauty of my husband’s connection to Hollywood with this theme too.

I was incredibly lucky to contract a first rate list of vendors for our wedding. Every single one worked with us to realize our vision on our budget and exceeded our expectations to ensure our happiness.

Aurelia D’Amore Photography: Aurelia D'Amore is an exceptional wedding photographer and I would highly recommend her to any bride. She not only has a beautiful personality but is also a very skilled photographer that has a unique point of view. Her professionalism and organization were superior. Aurelia listened to my priorities and exceeded my expectations. Thanks to her I have loads of stunning images to cherish.

Arrange Floral: Dionne Anderson with Arrange Floral is a very talented floral artist and I gravitated to her style immediately. Dionne is a lovely person and it is reflective in her arrangements. She was very accommodating to my limited budget and made my flower choices blossom into a gorgeous vision. I loved my bouquet and bar arrangement so much I even took it with us on our mini honeymoon. I can't wait to have her make more arrangements for my events in the future.

Great Officiants: Wesley Crump from Great Officiants was excellent. Wesley was charming, organized, easy going and professional. He delivered a beautiful ceremony that my husband and I were able to fully customize from the company's samples at an affordable price. We were very pleased with our entire experience and would highly recommend the service to other couples.

Sheila MAE: Danielle Keene from Sheila MAE made us an incredible wedding cake. She listened to our ideas about flavor preferences and used her artistic vision to create a masterpiece. Danielle is wonderful to work with and a true professional. The proof was in our cake and our guests devoured it!

The Culver Hotel: The Culver Hotel was the perfect wedding venue. Because the hotel is already so artfully sophisticated it required little transformation. The hotel's event planning team went above and beyond throughout the planning process and even helped orchestrate our wedding day timeline eliminating the need for a wedding planner. The rental prices were also very affordable for all of the spaces, services and catering that was provided. I'm already planning my next party there...

Payne Anthony Creative Jewelers: Payne Anthony Creative Jewelers is a gem among jewelry stores. I had planned on designing my wedding rings, but instead found a unique engagement ring and wedding band that I fell in love with. The jeweler worked within my budget constraints and I now wear the rings I dreamed of. The outstanding personalized service has made me a customer for life.

Gateway Bridal & Prom: Velvet Finley helped me find the perfect wedding dress at Gateway Bridal & Prom. She gave me individualized attention even after closing time to ensure my complete happiness with my dress selection. Velvet knew my timeline was tight because I was to be married in California and my Allure Bridal dress had to be made, but she seamlessly facilitated a timely delivery of my ball gown. I was very happy with my service and would recommend the dress shop.