Real Weddings: Maria + Oscar

 Want to know the best part of a secret? Finally getting to share it with those you love! When we first heard Maria and Oscar's story and how they had wed in secret 5 years ago all the while keeping it from their family and loved ones, even after having a baby together... We were beyond thrilled that they came to us to help them with the big reveal. The two dated briefly in high school, but 10 years later fate brought them back together. After dating for seven months they knew they couldn't spend another day without one another so they decided to secretly elope.

Fast forward to when they came to us with the desire to honor and share the love they had found. Their ceremony was to be the first time that they would share with their guests that they actually were already married. For Maria and Oscar's we pulled inspiration from Maria's personal style and combined bohemian and romantic elements to create a day that felt intimate, elegant, and full of romance. Their wedding took place at the La Quinta Resort located in Palm Springs, California and set a beautiful desert backdrop for their day. For their color palette we paid homage to the Palm Springs desert with boho neutrals and shades of wine, plum, and mauve. The groomsmen (many of them police men and colleagues to the groom) appropriately wore suits in a deep shade of blue, while the bridesmaids wore flowy white dresses. Guests were greeted by an escort wall built by Back Up Backdrops that read "You're My Best Kept Secret" and were favored with diaries hand painted and calligraphed by Betlem Calligraphy that held their names and table assignments. Guests were asked to sign in with "the secret to happily ever after" all as a tribute to our couple's love story. Floral arrangements by Oak and the Owl that mimicked the surrounding desert landscape sat on top of Moroccan inspired runners from hostess haven with tables and chairs from Folklore. Gold flatware was placed alongside crisp white plates with intricate details, and glassware that resembled the blue dessert sky.

When it came to designing Maria and Oscar's dessert table we wanted to keep it playful. Maria is a nurse and Oscar is a police officer, so naturally dessert began with coffee (a nurse's go-to beverage) and an array of donuts by Home Bakeshop (because what police officer doesn't love a good donut?!). Hey There Cupcake! Designed a cake inspired by the intricate detailing of Maria's wedding gown. Friends and family spent the rest of the evening dancing under strings of market lights, sipping on a boysenblue (boysenberry and blackberry cocktail) and another nod to Oscar's career, as well as "a hush hush", a ll the while watching Maria and Oscar's darling 3 year old bust a move on the dance floor. It was a night to celebrate family and the unveiling of Maria and Oscar's secret - because some secrets again are best when they're shared with those we love most!

Want to see more from the road to Maria and Oscar's wedding day?  Check out the Style Me Pretty feature here or our previous post "What's In Our File" where we share more about our inspiration behind their wedding day and then head over to our Engaging post and prepare to swoon over snaps from their engagement shoot!   Many thanks to our talented friend Ashley Kelemen for all the gorgeous photos!

Real Wedding: You Put A Spell On Me

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It was love at first sight for our beautiful couple Roxana and Marc. She first laid eyes on him at a show his band was playing, and she thought he was the most handsome guy in the world. Nearly 10 years later, he sang to her on their wedding day! 

The whole design was inspired by the movie Practical Magic, which embodied his earthy vibe & her magical spirit. We created a light and airy atmosphere, with a dash of enchantment and painted the space in neutrals and pastels with blush, amethyst, dusty rose, and charcoal grey. A marble backdrop for ceremony quickly transformed the wall into the perfect sweetheart table background. We topped the tables with ceramic grey plates and stone slab table numbers, with a mix of gold metals and smoky glassware. 

To allude to Roxana's love for all things enchanted with some practical magic, we created a whimsical escort display complete with dry ice and a gold-leafed wooden starburst backdrop. Guests were able to create their own bags of fragrant lavender tub tea and left sweet messages for our couple with a photo and a note. 

The ceiling was adorned with hanging floral installations by Sarah at Catalina Neal and a chandelier swathed with greenery. We created our couples very own geometric dance floor with metallic gold vinyl which made the perfect place to dance the night away! Much like their love, this day was filled with magic, joy, and sweet touches we'll remember forever!

Real Wedding: Escape the Ordinary

We're taking a look back at one of our favorite playful weddings from last year that was recently featured on Martha Stewart with our darlings, Richelle and Tom! Inspired by our bride's impressive collection of dresses, many of which were Kate Spade, we designed a Kate Spade-esqe evening at Darlington House in La Jolla that inspired us to escape the ordinary. We honored our bride's bubbly, feminine style with funky print invitations and paper elements by Peanut Press, and gorgeous bright pink blooms by Tint and Timber. Guests found their names among confetti crackers calligraphed by Twinkle and Toast that led them to their seats. The dessert table was to die for and anything but ordinary with, of course, chocolate covered bacon. One of the highlights of their wedding for us was creating their story wall with the help of Backup Backdrops which also served as photo backdrop and entry. Here's a little snippet of how it all began:

Richelle, a legal assistant, and Thomas, a lawyer, met in a fitting place: law school. Thanks to assigned seating, they landed next to each other in an early morning class. Richelle was awake enough to notice the cute guy to her side—and that he arrived promptly each day with a container of bacon. But seeing as neither of them are morning people, there wasn't much chit chat. The following semester, Richelle and her friend needed another person to carpool with to score a good parking spot, so they decided to invite Tom. He lived downtown and didn't need to drive, but was more than happy to have a free ride. So the girls picked him up on the way to school, usually stopping for coffee, and drove back in the afternoon—getting to know each other along the way. Their time spent carpooling turned to love as they spent the summer together, and led to a proposal on an evening walk with their adorable pup, Maxamillion!

The story that inspired it all led to the couple bidding farewell to their guests in a cute lovebug after having dined and danced the night away. While the wedding has come and gone, we love that their story wall has found a permanent place in their home and is something they can continue to cherish throughout the years. Cue the confetti!