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Our venue and its attached theater are of historical significance in Los Angeles, and it really helped lend a sense of place and of timelessness to the whole beautiful day.
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My dress was beaded from top to bottom and was fairly heavy, but here, it looks so light! Once I put it on the afternoon of the wedding, I didn't feel weighed down at all though— I felt like I was floating!
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I started crying as soon as I saw myself in the mirror and basically didn't stop until the speeches and dinner were over and it was time to hit the dance floor! It was like all the joy inside of me just needed to come bursting out!
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The bridal suite felt chaotic at times before the ceremony—hair! makeup! gowns! bridal party! food! champagne! presents! Here we're winding up our beautiful flower girl before she takes a "test" stroll across the room. Practice makes perfect!
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More tears of joy as my mother-in-law, Natalie, puts the finishing touches on my dress, and my "Maddie of Honor," Maddie, tries to keep me from ruining my makeup.
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Sadly, none of our grandparents lived to see us marry. We lost the final three during our engagement, but we found small ways to bring them into the ceremony, knowing they were there in spirit. Gregory's cufflinks, a gift from his mother, featured the wedding portraits of both sets of his grandparents. His mom's parents are pictured here.
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My groom has a nervous pacing habit. Here he is lurking outside of our dressing room but looking quite handsome while doing it.
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The groomsmen getting a few laughs in. I love these men almost as much as my husband does! They were a great package deal.
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The bouquet Sophia from Isa Isa Floral made for me was absolutely perfect. When I look at this picture, I can actually see my whole wedding day. It's so beautiful but a little unexpected, and the things that you'd think should be discordant are actually the perfect complement. I used a different bouquet during the ceremony that was actually five small bouquets all wrapped up together and gave one to each member of my bridal party, as they walked down the aisle.
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Me and my beautiful bridal party of strong, smart, and wonderfully supportive women hamming it up before the ceremony! They each chose their own dress, and it paid off in spades—their confidence and personalities shone through all day!
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On my way to see my groom before the ceremony! We had seen each other that morning to rehearse, as the venue was unavailable the evening before, but that didn't make this walk any less emotional.
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After all of the happy tears leading up to the first moment when we saw each other, I couldn't stop giggling when he turned around to see me!
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This is one of my favorite photos from our "first look." His eyes are closed, and you can't see my face, but you just know when you see this how well we fit together.
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The first of the last kisses before we become husband and wife!
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We're so giddy and SO ready to get married!
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This is a perfectly captured candid moment after our first look and before group photos. I had just given Gregory my wedding gift to him, a second ring, and I'd say it was a hit!
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Mixing it up in the vintage theatre, hidden on the upper-most level of the venue!
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Florals were really the only decorative element we brought into the venue, so they really had to make a statement! This beautiful arrangement greeted our guests as they arrived!
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The ceiling is what sold us on this room when we saw it completely empty, but when I saw it all set up before anyone arrived, it took my breath away. We added a small stage at the front of the room to ensure that everyone all the way in the back could see us.
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I wanted our altar to burst with natural joy but not block any of the light. All of the elements here are local and in-season, so every spring, it seems like all of Los Angeles is throwing us an anniversary party!
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The groomsmen lined up waiting for the groom to descend the staircase and lead them to the altar.
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His first, but not last, trip down the aisle that day.
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I wanted to linger in the moment of the ceremony and soak it all in, so I preceded my bridal party and positioned myself in the Juliette balcony, so I could look out over all of our friends and family. Each member of my bridal party walked down the stairs to hug me (and one brought me a tissues because, yes, I am still crying at this point), take a piece of my bouquet, and walk proudly down the aisle. Here, I have one bouquet left to give.
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Greg had just walked back down the aisle and asked me, "Are you ready?" Here he is waiting as I descend to join him.
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Last moments together before the knot gets tied!
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I don't remember what we said to each other, as we made our final walk to the altar, but I remember his smile perfectly!
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A welcome moment of levity to break up the intense emotions we were feeling. I believe at this moment, a few minutes into the opening remarks, our officiant, being prompted by both my mother-in-law in the front row and his son, who was a groomsmen, realized the whole room was still standing, waiting to be invited to sit!
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We had a very close family friend officiate our wedding, and his remarks were perfectly suited to us. He really captured the spirit of our relationship and the day in a way that was so special and memorable.
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We had each written very vulnerable and deeply emotional vows. Here, Greg is trying not to cry, as I read mine to him.
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Our first kiss as husband and wife!
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Ready to to take on the world together!
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We felt so gleeful and relieved, as we retreated from the altar as husband and wife!
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Our guests enjoying the weather in the garden during cocktail hour with the statue of Honor presiding over everyone.
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We got married on the other side of those windows!
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It was hard to be serious for long after the ceremony, so we just decided to be silly instead!
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Our ceremony and reception were all indoors, so it was nice to go on a small adventure during cocktail hour to get a few photos of us out in the setting sunlight!
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We got a few congratulating honks while we were out there too!
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Just us taking a stroll in our city.
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As one big family now, we were a little tough to wrangle together for photos before dinner! Everyone was full of laughter and joy!
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We had a few minutes to ourselves in the bridal suite after the ceremony. We were so in awe of what we had just done that we didn't know what to do! We practiced our first dance—holding each other but not saying a word.
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I'm not usually one for the limelight, but on my wedding day, I wanted to sit on stage! It was so lovely to be able to take in this view and see each and every friend and family member in attendance.
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We rented vintage glassware and plates and had a unique flower arrangement at every table. To help guests find their seats, we had golden birds with their names and table numbers. At their seats were golden "eggs" in a nest and a menu explaining they were actually jordan almonds and the tradition behind them.
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The details in the arches were beautiful when up-lit.
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Our magnificent cake with marbled frosting and golden edges! The middle tier is a reproduction of the Ara Pacis altar in Rome which is a special monument to my husband who studied there. Our cake was truly a work of art!
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It's not considered traditional to make a speech at your own wedding, but we would have been remiss not to thank everyone for coming from near and far and to especially give thanks to my mother-in-law, Natalie, for helping us plan all the special details.
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When it came time for toasts, our speakers joined us on stage! Here is the best man toasting us in style.
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We really should have practiced cutting the cake a little more ahead of time, but in the end, we persevered!
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Our wedding band was actually a David Bowie tribute band called The Band That Fell 2 Earth! Isn't the singer the spitting image of Bowie? He sounds like him too! It was a wonderful treat for everyone and a total secret we managed to keep up until that evening!
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Finishing our first dance!
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The party continued well into the evening! In this picture, I see family members, family friends who watched Greg grow up, old friends, new friends, and a lot of fun!