dear readers — i am soo thrilled to finally share this wedding with you! i first met amanda in sherman oaks and it was love at first consult… seriously! within minutes of sitting down together, we were both going a mile a minute with ideas and inspirations for her fabulous wedding day. amanda’s initial hope was to integrate both her Chinese heritage as well as Stephen’s Jewish traditions. amanda also converted to Judaism before the wedding, making the day extra-special. the vision for her “Chewish Extravaganza” (amanda coined the term! lol) evolved and was refined over time, and the result was a luxurious Chinoiserie-inspired celebration. blush pink and shades of purple (including aubergine and amethyst) were accented by cool silver, and florals were lush, somewhat “wild” and organic in composition. whimsical elements like cocktail arrangements nestled in bamboo steamers and Chinese tea sets combined the traditional with the non-traditional. at every turn, amanda wanted to make her wedding to stephen highly personalized, detailed, and fab to the nth degree!! after all, they had spent 15 (yep, FIFTEEN!!) years together before tying the knot and that alone is reason for a serious amount of festivity!

some of you may recognize amanda below.. YES, she is mrs. hot cocoa (or ‘haute cocoa,’ lol) of weddingbee fame. she was my third (!) bee bride and it was an absolute delight working with her. now enjoy this gorgeous look at her day, with many thanks to luna photo (could mike and paula be any cooler??) and della chen (the sweetest!!) for their stunning images:

i looove this ethereal portrait of the couple! we’ve got a JD/PhD bride, and an MD/MBA groom. did i mention that stephen COMPOSED all of the ceremony music himself?? brilliant, stylish, fabulous people — these are my clients!!

the stunning & romantic huppah, flanked with cherry blossom branches and topped with a family heirloom tallit.

before the sunset ceremony began, guests were encouraged to write notes and best wishes for the couple, and attach them to the huppah. in that sense, the couple was surrounded by these wonderful words as they were ushered into marriage.

two lovely shots of the ceremony. i loved the delicate chinese lanterns floating overhead…

gorgeous bouquets! i loved the sweet, antique-feeling dusty miller in amanda’s bouquet, and the mono-floral bouquets carried by the bridesmaids. can you name all the flowers carried by the bms??

some lovely details! first — the table numbers were exquisite paper-cut pieces of art… each hand-cut in accordance with the art form! (amanda clued me in that papercutting has a history in both the Chinese and Jewish cultures; fancy that!) they were simply displayed in acrylic frames to highlight their intricate detailing. the dinner menus were carefully gocco’d by the bride herself.

i loved the loose & textural feel of the florals. these low arrangements were bursting with color and felt very garden-inspired.

how exquisite are these tall centerpieces?! i love the dramatic height of the cherry blossoms, anchored by a collar of hydrangea in these tall glass cylinders. the chinoiserie-inspired fabric cuff at the top, along with the scrumptious (and altogether delightful!) addition of pears and plums in the base, took them over the top.

and here’s a little room shot — during set-up if you weren’t convinced before, i hope you are now thoroughly assured that lighting delivers quite a bang for your buck!

i could share dozens more from this event, but i hope you enjoyed this little taste of this beautiful wedding!!

to my dearest amanda & stephen: i love you two TO.THE.MOON. it was a true joy and pleasure working with you both. collaborating with amanda was a creative dream and i was sooo excited with how everything turned out. above all, you two really made me feel like a part of the family and i was blessed & encouraged by the tender, supportive, truly precious relationship you share. hope to see you both on your next trip out here… or on my next trip to boston! xoxo!!

many thanks to the following vendors who were on board that day:

• ritz carlton marina del rey (special thanks to sommer g. in catering, who was such a pleasure!)
• photography by luna photo and della chen
• studio west videography
• kate baker florals (thank you, kate, for always delivering above and beyond!! always adore your work!)
• rainbow lighting
• bruce garnitz band (they brought the house down, and do killer springsteen covers!!)

hope you all are having an exceptional week!! in the works: a fun fab finds post, a vendor highlight and MANY more unique, one-of-a-kind, dripping-with-detail weddings!! love you all for reading & commenting! xoxo, angel