We’re kicking off the week with a chic celebration in a beautiful Southern California wedding venue.
Stephanie & Charles tied the knot with a wedding they describe as classic, colorful, and casual. Beaming from start to finish, this sweet couple started their day with a romantic first look, before saying their ‘I dos’ with a Catholic ceremony, followed by an understated yet glamorous reception at Ebell Long Beach.
Their dreamy portraits and chic details were captured by Katie Branch of Tyler Branch Photography, while Jen Krueger Designs planned their elegant decor.
A stylish affair, Stephanie & Charles looked sophisticated yet modern – we’re in love with the detailing on Stephanie’s gown – as did their bridesmaids in contrasting dresses, and the gents in their smart grey suits.
Whether it’s the style, the setting or the smiles, there’s a lot of ideas to borrow from this gorgeous couple and their beautiful big day…
Our Wedding
We knew the venue and the music were going to be the key decisions for us because we wanted the environment to be beautiful and fun for everyone to be a part of.
We ended up checking out a lot of former women’s clubs because they all had a vintage, historic feel that we loved and we picked the Ebell for its fun, modern take on that.
We knew we wouldn’t have to do too much in the way of décor given the venue was already so rich in patterns and textures. Also, the TILE floors. We even replicated the tile into our wedding favors – printed the design on paper and Mod Podged onto ceramic tiles from Home Depot. They turned out great and our guests loved them!
The overall inspiration came from the venue, which I think was a “hipster take on 1920s Spanish garden” and we stuck to a moodier jewel tone color palette.
The Photography & Videography
We chose Katie because Tyler Branch Photography was right up our alley in terms of style.
We’re super casual and not necessarily great at posing so we loved her more informal shots. We also wanted to get what we paid for, in terms of attention to detail and the editing of our photos, and Katie did a great job with the color and feel of the final product.
Charles is an editor so he always knew he wanted to cut the video himself. It was harder to find a videographer to only shoot but Grimace Films were super easy to work with and knew what we wanted to do.
It was important to find someone who’d take great shots with quality equipment and we’re very happy with the result.
Advice for Other Couples
We loved using Zola for our registry – they have a pretty extensive inventory and you can exchange things for credit in case you change your mind!
The best advice we got (and used) was to enjoy the moment and keep it simple.
Everyone told us how fast the day goes by so we only did the things that were important to us rather than stick to every single tradition (bouquet/ garter toss, family intros, etc.)
The Honeymoon
We took a road trip after the wedding and stayed at an all inclusive resort in Sedona, Arizona.
R&R was the name of the game so we didn’t do a lot of planning or other activities besides drinking cocktails poolside and spa time.
We’ll take an international honeymoon in a few months that I’ll be excited to plan for!
