My goodness, today's wedding is all kinds of gorgeous!
This morning we shared Sunny & Wally's (such cool names BTW!) tear-jerking wedding film by Studio 1208 – if you didn't see it, stop right now and hit play.
And now we're back, with Studio 1208 treating us to a second helping of this cool, chic, super romantic Malibu wedding, this time in pictorial form.
As we said in this morning's post, we've been wanting to share a real wedding from Malibu Rocky Oaks for some time now – so we're pretty chuffed that it's a wedding as all 'round beautiful as this one!
The Californian vineyard estate was the perfect backdrop for Sunny & Wally's vision of long tables under the stars, with the elegant accents of white florals, rustic greenery, heaps of candles, and some seriously killer cocktails!
Their ceremony setting, on a carpet of petals overlooking the hills and valleys below, is one of the most epic we've seen.
And at the centre of all that stunning scenery and refined styling, are this gorgeous couple (we're obsessed with the back of Sunny's Monique Lhuillier gown), their awesome bridal party (loving the girls in white!) and one very special celebration.
Prepare to swoon guys, big time.
Wedding Day Snapshot
Our Love Story
I was moving out of my Spanish colonial style apartment building in Santa Monica, CA. My landlord was in Maine for most of the summer, so I offered to host an open house.
May 11th, 2013, I showed the apartment. I was a little nervous to have people in and out by myself, so a friend of mine, Caroline, came over to keep me company. Naturally, that required mimosas!
Wally was the last person to walk in. He had lived in LA for about a week, having moved from Chicago.
Initially, we were all business. I showed him the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, etc. He asked lots of questions. After a little while, Caroline and I talked to him about non-apartment related things, where he was from, etc. She asked him to sit down and have a mimosa.
Nearing the end of the open house, we invited him to join us for lunch with our girlfriends. He did a great job hanging with the hens.
We continued to hang out that afternoon and Caroline, whose husband worked for the Dodgers, invited us both to a game the next day.
It wasn’t until the car ride home that we felt a real connection.
The Venue
We were driving by our venue, Malibu Rocky Oaks, a few days before we were scheduled to tour and Wally spotted it from the road and just started laughing.
By the time I looked up, it had disappeared behind the hills and when it came back into view, I knew it was special.
We couldn’t really focus on the venue we were seeing that day, we just knew we had to see Malibu Rocky Oaks.
Favourite Moments
Our reveal moment, which was just us and Nick and Maria from Studio 1208, is one of the most memorable moments of our lives. So intense and beautiful and the pictures are amazing!
Our ceremony was lovely: warm and heartfelt, but there were moments of laughter that helped it feel relaxed and easy.
We dreamt of two long tables, an image burned in Wally’s memory from photos of John and Jackie Kennedy’s wedding. It did not disappoint.
The dance party was epic… lots of hilarious moments.
The Attire
The girls all wore long white dresses of their choice.
The gents were in navy suits with black ties and white shirts.
The Music
Processional Wally – 500 Miles (I’m Gonna Be)
Processional Sunny – Angels, the xx
Recessional – You Make My Dreams, Hall & Oates
First Dance – You are the Best Thing, Ray Lamontagne
The Ceremony
We did seven blessings and had each blesser select a reading, passage, poem, song lyric, short story or whatever.
The reading we selected, read by Tessa Arneson, was Mark Danielewski’s ‘House of Leaves',
“You shall be my roots and
I will be your shade,
the sun burns my leaves.
You shall quench my thirst and
I will feed you fruit,
though time takes my seed.
And when I'm lost and can tell nothing of this earth
you will give me hope.
And my voice you will always hear.
And my hand you will always have.
For I will shelter you.
And I will comfort you.
And even when we are nothing left,
not even in death,
I will remember you.”
Advice for Other Couples
While you have to compromise as a couple and with your respective families, we remained steadfast to our vision and honest about how each moment, from the procession to toast, regardless of any family issues or complications, which EVERYONE has.
We were respectful of everyone’s sensitivities as best we could, but above all, we were committed to each other and what the day meant for us.
The Flowers
It was a mixture of all white flowers that were in season in April.
My bouquet was a small arrangement of all white flowers wrapped in a vintage hanky.
White rose petals created the “alter” in the center of the helicopter landing pad that served as our reception site.
The Photography & Videography
Studio 1208 did our friends' wedding so beautifully, we didn’t even look at anyone else. Also, once we met, it was a love and a no-brainer.
Word of advice that no one told us! You spend more time with your photographer than almost anyone else. Love them!
The Refreshments
We had a one and a half hour cocktail hour with signature cocktails, subtly named as nods to special people there:
Mr. Jenkins, Sunny’s dad’s very specific martini recipe
The Duke, a bourbon cocktail named for Walter Henry II, Wally’s grandfater
The Real Thing, A Mexican coke, named for Sunny’s brother
Dark and Stormy, nod to Devon and Will Richardson
Moscow Mules, a Sunny and Wally favorite
Then we had a seated dinner with two long tables for 110 guests. The Food Matters’ short ribs are still talked about.
The Decor & Details
Classic, beautiful. The venue speaks for itself. We kept is very simple, using all white flowers and candles, candles and more candles.
The Budget
We agreed on our priorities: music, wine and cocktails and decor/location were everything to us.
We didn’t think food was a priority, but The Food Matters helped us understand that our perfect dinner setting should also have great food. They were right!
The Honeymoon
We went to Goldeneye in Jamaica, followed by Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur… easing back into the real world for 2 days was a great idea that I highly recommend!
Don't you want to just look at it all again? What a beautiful wedding, I just love the table decor, and those petals on the helipad are so simple, yet so effective, right? Serious romance! What a backdrop for your first dance!
Thanks so much to the insanely talented Nick & Maria of Studio 1208, and of course, newlyweds, Sunny & Wally for sharing their stunning Malibu wedding with us.
Oh, and if you haven't watched it yet, be sure to click over and check out that wedding film too. (Bring tissues!)
Be inspired by more gorgeous real weddings.
