So Ben and I got married this past July, but life happens, and we hadn’t gotten the chance to finalize our wedding pictures or videos LOL. We got our video a couple of days ago, and I just couldn’t wait to share it!
Our wedding was an absolute FAIRYTALE! We worked so hard for almost two years planning everything, and the final product surpassed anything I could have even imagined or dreamed of. I could literally talk all day about it, but I will try to have some self restraint HAHA. Here are the top 5 things from my wedding:
1.Photo/Video: We were very fortunate to have the most talented wedding videographer out there. Dmitry Shumanev Production was an absolute pleasure and dream to work with! They have the highest quality footage, and a vision like nothing else I have ever seen. They are cinematographers, not just videographers, so their videos are movie quality masterpieces. They were the sweetest and most professional people, and I couldn’t have even dreamed of having someone else capture our wedding video. Our pictures were taken by the amazing Duke Images, but we have not finished picking them yet (I know, we are so bad). But in my opinion, the photographer and videographer are the most important vendor(s). Period. Your pictures and videos will be the only thing that lives on – the flowers will die, the dress will never be worn again, the room gets torn down after midnight. All you have are your memories, and even those are a blur on your wedding day because it’s just so hectic. Your photographs and videos preserve it forever. Splurge on these, if nothing else, you will never regret it.
2. Venues/locations: We got married at a church in Covina, took pictures at the GORGEOUS Pasadena Princess estate in Pasadena, and had our reception at the iconic Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. When I saw Biltmore, I had never seen anything that was more “me”, and I knew I just had to be a Biltmore Bride. Its grand, classic, and looks like a ballroom out of a palace! When it comes to picking a venue, keep an open mind because nowadays, rooms can completely be transformed into whatever you want them to be. I fell in love with the Crystal Ballroom at the Biltmore, but I have seen many weddings in simple rooms that were completely transformed. Decor goes a loooong way as long as you love the location and the food so keep an open mind! I wanted our pictures to have that regal look to them so the idea of taking outdoor pictures in DTLA did not appeal to me. That’s why we booked the Pasadena Princess – it was exactly the enchanted garden look I was going for and the pictures came out stunning (those are not ready yet, but I will be sharing some once we get them!).
3. The wedding dress: It’s funny because I have known EXACTLY what I have wanted since I was probably 13 years old, and it hadn’t changed one bit when I actually had a wedding I needed to start planning. That made things easy because I had no confusion or doubts, but also reallyyyyyy hard because I was not happy with anything else and I just couldn’t settle. My vision was a long sleeve dress like Grace Kelly and a detachable skirt so I could have the princess dress that every girl dreams of AND a figure flattering dress, all in one. I looked for months and didn’t get “that feeling” that we always hear about when a bride finds THE dress (I started to doubt that that feeling was even real). Then I found my Zuhair Murad, and the tears came flooding! I FINALLY got that feeling, and I just knew that I had found my dress. It was the dress of my dreams to a T, and I just couldn’t believe I had actually found it. I got mine from The White Dress in Corona Del Mar. They have the best staff (shout to my girl Nicole Wright who made the experience so amazing) and the most gorgeous selection of dresses. Mine was from the 2017 collection, but you can find some from the more recent collections HERE. My biggest advice for the dress is do not settle! That feeling is real, and is worth the struggle of looking for the perfect dress. So do not force yourself to like a dress because you feel like you’re not finding the right one. Decide on what you want and be patient!
4. Flowers: The single most important part of reception decor, if you ask me. Our florist, Butterfly Floral, was one of the best decisions we made during our wedding planning process. Inna took my vision and understood me more than I felt I was even able to articulate. I knew I wanted all ivory flowers with greenery and Baby’s Breath, but was so worried about my flowers looking rustic, because that was not the feel I was going for. She just got me, and she gave me the most beautiful florals I have ever seen in my life! Even though our reception venue was gorgeous on its own, the flowers took it to a whole other level. All I kept saying when the ballroom was revealed to us was, “I feel like I am in heaven”. It brought me to tears and that shock did not wear off the entire night. I know that flowers are expensive, but it’s also about being smart with how you use them. Alternate between tables – one table can get a big centerpiece, and another can get a gorgeous candelabra with some flowers and baby’s breath just around the base. Having different centerpiece styles actually gives a more balanced and put-together look than having all the tables look the same. The differences in height also adds depths and layers to the overall look in pictures. It’s not about stuffing as many flowers as you can into centerpiece, it’s about making it look as full as possible (even if its not). That’s why I love greenery and Baby’s Breath. They are great fillers and make things look fuller than they really are so you get that luxurious and dramatic look! Also, save some of the more expensive flower choices! For example, I love orchids but only had them adorning the sweetheart table, so I still got the look I wanted without having them at every table. Having a great florist who understands your vision is so important, and make they do a mock setup for you before the wedding so that there are no surprises!
5. The overall theme: I wouldn’t say I had a theme per say, but my color scheme for the wedding was ivory and gold – even my bridesmaids wore ivory! Some people thought that was crazy, but it is something I have known I have wanted, probably since I was in high school. I wanted my girls to look like angels, and what is more angelic than white/ivory?! It is classy and elegant, and despite what people think, it will not overshadow the bride. I understand ivory is not for everyone though, but when styling your bridesmaids just remember, the bridesmaids are a reflection of the bride and her personal style, so keep that in mind. As for the rest of the wedding, I wanted it to be simple yet grand, classy, and regal. Ivory and gold are a classic color combo that you can never go wrong with. Adding a pop of color is also great, and an ivory and gold base to the design scheme will compliment anything! In general, if you have decided on having color, keep everything else neutral. It enhances the look while at the same time balancing and toning things down.
The secret to planning a wedding is prioritizing what is most important to you and knowing what is actually worth spending more money on. Smart spending is key! I can share more detailed tips as well as do’s/don’ts on wedding planning here on the blog! Comment below on what you would like to hear about!
Alrighty, that’s my spiel. Watch our highlight video HERE and you will see for yourself what I was talking about with Shumanev Production!
XOXO,
Monica
