Lauren and Joe - Berkeley City Club, Berkeley, CA

November, 2019.

Photography: Kate’s Captures / Florist: Bewilder Florals

Over the past five years, I’ve seen many weddings where the couple have incorporated elements from their cultural heritage in small ways - paper puppet favors (Indonesian), olive branch crowns during the ceremony (Greek), caviar on every dinner table (Russian)… I could go on. But NOTHING beats Lauren and Joe’s ‘Dia de los Muertos-inspired’ wedding day where everywhere you turned you were greeted with Lauren’s Mexican heritage. To start, every surface was dripping with marigolds: in the table centerpieces, as a ceremony backdrop, in the and bridal bouquet (!!), and of course on the offrenda. This offrenda was one of the most stunning entrance tables I’ve ever seen and it was completely designed and decorated by the mother of the bride. Every picture and item on the table was a symbol of a family member or loved one that couldn’t be physically present, but who were remembered in spirit. It was touching, beautiful, and so clearly an embodiment of the importance of family to this couple. After the ceremony, Lauren and Joe surprised their guests with a parade of mariachi musicians who played on the terrace during cocktail hour. They brought such joy and life to the celebration that guests spontaneously started dancing to the music. Some of my favorite memories of past weddings are the little details that make the day special to that particular couple - it shows what is important to them and the depth and layers of the love that they are celebrating. This wedding was so unique and so special that it will remain at the top of my ‘favorites’ list for a long time to come.

Jenny and Zak - California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley

August, 2019.

Photographer: Green Vintage Photography / Florist: The Flower House / DJ: Heart of Gold DJs

Blue and gold - not just the team colors of the Cal Bears, but also the color palette for Jenny and Zak’s wedding. Choosing to center your wedding around a sports arena has the potential to either be too casual or way too cheesy if you focus on things like floral centerpieces in football-shaped vases. Instead with this incredibly kind and thoughtful couple, the entire day was classy with just the right amount of fun, and of course, 100% a representation of them.

One of the things that Jenny and Zak love to do as a couple is visit stadiums around the country during their travel. They decided to incorporate this tradition into their wedding by naming all of the tables after different arenas they’ve visited and creating a seating chart that featured pictures of the two of them at each of those places; it was such a sweet way to include their guests in their tradition and make the day that much more unique to them.

Flipping through the pictures below, you can see just how genuinely happy they were to be surrounded by friends and family and how much fun they were able to have during a day that can sometimes be stressful - Zak and his guys piled onto a golf cart and drove around the plaza, then got to watch a little bit of the pre-season football practice on the field! The club level of the stadium where the ceremony and reception were held was able to to hold a large group of people (their guest count was 130), had a GORGEOUS view of downtown Berkeley and the UC campus on one side (see the sunset shot that photographer Leslie captured), and looked out over the football field on the other side. It was a venue that felt surprisingly exclusive and intimate, seeing as it is situated in middle of a bustling college campus.

Samantha and Dima - Berkeley City Club

September, 2018.

Photography: 43rd Ave Photography / Floral Design: LC Floral Design / Cake: Glass Slipper Gourmet

Samantha and Dima’s wedding had all the elements of a fairytale-come-true. Sheer voile was draped on every inch of the terrace used for the ceremony, the chuppah, ballroom, and bouquets were practically dripping with blush and ivory roses, and Samantha’s dress was a gorgeous A-line sweetheart dress with a skirt full of soft tulle layers. Even the cake was from a bakery called Glass Slipper Gourmet - I mean, come on, how cute is that?? Every element was romantic to the core and the Berkeley City Club provided the perfect backdrop. Take a peek at the pictures below for cute details like Sam and Dima’s names written into the challah they pulled apart to start dinner; a nod to Dima’s Russian heritage with a ‘Napoleon’ style cake; and a chess board groom’s cake (‘He Captured His Queen’).