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Kate and Alden’s mantra during their wedding planning was this: “all we wanted was to throw the best party possible for all of our favorite people in the world.” They made it happen with the help of Riley Loves Lulu at Menlo Circus Club. The florals by Mindy Rosenberg stunned in a warm, sunny palette and decorated the cocktail party and dinner reception on the lawn of the Circus Club’s amazing polo field. Photographer Carlie Statsky was on hand to capture all the warm romance of the day in these lovely images.

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What made the wedding special and unique? 

Alden and I grew up in neighboring towns and both of our immediate families are still local and live just a short drive from where we now live in San Francisco. We love to travel and briefly considered getting married somewhere a little bit further afield, but we ultimately realized that it’s so special that we could stay close to home for our wedding. Instead, we chose to incorporate some of our travel loves in other details like papel picado decorations, and a cookbook from a famous wine country restaurant as a guest book.

We loved that we were able to host cocktails, dinner, and speeches outside on the Circus Club’s amazing polo field. The weather was perfect, and having dinner and lawn games outside felt fun and relaxed. When the surprise mariachi band arrived to bring everyone inside, we then danced the night away to from the most amazing band, and took a break only to eat tacos from the late-night taco truck!

While planning our wedding, we just kept saying that all we wanted was to throw the best party possible for all of our favorite people in the world, and we loved every single moment of the day.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

I had a really hard time choosing a wedding dress, but was fortunate to find the amazing Jin Wang in San Francisco, who created my dress by combining the bodice of one dress with the skirt of another (plus an amazing bow!). I never grew up imagining exactly what my wedding dress would look like, but I couldn’t have been more in love with mine — I never wanted to take it off.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal? 

Since we stayed around our hometown for the festivities, it was so fun to be able to incorporate lots of small personal touches throughout the day. My bridesmaids and I got to get ready at my maid of honor’s parents’ house around the corner from the ceremony and reception sites. It was so special to get to spend the morning in the same place where we spent so many afternoons, late nights, and sleepovers as teenagers. Because we were local, we also got to invite the family dog to the reception! Hank was a big hit and definitely thought that the crowd was there to just to see him.

We also tried to remember members of our family in some small details too — we added blackberries to the florals in honor of my maternal grandmother, our recessional song was one that my paternal grandfather loved, and we wanted lots of dahlias because Alden’s dad grows them in his garden. Food is also very important to my family, so we honored my mom’s Croatian heritage with some of the passed appetizers and local berry pies for dessert. No one went hungry!

What was the most memorable part of the day? 

The day was so amazing that it’s hard to choose just one moment, but I loved our vows, which we wrote to each other. I would have put money on the fact that Alden would cry while reading them, but I was actually the one that broke! The other special thing about the ceremony was being able to look out at those gathered and to be able to really clearly see everyone’s faces. It was so special to have so many people that we love gathered in one place, and we both loved being able to look out and take it all in.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Alden and I went to high school together! We met in photo class when I was a sophomore and he was a cute, older senior guy. While we were mutually interested in each other then, the timing was never quite right to get involved romantically. We never lost touch though, and stayed close as friends for almost a decade before the stars finally aligned for us a few years ago.

Wedding Planner & Designer: Riley Loves Lulu // Photography: Carlie Statsky // Florist: Mindy Rosenberg // Papel Picado: I Invite You // Venue: Menlo Circus Club // Dress: Jin Wang // Hair & Make-Up: Celia Castaneda // Signage: Paper Caper // Lighting & Draping: Got Light // Rentals: Standard Party Rentals // Tables And Chairs: Theoni Collection // Linens: La Tavola Linen // Ceremony/ Table Top: Bright Event Rentals // Cake: Rachel’s Cakes // Pie: Gizdich Ranch // Transportation: Carey International, Inc // Band: Pride and Joy // Ceremony Music: Music To Go / SF Conservatory // Photobooth: Trulight Photo Booth // Taco Truck: Tacqueria Angelicas

 

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Flora Farms‘s elegant— yet relaxed—vibe was the perfect location for Kate and Mike’s (destined) destination wedding in Cabo. They couple had known for years they’d be celebrating their nuptials in Cabo, and with the help of Ximena Perez Marentes of Amy Abbott Events, their day was a vision of vibrance and textural details perfectly fit for the locale they love. Sara Richardson captured all the sun-kissed joy and gorgeous details including flowers by Florenta and stationery by Bells & Whistles.

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Tell us about your wedding:

We have been coming to Cabo as a family over the past 20 years and it has always been a second home to me. From birthdays to graduations, I’ve made countless memories in Mexico. When Mike and I had our first vacation here together back in 2012 we knew if we were ever to choose a destination wedding it would have to be Cabo.  And we knew we wanted a one-of-a-kind venue that truly embraced both of our very different styles ad wanted to share it with the people we loved the most.

With its elegant, yet relaxed vibe there was no other place we could have imagined choosing other than Flora Farms.

Owning a food marketing agency, and being a foodie myself, my one & only priority was having the best food and Flora’s menu is unmatched. Over 100 people came from all over to celebrate with us.

We started the weekend with a welcome cruise around Cabo followed by a cocktail party at the rooftop at El Ciurelo at the Westin, our home away from home. Every year we see the same people (staff) and they are now like second family.

Our rehearsal dinner was an absolute dream. My vision for a casual chic beach party was beyond my expectations thanks to Ximena from Amy Abbott Events who had to bring multiple vendors together to make this night happen. As the rehearsal dinner was on the side of the Club Regina cliffs, it really took an army to pull off as each of them had to bring tables, chairs and a 3 story teepee down flights and flights of stairs into a beach alcove.

Mike and I live in Philadelphia and met at work in 2011 where he proposed on the steps of our office building 7 years later.

I know they say that there are always a few things that go wrong on your wedding day but we had quite a few stressful events. We had family delayed due to storms happening in the U.S, which lost some of our bags along the way including my brothers’ suits, and my rehearsal dinner and afterparty dress! On the day of our wedding, our photographer was sick and had to cancel. Sara and Ramon came to the rescue and we’re so happy they did. Immediately meeting them, there was a sense of ease about both of them that made the entire day flow so much more smooth. They captured everything about our day so perfectly and we are so grateful it was them behind the camera.

If it wasn’t for Ximena, we would have never pulled off the weekend of festivities that we did.

How did you meet, and how long did you date before getting engaged?

We met at work in 2011. We were working at my parents advertising agency at the time. We had to be very secretive about it as I was “the boss’s daughter” Eventually the secret came out and we were engaged 7 years later.

Favorite Moments:

When it came time for my dad’s speech, I knew he would command the attention of the entire room. Being so close, I remember getting extremely emotional. Our wedding guests are still hashtagging the speech #KateChangedMe

With an event this special, who needed a cake! So instead of a traditional cake cutting, we opted for a pinata shaped like wedding cake. Blindfolded and taking turns with Mike to break it open together, while the cameras rolled, and all of our friends and family watched was the most exhilarating part of the night. Once we finally broke it open, Mike scooped me up as guests dived after the treats that exploded around us. It was the highlight of the reception.

Mike and I were married in a private ceremony with close friends and family on the main line in the chapel of my alma mater, Villanova University a week earlier. So when it came time for our Cabo ceremony, we had Mike’s two sisters officiate making it much less nerve wracking, light-hearted, and fun since we were already official. I remember them totally messing up the “official” pronouncing of us as husband and wife and the entire crowd was dying with laughter.

Photography: Sara Richardson // Planning: Ximena Perez Marentes of Amy Abbott Events //  Flowers: Florenta // Stationery: Bells & Whistles // Invitations: Momental Designs // Venue: Flora Farms // Videography: Arocapro // Hair and makeup: Blanc Bridal Salon // Wedding Dress: Naeem Kahn // Shoes: Stuart Weitzman & Chanel // Groom´s Attire: Armani // Logo Design: Think Traffic // Rentals: Let it Be; Baja Boutique Rental Company // DJ: Alex DJ Cabo Events // Live Band: The Shamans // Piñata: Serendipity

 

 

Seri and Toan met in college and dated for 12 years before they married in Maui. “We’ve gone through every milestone in our lives together and were so happy to finally be able to share our love with everyone,” says Seri. They enlisted Maui’s Angels to help them plan their gorgeous day at Montage Kapalua filled with tropical florals by Mandy Grace, stationery by Anna Claire Calligraphy and signage by Miss B. Calligraphy. They also had Wendy Laurel behind the lens capturing their vibrant, island party in the way only Wendy can and we know you’ll love the photos as much as we do!

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What made the wedding special and unique?

Our wedding was an intimate affair with our most cherished family and friends sharing the special day with us.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

My beautiful ball gown dress was designed by Stella York. It was one of the two dresses I tried on in my search for the perfect dress at a cute little boutique called Lang’s bridal. I’ve always wanted to feel like a princess for my special day and it definitely made me feel so! I also had the added touch of a cathedral veil to tie the look together.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

We wanted our guests to have some fun entertainment and loved the idea of having a cute photo-bus to entertain our guests.

What was the mostmemorable part of the day?

The best part of the day was when we finally had the chance to enjoy a few moments of the beautiful backdrop of Maui together. We held each other and just breathed in each other’s air and couldn’t believe we were finally there enjoying that moment together.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We met in college and have been on our journey together for over 12 years.  We’ve gone through every milestone in our lives together and were so happy to finally be able to share our love with everyone.

Seriphone + Toan | Montage Kapalua from All Time Media II on Vimeo.

Wedding Planning & Design: Maui’s Angels // Photography: Wendy Laurel // Flowers: Mandy Grace // Stationery: Anna Claire Calligraphy // Venue, Catering & Bar Services: Montage Kapalua // Gown Designer: Stella York // Hair & Make-up: Meili Autumn Beauty // Signage: Miss B. Calligraphy // Video: All Time Media // Musician: Brian Santana // Linens: La Tavola // Place Settings: Set Maui // Rentals: Inspiration Events Hawaii // Officiate: Tino Rosete // Photobooth: Bamboo Shootz

 

Kate and Grant dated long distance in college and when Kate visited WestPoint, she would stay at the Thayer Hotel, so it it was a natural choice for the location of their reception following their traditional ceremony at the breathtaking Cadet Chapel. The couple enlisted the help of planners Table 6 Productions to create their stunning day filled with sentimental details in blue and bold, brilliant florals by Faye and Renee, vibrant watercolors by Bohemian Mint and a Momofuku Milk Bar cake that was shipped directly to the reception!! Loving all the joie de vivre in Kate and Grant’s day and it’s all captured here by Rodeo and Co.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

From the photographer: So many aspects! First of all, the cloche jar display wall for the escort cards is one of our favorites. But also the location was so unique! Getting married in the WestPoint Chapel is a super memorable setting because it’s a breathtaking chapel. The entire WestPoint grounds are gorgeous, and I think every guest appreciated just walking around and seeing the amazing views!

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

Kate found her dress at Kleinfeld’s! She wanted something unique but that still had an elegance to it – just like her! I remember her sending us the picture of it, and we were BLOWN away. It is stunning and honestly no picture could do it justice! The beauty is in the details.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

Definitely the WestPoint Military traditions added such a personal touch. They sabered champagne for their toast, did a saber arch after exiting the ceremony, had an ice sculpture of the academy’s logo, had a table for their fallen soldiers, and so many other small things! It definitely made it feel super personal for both of them. Also, the Momofuku cake was a must for Kate – we literally used Fed Ex to ship the cake to the Thayer Hotel!!! It HAD to be the original Momofuku, and if you taste it you’ll realize why it’s totally worth it.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

The band! They were AMAZING. We have used Hank Lane Music multiple times before, and we are continually impressed with the quality of their bands. Everyone was dancing ALL night and kept raving about them.

 

 

Photographer: Rodeo and Co // Planner: Table 6 Productions // Stationery: Bohemian Mint // Floral: Faye and Renee // Venue: WestPoint Military Academy and the Thayer Hotel // Videographer: Blue Moon Video // Dress: Isabelle Armstrong New York // Dress Store: Kleinfeld’s // Music: Hank Lane // Cake: Momofuku Milk Bar // Beauty: Beautini // Transportation: Peekskill Trolley Company // Live Painter: Peter Pluchino // Rentals: Durant Rentals // Velvet Ring Box: The Mrs. Box

 

Alison and Jonathan not only wanted to display their love for one another, but also wanted their wedding day to “be a time to honor our friends and family who have supported us through our entire journey.” The couple enlisted Ah Love Events to help them create a day filled with personalized touches and STUNNING details including florals by Emblem Flowers and calligraphy by Taingled Lettering while Maritha Mae was on hand to capture all the gorgeous moments in these images.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

For our wedding, Jonathan and I didn’t want to only display our love towards one another, but also wanted it to be a time to honor our friends and family who have supported us through our entire journey. One part that was really important for us was to appreciate our parents during the ceremony. We knew that no gift would be great enough to show how we truly feel, so we wanted to verbally thank them for their great love and influence on our lives. The entire room was in tears when Jonathan started off his appreciation by calling his mom, “Mommy…”. It was such a tender and real moment that showed the closeness of their relationship. Because my mom’s native tongue is Mandarin, I decided to muster up the courage to publicly speak to her in her native tongue, and as I looked into her eyes in that moment, I was just overwhelmed by the love and sacrifices she has shown me.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

Growing up, I knew my bridal style wasn’t the “strapless, sweetheart, tulle” type. I saw beauty in sleek lines and modern details, and that is why I completely fell in love with BHLDN’s “Estelle” gown by Jenny Yoo. I wanted to feel as completely myself as I could, well, besides the eyelash extensions, and wearing the Estelle gown made me feel bright and effortless. I loved how elegantly the thin straps crossed in the back, the bell shaped skirt that allowed my body to move, and how gracefully my cape/veil draped as I walked down the aisle. The most special part of this dress is that my sister gifted this to me on my birthday! Reading her birthday card for me brought tears to my eyes, knowing that she wanted to dress me on such a special moment!

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

I love how weddings blend two people’s universes together. It was important for Jonathan and I to both feel that we were attending our own weddings, not one side more present than the other. I loved how during the planning process, Jonathan knew exactly which song he wanted to walk down the aisle to, and that was the theme song to one of his favorite video games, Legend of Zelda. The instrumental version was actually quite beautiful, and as Jonathan walked down with the biggest smile of his face, many of our guests smiled and rooted along because they knew exactly what was going on. Along with our music selection, I had the best time creating DIY elements to make our day feel more personal. One thing that I will forever treasure is my cape/veil that I made with tulle and some crystals. I love how it’s a unique take on the traditional veil and it totally made me feel like a goddess walking down the aisle.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

The ceremony was such a sweet moment for us. It was a time for us to express our love towards one another, our families, and to God. While planning, it felt like each part of the ceremony was just a check off list, but on the day of, the entire atmosphere was filled with so much joy and love, and that was so magical to experience. For our unity symbol, we decided to have communion together to start off our marriage with a clean beginning. It was such a powerful moment because as we stepped away from the guests and through the beautiful arch, we finally had a moment to ourselves to pray and hold each other. That was so special to experience because that marked the beginning to our new lives together!

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Jonathan and I are blessed to have many mutual friends who helped form the start of our relationship. Most of our early times together were around our different church communities coming together to play sports or hangout at a friend’s house. After many laughs and some snapchat exchanges later, we decided to take the next steps to build a relationship together! During those times together, we would either find ourselves having picnics at parks, or Jonathan re-watching all the Marvel movies with me just because I didn’t grow up watching them. It was only natural that Jonathan chose a park that we would often visit after a trip to the theaters to propose at. Jonathan sang and played “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” on his ukulele, (which is something he does during every anniversary), got down on one knee, and made history for the both of us! We were able to celebrate with friends and family afterwards, and we are so thankful for that!

Jon + Alison from Memo Collective on Vimeo.

Photographer: Maritha Mae // Wedding Coordinator: Ah Love Events // Floral Design: Emblem Flowers // Videography: Memo Collective Films // Calligraphy: Taingled Lettering // Venue: Ebell Long Beach // Dress Designer: BHLDN // HMUA: Sharon Y. Park // Catering: Tres LA // Rentals: Stephanies Linens // Photobooth: Pixarity // DJ: Will Tseng