Tell us a little about yourselves!
Ryan and I met at work! He was an Art Director and I was a Writer at our ad agency, and eventually we became creative partners. We spent a year and a half building a foundation of friendship and creative partnership before becoming a couple in the early pandemic days. Since then, we’ve bought a house together, taken some unforgettable trips, and now spend most of our time cooking together or working on our creative projects.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We fell in love with the western, small town feel of Los Alamos, and really just wanted to take over the town and share a slice of California with our friends and family. It really is just one small street the way old western towns were, and it has both a Michelin Star restaurant and a local dive bar. In our minds, what more could you need?
How many guests did you have?
98 and The Shalom Imaginative captured our day.
Tell us about your outfits.
My dress was vintage from the 80s, and not at all what I had in mind when I started looking, but I fell in love with it right away. It took a lot (I mean, a lot) of altering since it was a few sizes too big when I bought it, but we got there! My veil was custom made by a dressmaker in Philadelphia using pieces of my late mother’s dress.
Ryan had a vision from day one: a brown suit, which we found at Nordstroms, brown cowboy boots, and a western bow tie, which, no kidding, he found on a website called “Historicalemporium.com.”
We were so delighted by how well both of our outfits complemented each other and fit the western aesthetic without much effort.
Also, we gave our guests an optional dress code which we called "cowboy cocktail," and it was so fun to see what people came up with. Everyone looked so amazing.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Overall, we just wanted every single last detail to feel like 'us'. One detail we'll never forget is our vows, which we decided to write and read together. As creative partners that's how we always worked, together, in service of the best creative outcome. It felt so right to translate that into our promises for marriage and all that lies ahead.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
The food was really important to us since cooking is one of our favorite things to do together. At home we cook with a lot of Asian and Californian flavors. We really wanted our cooking style to come through in the food we served our guests, and our caterer Field to Table really nailed the vision. There were kimchi dumplings, hoisin braised short ribs, and even a copycat of our favorite dish in LA- walnut shrimp on a scallion pancake. We also found an amazing gluten free cake from the Solvang Bakery that blew everyone away.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Pick one or two elements that are most important to you and let that influence your spending. You’ll never be able to afford the best of everything, but you can probably afford the best of what truly matters to you as a couple.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We absolutely could not have pulled this day off without our planner Rachelle of Radiant Love Events. From day one she was kind, organized, and prioritized our vision above all else. We’ll truly be grateful forever!
Photographer + Videographer : The Shalom Imaginative @theshalomimaginative | Ceremony + Reception Location : Bodega Los Alamos @bodegalosalamos | Entertainment : Jasmine Fields | Planner : Rachelle Dominguez of Radiant Love Events @radiantloveevents | Hire : Otis + Pearl @otisandpearl | Flora : Idlewild Floral @idlewildfloral | HMUA : Tanya Deemer @tanya.the.muah | Catering + Beverages : Field to Table @fieldtotableevents | Cake : Solvang Bakery @thesolvangbakery | Stationery : Wonderland Invites @wonderland_invites | Photo Booth : Desert Luna Photo Booths @desertlunaphotobooths | Wedding Dress : Happy Isles @happyisles_salon | Groom's Suit : Nordstrom @nordstrom | Wedding Party Suits : The Black Tux @theblacktux