Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met in NYC in 2016. Isaac is a NYC native and I’m originally from LA. After exploring NYC together for almost 6 years, we moved to LA in 2022, and we got engaged in late 2023.
We connect through our sense of humor, going on adventures, and being regulars at our local restaurants.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We both knew we didn’t want a traditional wedding–we really wanted to be able to have fun the whole time and enjoy the entire experience alongside our guests. It was important to us that our ceremony was private with only parents and siblings in attendance. We decided to get married in the garden of my childhood home and have my cousin officiate.
For our reception, we loved the idea of a restaurant as the location–a giant dinner party for all of our loved ones with tons of dancing. I had been to Hatchet Hall a few times for dinner and knew that if we ever chose to get married, I would want it to be the party location. The restaurant’s decor is so unique, the drinks are legendary, and we had a delicious family style dinner. There was also enough space to have a dance floor, which was a must-have for us.
The attached bar, Old Man Bar, served as our after party location. The bartenders served whiskey cocktails and dished out sliders, fries, and ice cream sandwiches.
How many guests did you have?
Our ceremony was just our parents, my sister, and my cousin who officiated. We had 150 guests at our reception.
What was your budget?
We had a rough budget in mind but truly had no idea what anything cost until we were in planning mode. Michelle did a fantastic job of using her industry expertise to help us understand what to allocate budget to and what to scale back on.
Tell us about your outfits.
I collected clothing pieces for this special weekend that I’d want to wear again in the future. I knew that I’d feel most like myself that way–and I love the idea of wearing a skirt to dinner with friends and knowing it was the skirt I got married in!
Ceremony: I wanted to play with textures in a cream palette for the ceremony, so I found a crocheted Alice & Olivia top, a soft crinkle skirt from Vince, and a Vince blazer. I found the red Prada sandals on The Real Real, and my headband was from Poshmark. Originally it had a birdcage veil attached to it but it just didn’t feel like “me,” so my mom and I cut it off at the very last minute.
Friday Night: I wore a red knit Staud dress, the same Prada sandals, and my mother-in-law’s vintage purse to our welcome party at a local Mexican restaurant called Baja Cantina. Plus my favorite Paloma Wool denim jacket.
Saturday Night: I was positive that I wanted to wear a sparkly, fun dress I’d feel like a princess in. My mom, sister, and I had so much fun at Happy Isles playing dress-up, and it was pretty clear that this was The One when I tried it on. It fit perfectly and only required the tiniest strap alteration, which was an added bonus (and a sign from the universe!). My shoes were Loeffler Randall.
I wore my mom’s and late grandmother’s jewelry for all of our wedding events. I loved feeling like I had something from both of them with me throughout the weekend.
Isaac’s tux Saturday night was from Indochino, and he had it embroidered with our initials and our wedding date!
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
For us, this wedding was a celebration of our love and the people we love. We wanted to keep our guests top of mind and make sure they felt the love all weekend. It was also important to us that we spent time with them since so many loved ones were traveling from far away to celebrate with us.
We also wanted to have fun and feel like ourselves in this particular moment in time–authenticity was crucial for us throughout the wedding planning process and Michelle picked up on that immediately. Whether that meant sticking only with wedding traditions that felt comfortable to us, or keeping our ceremony private, she helped us carve out what we wanted this weekend to look and feel like for us.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Reception: Since the ceremony was for close family only, we wanted to ensure that our guests still felt like they were part of our wedding weekend. My incredibly talented twin cousins MC-ed the reception and introduced family and friend speeches, which was the perfect balance of heartwarming and hilarious.
Design: My cousin owns a stationery company, and I have always loved one of their designs in particular and had a vision of how I wanted to customize it for my wedding. Together we created two “heart charms” of our very own, which can be seen on our invitations, menus, napkins, and matches.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Trust your gut and don’t take the little details too seriously! It’ll all be wonderful in the end. Remember that your wedding is whatever you and your partner want it to be.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Sharp Occasions: I remember during our consultation call with Michelle, I explained my non-traditional wedding vision, and she said, “ok!” No questions about why or how–we could make it happen. This was how it was the entire planning process, and I’m so proud of what we created together. Michelle has a talent for understanding her clients’ desires and making them come to life, all while staying in budget. For us that meant an authentic celebration with everyone we love from near and far.
Thereafter Photo: Erin captured our essences perfectly from our engagement shoot to the wedding weekend. She felt like a friend of my family and everyone immediately was so comfortable with her all weekend. Her mix of stylized shots and journalistic moments of our wedding will be photos we look back on forever–especially ones of us sharing special moments giggling at each other.
Ezai Florals: From the moment I met Yen I knew I would trust her with the florals at our wedding. She understood my vague ideas for the bud vase tablescapes and made them come to life beautifully, as only an artist can do. I left my bouquet designs entirely up to her and she created the most special bouquets for my ceremony and reception. I literally think about my ceremony bouquet every day.
Photographer: Thereafter Photo @thereafterphoto | Planning: Sharp Occasions @sharpoccasions |
Flora: Ezai Florals @ezaifloraldesign | Ceremony Location: Bride’s mother's garden | Reception Location: Hatchet Hall @hatchethall | Celebrant: Bride’s cousin | Hire: BBJ La Tavola @bbjlatavola, La Pinata @lapinataparty | Makeup Artist: Estelle Descard @makeup.estelle | Hair Stylist: Alex Hartnett Hair @alhartnetthair | Catering & Beverages: Hatchet Hall @hatchethall | Cake: Susie Cakes @susiecakesbakery | Stationery: Bride designed with logos from Adelfi Stationery @adelfi.co | DJ: Dart Collective @dartcollective | Wedding Reception Dress: Happy Isles @happyisles_salon | Suit: Indochino @indochino | Ceremony Outfit: top from Alice & Olivia @aliceandolivia; Skirt and blazer from Vince
@vince | Engagement Ring: Custom Mociun @mocuin | Wedding Rings: Mociun @mocuin (Bride) & XIV Karatz Beverly Hills (Groom) @xivkarats | Shoes: Prada @prada & Loeffler Randall @loefflerrandal | Jewellery: Vintage from Lily's mother & late grandmother