Wedding: Erin + Calvin

Meet Erin & Calvin.

This incredible couple was married on July 4th, 2010 at Smog Shoppe in Culver City. E&C are kind, funny, hard-working, and crazy-in-love. I was oh-so-proud to be their wedding coordinator and witness their undeniable love.

I mean, just check out these sweet, tearful moments from their "First Look"...

The overall theme was very natural and modern, pulling from the aesthetic and textures of Smog Shoppe's interior design. Shades of green, from lime to seafoam, created the base of the color scheme, with pops of tangerine, raspberry, and bright yellow.

A friend of the bride produced the floral arrangements which consisted of a variety of succulents accented by garden roses, orchids (cymbidium, dendrobium, and phaleonopsis), berries, lotus pods, herbs, cockscomb, mums, ranunculus, seeded eucalyptus, and poppies.

The ceremony was a mixture of Jewish, African American, and modern traditions. The bride and groom wrote their own vows and asked family members to recite the Seven Blessings.

When it comes to the bride's gorgeous gown and FABULOUS shoes, here's what she says: "My gown's designer was ME. I didn't like any of the dresses I tried on in stores except for really expensive ones. So I researched the elements of what I liked, put my thoughts together, and had it custom made. Marie Nelson of West Coast Couture is the dress maker. We worked together on the whole thing, back and forth, made adjustments. It totally worked out!! I loved my dress. I also had a custom hair accessory made from a small shop in San Diego. My shoes we my splurge. They are sea-foam green Christian Louboutins. I knew I wanted special shoes, but when I saw the green ones, I couldn't believe it. Green was my color."

The bride's maid-of-honor, Catharine Stuart, is a beautifully gifted artist. She hand-painted the invitations and created a watercolor image of the bride and groom, as well as a name/date logo with flowers, that would carry throughout the Ketubah, programs, bar menu, favor tags (for the homemade cookies in plantable-seed boxes), table numbers, seating chart, and place cards. Absolutely stunning!

Being that it was Fourth of July, what kind of night would it be without a little sparkle?! The couple's wedding party surrounded them with sparklers while they thanked their guests and cut the cake.

Combine "Young Frankenstein" playing on a movie screen behind the dancefloor, specialty mojito margaritas, amazing music, plus a lot of love and what do you get? One fantastic party! To spend just a moment with them is to witness two people who truly love each other.

One true highlight to any wedding is a photobooth. There's just something about them (and maybe the open bar!) that gets guests wacky. Red Cheese Photo Booths were on hand, but there wasn't any 'red' in sight... the booth was set-up inside the venue's pink closet. Fun!

It is an awesome perk of the job when I can form a friendship with my brides and grooms after their big day and I was lucky enough to do so with these lovely folks. A beautiful event, happy clients, AND new friends? It doesn't get much better than that! Well, maybe it does... she could loan me those divine shoes! Congratulations, my friends!

{ VENDOR CREDITS }

Wedding Coordination: Krista Malinin for Amber Events

(with special thanks to my assistants: Amber and Larina)

Venue: Smog Shoppe (Culver City, CA)

On-Site Management: TACT Management

Catering & Cake: Auntie Em's

Photographer: John Lauren Photography

Videographer: LA Color

Flowers: Jennifer Mehranvary

Rentals & Lighting: Town and Country Event Rentals

Reception DJ & Ceremony String Musicians: Dash Entertainment

Photo Booth: Red Cheese Photo Booth Rentals

Hair & Make-Up: Sharon Tabb Team

Paper Product Design: Hand-Painted Watercolor by Maid-of-Honor, Catharine Stuart

Wedding Gown Designer: THE BRIDE!

Wedding Gown Maker: Marie Nelson of West Coast Couture

Bride's Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Bridemaids' Attire: Brides by Demetrios

Groom's Tux: Hugo Boss

Officiant: Rabbi Brian Zachary Mayer

Valet: Jeffrey Valet

Shuttle Transportation: Corporate Coach Charter & Tours

Hotel Accommodations: W Hotel (Hollywood, CA), Culver Hotel (Culver City, CA),

Hotel Carmel (Santa Monica, CA), Four Points Sheraton (Culver City, CA)

Honeymoon: Maui & Kona, Hawaii

To read the Q&A with Erin and Calvin, click here.