Annie + Will met in graduate school, and books have always played an important role in their lives, so it only felt natural to have them as a part of their wedding too! I love how their awesome wedding planner (Melissa from Bash, Please) helped them turn all their bookish wedding ideas into reality. Melissa created a very cool structure with hanging books which they used for their ceremony backdrop – so super rad! Annie gathered a bunch of books from her own collection and instead of a traditional guestbook, their family and friends wrote notes to them on bookmarks and stuck them in the books. Also, before the ceremony, they took photos at one of their favorite study spots, the LA Central Library (seen above). They are also big fans of the show Friday Night Lights, and so “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” kind of became the motto for their wedding day. Before the ceremony, the entire wedding party huddled up just like the Dylan Panthers. Big thanks to Sarah Yates of Birds of a Feather for the photos and congrats to Annie + Will!
Since we both study American history, we wanted to incorporate that into our wedding as well. Our invitations were modeled after late nineteenth- century advertisements. For our table numbers, we used (scanned) pages from a nineteenth-century American dictionary. We also served our guests Fish House Punch, a delicious rum-based drink that was George Washington’s favorite.
Our first look was one of those things we thought might be corny, but was actually incredibly awesome and sweet. Even though our wedding party, photographer, and videographer were all standing by, it felt like it was just us.
Processional: Don’t Tremble – the Low Anthem
Recessional: To Go Home – M. Ward
First Dance: Believer – Ben Kweller
Our wedding was amazing, but it was not perfect. Chances are, yours won’t be either. The more you can accept that some things won’t go exactly as planned, and that that’s ok, the more you’ll just be able to relax and really enjoy yourself on the actual day.
Make sure you like your photographer (and not just their photos)! We’re two introverted people who aren’t exactly comfortable in front of a camera but Sarah Yates is such a warm, joyful person. She put us at ease right away and didn’t force us to do any awkward wedding poses.
photography: Sarah Yates of Birds of a Feather // venue name: Marvimon // event design: Melissa of Bash, Please // planning: Melissa of Bash, Please // wedding dress: Lela Rose // hairpiece: Twigs and Honey // bride's shoes: Miu Miu // bridesmaid dresses: Kate Spade // hair stylist: Fiore Beauty // makeup artist: Fiore Beauty // groom attire: J Crew // catering: Heirloom LA // cake: Platine // music: The Flashdance // floral design: Bash, Please // cinematography: Son of Sharkpig // invitations: Spoon and Sailor // other paper goods: Bash, Please