The Eveleigh is not only one of the prettiest restaurants in Los Angeles, but it also happens to be the beautiful space Yana + Alex chose to celebrate their nuptials with their friends + family on a sunny January afternoon. Being close friends with the restaurant’s manager, Yana + Alex took advantage of this hidden gem of a spot, which features charming industrial, vintage decor and an insanely delicious seasonal menu.
Yana shares, There are very few (happy) occasions for which everyone we love can gather in one place so we wanted our wedding weekend to be fun and relatively informal. So we planned events for each day of the long MLK weekend during which we got married so all the guests had lots of opportunities to meet and get to know each other, and did away with some of the traditional aspects of the wedding ceremony – for example, we greeted guests together (instead of me hiding until the procession) and I didn’t carry a bouquet (so I had a free hand to carry a drink). We wanted our wedding to be an extension of how we are outside of this big life event and a celebration of the huge role that our friends and families play in our lives. So it was about sharing the day with everyone who has seen us through the various stages of our lives, both the lives we lived before we met and our collective lives together since then.
A big thanks to LB Event Planning for the gorgeous, gorgeous design + to wild whim design + photography for the beautiful photos you’re about to see!
Yana looked lovely in classically beautiful hair + makeup by Alicia Wheeler.
Kelly from wild whim tells us, Having opted out of having a wedding party, we were able to spend a good amount of time shooting there and at The Eveleigh, taking advantage of the varied and beautiful nooks and crannies each spot offers.
TOO MANY! Standing in front of our families and friends during the ceremony really felt special. Seeing our parents and our parents' friends get crazy on the dance floor with our friends was pretty fun, too. Getting our third wind after ice cream sandwiches and partying until the Sheriffs' department came to shut us down.
Processional: The Wedding Song – Peter, Paul & Mary
Recessional: Amber Nights
First Dance: Grow Old with Me – M. Johnson acoustic
Stephanie Grace Design beautified the already-stylish setting with the perfect amount of florals + greenery.
See more in the sweet film below by Akros Media!
First create your budget and then decide which aspects of the wedding are most important to you both and contact those vendors early. Don't forget to tip your vendors and make sure that's included in your budget as well. We highly recommend hiring day of coordinators, especially if it's Hallie and Kiersten from LB Events! The last 2 months before the wedding become a vortex and time suck, so don't second guess decisions, make them and move on to the next thing. Make wedding planning dates and schedule those for specific times so it's not a Friday night after a full workweek and you're spending 2 hours on addressing guest envelopes. Seating arrangements are the worst! THE worst. Do those as soon as you can and use visual aids. We used note cards to represent tables and post-it notes for guests, it really helped visualize who's sitting where and move people around if needed. Know that something will go wrong and people will cancel at the last minute - that's just part of the deal, it happens, don't get too hung up on stuff like that. Trust your vendors and let them do their job. And splurge for the video, do it.
photography: wild whim design + photography // venue name: The Eveleigh, Los Angeles, California // event design: LB Event Planning // planning: LB Event Planning // florals: Stephanie Grace Design // hair stylist: Alicia Wheeler // makeup artist: Alicia Wheeler // videography: Akros Media // paper goods: Prim and Pixie // cake: Sheila May // music: Dennis Lichtchouk // photobooth: Jenny Smith & Co // ceremony: Brandt Jacobus // cocktail hour music: Brandt Jacobus
Obsessed with the greenery in this wedding. Completely stunning!
Thank you, thank you for this wonderful feature! It was such a wonderful wedding and the best, most down-to-earth couple. :)