Colorful LA Wedding with a Giant Paper Cut Ceremony Backdrop

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

Emily + Michael met eleven years ago in Buenos Aires and when they started planning their wedding they flirted with the idea about heading back to Argentina… However, in order to incorporate as many family members + friends as possible (the groom hailing from New York, and the bride from California), they decided that Los Angeles was a much more accessible destination. After “binge-visiting” a ton of venues in LA, the tropical bird wallpaper (pictured below) at Millwick sealed the deal!

The bride, Emily, shares We didn’t want it to have a theme in any gimmicky sort of way, but we did want it to evoke the essence of Los Angeles — the way I always felt about it growing up: colorful, vibrant, relaxed, urban but lush, with a myriad of Mexican dishes to munch on and touches of old Hollywood glamour. The official palette was bright and warm, with plenty of red, orange, magenta, and yellow grounded in more rustic neutrals (white, craft paper, charcoal). We wanted the event to feel fun and celebratory, so we encouraged all of our guests to dress colorfully.

Let’s head to Los Angeles to see the full celebration, photographed by Margaret Austin Photography!

red invitations

How darling is this invitation suite, crafted by the bride? She shares I’m a textile designer, so I wanted to craft as many things as possible by hand. I designed the invitations + table numbers and dusted off my amateur calligraphy skills for all the envelopes and place cards. I wove in the motif of Mexican heart milagros throughout – symbols of gratitude for romantic miracles granted — which is exactly how I view my relationship with Michael: a romantic miracle.

first look

lace dress

Emily searched high and low for the perfect vintage-inspired, yet relaxed gown… She shares I found some amazing dresses for $2500 along the way, but each time asked myself if I felt 10X more amazing than I did in the $250 dress and the answer was always no. Emily found this stunning gown by Callahan at Bride Boutique LA.

gold earrings

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

colorful bouquet

How pretty are the vibrant pops of color? You can even see the milagros charm tied around the bouquet!

floral hair piece

papercut backdrop

That backdrop is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! Emily designed the huge paper cut banner and her friend, Erin, helped her cut it all out. The bride shares While I was working on the design, Michael suggested that I hide some secret objects in it, so I added little icons representing inside jokes among the branches. I loved that his idea brought such a playful element to it – and it meant that we got married standing in front of our very first design collaboration.

giant balloon tassels

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

There were so many amazing moments throughout the night, but the ceremony was undeniably the highlight. We were so thrilled when my stepdad agreed to officiate. It’s a big thing to ask of someone, but we really wanted the ceremony to feel as personal as possible and we knew he was the perfect person for the job. We were right! He put so much love into crafting a sweet, funny, and totally unique ceremony; it made the whole event that much more meaningful. And it really was - it’s impossible to describe how emotionally overwhelming it is to reach this incredible moment with your soon-to-be-spouse and then look out and see all the people you’ve cared about throughout your lives there supporting you. It’s surreal in the best possible way.

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

party drinks

We’re totally diggin’ these vibrant cocktails.

appetizers

About Thyme created a laid-back menu to match the Southern California vibe — which included a DIY taco bar! The bride shares We weren’t all that excited about wedding cake, so we asked him to do an eclectic dessert bar featuring our dream dessert: churros with dipping sauces. They were a huge hit – who doesn’t like dessert finger foods? I loved that they were fun and festive but totally unexpected.

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

All the colorful details!!

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

How incredible is this reception space?

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

bud vases

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

The Little Branch provided all the colorful florals, we especially love the poppies!

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

papercut table numbers

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

ping pong paddles

ping pong

How fun is this?! We love that they had a ping pong table (with their matching design!) at the reception!

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

The bride’s brother is a film editor and he cut together a video montage of the couple’s favorite movie dance sequences… Which subsequently inspired some awesome moves!

Colorful Los Angeles Wedding

How much fun was that?! We seriously love how they incorporated the milagros + all the hand-cut details. A huge congrats to the two of you, Emily + Michael!!

photography: Margaret Austin Photography // venue name: Millwick, Los Angeles, California, USA // florals: The Little Branch // wedding dress: Callahan // wedding dress boutique: Bride Boutique LA // hair stylist: Ecco Salon // makeup artist: Ecco Salon // groom attire: Ted Baker // paper goods: Mama's Sauce // catering: About Thyme

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