So, we’ll be dreaming about these dresses for a while.
Diana + Jos tied the knot beneath a canopy of California redwoods at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA, and Diana was an absolute vision in her two stunning wedding gowns from Galia Lahav.
“I met my husband at work almost a decade ago! It was the first job out of college for both of us,” remembers Diana of how this love story began.
After eight years together, Jos got down on one knee, but had some unpredictable pups on hand for his proposal. “We took our dog and our good friends’ two dogs out hiking. At the top of the hike, he put signs around the dog’s necks which said ‘will’, ‘you’ and ‘marry’, and he was holding the ‘me?’ sign. The dogs didn’t want to sit still at all, so it was very chaotic and funny to see him stress about it all!”
Together with planners from Blooming Wed the couple created the wedding day’s sophisticated pastel aesthetic which included floral prints, parasols, and lots of delicate design details. And Christina McNeill captured it all in these beautiful wedding photos.
“I probably tried on 40+ dresses before I found the one!” Diana says of her dress shopping journey. “But even though I had appointments with other bridal salons after trying on my Galia Lahav gowns, I think I knew deep down that nothing else would live up.”
“I’m a super indecisive person so I knew it was gonna be a long process for me, but trying on my ceremony dress felt different to all the other ones,” Diana says of the moment she fell for the Renee gown. “The sample fit me like an absolute glove and I felt so confident in it. I didn’t want to take it off!”
When it came time to step into her ceremony dress on the big day, Diana felt the significance of the moment: “It was such a calming experience for me. I was nervous the entire morning but seeing my friends and family’s reactions to me in the dress and their happiness for me was really grounding. It was an “I can do this” moment – a lot of happy tears were shed.”
We’re loving the loose curls + rosy neutral glam that Kelly Zhang created for the bride.
Bridesmaid dresses from V. Chapman added a sophisticated cottagecore feel to the day’s vibe.
Take a look through our collection of the best floral bridesmaid dresses to adds some feminine whimsy to your own bridal party palette!
Our Favorite Memory
From the bride: "We have a small dog who’s a spoiled little thing, and every chance he got during the wedding he would lay on my train! So during the photo sessions and even while my husband and his mom did their mother-son dance, he would just take a nap on my dress."
A Ceremony Under The Redwoods
Max Gill Design created a soft + lovely floral landscape that added enchanting romance to the woodsy setting.
Take a peek at this elegant beach wedding and this dreamy Tahoe wedding to see more examples of Galia Lahav gowns in all their glory.
“I actually met Galia herself in the New York boutique which was such a crazy experience,” says Diana of the exciting day she found this subtly shimmery embellished floral dress. “She came and said hi and told me I looked beautiful as I was trying on what would be my ceremony dress. Talk about meant to be!”
A Whimsical Woodsy Reception
Love the way this sweet monogrammed wainscoting wedding reception seating chart brought some indoor decor vibes outdoors.
“I loved planning the flowers and table settings” says Diana. “That was the point at which I really felt like our vision for the wedding came to life.”
Thoughtful + creative wedding snacks were a way for Diana + Jos to include their cultural identities in their day: “My husband and I are Dutch and Chinese respectively, and we really wanted to pull parts of our culture into the wedding. So we ended up getting a boba station for me and a dutch snack called bitterballen for him!”
Guests untied precious, floral, ribbon-tied menus from Shimmer & Stain to reveal what Continental Caterers had cooked up for the reception’s feast.
We love the delicate pastel pink and blue florals on this rustic, naked-iced wedding cake!
One thing Diana would go back and change about her wedding day if she could? “I would’ve taken more candid phone photos or had someone do it for me! I love my professional photos but the day was such a whirlwind – I missed being able to go back through my phone and look at sillier selfies from throughout the day.”
We love a wedding shoe with some tasteful sparkle!
Cue the outfit change! During the reception, Diana embraced a totally different bridal vibe and switched into the unique, glam crystal embellished Luna gown by Galia Lahav. That high slit + shimmering leg detail!!
If one wedding day look just doesn’t feel like enough, go a head and rock a reception dress like Diana did!
Our Advice
From the bride: "I wish I knew the amount of small decisions you have to make - decision fatigue is real! My advice to new brides would be: don’t sweat the small stuff! I was so anxious about every little detail being perfect leading up to the day and worried about whether people would judge if things went wrong, but that wasn’t the case at all!"
Congrats, Diana + Jos, on your charming + elegant California wedding! We are blown away by those breathtakingly gorgeous Galia Lahav dresses. GWS wishes you both all the best!
photographer: Christina McNeill | wedding planner: Blooming Wed | wedding dress: Galia Lahav | bridesmaids dresses: V. Chapman | florals: Max Gill Design | venue: Nestldown Los Gatos, California | HMU: Kelly Zhang | stationery and signage: Shimmer & Stain | caterer: Continental Caterers | videographer: CINESS Film
