This Vibrant, Maximalist SoCal Wedding Was Full of Sparkle + Surprises

Every year, DISCOSHARK – an 8-foot shark sculpture covered in mirrored disco ball tiles – hangs in the Yuma Tent at Coachella. And Nora + Kent knew that something like that iconically dazzling marine predator by Kevin McHugh was exactly what their maximalist wedding’s gorgeous outdoor reception needed. 

So they made one themselves 🦈🪩.

Nora + Kent wanted a wedding day that went BIG in every way but still felt deeply connected to their families, so they decided to tie the knot where the groom’s family lives in Southern California. “We knew from the beginning we wanted to be married at Kent’s parents’ home in San Juan Capistrano,” says the bride. “It’s so ornate and unique but reflective of their family.”

With the venue decision made, the couple started dreaming up a look + feel for the day that was larger-than-life. “We really wanted to lean into the maximalism with more color and texture while drawing back to the home and our families in the details,” Nora + Kent say, so they turned to planner + event designer Chloe of Chloe Alise Events + Design to bring their bold aesthetic vision to life.

“They knew they wanted something big and maximalist that pushed the boundaries of their design and the pre-existing structures and statues of the home,” Chloe adds. “We tied in bright, powerful colors and maximalist prints, with an emphasis on large scale draping and ‘outside the box’ decor.”

Vivid shades of pink, green, lavender, and orange built out the day’s color world. Yards and yards of breathtaking draping set the scene for both the ceremony and the reception. The USC marching band showed up (!!!). The SoCal sun shined down on every moment…

And the DIY disco shark sparkled over the dance floor ✨.

The newlyweds put it best (and you’ll see it in all of these gorgeous pics from Jamie Street): “Somehow everything was rooted in maximalism, but also rooted in us.”

“Our save the dates and invitations were inspired by the rose gardens Kent’s parents planted for each other, but in a vibrant chartreuse and magenta,” says the couple of these vivid, rose-adorned paper goods by Maison Blanche.

Absolutely entranced by the undeniably chic sparkle of these pointed-toe sling back wedding heels by Gucci.

“My first dress was the first I tried on at Loho Bride in LA!” remembers bride Nora. “I love how feminine and timeless the Vivienne Westwood corseting is.”

We can’t help but love the sight of a whole groomsmen crew in wedding tuxes. There’s just something so classic about it.

Dive into our A to Z Men’s Formalwear Guide to start vetting all the wedding suit options out there, from off-beat styles to timeless tuxes like these.

“We met the only way anyone could meet during the pandemic lockdowns: on a dating app with multiple virtual dates until we could graduate to 90 min outdoor patio restaurant reservations,” shares the couple of their love story’s COVID-era beginnings.

Southern California sunshine on your wedding day definitely calls for a chic pair of bridal sunglasses like Nora’s! Loving Kent’s round frame sunglasses for men, too! 😎

Triplowe Beauty did such a stunning job with Nora’s elegant low bun bridal updo and soft, rosy neutral wedding makeup.

The Ceremony

For their first amazing draping installation of the day, Bella Vista Designs created dramatic off-white elegance out of fabric with this ceremony backdrop.

Perry Florals heard “maximalist” and knew exactly what to do with these lush, color-rich ceremony arrangements.

Listen, we can’t all be absolute style icons like the guest that rocked this flawless feathery, pastel dress and amazing matching hat look at Nora + Kent’s wedding. But luckily we’ve got lots of wedding guest attire style guides so we can at least try.

Our Musical Choices
Processional
"Space Song"- Beach House
Recessional
"She's Just the Type of Girl"- Neil Frances
First Dance
"This Must Be the Place"- Talking Heads

If you’re as obsessed with this ceremony draping as we are, you need to check out this moody burgundy wedding in Italy, this dreamy ivory wedding, and this dazzling + elegant Baltimore wedding (a few of our other drapery faves).

Our Favorite Memory
Our ceremony made our day for us- the florals and draping were some of the dreamiest, our vows felt like us, and it was so amazing to look out and see all of our favorite people at Kent's home.

Fight On!

“Kent’s parents surprised everyone during the cocktail hour with the USC marching band,” planner + event designer Chloe remembers.

The Reception

“A key highlight of the day was definitely a replica of the Coachella disco shark hanging over the dance floor,” Chloe says, “a piece hand tiled by Nora the bride after I’d tried to pull my former music industry connections to obtain the original one that hangs at the festival.”

“We found out that it’s really hard to buy a disco shark,” the couple says. “So Nora ended up making one after like 12+ hours of work (we both underestimated how much time it would take). But now it is our most prized possession (or maybe just Kent’s).”

Bella Vista Designs wowed with even more stunning large-scale draping, this time in green.

Catalog outfitted the reception tabletops with all of their bold yet sophisticated decor details.

The day’s luxe maximalist linens in pinks, greens, prints, and florals came from Lola Valentina.

Furniture in bold colors and shapes from Folklore rooted the reception’s design in chic, maximalist playfulness.

Music from Dart Collective kept guest up and dancing on this amazing custom dance floor designed by Maison Blanche and made by RCD Dance Floors. “We wanted a dance floor that was electric and non-stop,” Nora + Kent say.

How lovely is this sculptural pink + orange wedding cake by Cakes By Frances M.!

Our Advice
Find a planner, have an idea, and trust them to execute the details. We really came to Chloe with a venue and a hope for maximalism- she took the time to get to know us as a couple, connect us with vendors that we truly will never stop talking about, and execute something that was fully out of our dreams. We think when you let creative people really exercise their creativity on your idea, you get the most unique results. 

After Party Dress

“My after-party dress was actually my mom’s dress that we redesigned together over the course of months with the help of Ette Tailor in Chicago. I loved the drop waist and sheer lace of the back.”

Nora + Kent, we are beyond wow-ed by every bold, bright detail of your maximalist wedding day! May all your days be as dazzling as your DIY disco shark! All the best from GWS!!