A Whimsical Wedding at the Smog Shoppe in Los Angeles: Michelle + Ryan

From Michelle, When I first started the wedding dress process, I either wanted something laced + vintage or something fun + textured. My mom knows my style, so when we were dress shopping she came across the dress and I was just in awe. Even before trying it on, I knew it was THE dress! All the organza petals, the texture + hand-beading… swoon! So I choose to go with texture for the ceremony and I switched into a lace dress for the cake cutting.

Aren’t the bridesmaids dresses fabulous!!? They are from Madewell (one of my most fave stores!) and the guys below in their tuxes – so dashing!!

There were so many details we loved from our wedding, but if we had to pick our favorite detail, it would be having those 5 foot “R” & “M” letters up against that amazing Smog Shoppe succulent wall. We cut & painted those ourselves for our engagement shoot and it just felt right to bring them along to the wedding as well. It helped us tie everything together.

Did you write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line?
Yes, we did write our own vows. It just felt right to write what we felt in our hearts & then speak those special words to each other on our big day. My favorite line was “I promise to encourage you and support you while you follow your dreams and I’ll be there every step of the way to watch them come true.” Ryan saved his favorite line for last “I promise to never take you for granted because without you, your love and friendship, I would be lost.”

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?
The most memorable moment was right before our grand entrance. We were both standing upstairs, holding hands, just taking it all in. It was incredible to just look down on the reception area and see everyone we love, all in one spot, all there for us. At the same time, a reception video that we made was playing on the Smog Shoppe screen, so it was just one of those moments… that you visually remember forever.

I’d describe our wedding flowers as eclectic + vintage. There were lots of air plants, feathers, mixed in with pink, white & purple flowers. One our good friends Erin of Elm Style & Design did our flowers. We started collecting vintage milk glass, vases & jars and would just spray paint the inside of them grey, white, light pink & a few gold. I handed them all off to Erin, told her a few flowers I loved & she did the rest! It was a quite simple process because I trusted her & let her work her magic. She attended the Hitched event [now called The Cream Event] at the Smog Shoppe, so she knew the vibe & the look the venue had going on & she knew our style. I knew the flowers would turn out perfect.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?
Working full-time and going home to craft away! There never seemed to be enough time. We would find ideas and inspirations and spend our weekends executing them. Don’t get me wrong, we loved the whole process of wedding planning, but as all brides know… it gets overwhelming! We tried to do the majority ourselves, but towards the end we just didn’t have enough time. When we were searching for a day of coordinator, we came across Tori and Myka of Sitting In A Tree Events, who happen to be event stylist as well. Their style is amazing, so we knew we wouldn’t be disappointed. It worked out perfectly. We crafted some, they crafted some and the result is what you see in these pictures!