Best Dinner Party Ever Meets Best Concert Ever: An Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

Jess + Clint are *that* couple. You know, the one that’s super fun, up for anything, lovers of food, dancing, live music, and maybe even a few shenanigans. And when *that* couple gets married…well, let’s just say we all hope for an invite! Consider the invitation open, because today we’ve got a look at J + C’s Los Angeles union, and it’s nothing short of delightful.

Here are Jess + Clint to give us a bit of inspiration behind their day:

​​Jess: ​​​Here’s the thing…Clint and I are no spring chickens. We are of the age where we have attended A LOT of weddings. And no disrespect to the amazing weddings we’ve attended…it’s just that they all are so similar! And I get it—weddings are a cultural tradition, so it makes sense that there’s a “way” to conduct them. I was definitely looking to be un-traditional and, thank goodness, my husband was on the same page. I didn’t want anyone having to check a box for “chicken, beef, or  vegetarian” on their RSVP. I didn’t want a serious ceremony where people felt like they had to be quiet or whisper when entering the venue. My inspiration was to have the best dinner party ever. My husband’s inspiration was probably to have the best live concert ever. We found a balance between the two. In the end, we cared first and foremost about making the day FUN. For us and for our guests.

Clint​: Early on, we decided to set aside any kind of ‘wedding dogma’ and just throw the best, most fun celebration we could. Everything – from the ceremony to music, from decor to food – was about bringing unique or celebrated parts of us as a couple and as individuals to the party, and sharing it with a lot of the family and friends we hold most dear. The entire wedding was wonderful, but the ceremony was PERFECT. Everything I hoped it would be.

J + C relied on the team at Orange Blossom Special Events to pull together the design + planning details, and called on (the appropriately fun) Jenn Emerling to photograph the most memorable moments. Let’s have a look!

Urban LA Wedding

king protea bouquet

The Little Branch drifted toward the wild side with Jess’ king protea bouquet!

Urban LA Wedding

gold bridal heels

YES, PLEASE. Jess stepped in to some rose gold Steve Madden shoe candy! (If you are looking for rose gold shoes, we also love these beauties!)

first look

Urban LA Wedding

Such a good looking duo! Jess had her Carolina Herrera dress altered to a high-low gown, and Clint wore a dapper suit by Bonobos.

Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

protea anemone bouquet

gold bridesmaids

gold bridesmaids

gold flower girl dress

A flower girl in sequins + tulle is a recipe for CUTE!! This dress is by Miss Tashina!

gray suit groomsmen

gray suit groomsmen

Urban LA Wedding

Told you these two were fun!

Urban LA Wedding

Carolina Herrera Dress

And nothing like the streets of LA to make your wedding photos POP!

Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

Clint gave us a rundown of the epic ceremony, including a countdown!

For me, the ceremony was the key to the whole thing. A 5-minute countdown clock set the tone, with everyone counting down to the ceremony like it was a New Years celebration. The processional music, heavy on great hip hop and R&B music, got the party going and made it clear this would not be a stuffy, somber occasion. The ceremony itself was set up to be different – Jessica’s brother-in-law offered a happy, thoughtful sermon on love, marriage and community, and Jessica’s sister queued music throughout the ceremony from a DJ booth in an Airstream trailer. We honored our families by asking our siblings to read texts from an eclectic set of authors (Paul to the Corinthians, Bob Marley, Shel Silverstein and a street poet I met during my bachelor party). The ceremony ended with a group singalong of, “Lean On Me,” led friends and assisted by a karaoke-style wall projection.

Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Jess: ​The vows!!! Holy crap, those were amazing! His, not mine. I knew Clint would 'out-vow' me and he certainly did not disappoint! He's exceptional with his words and a romantic at heart so I knew that he would put together something amazing, I just did not expect a live performance. I was so caught off-guard that my reaction was to start doing the running man!

I'll also say planning the food was a memorable ​moment—we took a big risk and went with a trusted chef friend who has had plenty of catering experience but not necessarily a ton of 200 guest wedding experience. He was totally confident in his abilities and loved his willingness to create a menu around my food obsessions and our tight budget. We definitely went over budget on food, but it was worth it and got us a huge family style feast of oysters, charcuterie, the best tray passed apps ever, and some really friggin' good booze. My only regret is that I didn't take food porn photos on my cell phone that day!

Clint: The most memorable moment of our wedding day was when Jessica spontaneously bust into the running man dance move while I performed my re-written version of Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step" during my vows. While I have to immodestly admit that my ​vows, ​song and rap were fantastic, Jessica truly stole the show with her charming dance. The whole exchange really captured the kind of fun, energetic, romantically silly couple that we are.

Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

 

Our Musical Choices

Processional: Let's Get Married (Remix) by Jagged Edge | I Do by Jeezy, Jay Z, Andre 3000 | Lovely Day by Bill Withers | Worst Comes to Worst by Dilated Peoples | Love On Top by Beyoncé | All You Need Is Love by The Beatles

Recessional: All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled (feat. Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross & T-Pain)

First Dance: It Takes Two by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock + Can't Help Falling In Love by Haley Reinhart

chalkboard guest wall

button escort cards

Jess’ sister designed all the paper goods, including these perfectly arranged table cards for the guests.

button escort cards

Urban LA Wedding

LA River Studios housed the evening celebration, with furniture from Found Vintage Rentals.

Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

Urban LA Wedding

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

​Jess: ​If you can afford it, get a planner. Not a day-of, but a full-service planner! I have no idea what I would have done without Brooke and Crystal from Orange Blossom. There are so many minor details that having experienced professionals handle and plan ahead for makes a huge difference. I am so glad I budgeted for a planner up front because it made everything leading up to the big day so much easier.

​Clint: My advice is to follow the words of Shock G of Digital Underground: "Doowhutyalike." You only get married once (at least for us!) and the whole thing can be expensive and stressful, with lots of external pressures and expectations placed on you. Definitely look for opportunities to honor your family, culture, heritage, etc., but do so in a way that is true to YOU as individuals and to you as a couple. A wedding symbolizes the start of a shared life together, so my advice is to plan for your wedding in such a way that is 100% authentic and true to your current relationship and the happy, lifelong marriage you hope to create.

For us, one key was to tap into friends and family for help and even as paid vendors. We're lucky to have such talented friends and family, and to have tapped into many to make our day extra special. So much of the wedding – design, table settings, venue and production, food and cocktails, and DJ/music – was provided by or hired out from real friends and family that we love – and supplemented by outstanding photography from Jenn Emerling and flowers from Little Branch, and ALL wonderfully coordinated by ​our ​wedding planning team at Orange Blossom Special Events​.​

donut wall

Urban LA Wedding

If all else fails, a donut wall + cardboard cutouts of your faces are a surefire way to keep things entertaining! Congrats to these two love birds! We’re off to find the best hip hop playlist in honor of you :)

And be sure to check out their wedding video by Entropy with Video Production and Editing by Taylor Harrington, The Malt Shop

photography: Jenn Emerling // venue name: LA River Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA // event design: Orange Blossom Special Events // planning: Orange Blossom Special Events // florals: The Little Branch // wedding dress: Carolina Herrera // wedding dress boutique: Altered into high/low design by Miss Tashina // bride's shoes: Steve Madden // bridesmaid dresses: Flower girl dress by Miss Tashina // hair stylist: James at Canale Salon // makeup artist: Caitlyn Sullivan // groom attire: Suit by Bonobos // groom's shoes: Hugo Boss // videography: Entropy // paper goods: Christina Chung (sister of bride) // catering: Eagle Rock Brewery // tabletop rentals: A Rental Connection // furniture rentals: Found Vintage Rentals // music: DJ AntiQ, Anthony Saldana // video production + editing: Taylor Harrington, The Malt Shop

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