A Fringe-Happy Dinner Party Wedding at Big Daddy’s Antiques

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Kalia + Joe know what they like: their home of Los Angeles and all it’s eccentrics, their people, and their food—tacos, to be exact. They set out to make their wedding a bold, elaborate version of the best parts of their day-to-day lives and if the final outcome is any indication, these two know how to have fun! Kalia gave us a glimpse into the day’s inspiration and what fueled their design decisions:

Our inspiration was modern-LA dinner party-chic (I made it up). We wanted the whole event to feel authentic to our life in LA and how we spend our time with the people, food, drinks and music we love. The more research we did, the more able to cut out the noise and focus on what was most important to us – for the event to feel like an intimate dinner party that we would throw in our home surrounded by all of the treats that we love and cherish – tacos, cheese, good wine and margaritas! To find the perfect backdrop for this event, we looked at private homes, restaurants and warehouse-style event spaces in the LA area. Low and behold, while perusing GWS, I stumbled upon Big Daddy’s Antiques (also featured in our Top 26 Coolest Places to Get Married) and instantly fell in love. It had an indoor and outdoor option, easy street-parking (at least for our party size of 95), and a one-of- a-kind vibe that spoke to us. It was hip, urban, industrial and eclectic, just like us. The venue also made it crystal clear which dress to choose – one that was unique and fun (yay for my tassels)!

Martina Micko Photo captured all the merry moments of the day—let’s hop to it!

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

bridesmaids

To counter balance the built-in décor and ambiance of Big Daddy’s we opted for no color scheme which meant very neutral kraft-color invitations, soft white flowers with garlands and place-settings. And to make sure our bridal party looked just as fabulous against the backdrop, we opted for a mismatched Bridesmaids look. My squad of beauties only had one mission – find something sexy that they would wear again and that mixed with the others in an effortless way. My gals delivered! They totally nailed the look and I was blessed with a Vogue-worthy pack of hotties by my side.

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Grace Loves Lace Wedding Dress

Kalia owns the glam in her Grace Loves Lace gown!

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Don’t you love how the girls’ looks all came together?

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Feelin’ those lace-ups!

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Joe suited up handsomely in John Varvatos!

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

So cute!!

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

It's a tie between our vows and walking down the aisle to see all of my closest friends and family giving us their support and blessings.

Vows: We both love to laugh and don’t take ourselves too seriously, so there was never a question about writing our own vows. We’ve dated for 6 years so know each other really well, but don’t really do the sentimental thing too often. These vows were our chance to poke fun at each other and say the thing we’ve always wanted to in front of everyone we love. We got mushy but kept it light, referencing our favorite shows like Insecure, GoT and the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The vows were uniquely us and there wasn’t a dry eye or unsmiling mouth in the house.

Seeing all of my friends as I walked down the aisle: As the bride, you’re kept away from a lot of the action before the ceremony starts. We had invited 95 family and friends, and although I personally managed the RSVP list, I didn’t really think about what it would feel like to see them all at once. The moment I walked down the aisle and saw our mix of friends and family sitting next to each other, smiling and giving me the “you got this, girl” look, my heart basically exploded. This wedding was as much about our network as it was about our relationship and I felt overwhelmed by our tribe who had come from near and far and during LA rush hour!

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Our Musical Choices

Processional: God Only Knows by the Beach Boys, Cough Syrup by Young the Giant (acoustic version)

Recessional: Cough Syrup by Young the Giant (original version)

First Dance: Africa by Toto

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

That fringe and those florals! Oldvine Florals decked out the chuppah with a neutral palette of blooms.

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Ultimate dinner party seating!

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

The cutest coaster favors from For Your Party!

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Create and stick to a simple decision-making process. We only had a 6 month window to plan so we had to get good at sifting through the myriad of options. My advice is to find a way to focus on the styles, prices and options that are best for your day. My process was pick three options by price and style and then choose one from there.

Pay for a good month-of coordinator. We planned our wedding ourselves, but were required to get at least a day-of coordinator to oversee the final event. We went with Sweet Emilia Jane who came highly recommended by our venue and was super sweet to us over email. She was magic and really allowed me to stay calm during the final month and enjoy 100% of our special day.

Remember that this is your wedding. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to be authentic to yourself during this process. There are so many opportunities to get swept away in the madness and excitement and wake up to a wedding that might not represent your life or relationship OR ends up unnecessarily stressing you out. Yes, we did compromise on some areas to satisfy a few friends and family, but the big focal points for us – dress, venue, tacos, drinks – were off limits to outside influence.

Los Angeles Big Daddys Wedding

Loving this day! Major congrats to Kalia + Joe from all of us at GWS!

photography: Martina Micko Photo // venue name: Big Daddys Antiques, Los Angeles, California, USA // event design: Sweet Emilia Jane // florals: Oldvine Florals // wedding dress: Grace Loves Lace // hair stylist: Dry Bar, Culver City // makeup artist: Felicia La Tour // groom attire: John Varvatos // videography: Tighe Dorcey // paper goods: Designed by a friend, printed by Santa Monica Copy + Printing // catering: Guerrilla Tacos // cake: Donut Friend // furniture rentals: Premiere Party Rentals // music: DJ Michael Basic // officiant: Rabbi Keara Stein // table numbers: Funky Olive // coaster favors: For Your Party // catering: Taste of Pace

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