There is a sweet simplicity in scaling back the grandeur of a traditional wedding. A minimal wedding doesn’t necessarily mean a “lack thereof,” but instead puts a greater focus on the most important and beautiful parts of the day! For Josie + Robby, both artists in tech + creative fields, a wedding that reflected their intentional and minimal design aesthetics was essential. Grand Hope Events was on hand to help those no-fuss wedding dreams come true, and a unique take on the modern venue fueled every design decision along the way.
Josie shared more about the inspiration behind the day: We visited the Wright Ranch by a recommendation from a friend of a friend. Nearly every decision was made based on the place itself—even the design of my gown and dressing our wedding party in black. Seating, furnishing, lighting and table arrangements were all selected with the unique venue in mind. There was so much beauty there—we wanted people to focus in on that, and channelled our budget into other areas. Sometimes the problem with knowing exactly what you want…is finding it. Especially when it comes to a wedding which, we believed, had to reflect us and how we live our lives at every level.
Sanford Creative captured all the sweet moments from the day. Let’s have a look!
The Dramatic Bouquet
Grand Hope Events created a dramatic yet minimal bouquet for Josie. A white king protea surrounded by anemones and cascading greenery was punctuated by a Māori Comb, a special homage to Josie’s heritage and homeland of New Zealand.
The Modern Bridal Look
When it came to her wedding dress, Josie chose a stunning Zahavit Tsuba gown from Lovella Bridal. Paired with a Jannie Baltzer veil, Josie’s dreamy look juxtaposed the modern concrete structure with a breathtaking softness.
SO sweet! J + R’s 4-year-old daughter was the most beautiful flower girl!
Bridesmaids in Black
The girls wore a collection of dresses chosen from Reformation, Lulus and Ruby NZ.
Carousel
Carousel
King proteas all around!
The First Look
The sweet suspense!
Robby wore a classic black suit by The Kooples and a tie from Lanvin.
The Hilltop Ceremony
J + R’s ceremony took place on top of the hill at the venue’s prayer circle, where guest were surrounded by Balinese flags and views of the pacific ocean!
The ceremony was so intimate and we loved that part the most. It was beautiful to see all our people finally together and sitting so close to us. Our processional was a surprise for everyone except my father and me. We walked to a traditional New Zealand Maori chant—a call to the 'sacred fire' to give a place and its people 'tapu' (blessings). The group chant asks the gods to bless where we are, to respect 'the fire' and for us to pay reverence.
We stood surrounded by our friends and family at the highest point in the venue to exchange our vows. The Balinese flags caught the wind, giving such a beautiful and gentle background track to our vows.
Yay!
Minimal Reception with a Long Table
LA Party Rents outfitted the space with a truly magnificent dinner table! Robby designed the signage, menus, and name cards, keeping with the modern + minimal theme.
As a mixed race family, J + R knew they’d be catering for a large group with Asian and Polynesian family members to consider. Fundamental proposed a family style Asian fusion menu that worked perfectly for the day!
We were lucky in that our families made no requests or tried to influence the day in any way. Everything we did was because we wanted to do it. Stick to your vision and do what feels good, not what feels ‘right’.
Also, we found looking for inspiration from places that weren’t about ‘weddings’ was a great place to shape something different. We looked at art galleries, fashion shows and launch events versus simply other peoples' weddings on Pinterest.
We can’t imagine a better way to watch the sunset! Congrats to Josie + Robby from all of us at GWS!
photography: Sanford Creative // venue name: Wright Ranch Malibu, Malibu, California, USA // event design: Grand Hope Events // planning: Grand Hope Events // florals: Grand Hope Events // wedding dress: Zahavit Tsuba // wedding dress boutique: Lovella Bridal // hairpiece: Jannie Baltzer // bride's shoes: Saint Laurent // bridesmaid dresses: Reformation, Lulus and Ruby NZ // hair stylist: Dry Bar Marina Del Rey // makeup artist: Brooke Daji // groom attire: Suit by The Kooples and Tie by Lanvin // catering: fundamental // tabletop rentals: LA Party Rents // furniture rentals: LA Party Rents // specialty rentals: Circa Rentals // lighting: GEC Events
Flower headband win.
Stunning images! – beautiful clean, sharp just incredible! Great share! :)
Stunning location to shoot in and what a fantastic dress she has on
Gorgeous Dress !
Love this wedding !
Thank you for the feature! We loved photographing this incredible day!