Elegant Santa Monica Tiato Wedding
We’re going back to a sunny autumn day for this elegant Santa Monica wedding!
Lush white flowers with pops of pinks were the colors of the day with accents of gold and glam everywhere, all featured beautifully on Style Me Pretty with the amazing photos from Ether and Smith (formerly Honey Honey Photography). Come and take a look!
The Overall Vision
Marisse and Jonathan knew exactly what they wanted, right from the start. A lush, romantic vineyard aesthetic, achieved through roses, hydrangea, garden roses, and amaranthus in shades of creams, champagnes, blushes, and dusty pinks. They decided on Tiato as the venue, a restaurant in Santa Monica that has a gorgeous outdoor dining space. Rustic carts filled with plants and herbs, wooden walls overflowing with succulents, and amazing trees set the perfect backdrop to the couple’s big day. Beautifully coordinated by Wish Wonder Dream, the wedding was a dream from start to finish.
The Sweetest Couple
Marisse and Jonathan were definitely one of the cutest couples we’ve ever had. From the moment we met them, it was obvious they were the perfect pair! As Marisse says on Style Me Pretty, “My husband, Jonathan, and I met during our freshman year in college. As I walked down the residence hall, we locked eyes when he yelled, ‘You! I’m gonna write a song for you!’ and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”
We don’t see a lot of grooms come in for the meetings, but Jonathan was a sweet exception. Not only did he come, but he shared his opinions. He even remembered the location of a vase he liked in our conference room— we love a man that pays attention to the little details!
Both Marisse and Jonathan were very involved in the whole process. She says “we hand-selected every detail from the vintage love seats, cross back chairs, taupe and blush linens, down to the mercury glass votives to make sure we stayed true to our style,” which she describes as being “just like our almost 12 year relationship: a little whimsy, a whole lot of romance, and quite the adventure!”
The Gorgeous Bride
Our bride (who ROCKED her glasses and a gorgeous strapless Rivini dress on her big day) walked down the aisle with a beautiful bouquet of solid white flowers. Lush garden roses, white spray roses, and even more white roses were wrapped in a simple ivory ribbon.
Her bridesmaids carried smaller versions of her bouquet with hydrangea and white roses. Wearing nude gowns, they were the epitome of sophistication walking down the aisle.
The Special Ceremony
The couple opted for a special background while they got married. Taking advantage of Tiato’s existing pieces, we placed two wooden walls to stand behind the couple as they said their “I dos”, and adorned them with a lush garland of white florals, pink accents, and green amaranthus, arranged in such a way that it looked like a heart. Silver nickel lanterns of various sizes stood clustered at the front of the aisle, all of which was thoughtfully repurposed to their sweetheart table for the reception.
The Personalized Reception
We’d like to take a moment to toot our own horn here, if you don’t mind. We created not one, but two gorgeous floral installations for the reception, one over the guest book table and another over the decadent dessert table. We loved being able to flex our creative muscles for this special pair, and we think it looked pretty darn amazing!
For both the dessert table and the guestbook table, we were inspired by the pieces already in place. We arranged fluffy white blooms, pink accents, and green amaranthus to pull the dessert table into the rest of the reception while the guestbook table went heavier on the white florals. The end result was ethereal, a cloud of gorgeous flowers– appropriate for a table that was travel themed, with photos of the couple in different locations and a globe showing where they’d gone!
When it came time for the centerpieces, our dynamic duo chose two different looks. One was an tall, elegant candelabra with a singular lush floral at the top and big blooms on the bottom. Other tables had a low and lush arrangement of white hydrangea, roses, and lisianthius, mixed with light pink spray roses and a pop of color in some pink garden roses, all finished off with some green amaranthus in a gorgeous mercury bowl. The sweetheart table and other accent florals around the reception were arranged in small gold mercury vases, adding just the right touch of glam to this sweet wedding.
Fun touches to the wedding included the table numbers (one was “Table 1988”, complete with adorable baby photos of our handsome groom), Crustacean’s to-die-for garlic noodles served in mini take-out boxes, and a bar sign that included a photo of Lionel Richie with the tag line “Open bar Lionel Richie Style…all night long!”
But to truly pay homage to this reception (and to the couple’s love of food!), we have to talk about the amazing dessert table. A three tiered cake, topped with a “Finally!” cake topper was surrounded by plates and platters of macaroons and tarts from Bottega Louie, finished off with an ice cream cart from Carmela’s as a nightcap! Pardon us while we wipe the drool off our keyboards….
The bride’s last words are not “I do”, but rather some sound advice to those newly engaged couples. She advises “don’t sweat the small stuff! At the end of the day, its about you and your husband. Lastly, do not be afraid to think outside the box and have some fun.” Mission accomplished!
xo, Lilla Bello
For more photos of this elegant Santa Monica wedding, check out their gallery here!
Vendor List:
Bride: Rivini + Manolo Blahnik
Coordinator: Wish Wonder Dream
Desserts: Bottega Louie + Carmela Ice Cream
DJ/MC: DJ Wrex
Featured by: Style Me Pretty
Flowers: Lilla Bello
Groom: Ted Baker, Salvatore Ferragamo, + Tribut Ives Saint Laurent
Hair + Makeup: Design Visage
Invitations: Minted
Officiant: Alan Katz
Photographer: Ether and Smith (formerly Honey Honey Photography)
Venue: Tiato
Video: ByDesign Films
ABOUT AUTHOR
Toby Kassoy, was born and raised in Southern California. In her college years she went up to Eugene Oregon, where she first fell in love with floristry. Upon returning to Los Angeles, she spent 8 years working in the Entertainment industry, while all along, flowers were always tugging on her heartstrings. In 2004 she decided to leave her corporate job and open Lilla Bello, aptly named after the beautiful lilac bushes she remembers outside her kitchen window in Oregon.
