Bri & Ben's chill-but-gorgeous LA wedding

Because you know I love a good follow-up............... How could I not feature Bri & Ben's wedding, featuring THAT MARA HOFFMAN DRESS in the wild?

Also, this is just the kind of wedding that makes me love weddings. (Though it brings back those old why-did-I-grow-out-my-bangs-for-my-wedding?! regrets.)

Anyhoo.

Here are a few words from Bri:

When Ben and I planned our wedding we really wanted to be kind of chill and laid back about it. That's easy for him, but not as easy for me since I struggle with a need to always be in control. But we focused really hard on remembering that it was just like our small house parties, only huge. 

We consulted each other on our wedding attire (no secrecy here -- he's my most influential fashion adviser), and relaxed on nitpicking the wedding party attire. I asked the bridesmaids to wear bright colors as if they were flowers in the spring garden and they totally nailed it. The groomsmen wore springy suits and colorful plaid ties to fit with the theme.

Writing vows was so much harder than I expected! It's not that I have trouble expressing my feelings for Ben, but that it was a public declaration. It was really hard deciding what all those friends and family should hear or would want to hear. In the end we coordinated our vows by agreeing on a general length and rhythm and they turned out lovely. Even now friends and family continue to bring up how much they were moved by our very personal vows, and it feels like the best compliment you can get on your wedding.

Ben sings in The Silver Lake Chorus and plays fiddle and mandolin, and has also played music in his hometown of Charleston, SC. We both have a lot of musically talented friends, and several of them provided the sweet sounds - a personalized processional song was performed for us by the songwriter, an a capella female trio (friends we met through the chorus) sang "The Book of Love" mid-ceremony, and two of Ben's friends and former bandmates from Charleston performed a first dance version of "The Luckiest." My sister Genevieve and another friend co-DJ'd the after-dinner dance party.

The projects I decided to labor over were ones that I truly enjoyed putting together. My tin can succulent centerpieces were my pride and joy (and took forever), and designing my own invitations was really fun (and cheap!). 

The scariest moment of the day happened to Genevieve who was my maid of honor. I asked her to hold onto my vows until the moment I would read them. During the ceremony, she realized she didn't have them with her. Panicked, she quietly left the ceremony to frantically search the bridal suite. She didn't find them, and came back certain that everything was about to implode with her failure. When it came time to read them... I pulled them out from the inside of my palm, and she was of course completely relieved. (Before the ceremony began, I was feeling overwhelmed and wanted to reflect for 5 minutes. She didn't realize that I had taken the vows back to look them over alone in my bridal suite. Then when it was time to go, I tucked them into the bouquet and carried them out with me.) Little did I know what a scare I gave to her -- Ha! We laugh about it now, but I still have pangs of guilt for putting her through that.

The best part of the day was taking a moment alone with Ben after the ceremony where we breathed a sigh of relief and drank some champagne before heading out for photos and reception. We just looked at each other like "We just did it! We just got married!" We took some terrible selfies and posted them to instagram. Finally I got to stop worrying about everything.

The wedding was just a party, and yet so much more. I never wanted to be a "bride" in the pinterest sense, but looking back, I was and it was fucking fun.

♥

Photos by the lovelies of Rad & In Love (as always, there are lots more over on their blog)

check out the bride in Helmut Lang

All you DOUBTERS may feel free to admit you were wrong.

(Photos by Winnie Au for Refinery 29)

someone got married in that temperley dress!

too bad the groom's ensemble is blinding.
but the hair/lipstick situation is pretty satisfactory.

-- says an anonymous reader

I say, WHY NOT LET THE GROOM STEAL A LITTLE THUNDER? That suit fits him peeeurfectly.

In other news.... I am alive. Just got back from Atlanta + NYC. Ate too many potato products, drank too much coffee and toooooo many cocktails, tried on a pair of Birkenstocks and concluded that they are not for me.

Also: I may finally be a skinny jeans convert. More on that later.

(Photos by Jessica Peterson via The House That Lars Built)


p.s. There's a fresh MMOHIAC for you over here.

speaking of women in suits....

I know I said I was bored with weddings, but when I saw these photos……… I MEAN COME ON

I had to post a few.

Claire + Leslie recently founded O'Harrow Clothiers, based in Silver Lake, and are already kicking ass with their Pocket Squares for Well-Mannered Rebels and button-downs for both women and men.

And, from Claire, re their suits: 

I got mine from Theory and Leslie got hers made by Requisite Clothing, highly recommend them. 

(Photos by Rad + In Love -- check out more from this rad Palm Springs wedding over on their blog)

Look who didn’t bother taking my advice

She bought the fugly Alexander McQueens and also a blue pair from Lauren Marinis and she looks pretty stoked about it, so what the eff do I know?

(Photos by Craig + Kate. See tons more + all the dets over on Rock My Wedding.)

A wedding reflection

Dear ESB,

I had the task of writing myself a letter, which would be sent to me at an undisclosed time in the future (part of an arts/culture experience in my city). It was a few weeks after my wedding so I ended up writing to myself about the day, in a selfish attempt to keep it fresh in my mind and preserve the memory. This was about two months ago and I just received the letter back, and it was really lovely to read. 

I just wanted to recommend to any brides out there to write down their thoughts and feelings from their wedding day, and tuck it away for safekeeping. It might be that people already do this?! - but it was definitely worthwhile for me. While the photographs capture the details and the setting, the note helps to preserve what you were thinking and feeling. x


You got married to a wonderful man on the seaside in Cornwall a few short weeks ago. You were uncharacteristically relaxed on the morning of the wedding. B gave you a pill to help you sleep the night before. You felt it make your eyes go heavy, but your brain spun, not for too long though, and then you were asleep. In the morning everything went smoothly; you were the vision of calm. The bridesmaids were a great distraction and they made you feel spectacular. Remember that – you felt great, and calm, and ready. His eyes were welling up when you came down the aisle, and you could sense the overwhelming joy and pride in his gaze. Your heart beat a bit faster. You couldn't stop smiling. Your legs felt a little bit wobbly. You were nervous people would see them shaking slightly under your dress. You loved saying the vows, you loved staring into C’s eyes. It was the best moment. And the wedding was filled with so many wonderful moments. Being surrounded by friends and family. The way everyone cheered when you were announced into the reception room. Swirling around the dance floor to Stevie Wonder. Excitement and laughter.

This one seemed perfect for Thanksgiving week. xooo to all of you.

(Photo by Debs Ivelja)

a vegas elopement in polaroids

I dig all the photos from Stephanie & Micah's lovely little Vegas wedding (see more over on their travel blog), but the polaroids? OH MAN THE POLAROIDS. 

Expired polaroids slay me every time.

A few words from Stephanie:

So our little story goes like this...

We're both from Australia, have been together for 8 years and just recently returned to Melbourne after 15 months of overseas travel. We were never really interested in getting married, but now that I think about it, it was just that we never wanted a wedding. When we began planning our way back home to Melbourne, it felt very right to get married as a beautiful way to end the year long travel adventure we shared.

The idea to wed in Vegas honestly started out as something we'd kind of joke about. However after we discovered Gaby Jeter (our wonderful photographer) and realised that Vegas has some pretty charming aspects to it, we couldn't imagine being married anywhere else.

Organising a wedding/ elopement/ private ceremony, whatever you want to call it, in Vegas wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, and actually a bit of a nightmare at times. After reading countless online reviews about the infamous Vegas chapels, that we only imagined would be really cute and kitsch (so wrong), we saw a recurring theme of people being scammed, and we kinda didn't want to be scammed on our wedding day, you know?

Being able to choose our own celebrant and ceremony location helped to keep the level of Vegas tacky-ness pretty low. Because neither of us had ever been to Vegas before, we relied on Google maps to help us find photo locations (like the gorgeous Tod Motor Hotel featured in our pictures) and then Gaby would confirm if the colourful mid-century buildings we liked were still standing.

All in all, I can't recommend eloping enough (Vegas or not). It's incredibly romantic, it's fun, and you get to spend the whole day with your beloved prancing around in beautiful clothes with (maybe) the biggest secret you've ever kept. Then you get to call your family and friends back home and share the beautiful, happy news. Our parents and a couple of others did already know - couldn't quite do that to them!

Now that we're back home, we're having a little party to celebrate our marriage - minus any wedding stress. Just an opportunity to wear my dress again(!) and celebrate with our nearest and dearest.

- Stephanie & Micah


Dets on Stephanie's attire + her unanswered Dear ESB are over here if you missed em.

(POLAROIDDDDDDDDDS by Gaby Jeter)

look who didn't need any help

July 8, 2013

Dear ESB,

My boyfriend and I are eloping to Vegas in two months time and we're very excited! Before everyone shudders at the thought, we are getting married by an officiant in the desert under an old tree. We originally loved the idea of an old Vegas chapel, until we read all the terrifying reviews.

We have found a great photographer that takes photos only on film and are going to be taking some shots around various mid-century style locations in Vegas and also in the Nevada desert.

Because we are eloping nobody knows and therefore my sisters and girlfriends can't help me in terms of my outfit, makeup and hair. So I'm counting on the sisterhood of ESB - please help me!

This is my dress [pictured above] (except I will be wearing a white slip underneath). I know it's going to be boiling hot, but it's going to be hot regardless of what I wear.

My flowers are going to be a bunch of white daisies. These have been ordered already.

Now for the things I have no idea what to do:

I was thinking for shoes white, pointed heels, like this but where do I find something like this that doesn't cost the earth? Also open to other suggestions for shoes that don't look like this... (I don't like my toes however, so maybe no open-toe suggestions)

I have straight, medium length brown hair...any suggestions for a hair style? 

I've absolutely no idea.

And for make-up, I want to keep it all quite romantic and natural, no red lips.

Thank you in advance!!

- Secret bride

*****

Nov 11, 2013

How did you accessorize???

*****

Nov 11, 2013

hello :)

I wore white patent leather pumps by Marc Jacobs, Satomi Kawakita tiny pearl studs (from Catbird) and that was it!

I mean. THIS IS PERFECT, AMIRITE?

Photo by Gaby Jeter (with more to follow!)

[CENSORED] the Follow Up!

Hi ESB, 

Remember me? [I do remember you! But I'm not linking to your Dear ESB because let's not get you in trouble.] I just wanted write you with updates (and pictures!) about our wedding. 

It. Was. Fucking. AWESOME. 

FH (now H!) and I decided to use my mother's $3,000 gift along with our own money to put on the wedding WE wanted and could afford. This meant that our May 2014 date got pushed up to October 2013, as I had initially wanted, and we also opted to have an after-wedding dinner at a local restaurant instead of a formal reception. We also decided to use a portion of the money towards a 'pre-honeymoon' and spent three days before the big day alone, exploring our in-between city of Charleston, South Carolina, and enjoying each others company before our families and friends arrived. 

Our wedding was quiet and intimate, with a whopping grand total of 50 guests. Everything went as planned, so much so that for the first part of the day I was actually waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was especially anxious about how things would go with [CENSORED] and the dinner plans. But after I was dressed and preparing to walk down the aisle, I took a deep breath and decided to let whatever was going to happen, happen... and it turns out that that included choking up and crying like a baby halfway through the ceremony as I did my wedding reading, an excerpt from "Selected Letters of Friedrich Nietzsche." 

People always say that weddings are communal events, and ours definitely would not have been possible without the help of our family and friends. My grandmother officiated the wedding, our amazing friend Luc took the pictures, a close friend acted as impromptu wedding coordinator, and [CENSORED] my in-laws graciously paid for our wedding dinner! Your amazing advice coupled with that of your amazing commenters about [CENSORED] was completely correct. So thank you!

Sincerely,

[CENSORED] Now That The Wedding Is Over

*****

So much ♥ to you, Ladyfriend.

I actually started crying when I first opened your email.

(Photos by Luc Alexandre)