Striking the perfect balance between modern sophistication and old world charm, today’s wedding is sure to take your breath away! Filled with chandeliers, candles and lush blush florals, it is a picture of timeless elegance and romance – and a lesson on how to do vintage in an urban city centre…..

After an intimate at home proposal Elizabeth & Louis set about planning their perfect day. With a love of old world elegance, and inspired by some shoes she bought long before becoming engaged, Beth knew just the look they wanted to create. But getting married in bustling LA, it was all about finding the perfect venue – which I am sure you will agree, they most surely did!

Elizabeth explains, “I am huge fan of period dramas, so the wedding was inspired by shows/movies like Downton Abbey and Pride & Prejudice.  I wanted it to feel dramatic, romantic, and vintage, so we incorporated light neutrals with pops of dark, dramatic color like deep red and navy blue.  We chose details that would add an element of luxury like velvet table cloths. Carondelet House was perfect for the vibe we were going for, it was a former residence built in the 20’s and converted to an event space that kept a lot of that original detail and charm – we didn’t have to do much to make it look great.”  

“In many ways, the whole vibe of the wedding started with the shoes and I bought them before we were even engaged.  They were from Boden and when I saw them I knew I wanted to wear them when I got married.  They felt very vintage and set the tone for everything else.  Unexpectedly, I found my dress at the first store I went to.   I loved it when I saw it on the rack and I loved it when I tried it on – luckily, my mom loved it too because we don’t always see eye to eye on fashion choices.  I wore really simple jewellery by Marchesa because I wanted the dress to be the statement.  And I had fresh flowers in my hair, which I loved! “

“Our florist Enchanted Garden did a wonderful job of capturing the romantic vibe we were going for.  They were one of the preferred vendors at the venue and for good reason.  My favorite touch was the flower arch for the ceremony – it was full of blooms and greenery – stunning!  The bouquets were made of full blooms like ranunculus, dahlias, and roses – very lush and romantic.  My bouquet was a loose collection with velvet ribbons tying it all together. ”

“The most personal detail for us was the ceremony itself.  We wrote the script for the ceremony together incorporating traditions from both of our religious backgrounds and our sense of humor.  Our friend performed the ceremony and he killed it, I just remember laughing and feeling very happy during the entire ceremony.”

“We had a four tiered cake from Susie Cakes and each layer was a different flavour combination – we couldn’t pick just one.  The cake was decorated very simply with every other tier being coated with crystal sugaring.  Then we had our wedding coordinator add fresh flowers to the top and base and a velvet ribbon wrapped around the base.  It turned out beautifully!”

“We are both coffee lovers and our first date was at a coffee shop, so we gave all of our guests freshly roasted coffee beans to help them wake up the next morning!”

Pearls of wedding wisdom from the bride…

“Plan as much as you can and want to, then do your best to let go of your expectations before the big day.  At least one thing will inevitably go wrong and the more you can let go, the more you will enjoy the day.  Of course, it’s easier said than done, but just try to be gracious with everyone and most importantly, yourself.”

Tell us a little bit about your photographer…

“We really loved our photographers’ work.  They have a journalistic style and we wanted our photos to tell a story.  They were also preferred vendors at our venue which makes things much easier when there is a familiarity with a venue and any specific quirks it may have.  We ended up making our own album through Artifact Uprising and are very happy with the final product.”

Oh I do so love a chandelier lit wedding! In fact I am utterly head over heels with every detail of Elizabeth & Louis’s beautiful day! Many congratulations to them both, and of course a big thankyou for sharing their beautiful day with us. Special thanks also to their wonderful photographers John and Colette who did the most wonderful job of capturing the romance of it all so perfectly. If you would like to see more of their work head across to their website at johnandcolette.net, and you will also find them on Facebook and Instagram, and Google+.

Or for more chandelier filled weddings, take a peek at this bright and beautiful garden delight, this romantic affair with its elegant barn reception and this intimate celebration in an Austrian castle!

Amy

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Contributors & Credits

Photography – John and Colette // Venue – Carondelet House // Coordinator – Orange Blossom Special Events // Catering – Tres LA // Rentals – A Rental Connection // Linens – La Tavola Linen // Florals – Enchanted Garden // Wedding Cake – Susie Cakes // Hair Stylist – Danai Schulte of Maven Beverly Hills // Make Up Artist – Nicole Burg // Wedding Invitation Suite – Sugar Paper LA // Calligraphy Seating Chart – Lazy Creative Design // Escort Card Calligraphy – Cathy Yu // Wedding Dress – Enzoani // Bridal Shoes – Boden // Bridal Boutique – Pebbles Bridal // Groom’s Attire – Friar Tux // Favours – Demitasse Coffee // DJ – Red Shoe LA