“This wedding was about 13 years in the making! We met in college in 2006, engaged 10 years later in Sept 2017, moved in 2 months after, and finally married a year later in March 2019. If I had to describe our wedding in a few words it would be and love and laughter. It was a day filled with jokes and joy – smiles all day. We are both fortunate to have a group of childhood friends that traveled near and far to celebrate this day and participate in our wedding party.

What is your favorite wedding day memory?

My favorite memory would have to be his wedding vows. It was interactive and involved crowd participation which I think made it enjoyable for everyone. He listed all the reasons why he loved me, all his promises as my husband, and all promises and goals we had as a couple. Other than saying “I do” I didn’t speak much which is what I preferred. A close friend of ours whom we met together in college performed the ceremony which was special to us. Although this was in front of about 120 people – there were moments where it felt like we were the only two people up there.

What did you DIY for your wedding?

For me, wedding planning was for the most part very enjoyable and I would do it all over in a heartbeat. We decided to craft for wedding and with the assistance of my Cricut craft machine – they all turned out to be successful and I was very pleased with the final product! Other than the formal save the dates and invites which we ordered from Minted – we made all the escort cards, timelines, drink menus, and welcome sign. Most were past projects and templates that were available on Something Turquoise which helped alot! Resources are out there, ladies! The escort cards must have been the most time consuming but the cutest for me! Definitely a labor of love! We did about 20 each session and finished in about 4 days – just a few hours after work. I made some miscellaneous accent pieces for photo ops: mini tissue boxes, vow cards, bridesmaid card, and custom denim jacket. I was so surprised how easy and affordable the denim jacket was to make! I had an old black denim jacket lying around, created a stenciled with the Cricut and then just used fabric paint. My father-in-law made over 100 wooden sign holders – we used this for table numbers and menus. He had some 2×4 which he stained and cut to size. Turned out perfect and we can reuse for future events – weddings, birthday, showers, etc. They were slim and do not take much room so we can store long term. The DIY aspect was initially a way to reduce cost but I loved doing it and recommend everyone to do something. The amount of time and energy spent made it more meaningful to us.

Any advice for brides currently in the planning process?

My planning advice to future brides would not to do it alone. Although you may be more selective this is a time to celebrate each other. Don’t feel like you are bothering others when you need help and especially when communicating with vendors. Getting on the same page with vendors gave me peace of mind and I think the confidence vendors needed to move forward. There are a lot wedding woes and horror stories from other brides but don’t focus too much on that. Don’t spend all that energy spent on worrying what could go wrong. Don’t get caught up in the pressure to have a “pinterest worthy” wedding. I caught myself a few times but was able to snap back and focus on our wedding. In the end my approach with vendors was giving them a good idea on what we like and what we don’t like and let them have creative freedom. They ran all their final ideas by us and I we were very pleased with the final product! It reduced unnecessary emails and stress on our end and it allowed the vendors to focus and do their thing – trust them, they are the professionals!

Although our wedding was just a few months ago it feels like a lifetime has gone by – it’s an indescribable feeling. Our amazing photos bring back the memories and our video brings back all the feelings. We would consider ourselves some of the lucky ones. We were lucky to host the wedding we wanted the way we wanted – a good start to married life. We found each other early on in this lifetime and were first loves and forever love. We won’t know heart break or heart ache. We grew up together and now we get to grow old together.” -Janey, the Bride

Event Credits

Photography: Lin & Jirsa // Wedding Coordination: Something Events // Venue + Catering: The Ebell of Los Angeles // Florist: Little Hill Floral Design // Invitations: Minted // Cake: The Butter End Cakery // Dessert Bar: Claudine Kitchen and Bakeshop // Music: Dart Collective // Bride's Attire: Martina Liana // Bridesmaid's Attire: Azazie // Groom's Attire: The Black Tux