Gatsby Reimagined

For quite some time we've been talking about how fun it would be to do a styled shoot. One night while I was working at a wedding with two of my favorite vendors, Heidi Ryder of Heidi Ryder Photography and Amanda Claverie of Rosebud Floral Design, the topic came up of the 3 of us working together on our own styled shoot. Our first theme idea was a winter wonderland wedding but unfortunately this year was one of the warmest winters we've had and the snow just didn't want to make an appearance for us. So we went to plan B.  

The 1920s-1930s have been my favorite eras for as long as I can remember and it's my lifelong dream to someday open my own "prohibition style" supper club. So when Heidi pitched the idea of a modern Great Gatsby wedding I was hooked - and so was Amanda. We wanted to do something bold and daring and also something authentic. We wanted to use real pieces from the period and then shoot at a venue that's been around since then. We also wanted to make it even more interesting and dynamic by incorporating a few modern pops. So we came up with our theme - "Gatsby Reimagined."

Now, when we do something here at Wish Wonder Dream - we go big! So we got together all the best vendors in Southern California (and beyond) and we created a huge team of incredible pros who each contributed their products and services for our shoot.

Step 1: Select a Venue. That was easy - I went to the one of my all-time favorite venues, The LA Athletic Club. It's actually been around since the days of prohibition and even though they've done several gorgeous renovations, it has stayed true to it's original style. The staircase where visitors would sneak in during prohibiton is even still there. Kelly, the Onsite Coordinator was absolutely amazing and agreed to let us shoot there. Next we needed a dress. And this couldn't be just any dress - it had to be THE dress. I reached out to one of my favorite designers Lazaro and chose an art deco inspired dress with a killer neckline and a subtle hint of color. Next it was all about the rentals. We needed a mix of vintage and modern so we went to our two favorite sources - Found Vintage Rentals and Town and Country Event Rentals. It was like Christmas getting to visit their websites and select all my favorite pieces! The time we spent at the Found Vintage Rentals showroom in Fullerton was probably one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. If you haven't been there before, you must! After that, we needed our cake. Heidi Ryder has a wonderful relationship with Sonya at The Cake Studio so we put our heads together, designed a cake based on the colors/accents we were using in our design and Sonya delivered brilliantly! Next it was time for stationery. I knew right away that I wanted letterpress and I also knew right away where to find it. A past bride of ours named Elma started a letterpress business shortly after her wedding called Simply Letterpressed and she's quickly become one of the very best in the business. I called her right away and we started sharing ideas. After a short trip to Las Vegas, where I found some inspiration in the show "O" and a few other beautifully decorated restaurants and clubs, I scribbled down my vision for the invitation and matching set on the hotel stationery. I couldn't believe how perfectly Elma translated it and when I saw her finished products I almost fainted - they were better than I ever could have imagined. After that, it was time to choose our entertainers. I reached out to a wonderful local band The New Recessionaires (who we happen to be doing a wedding with at LA Athletic Club this June - shout out to Brianna and Charlie) fit our theme perfectly and were amazingly fun to work with. They dug deep in their closets for their most authentic 20s attire and came to the shoot looking like they'd just stepped out of a time machine. They were perfect! After that, it was time to get to the details. Linsey Lucas of Arts Delight provided our beautiful custom gold garland, Kristen James of Gilded Shadows custom-designed our swoonworthy headpieces, Jessie Chadderdon of IngredientsforLovely provided our emerald green pocket watch, and Paperlanterstore.com provided our star chandelier (painted perfectly by Heidi Ryder). Amanda Claverie worked her magic with custom linens and the most beautiful florals you've ever seen and we were set. Photos of the day were shot to perfection by Heidi Ryder Photography and captured wonderfully on video by Jeff Roy of Visioneer Media. You'll see the awesome video below. The set was lit in our signature emerald green and gold by the amazing Ambience Pros. Last but most definitely not least, I must'nt forget to mention the bride and groom who brought it all to life and made us (almost) believe they were truly in love. Thank you SO much to Hayley O'Connor, our lovely bride and professional model and to Grant, our groom (and our intern Taylor's ever-so-helpful boyfriend). He was the perfect gentleman and quite the looker (we think you'll agree!) He even came with his own suit, which was styled "to a T" by Aaron Cordell of Klein Epstein & Parker. Angela Tam of AT Makeup Pro worked her hair & makeup magic and made our gorgeous bride and groom even more gorgeous!

We hope you love the result as much as we do! It was a lot of hard work and even more fun. It's the best feeling in the world to get to work with a team of people you respect and truly get along with. It wouldn't have been the same without you Heidi and Amanda and I'm ready for the next one just as soon as you two say the word! :) 

20s-themed Wedding Concept at the LA Athletic Club from Visioneer Media on Vimeo.

Photography: Heidi Ryder Photography | Florals: Rosebud Floral Designs | Design: Wish Wonder Dream | Videography: Visioneer Media | Hair & Makeup: AT Makeup Pro | Venue: The Los Angeles Athletic Club |Vintage Furniture & Rentals: Found Vintage Rentals | Table Settings and Chairs: Town and Country Event Rentals | Bridal Gown: Lazaro  | Bridal Headpieces: Gilded Shadows | Groom's Bow Tie/Pocketsquare: Klein Epstein & Parker | Cake: The Cake Studio | Band: The New Recessionaires | Stationery: Simply Letterpressed | Pocketwatch: Ingredients for Lovely | Star Chandelier: Paper Lantern Store | Gold Garland: Arts Delight

Congratulations Natalia and Philip!

At long last, we finally get to blog this beautiful wedding. We met Natalia a whole 2 and a half year before her wedding. She was a dental student and she and her fiance Phil had relocated from Southern California to Arizona for her schooling. Her school schedule was pretty tight so she knew she had to plan a great deal in advance and that she wouldn't have a lot of time. Of course, we were thrilled to work with her and loved the challenge of an out-of-state bride with very little free time. We met Natalia and her amazing fiance Phil (along with her wonderful family) numerous times throughout the 2 1/2 years and every meeting was always a blast - no really, it was! We always had so much fun and Natalia and Phil have a lovely sense of humor. Our love of sarcasm was definitely shared and we cracked up at basically every meeting. After what seemed like forever, their wedding day finally arrived. It was a gorgeous day on the first of July and the weather and slight breeze at Maravilla Gardens in Camarillo couldn't have been more ideal. Natalia literally left me speechless when I saw her arrive in her dress and Phil was the incredibly handsome groom who looked perfect by her side. Their color scheme of eggplant, green, and pops of coral came to life beautifully at their garden venue. The food was delicious, the dance floor was packed all night (led mostly by Natalia) and very heartfelt speeches were delivered by the Maid of Honor (Natalia's sister) and the Best Man (Phil's best friend). As you'll see in the photos, Natalia's father was pretty choked up as he watched his oldest daughter marry (which was adorable) and Natalia and Phil couldn't wipe the HUGE smiles off their faces. It was an all-around beautiful day and we are so happy to have been a part of bringing it to life! We miss them dearly and wish we could do it all over again! But we are so happy for both of them because they truly deserve a long life of love and happiness together! Congratulations to Natalia and Phil!

Congratulations Andrea and Ken!

Over a year ago we received a contact request from a bride named Andrea A****. Her name looked very familiar to me but I didn't think too much of it. We corresponded back and forth via email and then decided to meet in person. We met at a cute little coffee shop in Burbank and I arrived first. Sitting there sipping on my cappucino, I perused my iPad while waiting for Andrea to arrive. Suddenly I looked up and there was Andrea, standing above me asking "Are you Whitney?" "Yes", I responded and immediately it clicked. Andrea and I went to high school together! She sat down and as our meeting progressed we spent half the time discussing her amazing wedding plans and the other half catching up on what we've been up to for the past 13 years. It was a wonderful meeting and Andrea signed as a new client right away.

Andrea (as you'll tell in a moment when you scroll down to the wedding photos) is an immensely talented woman. In her professional life she is a new lawyer but on the side she is an enormously talented designer and owner of an Etsy store, specializing in refinishing/repurposing antique furniture. It's no wonder that her (now) husband Ken is an artist because they both have an amazing eye for aesthetics. We loved all the little touches throughout the wedding, including the socks that Andrea gifted Ken with the label "In Case You Get Cold Feet", the programs which doubled as paper airplanes for the guests to throw at their recessional, the potted herbs which doubled as table names, the pink flamingos which lined the aisle of the ceremony, and the doughnuts which Andrea and Ken sent their guests home with as breakfast for the morning.

Our team had SUCH a wonderful time coordinating their wedding and bringing all the thoughtful, creative, and beautiful DIY elements to life and the transformation of the musuem on their wedding day was incredible. Andrea and Ken had a whimsical weddings with DIY touches galore, subtly inspired by Alice in Wonderful. We are so excited and proud to have been able to bring this wedding to life with them. It was a pleasure and a really fun walk down memory lane.

Congratulations to Andrea and Ken and a huge thank you to the amazing Sarah K Chen Photography. This day couldn't have been captured more perfectly Sarah!

Congratulations Pamela and Khalif

There are so few words we could use to describe how beautiful Pamela and Khalif's late-summer wedding was at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. Once the largest mansion in Beverly Hills and now owned by the city, Greystone is truly one of the most lovely wedding venues there is. Period.

Pamela met with us early in the year 2012 and told us all about the vintage fairytale wedding she had in mind. She wanted to work with the natural colors prominent at Greystone and base her scheme on soft pastels. She wanted it to feel timeless elegant, and somewhat ornate but without going over the top. Pamela and Khalif have a three year old daughter and they wanted her to be a large part of their day as well. We think she made an absolutely adorable flower girl and it was a really special moment in the evening when she came in with her proud parents as part of the Grand Entrance. This crowd absolutely loved to dance and they flocked to the dance floor the moment the first song came on and didn't leave until the last second of the final song. Everyone had such a blast and as you can tell from these photos, the energy level was way up all night long. The details came together beautifully, with pieces Pamela had borrowed and collected paired with a few special accents from Found Vintage Rentals. We had such a lovely time coordinating this wedding and we're so proud of how it came to life. When their antique car came to pick them up at the end of the night (a surprise from Pamela to Khalif) you could tell that these newlyweds had the night of their lives. Pamela and Khalif were a dream to work with and we're just so so happy for them!

A big thank you to Rhea Ashlynn Photography for bringing this day to life so beautifully with the photos below!

Congratulations Janelle and Daniel!

We think it's pretty easy to see that Janelle has dreamed of having a fairytale wedding since she was a little girl. Her subtle color palatte of blue and white, her off the shoulder lace gown, her long cathedral train which flowed effortlessly behind her as she made her dramatic entrance down the long aisle, her white on white centerpieces which were classic and elegant, and most of all her Prince Charming Dan who looked as dashing in his tuxedo as any prince ever has. This dreamlike vision paired perfectly with the pops of modern edge represented in her dark teal chifon bridesmaids' dresses (LOVED!) and her monochromatic blue candy display. It was a wedding that would make just about anyone swoon and we just can't stop looking through these photos, captured beautifully by one of our favorites Heidi Ryder Photography.

Thank you Janelle and Daniel for allowing us to be by your side as your brought this beautiful day to life. You two are a wonderful and incredibly fun couple and your wedding was both a vision and a blast.