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Real Wedding | Katerina + JJ




Tell us a little about yourselves!



We met in boarding school in Switzerland when we were 14 and were high school sweethearts. After many years we reconnected in LA and fell in love again.



Why did you decide to have your ceremony where you did?



We wanted a place close to my Grandmother where we could have an intimate celebration with only our families and our closest friends. This place felt like a home. We wanted it to feel like having our family over for dinner.



How many guests did you have?



38. Both the San Diego ceremony and reception in Mexico were captured by Nous Nous Photo.



What was your budget?



We didn’t really set a budget but it ended up being way more than we imagined.



Tell us about your outfits.



I’m a wedding dress designer so I designed both my gowns. The first one was an asymmetric gown made entirely out of organic cotton cheesecloth. We washed and hand worked the fabric to give it a sort of pleated effect. The hem was left raw. and extra long for a dramatic effect. My seamstress and I hand draped it on myself. It really is a one-of-a-kind piece. It had a long cape on one shoulder that dragged alongside and behind me. I attached the cape with my grandmother’s emerald brooch. I wore this dress with gold Arielle Baron sandals. We are both Parson’s graduates so I liked the idea of wearing her creations.


The second dress was more bohemian. It was made in a variety of fabrics and textures, layering different silk qualities with silk lace from Calais. It really was a piece that took hours and hours to put together. I wore it with a Lack of Color hat to which I sewed a veil to. I wore this dress with the most comfortable Amina Muaddi sandals.



What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?



I really wanted it to look pretty but not over the top. It was very important to me that it felt like a family gathering and that everyone felt like they were coming over to a nice dinner. When hosting dinner parties I like to go over the top with food. I love feeding my guests a lot all the time so it was very important for me to incorporate that during the dinner. We had trays of cheeses, paté, olives, crackers, nuts, etc all through the three courses. By dessert, these trays were switched out for sweet trays with bonbons, sweets, candied fruits, etc.



Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?



My grandmother is from Finland and candles are very important there for dinners, so I wanted to incorporate lots of candles to the table. As for decor, I’m very eclectic and I like a variety of different things put together so that is exactly what I did.



Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?



The Lucky Devil band was incredible! They were so sweet and made the party so much fun.



























Why did you decide to have your reception where you did?



I fell in love with Prim the first time I saw it. I have girlfriends who work there and I knew as soon as I saw it that that was “the place”. Prim is a venue for all sorts of things but it is also a hub for creative women-led businesses where we inspire and push each other to be better. I recently opened The Katarina Grey Mexico Studio there. Every nook of the building has life and personality and I the energy there is light and vibrant and full of prospect! There couldn’t have been a better place for us.



How many guests did you have?



We were around 250 people.



What was your budget?



There was not a set budget.



Tell us about your outfits.



As a wedding dress designer I was able to have fun and enjoy the process of making my dresses. My first dress was made up of two pieces; it was a washed silk crêpe de chine dress that we treated so that the silk felt almost velvety. The skirt had 22m of fabric flowing to the ground and I left it all unlined because I like that lightness and light transparency. On it was a silk organza vest that was hand embroidered with stars, planets and galaxies.


My second dress was a slip dress from our Katarina Grey collection and on it I layered a Paco Rabanne chain and crystal dress that weighed nearly 15kg!



What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?



For me the most important thing was that everyone felt like this was a party! We didn’t have a ceremony as we were already married the week before in San Diego. All we wanted was a big party with all our friends, lots of amazing food and non-stop drinks. It really was all that we imagined and more!



Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?



As it was Semana de Muertos in Mexico I really wanted to incorporate the typical Mexican handcrafted elements (the plates, vases, flowers and vibe). I wanted loads of candles everywhere so that it felt like that time of the year (we used around 3000). I trusted my friend Ale from Planta DB to do the whole florals and decor, she used plants, Cempazutchil flowers, Mexican clay pots and everything looked incredible!



Any tips for couples getting married?



Choose your partners wisely (vendors, planners, etc). In this case I completely trusted my decorators so I had no stress, no problems dealing with them and execution was flawless. I can’t thank them enough!




















SAN DIEGO :

Photographer : Nous Nous Photo @nousnousphoto | Videographer : Romain Malavoy | Ceremony + Reception Location : Bastide de Bonheur, San Diego, CA @bastidedebonheur | Celebrant : Gigi (family friend) | Entertainment : Lucky Devils Band @luckydevilsband | Styling : Dance Blasena + the Bride | Planner : Dani Blasena @hautefetes | Rentals : Found Rentals, Casa de Perrin, Bbj la tavola

@foundrentals, @casadeperrin, @bbjlatavola | Flora : Plenty Of Petals @plentyofpetals | HMUA :

Stacy Triplow @triplowbeauty | Hair : Rachel Wiseman @rachelwisemanhair | Catering + Beverages :

Farm House @farmhousecateringca | Bride's Gown : Katarina Grey @katarinagrey | Shoes : Arielle Baron @arielle.baron Amina Muaddi @aminamuaddiofficial | Emerald Set : From Grandmother | Hat : Lack of Color @lackofcolor | Veil : Katarina Grey @katarinagrey | Party Dress : Katarina Grey @katarinagrey


MEXICO :

Photographer : Nous Nous Photo @nousnousphoto | Videographer : Romain Malavoy | Reception Location : Prim (Mexico City) @prim_mx | Entertainment : @santiago_miquela @alonsorivero

Styling : Bride with Ale Ramirez from Planta DB @plantadb | Planner : The Bride, Ale from Planta DB, as well as Astrid from Les Croissants @banqueteslescroissants| Flora : Planta DB @plantadb | Makeup :

Dan Avilan @danavilan | Hair : Octavio Leon @octavioleon | Catering + Beverages : Les Croissants

@banqueteslescroissants | Bride's Dress : Katarina Grey @katarinagrey | Engagement + Wedding Rings : Soler Cabot @solercabot | Shoes : Arielle Baron + Prada | Wedding Party Attire : Katarina Grey + Paco Rabanne





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