Wedding | Dani & Benjamin

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We live near the beach in Santa Monica with our beloved animals— two cats and two dogs. Our jobs in the Entertainment industry have us traveling frequently, but we’re happiest spending time at home with our fur family. All four of our pets were adopted from local Los Angeles rescues, and they’re occasionally joined by foster friends while we help other animals find full-time homes.

In between working and spending time with our pets, we love to play backgammon, watch reality TV and scary movies, and host friends at our house for themed events and dinner parties.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We discovered the town of Los Alamos early in our relationship while looking for a weekend getaway not too far from LA— somewhere dog friendly, of course. We discovered The Bodega House on AirBnb, booked it for a weekend, and immediately fell in love with the charm of this small town lined with wine tasting rooms, antique shops, and delicious restaurants.

When we got engaged, we hoped to get married at Bodega, the winery attached to that first AirBnb in which we stayed on our first trip to Los Alamos. While exploring the neighboring towns we discovered The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, a stunning new Auberge Resort that could host our wedding more seamlessly. So, Bodega became the evenue for our “Night Before” welcome dinner (an awesome 4^th of July party) before gathering at Mattei’s in Los Olivos the next day. 

How many guests did you have?

96 total guests. 

What was your budget? 

$200,000 (for both events).

Tell us about your outfits.

Dani wore a Cinq gown named ‘The Claire' for the wedding ceremony and reception at The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern. Cinq’s LA Showroom is just up the street from where we live, making it extremely convenient to pop-in for try-ons, measurements, and pickups. I paired it with a silk tulle neck scarf (also from Cinq), some off-white Loeffler Randall heels, a borrowed veil,  and a show-stopping necklace from Octavia Rose— a gold letter “B” with pearl accents, inspired by the iconic Queen Anne Boleyn necklace.

Throughout our relationship, I wore a gold letter “B” around my neck for Ben, and thought it fitting to do the same on our wedding day, but with an elegant upgrade. I wore pearl teardrop earrings to match the necklace, a sweet gift from my Maid of Honor purchased from NST Studios.

I changed into a Paula Nadal gown named “The Hilary” for late-night dancing— a Buttermilk silk slip dress with a high cowl neckline and an ultra-low back, hemmed above the ankle to make it the perfect dancing dress. Naturally I changed into some comfier red block heels from Reformation. The dress had silk bows on the shoulders, and the shoes had bows on each of the straps.

Ben went to Zegna to get a custom tuxedo made for the event. He wanted something formal enough for the occasion, but unique enough to stand out. The roofs at Mattei’s Tavern are all a lovely, deep red tile, and this was just the chromatic inspiration Ben needed to design his bespoke maroon jacket. 

Our dogs wore custom-embroidered neck scarves from Fren Goods.

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

The guest experience was of utmost importance to us. As two people who live to host, we wanted our friends and family to be treated to a “laid back luxury” experience at our wedding. We wanted every detail to feel like a treat. We wanted the day to be full of comfort and ease, like an intimate dinner party, but hosted at a 5-star resort. 

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

We really wanted the color red to be a through-line present in as many details as possible. Multi-toned but monochromatic, perfect for our summer wedding just after 4th of July. Throughout the planning process, we landed on this “Berries & Cream” theme, which inspired all of our juicy red shades found in the florals, sweets, stationery, and other sweet details. We wanted our design to feel romantic and bold, with classic/vintage touches.

We have 10 nieces and nephews between the two of us, and it was important that they felt included in our celebration. Instead of a singular “flower girl,” we had a “flower party” where all of the kids got to walk the aisle as a group. They each carried flower petals in a custom woven basket with their name printed on it. 

We really wanted to serve Tiramisu for dessert— it’s our favorite! Our planner arranged the creation of a Tiramisu Tower of coupe glasses which turned into such a fun photo moment. 

Of course, we had to incorporate backgammon into the evening. We had a custom board made with our names on it and played an inaugural game in the courtyard after our first dance. Dani won in an absolute trouncing. 

Any tips for couples getting married?

Your wedding can be literally whatever you want it to be. There are no rules you need to follow. You don’t need to participate in any wedding traditions that aren’t meaningful to you— and you can invent new ones if you feel like it. For example, we exchanged vows privately the morning of our wedding, just the two of us. During our “formal” ceremony with all of our guests present, we pretended to do a 'Love Island Recoupling' where Ben chose to couple up with Dani (forever!!) Curate an event that brings you both joy, and feels true to your relationship.

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

In addition to the incredible Events team at The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern we consider our “core creative team” to be Jess Kuipers of Onyx & Redwood, Nikki Strekowski Photo, Aivy Tran of  Aivy Floral Studio, and Avery Burke of AB Social Studio. These women dedicated significant time and energy into organizing and documenting our beautiful day, and we are so grateful to benefit from their talents.

Photographer: Nikki Strekowski @nikkistrekowski_photo | Planning: Onyx & Redwood

 @onyxandredwood | Flora: Aivy Floral Studio @aivyfloralstudio | Content Creation: AB Social Studio @absocialstudio | Ceremony & Reception Location: The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern

@matteistavernauberge | Hire: Otis and Pearl @otisandpearl, Avenue Twelve @avenuetwelve & BBJ La Tavola @bbjlatavola | HMUA: TEAM Hair & Makeup @teamhairandmakeup | Cake: Big Red Baking Company @bigredbakingco | Entertainment: The Class Band @theclassband | Ceremony Dress: 

Cinq @shop_cinq | Reception Dres: Paula Nadal @paulanadal_official | Suit: Zegna @zegna | Alterations: 

Sara Rothan @s.rothan | Engagement & Wedding Rings: J.K. Diamond Co @jkdiamondco | Shoes: 

Loeffler Randall @loefflerrandall | Necklace: Octavia Rose @octaviaaarose | Sign: Details Decided

 @detailsdecided_