Wedding | Lauren & Justin

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met through mutual friends Lauren went to high school with, Justin met them after moving to Los Angeles from Milwaukee about 10 years ago. We were drawn together by our love of music. Our first date was at Emo Nite, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We primarily spend our time agonizing over the next new LA dinner spot we want to try for date night (oftentimes resorting to our tried and true: South Beverly Grill), snuggling with our XXL dog, Frankenstein the Leonberger, attending concerts (even if Lauren has to bring ear plugs for the Death Metal shows), finding every extra square inch in the house for Justin’s musical instruments, collecting concert posters, traveling to new and familiar places, and eating homemade dinners Lauren cooks from scratch after long days at work.

Lauren’s more of a homebody, happy to stay home on a Saturday night ordering takeout or cooking, while Justin has to be out discovering something new. It’s a good balance, and we constantly center each other. We fell in love instantly, became best friends, and somewhere along the way, started looking so alike that it should be scientifically researched (and unpacked with our therapists). We’ll chalk it up to all the laughs, joy, hardships, and love we’ve shared permanently altering our faces as one.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Lauren grew up in the LA area and really wanted to get married in Los Angeles, although we were open to all options location-wise. We came across the venue after we dog sat for friends who attended a wedding at the Paramour Estate. After seeing pictures, we went to take a look out of curiosity. The moment we entered the Paramore, we fell in love with the venue. From the eccentric and chaotically beautiful interior, to the stunning views of the San Gabriels, and iconic LA landmarks like the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign, we knew we found our place. We didn’t even bother looking anywhere else after that.

How many guests did you have?

We had approximately 115 guests. We tried to keep it as small as possible, but we were lucky enough to have a lot of people we love that we couldn’t bear the thought of celebrating without.

What was your budget?

75-100k.

Tell us about your outfits.

Justin: I wore a blue crushed velvet smoking jacket with black Tom Ford trousers, shirt and bowtie and boots, all Tom Ford. I wanted something different than a classic tuxedo, I liked the slightly overstated lapels and loved the blue crushed velvet as “something blue”. I felt like it worked perfectly with the venue, and I’ve always loved Tom Ford for their timeless pieces and flawless craftsmanship. It was the one suit I tried on and felt like a million bucks.

Lauren: My dress was the Tatum from Cinq, and was the first dress I tried on, after following the designer for years. I actually had this style bookmarked for years before we got married. I was so inspired by Macye’s ability to harness old world ethereal styles and produce something different and authentic and original.

I originally decided to go with another dress that was handmade from another designer, but when it was delivered about a month before the wedding, the dress was poorly fitted and not able to be fixed. I was out a dress and accepted the fate of buying a slip dress off the rack at a department store….until the incredible ladies at Cinq remembered me, and ended up finding the dress I loved the most, awaiting shipping for their showroom in NYC in my exact measurements. It felt serendipitous. I picked up the gown the day after and felt like a goddess on my wedding day. I ❤ U, Cinq!

The second look was from another designer I followed for quite some time, now Kricket Marie Atelier. It was a custom-made corset and skirt set that required about 9000 different measurements, but the time spent with the measuring tape was worth it. The set turned out flawless, and Kricket Marie has truly cracked the code on emphasizing the female figure. It was gorgeous on and exactly what I needed to change into to let loose on the dance floor.

I also wore vintage family heirloom rings which included my Grandmother’s jade and peridot rings, amy great Grandmother’s engagement-turned cocktail ring (after she had to get it cut off after an allergic reaction to lobster) and a baltic amber ring gifted from my Mom.

After the reception was over, we headed to The Rainbow and I changed into my Tom Ford tux I decided to buy after seeing Justin trying his on when we went to the store on Rodeo. It was something I convinced myself I could wear over and over again. I haven’t worn it since, but it’s still my prized possession.

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

We wanted to prioritize spending money on the things that mattered and also try not to stress too much (ha-ha—). Chelsea and Christy at HelloGem lived up to their namesake — absolute gems! Every single question, idea, vision, “emergency”, opinion — they had everything covered and made it actually fun for us to plan. We wanted to have planners we could trust with our budget with incredible taste and we got exactly what we asked for.

Our main focus was making sure everyone had a good time and had everything they needed to party with us in the name of love: good music, good food, and good vibes.

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

We wanted to make sure we didn’t get too carried away and kept the wedding vision elegant and timeless (thank you Christy for making sure Justin didn’t make our tablescape look like Ozzy Osbourne’s house, and for letting Lauren get her way with the vintage candelabras).

We wanted the dogs incorporated somehow (they ended up on the drink menu), and most importantly: good music, and good food. Our DJ was incredible with incorporating the music we loved, and our caterer delivered big on the menu that night.

Any tips for couples getting married?

The day of goes by in the blink of an eye. Take a second to take everything in, and be as present as possible to squeeze every last moment into your memories. As cliché as it sounds, try to enjoy the planning process. Wedding planning is romanticized, but can be difficult and overwhelming with budgets, life stress, families, etc. Enjoy the ride and try to have fun with it and remember the big picture. Also, go on dates once a week where you don’t talk about planning. Also, don’t get a puppy while you’re planning a wedding.

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

We don’t have enough room to say all the things we would like to say about HelloGem. Christy and Chelsea are everything. There was nothing they couldn’t figure out, they have impeccable taste, are incredible florists, perfect organization, demonstrable expertise, and are actual angels on Earth on top of it all. They were so lovely to work with. We couldn’t imagine doing this with any other planner, and we are so grateful to have found them. They made sure the wedding would be the best day of our lives.

We picked The Shalom Imaginative after coming across their IG and were really drawn to Nate’s style. We loved that the pictures were organic and gritty, and truly captured the present moment in a beautiful way. They were so awesome to work with and navigated the day with such ease. The photos all turned out even better than we imagined, and the film batch was out of this world.

We love music. This was the most important thing in terms of setting the vibe for the ceremony and the party. Allison at Dart Collective was absolutely incredible at taking our suggestions and curating the best playlists for every single portion of the evening. We appreciated how collaborative they were on such an important facet of the night.

Cindy made our experience with Fundamental LA amazing. The food was absolutely stunning and our guests still talk about it to this day.

Photographer: The Shalom Imaginative @theshalomimaginative | Planning & Flora: Hello Gem Events @hellogemevents | Ceremony & Reception Location: Paramour Estate @the_paramour_estate | Celebrant: Michael Montemayor | Hire: Premiere Party Rents @premiere_rents; Luxe Linens | MUA: Jenna Lee Artistry @jennaleeartistry | Hair Stylist: Annet Larkin @annetlarkin | Catering & Beverages: Fundamental LA @fundamentalevents | Cake: Lark Cake Shop @larkcakeshop | Entertainment: Dart Collective @dartcollective | Dress: Cinq Bridal @shop_cinq | Suit: Tom Ford @tomford | Reception Outfit: Custom Kricket Marie Atelier corset @kricketmarieatelier | Engagement Ring: Ro Ma Jewelers @romajewelers | Wedding Rings: Bride: Ro Ma Jewelers @romajewelers; Groom: The Great Frog @thegreatfrogldn | Shoes: Groom: Tom Ford @tomford; Bride: Black Suede Studio @blacksuedestudio; afters – Stuart Weitzman @stuartweitzman | Earrings: Adorn Pili @adornpili | Rings: vintage family heirlooms