There are so many things to love about this elegant summer wedding. It’s loaded with multicultural style and international flair. In a nod to the party where the couple first met, Federica planned a “White Dress” event. She decorated with style at the outdoor beach house location where she and Anderson celebrated with close friends and family. She included lots of little details like custom made thank-you gift bags, bamboo fans and white parasols to keep guests cool, and a charming DIY wishing tree. How else did Federica put her personal stamp on her wedding day? By designing her own custom made wedding dress! It’s unique, and beautiful, and looked simply stunning on her.
Federica + Anderson | September 18, 2010 | Encinitas, California
How they met
Anderson and I meet 5 years ago at a New Year’s Eve “White dress” Brazilian party. We were invited by a mutual friend. I remember we never stopped looking at each other after we arrived, it was definitely love at first sight! We’ve been together ever since.
The ceremony
At first it was hard to decide where we wanted to get married since Anderson is from Brazil and I am from Venezuela. Our families and friends are spread all over the globe. We finally decided to do a simple, elegant, natural wedding with our closest friends and family members in the place that we love and the place that we met: Encinitas, California. We held the ceremony at the “Self Realization Fellowship Temple” located close to Swamis beach. It was founded in order to make available the universal teachings of Yoga and meditation. Their philosophy: Self-realization is the knowing — in body, mind, and soul — that we are one with the omnipresence of God.
The reception
We held the reception at a beautiful house we rented from a friend…it was 2 blocks away from the ocean. This house perfectly created the beach, elegant, summer wedding feeling we wanted. I am a designer so I wanted to decorate and design every single detail for our wedding with my own hands. We had a lot of details like: The parasol umbrellas that were perfect for a sunny day, bamboo fans for the temple, thank you gift bags, wishing tree, “white” dress code and many other details, so it was a lot of work. My mom and I spend a week prior to the wedding decorating all the house, hanging the lanterns, doing the flower arrangements, renting the furniture and putting it all together.
The moment that Federica will never forget
I will never forget that I cried from beginning to end, I simply couldn’t stop crying. I ruined my make up before walking down the aisle. I was so touched by this moment in my life, seen my father walking with me, my husband waiting for me, all my huge family that traveled around the world just to be with us that day…I just lost it!. It was worth every stressful day before the wedding.
How Federica knew her wedding dress was “The One”
I was so stressed out two months prior to the wedding date, and was busy with a full time job, planning the decorations, food, renting the house, and so many other details. After trying on over 30 dresses, I figured out that I was a picky bride and that I was probably not going to find exactly the dress I was picturing in my mind. So I decided to drive to Los Angeles to the fabric district and buy the fabric myself. I came home exhausted from driving and from looking over millions of fabric samples, but I sat down at my kitchen table that night and began designing my dress. The next day, I contacted a well known seamstress and after about six weeks of trying the dress on over and over, it finally took shape. I am so proud to say that I am the designer of my own dress, and I simply loved the end result!
Why Federica decided to sell her wedding dress
I love my wedding dress, but is a dress I will only wear only once in my life. I would love for someone else to be able to enjoy it as much as I did. This dress is beautiful. It has to be appreciated in person…it has a beautiful energy and is the perfect dress for a spring or summer wedding.
