Romantic Outdoor Wedding with Unique Details

Yesterday we featured Jillean and Michael’s beautiful LA engagement session, and today we’re thrilled to share their romantic outdoor wedding. One quick glance through this post will highlight some of their unique details, but trust us: you’ll want to look through this wedding again and pin every last photo. It all gets started with this amazing collection of film photography from Lauren Balingit, and gets even better thanks to Jillean’s truly unique wedding gown (this stylish gal had a hand in the design!) and the lush florals (the delphinium aisle markers make such a romantic statement!).

Read on for more from the bride!
“Michael and I had been friends for nearly six years before it clicked, but once it did, our relationship was effortless and seamless. After a year of dating, he surprised me with the most intricate proposal at a loft in downtown LA – I am still shocked over the entire night when I stop to reminisce. We were engaged for 6 months and enlisted our dear friends Fletcher + Ellmore (also conveniently maid of honor + bridesmaid) to help us along the journey. The venue was chosen immediately – it was the only one we even considered. We chose The Fig House’s partner caterer, Room Forty because everything they do is stunning, and the food was important to us. The rest of the details we let fall into place effortlessly; we went with what we were drawn to and with vendors that we got along with. I designed my dress with a local Los Angeles designer and wore black shoes, much to my mother’s dismay.

I had 9 bridesmaids, Michael had 8 groomsmen and we were married by his best friend, and our pastor, Jake Sweetman. I wanted the girls to feel beautiful but most importantly, like themselves. I had them pick out their own dresses, hair, makeup, shoes, everything. They were breathtaking. We wrote our own vows, shared in communion, and walked out to Josh Ritter’s Homecoming. Our first dance was River by Leon Bridges, one of our favorites. We ate food that was too good, drank the best old fashioned’s, danced to very curated music thanks to Dart DJ’s, inhaled cake too beautiful to eat (Whisk&Whittle), hugged and cried our way out to Magic by Mystery Skulls and spent our wedding night at The Line Hotel. The very best night that I couldn’t have dreamed better.

It was such a blur planning the wedding; we both work for startups and had zero time to make decisions, so we went with our instincts. At some point we let go of the small details and always kept our focus on the fact that we were making a commitment and vow to one another for the rest of our lives. That was what truly mattered. I remember Michael pulled me away from the dance floor at some point in the night so I could take it all in. All I remember is seeing and feeling genuine, deep love, surrounding us – our family, our friends, his love, God’s love. I remember looking up at Michael, still hardly believing I got to have him for the rest of my life – this was the party of a lifetime, but it could have looked any way, in any setting with any dress or food or music and it would have been the exact same love.”