JENNIFER X ANDREW

images by stefani welsh studios california white wedding inspiration

wedding date 30 sept 2023
105 wedding guests

Andrew and Jen’s love story began in the summer of 2020, an unlikely time amidst a global pandemic. Andrew suggested dinner and drinks for their first date and agreed to meet Jen on her side of town. Jen immediately felt at ease when Andrew greeted her, and that feeling carried on throughout the entire evening, which to them, felt like five minutes, but ended up lasting over four hours. They both left the date feeling like it was the start of something very special.

Did you know leading up to it that Andrew was going to propose?
When Jen and Andrew embarked on a summer vacation to Nantucket, Jen thought there was a chance it could happen, but assumed her family or friends would have given her a hint. She wasn’t sure anything was happening up until the morning of the proposal when Andrew was nervously fidgeting and being very particular about the time they got to the beachside restaurant. When a photographer with a big lens starting running up to them, she definitely got the idea!

Winning factor of your Wedding venue...
Jen and Andrew knew early on that they wanted to have a classic, coastal wedding. After getting engaged in summer 2022 on Nantucket island, an island off the Massachusetts coast, they went back and forth on which coast to get married on with Jen being from Boston and Andrew being from SoCal.

After doing some research and spending time in different areas, they settled on Newport Beach. They weaved in this coastal ethos in all elements of their wedding and all the boats and the bay made it the perfect choice. They also knew they wanted to have a navy/dusty blue themed so the new blue built-in bar in the reception space helped seal the deal! September was always the month they wanted as it’s historically always sunny and comfortable in SoCal.

There was almost a rain scare early on in the day, but it cleared up by the time of the outdoor ceremony and it made for amazing lighting for pre-ceremony photos, a rainbow in the late morning, and an even more special day that they got to have their outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour.

Most important wedding detail...
Jen and Andrew’s first home they share, located in Playa Vista, CA is adorned in many coastal dusty and navy blues (from the art to the pillows to the coffee table books). They also often have blue and white hydrangeas in their dining room in the fall as it’s their favorite flower.

From their early wedding planning conversations, they knew they wanted to carry this theme on throughout every component of their wedding. From a coastal wedding invitation suite with a coastal blue envelope liner full of hydrangeas, their wedding really felt like a continuation of their own personal style in their daily life.

Most faaaaave moment...
Although September was historically always sunny and comfortable in SoCal, with the rain scare earlier on in the day (Jen was in her hotel suite trying to keep busy). Up until she had her dress on, it was still raining. Fortunately, it cleared up by the time of the outdoor ceremony and it made for amazing lighting for pre-ceremony photos, a rainbow in the late morning, and an even more special day that they got to have their outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour! "Seeing the sun come out right as we were taking photos was such a special moment that I’ll never forget!"

Faaaave Wedding detail...
Champagne was integral to Jen and Andrew’s entire wedding celebration from the very beginning as it’s the pinnacle of most important celebrations! When Jen asked her bridesmaids to be in her wedding, she created custom mini Clicquot labels for champagne bottles in her bridesmaid proposal box.

From a champagne escort seating chart where there were custom gold drink tags with mini sailboats for guests to sip on bubbly as they found their seats to a 9 tier champagne tower adorned with white flowers, champagne was essential to the aesthetic! They even had a hand-painted Cliquot bottle commissioned and hand painted by an artist with their wedding logo and hydrangeas that they had displayed at the wedding.

Your dress/suit shopping experience...
"I went to a total of three dress stores and tried on close to 20 dresses before I settled on the Martina Liana dress! It felt like the perfect amount of coastal chic and I loved how it sparkled when I walked. I went back and forth a few times about wearing an overskirt for the ceremony, but am happy I ended up not doing it because I would have hid the bodice and intricate detailing of the dress!"

Andrew saw an ad online for the Ralph Lauren suit he wanted and he tried it on at their flagship store in Beverly Hills and then purchased it! Needless to say his experience was a little more simple.

The meaning of marriage to you...
Planning a wedding and being able to marry your best friend is truly one of the special moments of all time - savor it and never lose track of what your initial vision was when you set out to marry your partner. Marriage is a choice and you have to choose your partner every day!

Classic story...
Immediately after their first date, Andrew famously called his best friend and told him that Jen was “Wife Material”, which was not something he had ever said before. Despite Andrew and Jen’s strong initial feelings towards one another, they wanted to take it slow and soak in every moment they had together. They spent time together every week going on different adventures; hikes, long walks around the LA area, and trips to nearby beaches. Andrew and Jen were clearly in love at this point but both of them were still waiting for that monumental moment to actually say the words. In typical Hallmark fashion, Andrew finally told Jen he loved her, mere days after they spent their first holidays together with Andrew’s family and the rest as they say, is history!

A piece of advice that helped you the most when planning...
Throughout the process, we often looked through our initial notes on photography style, design, and general vibe so that we didn’t stray from what we knew we wanted. There are so many inspirational sites and ideas out there for every element of wedding planning these days (which can be so helpful) but also challenging if you have trouble being decisive, so always stick with what you initially envisioned!

Wedding songs...
Our first dance song was Michael Bublé’s version of Me and Mrs. Jones! A fitting song given Jen’s new last name. They had coincidentally heard the song for the first time when they were celebrating their engagement with Jen’s family. It was also playing during Jen’s final dress fitting so we knew it was a winner!

Stand out vendor/s for the day...
Our florist! We knew we wanted an all white, timeless, and classic with spray roses, white hydrangeas, and a very full square arch were essential - Elegant by Design nailed the vision exactly! We knew we wanted our whole aisle to be filled with flower petals. Our cocktail hour was the only place where we added in some color - dusty blue hydrangeas at the bar and cocktail tables – to match the dusty blue sashes.

Outside of our standard vendor calls, we spent time in person with our florist and planner, discussing what all the centerpieces would look like, candles, votives, and overall design. I also came with a deck of her work that I loved and what I envisioned in my space so that we could walk through it together! Highly recommend this.