I don’t even know where to begin on this SmogShoppe wedding…

I met Vanessa and Lyndsey for coffee and immediately fell in love with them. They had this clear vision of what they wanted their wedding to be and most of it was DIY, which I admire. Their wedding venue was also the SmogShoppe, which has been on my bucket list forever. It’s a smog check from the 80’s that’s been converted into a cozy, electric, nature-filled wedding venue in the heart of LA.

When I got the text to be their wedding photographer, I legitimately peed in my pants.

Their Words

We really wanted this event to be an extension of our home. Welcoming, Quirky, Fun, Warm and Loving. We drew inspiration from the slate blue hues in our living room and coincidentally came across the perfect blue while bridesmaids dress shopping.

We also tried to incorporate as many personal touches as possible. The white wine that we served (Joel Gott Sauvigon Blanc) was the wine that we drank together on our first date. The bridesmen’s ties were a constellation pattern and the ring bearer’s bow tie had astronauts on it which tied into Lyndsey’s career as an Aerospace Engineer and her love of space. The coffee beans were from our favorite coffee shop that imports Colombian coffee (The Boy & The Bear) and paid homage to Vanessa’s Colombian heritage. We had Vanessa’s dad’s hat sitting on the couch next to her mom, and the blue slate agate stones at our welcome table were from Lyndsey’s dad’s home.

We had a blanket from our engagement shoot and a blanket that Lyndsey’s aunt knitted for us on the couches for people to use. We also chose to serve all of our favorite food, like Mac and Cheese balls with homemade ranch (Lyndsey’s all-time favorite), a deconstructed california roll, an asian noodle dish, and street tacos.

The Ceremony

Our entire ceremony was written by Vanessa’s best friend’s mom (we are very close with their family), and her best friend’s dad was our officiant. Lyndsey’s best friend’s mom (another family we are very close with) did the reading, and we asked her to choose a reading that signified love to her and to not share it with us before the ceremony. She chose “Blessing of the Hands” and it was perfect! We also had our dog Maddie be a flower girl. 🙂

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Venue: SmogShoppe
Second Shooter: Edith Barfield
Florals: Karen Sartori
Catering: Critics Choice
Music: Vox DJ’s