Palm Springs & Mexico City Vibes in DTLA featured on Green Wedding Shoes

Photo by Let’s Frolic Together

Today is the day I can finally share this epic styled shoot! Green Wedding Shoes put together an amazing feature on this shoot today, which I will link to below. But they couldn’t show you all the magic, so I’m going to share with you my favorite snaps of the day that they didn’t share. Are you ready for some Palm Springs & Mexico City vibes, right here in DTLA?

The Inspiration

Back in August of 2017, one of the owners of City Libre, Thien Ho, sent me an email asking if I would like to come visit her space. She said that they had hosted a few smaller parties but thought the venue had potential to be a wedding venue, and would I want to check it out? Well, I love everything new and exciting, so I said “Sure! Let’s do it!” When I walked into City Libre for the first time, I realized two things: 1. This 100% could absolutely be a rocking wedding venue 2. I didn’t feel like we were anywhere near Los Angeles. Immediately, I felt a strong Palm Springs vibe but mixed with something else. Something I couldn’t quite articulate. As Thien showed me around, I said, “Has anyone ever told you this architecture feels like Palm Springs?” and she replied, “YES! That’s what I’m going for…plus a little Mexico City.” And I said, “Yup. That’s it!”

We decided that a styled shoot to show off the new-ish venue would be a perfect first step, and so, I got to work. Palm Springs meets Mexico City meets DTLA. I assembled a rockstar team of Creatives, and here’s what we produced.

The Ceremony Design

I tend to do a lot of research for my styled shoots, and this one was no exception. I found myself drawn to photographs of arched windows and doorways in Mexico City, and so I knew I wanted to somehow bring that element into the venue. The venue itself only has square doorways. I found these all (and I mean OLD) arched windows at a junk shop near DTLA and I had a crazy idea. I have crazy ideas all the time, but this one was crazy and also required a ton of actual work. I decided I was going to mosiac these windows and make a ceremony backdrop out of them. So that’s what I did. I wish I had a before photo to show you. Just know that they looked grim. Here’s the “after”:

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

The fuschia bougainvillea on the aisle side of the pews, the mismatched chairs and the natural runner all complete the look to a T. I love this ceremony look so much!

The Stationery, The Jewelry, The Details

There was only one choice for the paper goods for this one, in my mind: Pigment and Parchment.

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

Can we talk about this ring for a minute? One of the elements of Mexico City design that I was heavily inspired by was their Talavera Mexican tiles, and so when Single Stone showed me a ring that literally looks like a tile? I’m in. 100%

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

Also, these earrings look like leaves and so I’m obsessed.

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

One of my fave details of the day was this sweet little sign that I asked Ro from Pigment & Parchment to make.

Let me give you a tiny backstory. I grew up in NYC and true to form for a lot of born & raised New Yorkers, I assumed that New York was the center of the universe. It wasn’t until I spent a summer in Los Angeles between by junior and senior years of high school that I truly understood that there was more out there than what I grew up with. I was part of a pre-college program (read: they kept us busy in classes at UCLA pretty much 24/7) and one night they took us all to a now-defunct theme restaurant, Ed Debevics. On the wall when you walked in was a huge sign that said: Have You Ever Been Happier Than You Are Right Now? I snapped a photo of it with my disposable camera (yup, I just aged myself) and weeks later when the film was developed, I carried that photo around with me. No one had ever asked me that question before. It seemed like such a California sentiment. No one in NYC cares if you are happy right now, for the record. Something about this stayed with me, and when I walked into City Libre, the quote popped into my mind again. I didn’t ask myself too many questions, I just leaned into it.

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

The Tablescape

My good friends at Archive Rentals have the perfect aesthetic for this shoot, naturally. So many of their pieces are sourced directly from Mexico, and their whole vibe is laid-back elegance, which was so spot on. Krystal at Archive is a love and a design expert, so with her assistance, we chose the perfect tablescape elements. Did you know that Archive has tabletop rentals too, not just amazing furniture? Well, now you do!

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

The butter yellow linen napkins by La Tavola were the perfect accent to the bold blue plates and clean white lines of the chargers and salad plates. Each guest got to take home a cement potted plant to add to their home gardens.

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

The Food & Drink

I know it’s super Extra to have food and drinks in a styled shoot. I know. But I’m a foodie, and so I wanted to celebrate some of my favorite vendors. On a wedding day, the food doesn’t usually get it’s full due in front of the camera, and the same goes for drinks. But when the food and drink are this gorgeous, they deserve every bit of their time in the spotlight!

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

These savory cannoli appetizers are SO my jam!

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

And who doesn’t love a fresh bite of watermelon & cheese?

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

And the drinks!! Look at how gorgeous they are! Check out the video over on Green Wedding Shoes to see Sean in action – it’s so cool to watch him make these!

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

To see more from this epic shoot, including the amazing cake

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

and so many gorgeous florals

Photo by Lets Frolic Together

head over to Green Wedding Shoes!

Venue: City Libre Concept, Design & Planning: Moxie Bright Events Photography: Let’s Frolic Together Floral Design: Upton Grey Floral Videography: Press Films & Media Rentals: Archive Rentals Invitations/Paper Goods: Pigment & Parchment Catering: Jennie Cooks Catering & Plant Based Parties Bar: Cali Craft Cocktails Cake: Cakes by Colin Hair, Makeup & Grooming: Mobile Bridal Salon Officiant: Rev. Dawn Pup Care: Black Tie Kids Bridal Gown & Veil: Vene Ai Studio Jewelry: Single Stone Tux: Friar Tux Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen Bride: Chloe Damek Groom: Richard Damek