The Writer's Wedding

Last Saturday, May 11, I married my best friend. Held at a charming home in picturesque Pacific Palisades, the intimate affair was attended by 45 of our closest friends and family. Although the whole thing seemed sudden, it's actually been a long time coming, given that Vlad and I have been together for nearly a decade. After being engaged for more than a year, I woke up one morning and decided that it was time to get this show on the road. With the help of my amazing dream team, I whipped up our wedding in two months. 

The day was pure magic.

Vlad selected our sweet invitations, which were designed by Minted.com. Our wonderful friend Victoria Lara, who's an amazing photographer, took our official wedding portraits. (All photos here are by her, unless otherwise noted.)

Photo by Jesse Southern

When guests arrived, they were greeted by a timeline of photos from each year of our relationship. Vlad and I made these together using supplies from Paper Source. (Who knew I was the DIY type?)

I designed these shoes with an awesome Australian bespoke shoe service, Shoes of Prey. I wanted a shoe that was special enough to wear on the big day, but timeless enough to wear over and over again.

Crystal-and-pearl mani by celebrity artist Desiree Handly, aka Miss Handly. Take a closer look here.

Flower crown by my friends at Cult Gaia, who recently launched a bridal line. Makeup by Jamie Fisher of Blushington, haircut by Janine Jarman of Hairroin Salon and hairstyling by Marjorie Grissinger, one of my bridesmaids. (Fun fact: Marjorie and I have been best friends since we were 12 years old!)

Dress by For Love & Lemons and arm cuff by Vanessa Mooney. Major props to my girl Aimee Song for recommending FL&L immediately when I told her that I was on the hunt for a dress by a local designer. I wish I could wear this dress every day.

Photo by Jesse Southern

Fierce bridesmaid dresses by BCBGeneration. Necklaces custom-made by one of my bridesmaids, Jesse Southern of Rune Accoutrements.  

How good is the back detailing on their dresses? I love the subtle silver shimmer, too.

This definitely helped calm the nerves.

Vlad's niece, also named Natalie, was our adorable flower girl.

My hero, my late grandmother Maria de la Rosa, was with us the entire time.

I walked down a white rose-covered spiral staircase to "Cherry Blossom Girl" by Air.

Photo by BJ

I was so proud of my dad for not complaining about wearing a suit in the scorching heat.

LOL

My dreamy bridal party, from left: Dina Darwish (maid of honor), Sara Paulsen, Dani Drasin, Jesse Southern, Jean Marie Jingco and Marjorie Grissinger.

Mommy!

My reception dress was also by For Love & Lemons. I surprised mom with a dance and selected "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain -- an instant tear-jerker.

Like a gift from Mother Nature (I'm a hippie now), the sun began to set just as our first dance ended. Our song is "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder.

xoxo

Inside Fred Segal's Alpinestars by Denise Focil Trunk Show

This past weekend, I was invited to host a little trunk show for Alpinestars by Denise Focil and ASTARS at Fred Segal Girl in Santa Monica. A fun break from the observational journalist role that I normally play at parties, I spent the afternoon hanging with True Blood's Jessica Clark while trying on the LA-based designer's spring staples and getting my nails did by girls at NCLA.

Jessica and I sporting some AS by DF action. 

What's a fashion party without some strawberries and champers?

VIP shoppers were treated to gift bags with purchase.

Some of the babes who made the day perfect.

Standout items from the collections included this knit top (which more child-sized self wore as a dress, of course), these tuxedo shorts, this cardigan and these 100% silk trousers. Yes, your all-black-everything girl was inspired to explore prints. Fun stuff.

(PS - two posts in one week is kind of a big deal, eh?)

Top 3: Growze on Larchmont

Being a fashion editor, I find myself frequently visiting boutiques for research. If I really dig the place, the innocent work trip quickly turns into a personal retail therapy sesh, and suddenly I'm sifting through racks for potential closet conquests. (It all happens so fast!) To avoid feeling overwhelmed, I narrow down my choices to three items that I'm really feeling, eventually settling on one key piece. I'm debuting a new feature here to salute that process, starting with my Top 3 at Growze on Larchmont.

I first wrote about this Japanese-bred boutique here after attending the Taylor Jacobson-hosted grand opening. I like that they're always replenishing inventory with pieces that range from bold to basic, so every visit holds a new treat. Another bonus: it's on the same street as my go-to hippie eatery, Cafe Gratitude. This little white shorts suit in tweed has serious spring staple potential, no?

I also fell pretty hard for this graphic bomber jacket, which is definitely having a Prabal Gurung spring 2012 moment.

I eventually settled on this intense knit situation because I'm always looking for fancy tops to pair with my ever-growing plethora of dress shorts and miniskirts.   

On another note, if you find yourself in Santa Monica today, swing by this shopping soiree that I'm hosting at Fred Segal with my friends at ASTARS and Alpinestars by Denise Focil. Free booze and manis, kids!

Shop My Closet, Y'all

Please, please forgive me for not updating here. I'm in the midst of planning something very big, which I'll soon be revealing here. In the meantime, please come say hi tomorrow at the Blogger Bazaar. I'll be selling my closet castoffs with a few rad bloggers. Free manicures by NCLA and ice cold beer by Pabst Blue Ribbon. Hope to see you there! 

Simply Stylist

Proud to announce that I'll be speaking at this year's Simply Stylist LA seminar. On Saturday, March 23, swing by Siren Studios (6063 W Sunset Blvd) to catch chats with the likes of Whitney Port, Brad Goreski, Aimee Song, Louise Roe and yours truly. Panels will be moderately by our girl, Catt Sadler. 

Get your tix here and leave a comment if you any beauty questions that you'd like me to address on the panel. See you there!