Sherwood Country Club

 “I’m ready to partaaaaaaaaaaay!” Who knows what movie that’s from?!? If you guessed Bridesmaids, you’re right!! Stephen & Elyssa’s wedding was filmed where the engagement party in Bridesmaids was filmed! Bridesmaids is one of our FAVORITE movies of all time, and we love Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph, so you can imagine how absolutely thrilled we were when we found out this fun fact! The bride even watched Bridesmaids the night before just so she could quote it with us! Oh how we love our couples, they really are the best!

The girls spent the morning getting ready at Four Seasons Westlake. Cheek to Cheek Artistry did a fabulous job on their hair and makeup, and we loved watching the girls oooh and awe over Elyssa’s hair and makeup! She truly looked like a queen for her wedding day! And her dress!! Oh my goodness! We absolutely loved Elyssa’s dress! She got it at Della Curva which is the same shop where Jess got her wedding dress, and the second we saw her gown, our jaws dropped to the floor. The details of the layers and ruffles were gorgeous and her veil was unreal. She kept saying it was extra dramatic, and we can definitely agree that extra dramatic veils are our favorite!

Elyssa and Stephen’s first look was AMAZING. They both cried, and he kept saying how beautiful she looked! It was so special! We love the way they love each other and we were so glad we got to be there to capture their reactions.

Their ceremony took place that night and started right after sunset. The ceremony spot looked out over the beautiful golf course. All of the guests were dressed to the nines and came ready to celebrate them!  Elyssa and Stephen were married under a beautiful chuppah and we really enjoyed all of the jewish traditions that they incorporated into their day. They had a Ketubah ceremony before the wedding ceremony, and then the rabbi read the ketubah during the ceremony. This included precious and incredible promises like, “We will bring out in ourselves and each other the qualities of forgiveness, compassion, and virtue. Our love will provide us with the determination to be ourselves while cherishing each other’s uniqueness. We promise to treasure and nourish each other…..to honor, respect, and appreciate one another….to comfort one another through life’s sorrows. To share with each other in life’s joys.” It was such a special moment in the ceremony.

As they exchanged rings, they repeated this phrase which we loved, “This is my beloved and this is my friend” which is such a tribute to their love and connection. Then they exchanged personal vows that had us all in tears. Some of our favorite lines from Stephen were, “I promise I’ll love you for eternity. I promise I’ll laugh with you and obviously cry with you (he was crying as he said his vows, so this brought out some good laughs from the crowd). I’ll love you when we are together and when we are apart. Elyssa, you’re my inspiration, my lover, and most of all my best friend. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.” WOW. Too precious. Then Elyssa followed with, “No words can do our relationship justice. You were and are everything I have ever needed. I am grateful every single day for you. I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve you. This love we share is so special and the fact that I get to be your wife fills me with more joy than you’ll ever know. I promise you that I will spend all of my life loving you from the depths of my soul.” Their love for each other is so, so special. They truly are the best of friends, and they are so deeply connected.

After the ceremony, the guests transitioned to cocktail hour where a Jazz band was playing. Then guests entered into the reception which was decorated with the ceiling like a night sky and a white dance floor. Her dad, sisters, brother and Stephen’s best man all gave great speeches that had us back in tears and laughing. After the speeches, the guests got on the dance floor and danced and celebrated ALL night long.The band, Christien Anthony Music, was so fun and kept the dance floor packed all night long. It was such a special day and we couldn’t adore Elyssa and Stephen more!

Planner: Cluster Events
MuaH: Cheek to Cheek
Dress: Della Curva
Florals: Earth Baby Flowers
Bridesmaid dresses: Azazie
Venue: Sherwood Country Club
Music: Christien Anthony Music
Lighting: Malibu Event Lighting
Video: Monroe Films
Dessert: Pastry Girl