Aleks and Natalie started off the wedding day by getting ready at the at Westlake Village Inn. The girls got ready in The Villa, where there is a baby grand piano and some of THE prettiest window light ever. We love when the girls get ready in this suite, and Jess was in creative heaven! The girls had matching robes and sparkling rosè which was so fun and made for great pictures too. It was such a fun atmosphere, and at one point the girls were drinking rose, jumping on the bed, and throwing pink confetti everywhere – which is basically every girl’s dream, right?!
We have been looking forward to shooting Aleks & Natalie’s wedding ever since we first met them.We love this couple! They are truly best friends and such a good match! They are incredible humans, so full of love for each other, and absolutely stunning!
The wedding venue, Eden Gardens, is breathtakingly gorgeous! It is full of green arches, lush green landscape and even has a pond in the middle. It truly feels like an oasis! During the ceremony, the couple read each other vows that they had written specifically for each other. They were INCREDIBLE. Just to give you a taste, Natalie’s vows included Pepsi, the Bachelor, and fruit snacks. Need we say more?! But one of our FAVORITE parts was this, “I promise to support your dreams and help you accomplish them. I promise to scooter with you around Santa Monica, even though I’m always scared that I’m going to crash…I promise to not critique your “cautious” driving when it’s my fault that we’re running late…I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us. You’re my forever and I can’t imagine life without you!” We loved how personable, hilarious, and thoughtful their vows were and they were one of our highlights from the day!
After the ceremony, everyone transitioned to the reception. The food was AMAZING and the decorations were gorgeous. During the speeches, Natalie’s twin sister Amanda joked that they’ve been inseparable and copied each other since day one. They both went to UCLA and then when Natalie decided she wanted to be a lawyer, Amanda did the same! When Amanda decided to go to school in San Francisco, Natalie copied her. Thankfully she did, because that’s where she ended up meeting Aleks!
Natalie’s dad gave a beautiful speech about how the happiest and most proud day of his life was when his twin girls were born. He followed by saying, that in this moment he is even more proud and happy than the day she was born. So sweet!!! He also joked about how he’s always been outnumbered in the house with their mom and two twin girls. Now he’s so glad to have Aleks because there are two guys! After being married for years, he also had some important marriage advice to pass along, “Marriage is all about give and take. If you want a good marriage, it involves give and take. Your wife gives the orders and you take them!” Everyone laughed and agreed that he is right! He emphasized that’s how it works in their household and they’re very happy!
The whole day was absolutely magical. Natalie described it as her dream come true. Since she had been planning her wedding since she was a very little girl, when she said that the day exceeded all of her wildest dreams, we could not have been more happy!!
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I love each and every photo so much! ☺️ So beautiful! You both are truly amazing photographers!