ALI & MATT – THE WEDDING!

They say rain is always good luck on a wedding day, yet it always seems to give any couple a good scare. Luckily Ali and Matt embraced the scare of a little rain and decided to dance it out instead. Little did the couple know while planning their wedding seven months before that there would even be a small chance of rain for their May wedding.

Ali and Matt had always known that Pasadena would be the place they would tie the knot as it was the hometown of the bride. They checked out a few venues, but still were always led back to home. They chose the beautiful property of the Ambassador Mansion for the nuptials in front of 180 of their closest family and friends. It was an entirely outdoor location with a gorgeous garden, amazing architecture and a staircase for the grandest entrance of the bride. A ceremony where the couple was literally surrounded by their friends and family as they stood in the center on a bridge in a garden.

The couple wanted to make sure they added details about themselves throughout the wedding. As guests arrived they served pre-ceremony aguas frescas as a nod to the couple’s favorite beverage. A welcome nut station not only attracted their friends, but also the little critters from the garden.

From the ceremony, to the cocktail hour and reception, each event took place in its own space where the guests could experience different parts of the garden. Guests enjoyed appetizers and some of the couple’s favorite specialty drinks catered from Cynthia Brooks Catering during cocktail hour, while viewing the couple’s “Wall of Fame” of family photos. Their love for tea played a role in their escort cards for the guests as a “Plenty of Love” installation were filled with glass vials of the couple’s favorite tea leaves.

The reception was definitely the main event taking place under a tent frame with white draping and chandeliers above. The best part of it all was the live band from Soultones that played during the duration of the event and brought all the guests to their feet. It was the first time the bride had seen her now hubby dance, and it will definitely not be the last.