Carondelet House Dinner Party Wedding

I simply cannot get over today’s couple and how much they exemplify pure glamour. Emily and Darnell wanted their wedding to have an intimate dinner party vibe, so they figured LA’s Carondelet House would be the ideal location to exchange vows and celebrate among friends and family. Thank you to Jen of Fondly Forever Photography for sharing your images with us!

From the bride, Emily: One of our favorite things to do as a couple is to host our friends for meals at our home. Our home wasn’t quite big enough for a wedding – but we still wanted that “intimate dinner party” feel. We wanted all of our closest friends, family and colleagues to join us for our wedding dinner party. It was important to me that it felt authentic, honest and full of beautiful, but simple details that meant something to us. We are both city-people and so wanted an urban and romantic feel with a mix of both modern and vintage details that fit the space – which has a deep vintage Italian villa feel. Authentic words are very important to me and I wanted the ceremony to set the tone for the whole night – intimate, funny, warm words from the two of us and our good friend, Ken, who married us. That tone was woven throughout the whole night – Darnell and I treated it like we were hosting a dinner party with 110 people and wanted everyone to feel comfortable, relaxed and loved. The dinner was served family-style and the speeches were few, but very personal and loving.

The colors were all neutrals – whites, creams, metallics (silver, gold, bronze), tan, gray. I didn’t stress out too much about everything matching perfectly, as long as it generally was a neutral. The space itself was already very decorated in vintage-y details (exposed brick, old paintings, leather furniture, wooden tables, etc.), so neutrals was an easy choice to complement them. My wedding and reception dress were both 1920s themed and some of the look and feel could fit with that as well, but it wasn’t an overwhelming theme throughout the night.

There were a LOT of DIY projects involved. I made my veil. I added the back necklace on my dress. I made the ring bowl. I made all of the invitations and envelopes. My friend Dana Morrissey did the lettering on the invitations. I made all of the painted signs throughout the space with quotes on them. I made the table numbers. I hand painted all of the vases. I made the programs. I made the menus. My friend Dana Morrissey put together the flowers (with helpers). I made the cake stands. I made (sewed) all of the striped napkins. I made the escort cards. I made the name cards.

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Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? I had heard so many stories about how much torture it was and how stressful it would all be, especially in the weeks leading up to the wedding. But I truly loved the process of planning this wedding. I was committed to not being stressed out leading up to the wedding so I did everything I could many months early to avoid that feeling. It is entirely possible to have a very relaxed wedding week if that is important to you. I think it’s all about finding the right balance between outsourcing parts that do not interest you or you don’t have time for and doing as much as you want on your own so that you can do it on your timeline and your way. I am also so glad that we chose to have a very personal, intimate ceremony. It was my favorite part of the whole night because it set the loving tone we wanted. In short – don’t get stuck on a formula for your wedding. Anything goes – as long as you are married at the end of the night, it was perfect.

Wedding Music:
Processional: “Love Song,” Adele
Recessional: “Gold to Me,” Ben Harper
First Dance: “By My Side,” Ben Harper
Parent’s Dance: “No One Like You,” Al Green

Wedding Location: Los Angeles, CA / Photographer: Fondly Forever Photography / Flowers: The Pollen Project / Wedding Venue: Carondelet House / Day-Of Wedding Coordinator: Ann Wang / Wedding Dress: BHLDN / Wedding Veil and Back Necklace: Bride / Wedding Shoes: Charles David / Hair: Jackie Epperson / Groom’s Tuxedo: Indochino custom tuxedo / Groom’s Shoes: Smythe and Digby / Wedding Caterer: Tres LA / Wedding Cakes: Southern Girl Desserts / Ceremony Musician: Daniel Jordan / DJ: Casey Connor / Wedding Invitations and Paper Goods: Bride, The Papercut Series / Invitation Lettering: Dana Morrissey / Videographer: Sally Rubin