Chic Malibu Wedding For These Long Distance Lovebirds
For any of you couples that have played it long distance, one word: RESPECT. It’s no surprise that the effervescent joy in today’s Malibu wedding, the culmination of 15 months of long distance, is purely uncontainable. And how lucky that we get to witness! Well, digitally speaking at least. Standing before the dreamy ocean waves, Arielle and Tim pledged their love to one another in a bohemian chic setting, and we could not be more swept up.
Kaylee Chelsea Photography takes us straight into their happy little world, capturing all the giggles and sweet nothings in between. Planned by the bride’s sister, Gaby, the day could not have been more of a breeze.
Her mermaid waves from Randy Stodghill and dramatic eye with peachy lip from Therese Williams create a magical look plucked straight from a Disney fairytale. Am I right?
Not to mention how much we love this round engagement ring from INTA Gems & Diamonds with a sparkly halo to boot.
How Tim Proposed:
Well a little backstory, Timothy is from New Zealand, that is where we met and instantly fell in love at first sight. Because of his work and trying to get his U.S. Visa we were forced to do 15 months of long distance which was excruciating! So when he finally moved here I was patiently waiting for him to propose! The day of the proposal, I was hanging out with my girlfriends and one said that her class got canceled so we should dress up and go out, she also told me to bring Tim too! So we were all going to go to Tantalum for dinner but on our way, she got a call that she had to drop a paper off at school so Tim said we should just go to Naples to hang out for a bit. Naples is very similar to Italian canals with houses on the water, and we spent really special memories there, so I said “Of course!!” As we were walking, he found this cute place and said,”Let’s stop here this is beautiful.” He stood behind me with his hands wrapped around me and he just began telling me all the things he loved about me, and I could literally feel his heart beating out of his chest. I turned around and was like “Babe what is wrong?”, and I just looked in his eyes and knew…I always say that is when i blacked out because it was so surreal, and I was freaking out. I couldn’t believe that moment was happenin! He kept telling me how happy I made him, and how waiting so long for me was worth it. Then he got down on one knee and opened the box, and when I saw my ring, I almost passed out! I was jumping and crying and shouting it took me awhile to say YES. Then I jumped on him and wrapped my legs around him and never wanted to let go! Ha! And then my two friends who are photographers jumped out of the bushes and were filming the whole thing! Then he had my friends and family waiting at the restaurant overlooking the water for a surprise party, and we got to celebrate all night. It was so so special!
All the lovely petals courtesy of Willow & Lace. And that peachy floral halo? Just divine!
The cutest flower girl we ever did see in a ballerina tutu with lace bodice + sparkly sash from Tres Elegant. You go, girl!
From the bride, Arielle: My wedding day felt like nothing short of a dream! I had the most beautiful memories with the people closest to me in my life – it was the most incredible day ever! The style of our wedding was “Bohemian Chic” and The Adamson House was the perfect venue to bring my dreams to life! This historical Spanish house is oh so romantic, and with the mountains and the beach surrounding, it is nothing short of magical! I wanted my wedding to be an experience and wanted it to be creative and inspirational. Together with the help of my incredibly talented sister, Gaby Mulder (who is basically behind all the DIY amazingness at my wedding), we were able to create what people kept saying was the perfect Pinterest wedding! Our reception was in a beautiful garden overlooking the water with a giant oak tree and string lights. It was the perfect mix of romance and whimsy.
The best thing to do when planning your wedding is to look at Pinterest for inspiration, but create something that is unique to you! So we really created our own personalized decor. A lot of things we used were handmade! We had some farm tables that were full of lush garland full of flowers with lace runners underneath, and some had handmade macrame runners down the center accompanied by greenery. An overload of candles set the mood with a variety of antique pillars and votives. My dessert bar was fabulous, overflowing with cookies and brownies and cheesecakes and so much more! So many details were put into a backdrop of photos that were interlaced of Tim and I, and it was truly amazing. My sweetheart table had a huge macrame backdrop full of lace and overflowing with flowers. It was so dreamy! We also had a bohemian sitting area full of real Persian rugs and heaps of throw pillows. We even had a photo booth with a handmade backdrop that fit our theme – my sister truly thought of it all! Honestly everywhere you looked was a fairytale and a magical experience! We had so many memorable moments, from eyes being full of tears to uncontrollable laughter to everything in between!
Arielle’s bridesmaids sported a mix of Fame and Partners, Nordstrom, Forever 21 and Windsor for their wedding day look. Long live the mix + match bridal party!
What was the funniest/most amusing moment of the night?
We had the funniest people at our wedding!! There were two times I legitimately fell on the ground dying of laughter! the first was when it came time to enter our reception with our INCREDIBLE wedding party. I had randomly chosen hip-hop songs for our wedding couples to enter to, and nothing was rehearsed so how they each entered was UNFORGETTABLE!! I don’t think anyone of them had ever danced so hard. People were dying of laughter, and it was unreal!! The second time was when people were battling on the dance floor my friend came out and did this move when he “broke his ankles” and my other friend ripped his pants, and again I was on the ground laughing harder than ever! Also to start the dance party off we had the DJ play “Hot in Here” by Nelly and we had a little choreo with our bridal party where the guys started taking off their jackets and threw them at the girls headed to the dance floor. I mean lets just say it got the crowd going and it was HOT OUT THERE haha!
What was the most unique part of your wedding?
I loved our ceremony. Everywhere you looked, your heart just fell in love. My view of walking down the aisle was the people that I love most with the biggest smiles, the ocean crashing in the background and the man I fell deeply in love with full of so much joy with tear filled eyes. The mountains were behind us and it couldn’t have been more breathtaking. Our venue overlooked the beach in Malibu and people down at the beach gathered to watch. So many people had their phones out videoing and were bringing friends to watch which became a huge crowd but I loved it because in today’s society there are so many negative views towards marriage, especially since we are so “young” and I felt like we got to be that inspiration to people. We got to stand before our loved ones and strangers and make an unbreakable covenant and express why we had such a deep love for one another. We were so emotional, crying through vows because we finally got to begin our life together, in the same country, never having to do long distance again. I think people got to experience love in its purest form, and friends kept telling me “there was not a dry eye in the house!” We got to express that our unconditional love for each other only comes from God who has showed us perfect love. Even though we had so many people watching, it was so intimate and a very unique ceremony. I know it gave hope to everyone was watching and was such a joyful day for all to enjoy!
Arielle’s gown from Essence of Australia has us cheery + charmed, with it’s lace detailing and illusion side bodice.
The grounds of The Adamson House in Malibu is pretty darn photogenic. Would you even deny it?
What’s the one thing that surprised you most on your day or leading up to the wedding?
Leading up to the wedding, one of my best friends who is an actor told me she wanted to surprise me with having her glam squad do my hair and makeup! I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT! Whatever I wanted done, it didn’t matter, they would take care of it! I honestly was bawling. I was so overwhelmed by her generosity because on the most important day of my life she wanted me to look and feel like a princess, and truly I never had felt more beautiful in my entire life! Her team of professionals are INSANE! It meant the world to me and was honestly the best gift I could’ve ever asked for. I didn’t know I could look so beautiful!! It is so important to feel that way on the biggest day of your life, not to mention Tim lost it when he saw me. It was just amazing!
Wedding Vendors:
Photographers: Kaylee Chelsea Photography
Event Planning: Gaby Mulder
Floral Design and Bridal Headpiece: Willow & Lace
Venue: The Adamson House in Malibu
Wedding Dress: Essence of Australia
Hair Stylist: Randy Stodghill
Makeup Artist: Therese Williams
Bride’s Shoes: INC International Concepts
Engagement Ring: INTA Gems & Diamonds
Bridesmaid Dresses: Fame and Partners / Nordstrom / Forever 21 / Windsor
Flower Girl Dress: Tres Elegant
Suits: Marchatti Italy
Cake: Pam Mulder
Wedding Favors: Pam Mulder, Gaby Mulder, Danielle Obi