Kona Kai Resort Wedding
When you put together a wedding by the water and styling by lace and likes, you’re essentially guaranteed a winner. Dorene and Omri’s wedding was filled to the brim with amazing styling ideas, like the painted cinder blocks and the epic wood seating chart display, all captured by the wonderful Rad + In Love.
From the bride, Dorene: Our style is eclectic and wanted to incorporate a mix of modern and traditional elements. We wanted to combine our two families and celebrate our own cultures, so we incorporated Israeli and Jewish traditions into the ceremony, and Chinese elements within the reception. Unbeknownst to the guests or even Omri, I changed outfits in the middle of the reception and came out in my mom’s Cheongsam, a traditional Chinese reception dress, which she wore in her wedding! Our number one priority was to celebrate our marriage and our newly merged families and we wanted to make sure everyone had a good time. Rachael helped to create a beautiful and unique ceremony-scape that embodied the both of us – there were soft flowing elements (the hand-dyed muslin hanging from the chuppah) and also more modern and rustic elements, such as the raw wooden podium and cement cinder blocks lining the aisle.
Bouquet recipe: Peonies, roses, dahlias, and a wild tilandsia.
Our wedding was a mix of modern, rustic, romantic, and traditional. Our color palette included various shades of pinks and nudes, golds and silver/greys, and soft green colors. Leah did an amazing job incorporating the colors and truly embodied the look and feel we wanted in all the floral arrangements. There were quite a few DIY projects involved, and my sister Danielle was a huge help with all of them! She made all the wooden signs, table numbers, and wrote out all the seating tags. I constructed the wooden podium, the wooden card box, and painted all the cinderblocks with gold spray paint (which Rachael expertly styled for the aisle). My mom put together the party favors which were bags of coffee beans stamped with our monogram, as well as the bow tie and ring pillow for our ring bearer, Teddy. Rachael and her team constructed the reclaimed wood seating chart backdrop, and also dyed the muslin for the chuppah.
Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? I would recommend starting early and making sure you have a clear timeline. Things always take longer than they seem, so make sure you give yourself a buffer! We also realized early on that we did not need everything and anything under the sun – so it’s important to make sure your priorities and must-haves are clear and not to stray too far from the plan or budget! Also, it is important to ask for help when you need it – it really takes a village and we are so lucky that our families were really hands on and were able to tackle any challenges we gave them!
View all images from this wedding in the gallery
Wedding Music:
Family Processional: “Just the Way You Are,” Vitamin String Quartet
Bridal Party Processional: “Such Great Heights,” Vitamin String Quartet
Bride’s Processional: “Sweet Child of Mine,” Vitamin String Quartet
Recessional: “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” Guns N Roses
First Dance: “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” Ingrid Michaelson
Father/Daughter Dance: “Butterfly Kisses,” Bob Carlisle
Mother/Son Dance: “La Vie en Rose,” Edith Piaf as covered by Louis Armstrong
Bridal Party Grand Entrance: “My Love,” Justin Timberlake
Last Dance: “In Too Deep,” Genesis
Wedding Location: San Diego, CA / Photographer: Rad + In Love / Event Planning, Styling and Decor: lace and likes / Florist: Leah Weintz of Bespoke Occasions / On-site Event and Catering Manager: Maribel Beltran, Kona Kai Resort / Venue and Caterer: Kona Kai Resort & Marina / Wedding Dress: Amsale / Wedding Shoes: Ivanka Trump / Wedding Veil: Wedding Belles / Hair and Makeup: Alli Micucci with Bijou Beautiful / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Anthropologie, BCBG, ASOS, Monique Lhuiller, BHLDN, Topshop / Groom’s Suit and Tie Clip: J. Crew / Groom’s Tie: Burberry / Wedding Cake and Desserts: Flour Power and VG Donuts / DJ: Jeremy Jones, SD Party People / DIY Projects: Bride, bride’s sister, bride’s mother, and Rachael Lunghi of lace and likes / Chuppah: Happy Chuppah / Wedding Invitations: Design by bride’s friend, Justine Holzman
thanks for the love beauties!!
<3