Fairy-tale Southern California wedding with touches of Provence

Ryan & Olivia infused their classic Southern California wedding with touches of Provence as a nod to the bride's French heritage. The result was a dreamy vision in a white, navy and blush palette. This gorgeous couple love being close to the ocean so after visiting THE RITZ CARLTON in Laguna Beach and finding it offered them everything they dreamt of – including a reception room with a panoramic view of the ocean – they were sold! Having guest accommodation on site was an added bonus.

KATIE SHULER was alongside them to capture all the celebrations and tells us a little more about the day which was pulled together with the help of planner CHRISTIE ROSE EVENTS: "The bride wore a sleek VERA WANG gown and belted it with a studded diamond and pearl wrap around her waist. Her floor length Vera Wang veil, lined with Italian lace, draped perfectly along the tail of her gown. She wore her mother's wedding earrings which accented her gown and JIMMY CHOO heels. Her father walked her down the aisle as she carried in hand a simple french garden inspired bouquet of Lily of the Valley. The blooms were specially flown in from Holland and was the most dreamiest accent to her already elegant look.

The Bride and Groom wanted something unique for their ceremony; something that wouldn't take away from the already breathtaking back drop. So they custom created with their florist, LAVENDERS FLOWERS, an open ceremony arch using two tall urn arrangements to frame the Bride & Groom, while still accenting the ocean view. For the reception, they curated French inspired organic centerpieces, some scattered low on the tables and others placed on tall brass stands for added depth to the room. They then flipped the ceremony arch to be used as a backdrop for the sweet heart table. Touches of blue berries and bunny tails with pure whites as the focal flower, this wedding's floral design was breathtakingly perfect.

An energetic 9-piece band, a Maid of Honour rap one for the books (yes, she rapped custom lyrics to the beat of "Ice Ice Baby") and first dances for the Bride and Groom's parents dancing to their wedding songs; this wedding was every bit personal, intimate and memorable. Everything including the couple, who got engaged in Paris, France, was the epitome of what a fairy tale love story looks like in real life and they made their dreams of getting married in Provence come true by creating the most elegant wedding at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel."

HOW DID YOU MEET? My college best friend married Ryan's college best friend and we met at their engagement party. When we were finally introduced to one another, we shook hands and didn't stop talking for the entire night. 2 weeks later, Ryan told me he loved me and I told him I wanted to have his babies =) It was truly love at first sight for the both us.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: We planned a vacation over July 4th weekend to Croatia with 4 of our closest friends. We decided to take full advantage of our vacation and add an extra destination to our trip for just the two of us. Since my father is from France, Ryan always calls me his "little French girl" and one of my favorite cities is Paris. So since Ryan had never been before, we decided to stop in Paris for a quick 48 hours before heading on to Croatia. July 1, 2016. After a full day of touring all around Paris, from Sacré Coeur de Montmartre and the Luxembourg Gardens, we had one more stop to visit before dinner and that was Île de la Cité, a little park in the middle of the Seine River. We grabbed a crepe, a baguette and a bottle of red wine and headed to what would be the most magical place, and moment, in the city and in our lives. Once at Île de la Cité, we found a seat on the edge of the water, enjoyed the stunning view of the river, the brisk Parisian air, and the sounds of those surrounding us who were also enjoying a picnic. Once we finished our wine, Ryan suggested we head to dinner. I agreed and as I stood up, I turned around to see Ryan on one knee, smiling with tears in his eyes and a shiny, delicate ring in his hand. He asked me, his little French girl, to marry him and make him the happiest man in the world. In tears of complete joy, I said YES!! and the people around us clapped and cheered, and this moment will be one of our most cherished memories for the rest of our lives.

TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: I had planned a day to go dress shopping with my 3 bridesmaids and my mother, however I was getting cold feet to go with such a big group for the first time trying on dresses. So I decided to ask my mom if she would just go with me for a quick trip to Vera Wang to try on a few dresses and get my feet wet. I figured if I had tried on a few I would feel more comfortable going with a larger group. So we called Vera Wang in Beverly Hills and set up an appointment for the next day. Nervous as heck, my mother and I walked up the stairs to what looked like bridal heaven and were greeted with champagne in the most stunning crystal flutes. Emily was our sales associate and she was the absolute sweetest. She asked just a few questions before heading to the back and grabbing some dresses. I remember thinking there's NO way we're going to find a dress here but I wanted to soak in every moment with it just being mom and I. My mom had breast cancer 15 years ago and has been cancer free since, so every day with her here on Earth is a blessing I do no take for granted. Emily picked out 6 dresses and wanted to put the "Jocelyn" on me first. She puts it on, clamps it all the way up the back and as I looked in the mirror, I was pleasantly surprised. I liked it! I like, really liked it. She added a diamond beaded and pearl sash around my waste and my eyes popped out of my head. I walked out to show my mom and we both instantly cried. I couldn't tell if these were emotions from being in a gown for the first time or if we were emotional because it c
ould be THE dress. I originally wanted an all lace dress so to add a touch of lace for me, Emily added a floor length veil that was lined in Italian lace. It draped perfectly along the bottom of the dress and my mom and I once again burst in to tears. I tried on 5 other dresses after that, a ballgown one, a beautiful lace one and a few others but nothing came even close to the Jocelyn. We left that day without a dress but I slept on it, and couldn't stop dreaming about it in my sleep. I woke up, told my mom lets go back and take my sister and bridesmaid to get their opinion. Same reactions from them. No other dress compared. I will forever remember sharing that moment with my mom because I ended up walking down the aisle wearing that very dress, that very sash and that very same veil. It was more the perfect. It was meant to be. For one of my bridal shower gifts, my mom gifted me the very same crystal champagne flutes from Vera Wang to have for the bridal sweet on the morning of our wedding. I couldn't be more happy and blessed with my experience shopping for a gown.

DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY ELEMENTS? Our guest bags were the only DIY element we did. We put together mini bottles of Champagne, a bottle Evian water, granola bar, Nutella, Advil, Emergen-c, and Kettle corn Pop-corn because I love it – all wrapped up in a tiny reusable tote.

DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS: Florals were custom designed by Lavenders Flowers. We wanted something unique for our ceremony; something that wouldn’t take away from the already breathtaking back drop of the ocean. So we created an open ceremony arch using two tall urn arrangements to frame us, while still accenting the view. For the reception, our florist curated French inspired organic centerpieces, some scattered low on the tables and others placed on tall brass stands for added depth to the room. They flipped the ceremony arch to be used as a backdrop for the sweet heart table. Touches of blue berries and bunny tails with pure whites as the focal flower. I carried a simple french garden inspired bouquet of Lily of the Valley as my father walked me down the aisle. The blooms were specially flown in from Holland and was a dream come true for me to have Lily of the Valley as my very own wedding bouquet.

FAVOURITE DETAIL OF THE DAY: Favourite details were all the subtle touches of my French heritage that came through in the signage and wedding favours. Guests were greeted with an acrylic Welcome sign that read “Bienvenue au Mariage d’Olivia et de Ryan”, table numbers were hand scripted in French numbers on acrylic glass and on the top tier of our cake was a custom gold topper that read ‘Je T’aime’. For guest favours, a Laduree box filled with a French macaroon were placed individually on each guests’ place setting – flavours were Vanilla, Rose, Chocolate and Lily of the Valley. These touches really gave the feeling that Provence was in the air.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? My advice to future brides is to not stress over the little details. Take everything one day at a time and know that everything will come together in the end. Also, the one thing that you end up stressing over for months, is likely something that only YOU will notice on your big day. Other advice: Have a back up pair of heels for your reception (comfortable ones) and drink plenty of water the night before so you are extra hydrated!!! My bridesmaids and I did hydrating face masks the night before.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? Most memorable moment was after the ceremony when Ryan and I had 10 minutes of alone time. Directly after the ceremony, we took a golf cart down to the beach with our photographer shot dreamy photos while the sun was setting. After we finished, the golf cart dropped us back off at our suite and waiting for us in the room was a bottle of champagne and appetisers from our cocktail hour. It was just Ryan and I, in the suite, alone, popping champagne and relaxing for the first time in what felt like 365 days. Just those 10 minutes of us together in the room was more than a perfect moment to soak in everything.

ANY OTHER DETAILS THAT HELP TELL THE STORY OF YOUR DAY? We wanted champagne flowing the moment
guests arrived so they were greeted before and after the ceremony with champs. We had an energetic 9-piece band; my sister/Maid of Honour rapped custom lyrics to the beat of Ice Ice Baby and both our parents danced to their first songs from their wedding day. We wanted every bit of personal, intimate and memorable feeling there was for our big day.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR HONEYMOON: We went to Mo’orea and Bora Bora for a 2 week blissful honeymoon. We stayed in overwater bungalows at the Hilton in Mo’orea for the first half of our trip and then traveled to Bora Bora for the second half of our trip where we stayed in over water bungalows at the Four Seasons, Bora Bora. We went scuba diving with manta rays and black tip sharks, kayaked, paddle boarded, snorkelled and ate and drank everything in sight! My husband surprised me with a hand made Parisian flower crown and a beautiful Tahitian black pearl to take home with me to have forever. It was the trip of a life time and we’re already planning our 5 year anniversary there!

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD CHANGE OR DO DIFFERENTLY? I would have used black (or a darker shade) for the invite envelopes instead of white ones because the white got insanely dirty in the mail and we had each envelope custom calligraphed.