A Manhattan Style Wedding In San Diego, Connected This Couple's Classic Love Of Family Tradition

How did that vision come together?

It's the style/vibe we try to apply to everything in our life; it's a part of who we are from design, cars, fashion, music, etc. so we didn't need to decide on a style direction, we just went with what was "us."

Was there an element of culture or destination (local, international, diaspora/immigrant, artistic, multi-generational) at your wedding? Tell us about it.

Family & tradition is very important to us. Gary is Italian, born and raised in Queens, NY, and I was born and raised in Southern California with a cornucopia of distant European ancestry, so while we had very different upbringings from a cultural aspect, we always connected on our love of family tradition. So, we threw a very Manhattan-style wedding at a beautiful San Diego hotel, The Fairmont Grand Del Mar, and incorporated elements that spoke to both our heritage.

Is there any specific moment(s) or element that stands out to you from the wedding?

I really loved our ceremony. It was held in a beautiful building on the hotel property that looked like an old Italian chapel. It was very traditional and beautiful, but light and entertaining. I will never forget the feeling of walking down the aisle with my dad watching Gary's face as I approached him. I also loved our abundance of personal touches.

Tell us about a few of your favorite decor or design elements?

Our floral design for the reception was pretty spectacular. We did all white flowers in tall pewter vases and mixed those with greenery arrangements, so it felt more classic and romantic than overly glam. The best element though, was randomly placed 8-foot white manzanita trees with hanging orchids and hanging tea lights throughout the room. And the excessive candlelight on all the tables was very important to me. I asked our floral designer to use as many candles as the fire department would allow, and then add a few more, and she delivered!