Jennifer and Colin

Colin and I met eight years ago in dental school. Friends first, we started dating two years later. Although we fell in love quickly, I was leaving for NYC to complete my residency in pediatric dentistry, and Colin moved to Bend, Oregon. We decided to stay friends, but didn't have high hopes for a long distance relationship. I guess the saying "Absence makes the heart grow stronger" is true because after a few months apart we decided to give our relationship a chance. Two years of traveling (2,700 miles) back and fourth really tested our relationship, but WE DID IT! After I graduated residency, we made Portland, Oregon our home. Six months later Colin popped the question in the middle of frozen Lake Louise, Canada. It was the happiest day of my life. I started planning our wedding almost immediately.

First thing was Venue. Since half of our guests were out of town we chose my hometown Los Angeles, California. The venue absolutely speaks for itself - it is an amazing outdoor estate in Simi Valley, CA called Hummingbird Nest Ranch. Second and possibly most important was my dress. Finding the perfect dress was tough for me. I have watched every season of "Say yes to the dress" so I knew the process was not the same for everyone and harder for some. Shopping in Los Angeles also proved to be difficult. Many of the designers only stocked sample sizes, which made it very difficult to get the dress over my hips. Needless to say I was frustrated. Without being able to try on the dress how were you suppose to decide if it was "the one". I finally made my way to JLM boutique in West Hollywood. It was actually during a trunk show with designer appearance, Hayley Paige. As soon as I entered the boutique I had a feeling things would be different and felt comfortable instantly. I tried on a few dresses and liked certain aspects of all of them, but could not say any were "the one". I left that day with no dress. Back in Portland I went to a local boutique and tried on a few more Hayley Paige dresses. I really liked the "Stevie gown", but without my mom's approval I could not say Yes!. A few months later I flew back to Los Angeles for another round of wedding dress shopping. Our last stop was once again JLM boutique with another designer appearance by Hayley Paige. As soon as I walked in I saw the Arden dress and was very excited to try it on. I loved the dress, but it had straps and I always dreamed of long sleeves. Hayley saw me struggling, showing her that I like the sleeves of Stevie, the skirt of Arden, the back of another dress. Hayley Paige made all my dreams come true that day and said she would combine all the things I liked about the dresses for a custom dress. I worked closely with Susan and Gloria from JLM to make my dream wedding dress!!!! I cannot thank the team at Hayley Paige and JLM Boutique in West Hollywood enough!

Now to the wedding, Ahem BEST WEDDING EVER! (at least I thought so). For those of you questioning if you need a wedding planner (STOP DEBATING), do it! Having a wedding planner was the best decision I ever made. My wedding was in May in Los Angeles. You know the saying April showers, May flowers? Well this May happened to be the rainiest May LA has ever seen, and of course my OUTDOOR wedding was being threatened by rain, wind, and very cold weather. 48 hours before the big day, my wedding planner had to change the entire reception. She arranged a tent and all the other details that go with that. I don't know the details because literally she handled everything. She called me once to let me know she had everything under control. Of course the day arrives and we are greeted with blue skies and few clouds. It was amazing weather for pictures. The ceremony was still outdoors and the reception was in a gorgeous see-thru tent covered in twinkle lights. We had a live band and a DJ. It was an unforgettable night. We partied until 2am.

Services

• Photographer Dmitry Shumanev Production
• Wedding Planner Aliana Events
• Makeup Matty Agabegi (makeup_by_matty)
• Hair curlconfessions