Alle & Don

Alle Fister & Don Popkes 

Married: September 4, 2011
Ceremony and Celebration: Shutters on the Beach, Santa Monica

Alle Fister first met Don Popkes on a blind date set up by a mutual friend. Don planned the perfect night with front-row seats at the Los Angeles Symphony—which instantly struck a chord with Alle. Their connection was immediate, and the two began exploring the world together, from Malibu, where the Hawaii-born Don taught Alle to surf, to Costa Rica. The wanderlust couple made it official when Don proposed on the Italian Rivera by writing “Marry me, baby” in the sand.

They kicked off their wedding weekend with a rehearsal dinner at the bride’s parent’s Beverly Hills residence, where Suzanne Tract of JAR (one of the couple’s favorite LA restaurants) prepared a special meal. The bride’s mother decorated with the couple’s favorite flower, orchids, and hand-embroidered green butterfly napkins which is a special symbol to the couple. Keeping with the beach theme, Alle and Don held their ceremony at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, adorning the site with white, yellow and green flowers. Alle walked down the aisle in a Paloma Blanca gown with plumerias adorning her hair in honor of the groom’s recently passed grandfather and a blue crystal Swarovski “P” on the bottom of her shoe  in honor of the groom’s grandmother.  The ceremony included an Italian prayer and an Irish blessing to honor both sides of the family. Afterwards, guests enjoyed custom “Alle and Don” cocktails and were treated to a rare sighting of two rainbows stretching across the sky, a gift from Mother Nature herself.