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.