Edem, who first laid his eyes on his future wife in downtown San Diego, and Brianna were visiting her home state of New Jersey. Brianna had plans to spend the day with her sisters in New York City. At sunset, they suggested going up to a rooftop—despite it being freezing outside—to take pictures since they were rarely together. Instead, Edem was waiting at the end of a candlelit and petal-strewn walkway while a guitarist strummed Ed Sheeran.
For the ceremony focal point, a rustic log pergola was draped in sprays of green (jasmine maidenhair and silver dollar eucalyptus) and pink (garden roses, ranunculus and lisianthus in every shade from deep magenta to powder room pink). The wedding party’s pastel dresses and sky-blue suits were a natural extension of the soft color palette.
The same florals were paired with carnival glass votives, gold chargers, cottage tables and pink goblets for the reception under a grove of majestic oaks dripping in long vertical strands of twinkle lights as a live band played covers of “Thinking Out Loud” and “I’ve Had the Time of My Life.”
As friends and family gathered before the ceremony, they were treated to fruit-infused water, lemonade and iced tea. They could also pass the time writing their well wishes, advice or date night ideas on pre-printed cards, which were collected in a small wine barrel.
Brianna’s sibling Kayla is a baker with her own company in New Jersey, so she offered her professional service. She made intricate sugar flowers to decorate the six-tier ivory and metallic cake and brought them by plane to California. The dessert had a place of honor atop a vintage cream-colored dresser underneath a crystalline chandelier. If guests were still hungry for more sweet treats, they could indulge in a tiered display of miniature cupcakes, hand pies, donuts, tarts, macarons and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Their signature cocktails included Brianna’s La La Land Lemonade (vodka and lavender-infused lemonade), Edem’s bourbon, orange tea and honey concoction and the San-tea-ego, which was named after the city where the couple met.
updated 9/12/19
