RB Blog

A country affair with handcrafted old Hollywood glamour

This stunning wedding at Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse, a two hundred-year-old farmhouse on an ostrich farm, 9 miles up a winding hill in Los Olivos, California, features incredible paper details, a glamorous handcrafted bridal look, and a surprise performance by Alissa and Rich! Alissa and her friends created so many special handcrafted elements for the wedding that she was inspired afterwards to start her own wedding business! Read on for more about this unique bride and groom and their incredible wedding day…

{*What’s Wedding Porn Wednesday?}

All of the little paper details, like ceremony programs, signage, and favors were by Susan Joy Brownstein of Susan Joy Designs.

The story of Alissa’s incredible bridal look, in her own words: On a whim, I walked into Selia Yang’s storefront on East 9th St. in NYC and walked out with a sample, a very simple white A-line dress with absolutely no frills. I flew back to L.A. with a simple mission, to make this my dream wedding dress. Luckily, I didnÕt have to look very far. I am blessed to have two miraculously talented designers living within feet of my front door, Clay Sadler, a recent graduate of FIDM, and Susan Joy Brownstein, a graphic designer & jewelry designer. With a little sweat and a lot of love, we created my vintage inspired headpiece, intricate bustle, and multi-colored petticoats which matched each of my bridesmaidÕs dresses. We paired my ethereal shrug with a handcrafted velvet flower accented with Clay’s grandmother’s antique brooch. In addition we used vintage beads and fabric to craft a bouquet fastener that coordinated perfectly with my overall look. Alissa’s bridal look was such a hit that she and her friends then partnered to form Modern Nostalgia LA, a shop for beautiful and creative handcrafted accoutrements.

Rich and Alissa are both performers, so when they were introduced at their reception they sang  a surprise rendition of  “I Saw Her Standing There” by The Beatles.

Alissa’s whole family walked her down the aisle. The ceremony mixed Christian and Jewish elements, including a ketubah (Jewish marriage contract) created by Alissa’s sister, an accomplished fine artist.

The Jim Hjelm bridesmaids dresses were in what Alissa calls “lipstick colors” — magentas, berries and blush with her maid of honor in eggplant. The dresses had pockets, which meant that the ‘maids could forgo purses at the altar.

Country glamour and handmade favors.

Engagement photos double as images for CD wedding favors featuring the bride and groom’s favorite tunes!

Here’s what Alissa had to say about Los Angeles wedding photographer Laura Grier, who took these incredible photos:
After an extensive search for a photographer, we found Laura Grier at Beautiful Day Photography. We fell in love with her laid back photojournalistic style and her infectious positive energy. Through Laura, we actually ended up finding our wedding location, The Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse in Los Olivos, California, based on the photos from one of the gorgeous weddings she shot there. As you will see in the attached photos, we accomplished our vision of a vintage rustic chic themed wedding. Being the daughter of a NY event planner, Daveen Dean of Glittering Moments, really came in handy when choosing my vendors.
Laura’s energy is amazing and she is totally stealthy. I had no idea she was even there, yet she made her presence known at the important moments. I am in love with every single shot, to the point that I have no idea how I will ever choose pix for our album! We are going to have to have a 4,000-photo album!