A Colorful Surf-Inspired Wedding in Laguna Niguel

Lauren Taniguchi and James Ebert first met in July 2010, at freshman orientation for College of Southern California. “These couple of days have been tense as newly graduated excessive schoolers about to embark on the semi-scary journey of faculty,” Lauren remembers. “However, we received to know one another a bit. Then, we grew to become Fb associates—which, again then, was step one to one thing nice.” They saved in contact over the summer season, and by the tip of August, freshly located on campus, they have been official. Their relationship endured even after James transferred to College of Chicago midway throughout the nation. After commencement, they each settled in New York. “New York formed our early 20s. It’s town that we have been in a position to discover collectively,” Lauren says. “New York is the place we really fell in love once more.”

“In early July 2019—9 years to the day from after we first met at freshman orientation—we went again to the place all of it started,” Lauren shares. “We received to the USC campus and stood by the fountain the place our group first gathered a few years in the past, and James proposed.” He pulled out a hoop engraved with the phrases “to the moon and again,” a phrase the couple makes use of with one another typically. 

Their dream marriage ceremony was at all times going to be on the seaside. “James and I each grew up loving the seaside, and browsing has at all times been a part of his life as a local Orange County child,” Lauren says. “The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel was the proper place that not solely had uninterrupted views of the ocean from the bluffs, but in addition a beautiful resort for our company to remain in.” Past that, although, they have been a bit misplaced. “We chosen our authentic date and the venue, however then we knew we would wish skilled assist to plan the marriage of our desires.” A Good Affair helped them navigate the waters—and re-coordinated distributors and plans by way of two pandemic date modifications. “The Friday of our second date, April 2021, we obtained the primary dose of our vaccine,” Lauren remembers. “It was the most effective mild on the finish of such a darkish tunnel. If we couldn’t get married that weekend, getting our first vaccine was the following smartest thing.”

Regardless of the uncertainty in planning, there was one factor that by no means wavered: their imaginative and prescient. “We took inspiration from what we love: California and the seaside. We referred to as it ‘California trendy,’” Lauren says. “James and I each love shiny, daring colours as a result of they simply evoke a lot happiness. We needed to showcase the wonderful sundown colours we get in California—yellows, oranges, deep corals and pinks—together with variants of blue to characterize our attractive oceans. We simply needed individuals to depart our marriage ceremony feeling comfortable and full of affection.”

Learn on to see all of the fantastically themed particulars of their massive day on February 26, 2022, deliberate by A Good Affair and photographed by Brett Hickman.

James began his marriage ceremony day energetic. “We needed to maintain issues mild, and each my groomsmen occurred to be coaching for marathons,” he says. “We in the end determined to do a three-mile morning run, adopted by a polar plunge to chill off within the chilly winter Pacific Ocean.” He continues: “As we began to prepare, the fact set in that the day was going to be an important and finest day of my life, so we determined to interrupt out the karaoke mic to get out the jitters. We have been belting out Ice Dice’s ‘It Was a Good Day’ on repeat, which set the chilliness vibe.” Amid singing, James suited up in a customized velvet tux from Suitsupply, and accessorized with anchor cufflinks gifted by Lauren years earlier than.

Lauren was cost-conscious when purchasing for a costume, however nonetheless discovered her choices infinite. “I at all times knew I didn’t need to spend some huge cash on the costume as a result of I’d reasonably use that cash towards different issues,” she says. “With so many nice firms for brides who don’t need to spend as a lot, and even with so many shops making clothes brides select to put on as marriage ceremony robes, there have been a ton of cost-effective choices. Irrespective of how a lot a bride spends on her costume, so long as she’s comfy and feels lovely, that’s all that ought to matter.” She discovered “the one” on-line at David’s Bridal and was instantly drawn to it. “I needed one thing that was somewhat fashion-forward however not too stylish.”

She was intentional along with her magnificence routine main as much as the marriage. “One gadget I bought was the SolaWave blue mild remedy wand. Since I wasn’t getting facials as a result of pandemic, I made a decision to present it a attempt. It’s a hand-held software that gives low vibrations for a delicate therapeutic massage, blue mild remedy to scale back blemishes, and heat to assist skincare merchandise soak up higher.” The week earlier than the marriage, she received a lash elevate to keep away from having to use too many falsies to her delicate eyes.

“Main as much as the marriage day, we might at all times inform one another, ‘It’s simply you and me that day; that’s all that issues,’” Lauren remembers. “We needed to verify we felt that and will soak in all of the wonderful moments. The primary look helped try this. When it was simply the 2 of us, we felt nothing however happiness, pleasure, and love.”

Lauren discovered the precise shade of dusty blue she was envisioning for her maid of honor and bridesmaid at Birdy Gray, and allow them to every choose the silhouette they most well-liked in the identical material and shade. “Their clothes regarded so lovely in opposition to the intense coloured flowers.”

A ceremony view nearly as good as Lauren and James’ deserves to be framed—in order that’s precisely what A Good Affair did. “The principle altar was a customized sq. wooden body created to seize the beautiful ocean backdrop, with florals on the prime of the construction,” Lauren describes.

Lauren elected to have each of her dad and mom stroll her down the aisle collectively. “I used to be a aggressive determine skater after I was little and one in every of my favourite motion pictures was Ice Castles,” she says. “So, I walked down the aisle to an instrumental model of ‘By the Eyes of Love.'”

Her floral-appliqued fingertip veil was truly a game-time determination. “I went backwards and forwards on sporting the veil,” she says. “After our first look after we have been heading to the ceremony house with the marriage celebration, I made a decision to place it in. Everybody voted that I put on it and, most significantly, James actually preferred it! In order that sealed the choice.” 

An expensive buddy officiated the ceremony. “James and I at all times knew we needed to jot down our personal vows—they’re the one time we will get actually private and really share how and why we love one another in entrance of everybody,” Lauren says. “In fact, we inform one another this stuff on a regular basis, however there’s one thing actually particular about sharing it in entrance of all your loved ones and associates. It shares somewhat piece of our hearts with all of them.”

“James and I mentioned from the start that we would like all of our company to depart our marriage ceremony and suppose, ‘That was completely a James and Lauren marriage ceremony,’” Lauren says. “We needed the entire particulars to replicate who we’re as people and as a pair.” Living proof: every escort card was a tiny surfboard held up by its personal fin—“we have been blown away by that element”—and tables have been named for his or her favourite seashores as an alternative of numbers. “We additionally had our company signal a surfboard as an alternative of a guestbook. Once we moved to New York proper after school, James purchased a surfboard and I made a decision to attract on it,” explains the bride. “It type of grew to become our ‘factor,’ and I’ve drawn on each board he’s gotten since.”

The colours of the California sundown and the cerulean ocean have been introduced into the ballroom, as nicely, for a vibrantly hued reception: turquoise and cream velvet linens, ceramic vases stuffed with punchy poppies, gold-rimmed chargers and flatware, blue glassware and white candle votives. “Behind the lover desk was a fantastic white wall with two mirrors and two painted vases with actual florals coming out, giving a 3D impact,” Lauren says.

The centerpiece of all of it was the dance flooring, white with an ombre blue waves decal utilized overtop, mirroring the waves from the escort board. “A saying James and I inform one another is ‘all waves and without end,’ so having the dance flooring decal was a very nice nod to that.”

“[In reference] to our love for My Finest Buddy’s Marriage ceremony, our first dance tune was ‘Say a Little Prayer,’” Lauren says. “We employed an organization to coordinate our first dance for us, which was tremendous useful to be taught the fundamentals. For the reason that tune is so enjoyable and upbeat, we determined to additionally add in our personal choreography instead of among the authentic choreography. Neither of us are skilled dancers by any means, however we watched lots of dancing movies on Instagram and YouTube, and practiced so much—so much. Hopefully it was a enjoyable shock for everybody!”

Even the cake flavors have been on theme. “The primary was referred to as Surfs Up Coconut, which was a coconut cake with banana caramel, passionfruit curd, and fervour mango mousse. It was scrumptious and tropical,” Lauren says. “The second cake was our favourite: guava cake. Each James and I grew up with bakeries that made guava muffins and I used to inform my dad and mom after I was little, ‘I need to have guava cake at my marriage ceremony after I develop up.’ It consisted of a guava chiffon cake, crammed and frosted with whipped cream and topped with a guava glaze. Plus, the Ritz made each muffins gluten-free so James may take pleasure in every part. The spotlight of our meal for certain!”

“My father-daughter dance was to Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson’s model of ‘Magnificence and the Beast,’” Lauren says. “Once I was little, I might put my Belle nightgown on, open my Magnificence and the Beast music field, and my dad would get on his knees and dance with me. It was a no brainer after we determined which tune we might dance to for my marriage ceremony.” Then, James and his godmom danced to Frank Sinatra’s “The Approach You Look Tonight”—one other nod to My Finest Buddy’s Marriage ceremony and one in every of his godmom’s favorites. 

Lauren swapped her heels for a pair of Soludos sneakers—stitched with the picture of a solar rising over the ocean waves—for dancing.

The couple continued their ocean-themed marriage ceremony with a honeymoon within the Maldives a couple of weeks later. “Since James and I are such ‘aquaholics,’ we knew we needed to go someplace with stability of leisure and water actions,” Lauren says. “On March 26, one month after our marriage ceremony day, we’re sitting by the pool consuming lunch and ‘Say a Little Prayer’ got here on. Of all of the songs on this planet, that one was taking part in a month after our marriage ceremony whereas we occurred to be on our honeymoon. It simply put the most important smile on our faces. And sure, we surfed!”