A Fashion Blogger's Provençal Wedding in Southern California

Stephanie Liu, the style blogger behind Honey & Silk, and Kyle Hjelmeseth, who works in creative management, first met when Kyle was working as a creative director for a Los Angeles jewelry brand and contacted Stephanie to be part of the company's campaign and photo shoot. “Our relationship was super platonic at first, but one fateful night in Newport Beach in 2012, Kyle asked me to join him and his friends for a drink—and that’s when Cupid showed up,” Stephanie remembers. Three years later, Kyle turned a daily ritual into something even more special. “Every morning, he wakes up and whispers, ‘I love you, you’re my best friend, and you’re the most beautiful woman in the world’ into my ear,” says Stephanie. “I was barely awake and thought nothing of it—until he slipped a ring on my finger and asked me to marry him!” If you thought that was sweet, just wait. Kyle thought of more, planning a getaway to Sedona and arranging to have a manicurist come to the couple’s home before they left to ensure Stephanie’s nails would be photo ready!

The couple started planning quickly, setting November 5, 2016, as their wedding date. They were on the hunt for a California venue that felt like the South of France and immediately fell in love with Triunfo Creek Vineyards, which has a white farmhouse nestled between the rolling hills and feels straight out of a Provençal romance. Nancy Park of So Happi Together helped design the affair, using shades of ivory, sage, dusty blue, and taupe to transport all 115 guests to an old French village without leaving southern California. Sally Pinera was the perfect choice to photograph the breezy wedding celebration and a stylish affair. The bride is a fashion blogger, after all!

Kyle and Stephanie’s invitation suite included flowing script, watercolor vines, and hand-torn edges.

The bride and her 'maids got ready together, donning Eberjey loungewear and Jennifer Behr headbands.

Though Stephanie felt certain that she would wear a slinky long-sleeved dress with a high neck and a low back, she tried one on and realized it wasn’t what she was looking for. “I basically had to start all over and tried on every style of dress I could find,” she says. Nothing fit her aesthetic, and with only four months left until the wedding, she started to worry. Thankfully she found LOHO Bride, where she fell in love with a two-piece ivory silk gown from Cortana with an off-the-shoulder neckline, draped tulle, and a high-waisted skirt. “Thank goodness they were able to rush the dress and get it to me in just under two months,” says Stephanie. The style blogger wore a floral Chanel ring and diamond feather cuff, as well as blush heels by Oscar de la Renta.

“I knew without a doubt that I wanted mismatched bridesmaids' dresses so they could express their individuality,” says Stephanie. Each bridesmaid wore an ivory dress with lace details, combining for a totally flattering range of styles.

Kyle wore a custom navy-blue tuxedo with black lapels that included a very special detail. “Kyle tore his Achilles tendon not too long before our wedding and was still in a medical boot, so they customized the leg of his pants with a zipper so he could wear the suit and the boot,” Stephanie explains.

Stephanie's free-form bouquet combined hellebores, anemones, and freesia for a textured, gathered look. “I wanted my bouquet to look like I’d gone picking wildflowers on the hill," she says.

Kyle’s father built the arbor with wood from the groom’s hometown in Washington, then drove it down to California for the wedding. “We wanted to highlight the masterpiece in its most natural state, so we added only a little bit of ivy and baby’s breath,” says the bride.

Stephanie and Kyle exchanged (mostly) traditional vows, each adding a sweeter, sillier line. (Kyle promised to do the dishes more often, and Stephanie to keep her shoe closet under control.)

“We created a loose-leaf-tea bar, as afternoon tea is a pastime and indulgence we absolutely love,” says Stephanie. The pair created a custom tea blend that mixed Ceylon black tea, bergamot, and lavender and served petits fours.

The open-air reception took place beneath strands of market lights, with a mix of long bare tables and round ones topped with ivory linens. “We wanted each table to be a place to gather with family and friends, so we didn’t have any large centerpieces,” says Stephanie.

Cut-crystal glassware and salad plates gave each setting a textured, vintage vibe, while rose-gold flatware and French-blue napkins added a touch of modernity. Gardenlike centerpieces combined hellebores, Queen Anne’s lace, and ivy and were lit with candles.

The decor was French, but the menu was decidedly Californian, with a baby-kale salad with crispy chickpeas, rosemary focaccia, hangar steak with chimichurri, and cedar-plank sea bass.

The couple added unexpected, fun props for guests with a photo booth in a vintage VW Bus and a teepee in the lounge area.

Kyle and Stephanie’s pistachio cake, filled with rosewater buttercream, was topped with homemade fondant and fresh flowers.

For the reception, the bride changed out of her wedding gown and into a vintage Lanvin cape dress. “It’s deep-blue lace with gold embroidery, making it look like the night sky,” she says.

Because of his injury, Kyle used a device called an iWalk to execute his first dance. “Kyle was worried he wouldn’t be able to share our first dance with me, but the iWalk made it possible,” she says. “Our first dance was to ‘Oui’ by Jeremih, and was also the last song we danced to right before Kyle had his surgery.”

And while Stephanie may not have believed it while planning, she says she learned a lesson every bride can agree with. “It’s true what they say: The little details you fret over won’t matter at all on your wedding day. It goes by so fast, so celebrate every single moment with your new spouse and your family and friends. You’ll only remember the laughs and happiness!”