Los Angeles Backyard Wedding with Citrus Trees and a Coin Toss
Katie and Alyssa never imagined that the home they searched so hard to find would one day become the backdrop for their wedding. What started with a pandemic dating app match led to an intimate Los Angeles backyard wedding, surrounded by citrus trees, colourful flowers and plenty of help from the people they love.
Planned in less than five months, their Los Angeles wedding proved that home really can be the perfect place to say “I do”, especially when there’s a tarot card reader, incredible food, and a coin toss to decide who reads their vows first.
Tell us about your love story. How did it all begin?
Alyssa and I met on a dating app during the pandemic, so we talked for a month before we had our first date. We had talked so much and learned so much about each other before meeting, but that didn’t stop us both from being very nervous!
While we were dating, we joked that we were in a long-distance relationship. Alyssa lived on the west side of Los Angeles, and I lived on the east side, making the drive a cool 45 minutes on a good day.
When we moved in together, it was such a struggle to find the perfect place, but we eventually found our home, which incidentally turned out to be a really great wedding venue.
After two and a half years of dating, I proposed to Alyssa on a weekend getaway to Carmel, mere seconds after she said, “This beach smells like Brussels sprouts…”
What challenges came up while planning your wedding?
We planned our wedding fairly quickly and mailed our invitations on a Friday, three months before the wedding. The following Monday, Alyssa broke her foot in a rec league soccer game.
She had to have surgery and could not stand or walk for eight weeks, which meant she was relearning how to walk in the month leading up to the wedding.
Another challenge was getting our backyard ready. It was basically a dirt pit surrounded by beautiful but overgrown citrus trees, so I spent almost every day leading up to the wedding levelling the yard, watering and trimming trees to get the space ready.
Alyssa provided moral support from a camp chair in the driveway.
Talk us through the wedding day.
First of all, we had perfect weather. It was cosy, cloudy and around 60 degrees. The weekends immediately before and after the wedding were easily around 90 degrees in Los Angeles, so we got really lucky.
The day started early with our wedding party arriving at our house for hair and makeup. We wanted everything to feel relaxed and fun, and our hairstylist even commented that it was the calmest wedding morning she had ever worked.
Once Callie arrived and Alyssa and I were dressed, we went into the front yard for a private vow exchange. We took photos on our front steps and in front of our neighbour’s bougainvillea, which we happily pretended was ours for the day.
We are incredibly lucky to have generous friends who shared their talents with us. Brendan played “Wild Thing” on guitar while we walked down the aisle with our parents, and our friend Duyen officiated the ceremony.
Maria, who works as a production designer, transformed our former dirt pit of a backyard into something completely different. She also helped decorate the tables with fresh fruit and flowers.
We turned our backhouse and garage into a bar, and our friend Frances created the bouquets for us and our wedding party.
Our friends gently warned us beforehand that things might go wrong and that we should just enjoy the day anyway, but somehow not a single thing did. At least nothing that we know of!
Watching people we love from so many different parts of our lives spending time together in our backyard felt surreal in the best way.
Which wedding vendors went above and beyond?
Since we planned our wedding in less than five months, everyone showed up for us in such a big way. Fortunately, all of our top-choice vendors were available for our date.
We couldn’t have done this without our amazing wedding planners, Allison and Brandi from West Events LA. Their organisation and guidance leading up to the wedding were so helpful, and they took such great care of us and all of the small details throughout our wedding day. We are forever grateful to them.
Our photographer, Callie Biggerstaff Photography, made us and our families feel completely at ease and captured so many sweet moments we did not get to see ourselves because we were caught up in the day.
Kelly Zhang Studio helped us get ready that morning, while Bites and Bashes catered the wedding with everything from bruschetta crostinis and mini sweet corn elote cups to chicken souvlaki, falafel fritters and a popcorn bar later in the evening.
Some of the most meaningful contributions also came from our friends. Having so many people we love share their talents with us made the day feel incredibly personal.
Captured by Callie Biggerstaff Photography
Cake Quarter Sheets
Caterer Bites and Bashes
Content Creation, Signage & Stationery Edits By Be
Dress Connie Tao Designs
Embroidery Psychic Stitch
Florist Frances McAdam
Hair & Makeup Kelly Zhang Studio
Live Music Weeper
Rental & Decor Maria Dirolf
Rings Artisan LA Jewlery
Tarot Card Reader Ashley Ryan (Pythian Mystery School)
Wedding Planner West Events LA
