Rustic Elegance – Our cover bride shares her wedding details, tips and creative process.
April 10 • Malibu
Ashley & Sam
Photography by Michael Anthony Photography
Their Story
Bride: Ashley Geren, entrepreneur in the hair care industry
Groom: Sam Feinberg, professional poker player
How They Met: through mutual friends about eight years ago
Wedding Style: The Feinbergs achieved rustic elegance by forgoing the traditional primary/secondary color palette and opting for a wider range of colors, all in muted pastel tones.
Feinberg Flair: To make the ceremony their own, the soon-to-be Feinbergs brought their dogs into their vows and selected a fully vegan catering menu. Guests were surprisingly pleased.
Their Vision
“We wanted something rustic and chic but not overused. I’m a hands-on, DIY kind of person – but not the Mason jar, burlap, Pinterest board type. Something a little more glamorous. Everything at our venue was distressed wood and earthy, but I also wanted the feminine side with wavy hair and an extravagant dress. Not too much glamour, not too much chaos. I wanted a combination because just one look wouldn’t have fit my personality. We wanted it to feel like a combination of us.”
Unveiled
Sam and Ashley share their best planning tips.
Inspiration: Figure out what will jog your creative side. I got so many ideas just by walking around Michael’s. When you look at vendors for rentals, go into the back of their warehouses, and just look around for ideas. Create a vision board – anything that helps you visualize the overall look.
Music: Choose a DJ you can trust, so you don’t have to make every single decision about song choices. I’m into underground punk rock, and Sam likes hip hop – and not the kind you can listen to at a wedding. So it would have been hard for us to pick wedding appropriate music without a DJ we could trust.
Dress: I rented my wedding dress. Yes, I got to wear a Galia Lahav dress, but it was never properly fitted. I ended up holding my dress to my chest most of the night and changing for the reception as early as possible.
Mindset: Don’t be too neurotic about the details. Going crazy about every tiny little thing doesn’t help anyone. People don’t remember the details; they remember the full effect of the day. Think big picture because the whole day will go by in a blur.
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