Modern Backyard Wedding Part 1 | Off Piste

Off Piste in LA

Welcome to the very first Off Piste post on the Hindsight Bride.  Off piste (pronounced pee-st) is a combination English/French term meaning outside of the established ski mountain. Off Piste weddings on the hindsight bride will feature non-mountain weddings that are particularly inspiring or that can teach mountain brides something. Off piste weddings will run on the weekend for as long as you want them to. Please comment or email me and let me know if you like this series. I’m happy to do this if you, the readers get something out of it.

Today’s Off Piste wedding is a gorgeously modern backyard wedding in LA. It’s full of details both personal and modern. I love it how this couple makes a chalkboard look cool and sophisticated, and those succulent centerpieces and bouquet are gorg! Scroll all the way down to hear from the bride and photographer, and for a little Hindsight Takeaway action!

How they met: From the Bride

Rachel and Justin initially met over a PacMan game at The Short Stop in Echo Park. Later, they were re-introduced by a mutual friend.  Justin was the most intelligent, gentle, interesting human being she had ever met.  He was a feature film screenwriter, scuba diver, avid G.I. Joe collector, bass player, video game aficionado man of her dreams!  After four years together, Rachel attempted a proposal of marriage of sorts, knowing that Justin would be discouraged by her ambivalence and need a bit of prompting.  When that went awry and only confused Justin, he took matters into his own hands and planned an impromptu trip to San Francisco.  One night beneath the Bay Bridge amidst hooligans and shadows, Justin got down on one knee with every hope in his eyes and took the plunge.  “A leap into the unknown is often fraught with fear and anxiety, yes, but it’s easy to forget that such a leap is also so thrilling and will take your breath away.”  ~Rachel

About the Wedding: From the Photographer

Rachel and Justin were planning an elaborate destination wedding when they realized that it just didn’t suit them or their personalities. So they scrapped the plan and decided to hold the event at their home in Los Angeles. Just because they held their wedding in their home, that didn’t stop them from having a full guest list – about 100 people in all. In the end, they had the perfect wedding that was unique because it was true to who they are as a couple.

 

Hindsight Takeaway

One thing I love about this couple is that they scrapped the whole idea of an elaborate destination wedding and decided to have a good-sized wedding at their home. Why? Because it made sense to them as a couple. They didn’t do it because they saw it in a magazine or blog; they didn’t do it because their family insisted; they didn’t do it because they they thought that’s what they were supposed to do to have a fabulous wedding. They did it because it was meaningful to them.

I also love it that they took out all of the furnishings of their apartment and curated it like a gallery or museum, with pictures of family and weddings past as the featured “art.” While it’d take a lot of work to clear your home of stuff and store it temporarily, it may be totally worth the effort!

 

Team Wedding