Industrial Revolution

Here in L.A. and spending the afternoon pondering raw spaces, industrial landscapes, and, of course, weddings! After getting a great cut at Refuge salon in Echo Park, which is located inside a huge warehouse of broken windows, old school lockers, and basket swings hanging from 35 foot rafters, the grittiness of it all was refreshing. 

We’re a retouched, reblogged, posted, commented, contrived, liked, replied, filtered, and exclaimed, image obsessed culture…and trust me, we love it! But it can make it hard to re-imagine the imperfect spaces around us instead of craving a pristine alternate reality.

Picture a wedding that is a walking tour of some favorite, “off the beaten path” places, as if the city is a guest too! So we’re dedicating today’s images to lovers of the city, the urban, and the untouched, overlooked spaces. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes it is just around the corner…

 The dress: The intricate Pavot Gown from BHLDN, Elie Saab’s glamourous gold dress from haute couture Fall 2012 collection, or an architectural white sheath from the Calvin Klein collection.

Akatre - Degrades (2012) The color palette (could make a brilliant “altar” too)

Groom's shoes, hair and makeup, graffiti style, and flowers.

 Everyone takes pubic transit to the first destination and then it’s all an urban hike from there.

First stop, Chinatown in Downtown L.A. for a “block party” cocktail hour before the walking ceremony starts. It will losen everyone up and make for some memorable photos. 

From Chinatown, the walking ceremony continues to Los Angeles State Historic Park, once home to the fantastic installation “Not A Cornfield,” by Lauren Bon, where readings and musical performances compliment the Los Angeles skyline and the Gold Line train tracks. 

By this time, your guests will need some reinforcements so why not stop at the installation, “Another city is Possible” (Lauren Bon/Metabolic Studios/Farmlab, 2008) located under a pedestrian overpass. There guests might find some appetizers catered by Philippe’s (home to the original french dip sandwich!), while pondering the juncture of art, the city, and sustainability.

After receiving sustenance, guests (and their feet!) should be ready to take a seat to listen to declarations of love and all that jazz. If the event is timed right, every year in early September Sci Arc faculty members and students put the finishing touches on a temporary pavilion for graduation, which often result in breathtaking transformations of space - perfect for ceremonies of all kinds! 

While guests enjoy their second cocktail hour at Villian’s Tavern, complete with beer served in mason jars and live music, the wedding party heads over to the (nearly extinct!) Sixth Street Bridge overlooking the L.A. River for gritty, site-specific photographs. 

The last and final stop of the evening will be a gastronomical, kinetic, and aquatic delight as everyone takes over the event space at Factory Place Arts Complex for a serious pool/dance party catered by the local and seasonal restaurant Forage. It will be a blowout evening to match a one-of-a-kind wedding, a day for interactions with places, spaces, laughter, and love. 

Of course, we can't head out into the urban jungle without showing off a little paper. Maybe it's all about graphic, maybe it's all about pattern, or maybe it's a little of both.  

 'Til next time!