The Water Wedding. Part 2
PREPPING, SHOPPING, WEARING
Where were we!!! Ah yes, the water wedding. Part 2 for the beauty queens, biohackers, homemakers, and fashionistas :)
PREPARATIONS
From Winter
Just before I could start my new job back in LA, Logan and I had a trip already planned to Copenhagen. The intention of the trip was to design our wedding rings with Felix Bresler, who funnily enough, also draws inspiration from sea creatures and water. You can see the vibe we were after here, here, and here with the inherited *cough cough found* diamonds (pro tip: ask
for OT #17 NOEYY and see what magic comes your way in the vessel of an underpriced vintage Yohji jacket)November in Copenhagen is a delightful time to visit, the christmas markets are just getting started and the weather wasn’t too cold although I’d very much like to see it in manic summer daylight… maybe soon. If you plan on visiting the next months let me know if these notes still stand on business:
From November, the routine was heavy sauna & cold plunging. Work took me to New York where I got to visit Akari, Elahni, Othership, Remedy Place, and Bathhouse to sweat + NY Pilates and Sky Ting Yoga to strengthen.
In LA, I had the chance to check out Likeminded and Mohawk Wellness Collective to see what’s up and coming in the more social contrast therapy applications on the west coast. (( I have some backlogging to do with reviews but they are on the way! Also if anyone has seen the sauna truck in Santa Monica, do tell me))
Then I started the year with the dailyish intention. During the LA fires, we went down to San Diego where my now parents in law have a infrared sauna that runs on solar. Access to that sweat box was key and honestly changed my view of infrared - works in a pinch!
PHYSICAL
FACE
Three appointments with the incredible Reilley Lorene leading up to the big day.
A rotational trial of all her favorite facials that brought my skin back to stasis and non stop yapping - very grounding experience to check in with someone so knowledgeable and kind like that. I also want to mention she convinced me from doing the PDRN microneedling pre wedding just in case of a bad reaction - I’ve learned my skin is way more sensitive than I ever thought but I WILL be doing this soon
Formula Fig monthly membership kept my skin consistently glowy
GRACE and I want to say Alexandra (?) are my girls here - they have THE touch to get me glowed up and relaxed in 30 minutes
FaceGym gifted me a facial — full write-up coming, but spoiler: I loved it- intense pressure and great line of product. The oil and collagen cream they sent me home with made my skin super hydrated and bounce.
Botox refresh (forehead + masseters) in February. Skintight aesthetics in Santa Monica rocks but Formula Fig will work in a pinch!
BODY
Modo hot yoga was a part of my routine every few days
Pilates and strength training are what I was balancing Yoga out with
PLUS lots of walking around my neighborhood hills and echo park lake, even attempting to jog. Nike run club here we come
Hair color by KP » lifted my blonde in 2 sessions back to the perfect beachy kiss after I had been leaving it alone for years
Nails: Mary Grace at Kkhot Nails — iconic. We grew out the length and she did custom wedding nails the week BEFORE my wedding for Costa Rica that are still on my nails
I dove into the PEPTIDE world: I started off with CJC and Ipamorelin for muscle mass and anti inflammation. However after about 3 weeks I dropped off the stringent schedule of injections.
Our wedding planning sessions almost always followed by a sweat and sometimes a massage. Favorites included Crystal Spa, plus neighborhood go-tos: LA Thai Bodyworks and Spavana.
My friend Marilyn (amazing artist & personal trainer to be) helped guide my protein-heavy meals when Logan wasn’t cooking, and designed a picture perfect pre-wedding workout schedule that is still on my fridge.
Canyon Ranch in Arizona for a girls bootcamp bachelorette with my mom and sisters
REGISTRY (WATER-THEMED, OBVIOUSLY)
Our registry was somewhere between functional and hydro-luxury fantasy. I’m still adding and subtracting some items but to date the best gifts have been the gift of celebrating with presence and spa gift passes. (Vabali, Liquidrom, and Polish sanitorium adventure in JULY)
Still deciding how I feel about the Berkey filter (if you have thoughts, drop them, or any other water systems BC I AM OVER THE 5 GALLON DELIVERY)
Current obsession is HAWAIIAN PRINT EVERYTHING
I deeply wish these Stüssy x Tekla pillowcases had come out before the wedding, my friend Lucy, featured previously on what’s in your spa bag, runs SUBJECT FIELD is in Copenhagen and we pray she can scoop them
SALAD SERVERS? PEELER!? BOTTLE OPENER??? RICE SPOON!!!
MULTICOLORED CUTLERY?? Green, pink, asparagus, yellow, and blue
Lots of corsi design / gaetano pesce we’re already using (now we need more)
IMAGINE THIS AS A TRASH BIN IN THE BATHROOM shout out
circa SSENSE memes
Treated ourselves to sheets during parachute sale BUT I still am after these Italian linen society limonta sheets - if they ever have an outlet sale PLZ let me know? My niche is crispy linen
At one point I had asked Martin Parr if he would be willing to photograph our wedding. He said California is a bit too far with his current health, so I have a dream of getting our portraits done this summer by him when we are in the UK. How does one simply add that to a registry?
Misc. Wedding Finds
Shell cups and cake-cutting set: both from Etsy — little touches that echoed some of the water theme & pieces to keep forever (pretty much because THIS and THIS were out of my budget)
North Star is still Frank and his perfect designs for Perfect Nothing Catalog. Can you even imagine touching these?
LMNT electrolytes for guest on property, also considered these Moon
Juice ones from the officeWe landed on the aforementioned bathing suit wet bags as guest favors and I’ve been using them for my spa bag :)
THE DRESS
This was the hardest part of wedding prep. Forgive me for sounded jaded but generally I don’t buy clothing anywhere near full price. This is a result of having worked behind the scenes for nearly 10 years in this industry. This section may or may not interest the bathing heads but alas my day job IS still in fashion.
My first dream dress was… this number from Yohji Yamamoto
Alas I am not a supermodel attending The Met gala nor did I have unlimited funds; my first dead end. The journey continued with trips to Danielle Frankel, Vivienne Westwood, Noho Bride, and Shop Cinq. Every shop had a team I was obsessed with and I got to cosplay different styles of bride to be. However, I never left feeling SOLD! The brief was WATER WEDDING and it actually turned out hard to embody with both literal and abstract references. It’s HARD to stomach paying 10k for a dress you’ll wear once (not including alterations) and time was ticking since most major designers need 6-8 months of lead time.
Then I pivoted and thought custom from one of the brands I had worked with in the past could be the way forward; my second and third dead end respectively.
Getting down to the wire and feeling the pressure from my mom in town, I purchased something older/not quite second hand - a sample. As the date approached, I changed and my body changed I didn’t feel it was sexy enough!! Finally I came back to MR GALLIANO for the HOUSE OF MARGIELA and bought a dress off the rack and didn’t tailor it to fix any rippling on purpose.
WHAT I WORE
What I returned, borrowed, and obsessed over since fashion is my day job, after all. shouting out:
app is live and a lot of these items are on the appThursday: Weekend Kick off Dinner + Mini Bachelorette in Palm Springs
Vaquera top / Paris Georgia Skirt / Varon earrings (similar and dreamy) / Tory Burch mesh flats / gifted cheapy veil from my old office shout out LCA & AD / quick glam by MERIT. Missed opportunity to wear Varon pearl necklace
Friday: Spa Morning + Sound Bath & Night: Welcome party + ambient float
DAY: Row x Oliver Peoples sunglasses (similar from TRR) /Trina Turk “Poolside Gossip” set (top + pants) / Christopher Esber bikini
NIGHT: Row x Oliver Peoples sunglasses (similar from TRR) / Eliou earrings (similar vibe) / David Yurman Necklace / Rudi Gernreich Sharon Tate one piece / Y/Project x Melissa orchid shoes / Varon bracelet / ilia bridal makeup kit applied by me / natural hair / STAUD purse / Roisin Pierce Skirt / Vivienne Westwood top (similar)
Honorable mentions: David Yurman earrings, Colleen Allen top, Eliou set, Diotima set
Editor’s note: Rudi Gernreich white swimsuit ie “The Sharon Tate” — inspired purchase after chatting with Leonard Koren re: LA TIMES article where he told me Rudi attended the first WET event at Pico Burnside baths
More RG lore by
on VOGUEBUT WAIT there’s more
VOGUE
THIS AUCTION (∵) Wow!
I hope Rudi is proud :)
Saturday: Wedding Day!
Ceremony: Maison Margiela dress — the puckering texture reminded me of water ripples / Vintage Galliano for Dior heels — pure synergy / Veil from Etsy (sustained a wig snatching moment and didn’t rip)
Earrings from my mom, originally my grandmother’s
Morning: spa robe from TBP (tbh I need to get one of these!) + Staud poplin dress (similar)
After party: Ottolinger lace jumpsuit (similar)+ In-N-Out hat + foam Camper heels
Honorable mentions: Staud fish-scale dress I never wore (le sigh), Y/Project mini dress
Sunday: Farewell
Vivienne Westwood Anglomania dress (similar option 1, option 2) /Manolo Blahnik shell heels —
if you’re reading this still — do you know about these Manolos??not sure if these were custom or accidental genius)/ Isa Boulder gold swimsuit/ Prada glassesIN CLOSING
Every detail, every look, every ritual, every guest, felt intentional and unforgettable. I am so glad we took the time to consider EVERY element because it truly turned out to be the more aligned and true versions of ourselves that we opened up to the world.
Our wild dress themes were inspired by our favorite photos, films, and sounds: Slim Aarons’ Poolside meets ItaloDisco, with a touch of Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grande Bellezza woven throughout. It was all a dream (and a blur) but one we prepped for in detail. From workouts and facials to last-minute changes, the journey to the altar (and after the afterparty) was as much about self-care as it was celebration; a lesson I’m so glad I learned in this expression of love and beauty. While there are still a million moments I wish I could relive (and a few more photos I wish I’d taken), I wouldn’t change a thing. See you at the TBP reunion next May!
xoxo
coco
NEXT UP: ISCHIA TRAVEL GUIDE
P.S. Drop your Germany, Poland, Spain, and Scandi SPA recs in the chat
I know someone who owns that Yamamoto dress. Next time.
Laird the GOAT!!