Los Angeles is full of unique wedding venues, but Molly + Steffan managed to find the ultimate hidden gem—The Paramour Estate—to make it official. One of the last places they looked at (only hearing about it from friends who’d filmed there!), its old Hollywood vibe, incredible LA views, and insanely fun décor (understatement of the year) seemed way too cool to be under their noses the whole time—they actually used to live just a few blocks away from the property. Who knew?! Add in the fact that they could bring in outside catering, and these foodies were sold. Thanks to Let’s Frolic Together for sharing this wedding with us today!
Their story: We were living in New York at the time, and opted to meet for ramen on a frigid January afternoon five years ago. We spent most of lunch and drinks afterward arguing about where the best pizza in Brooklyn is (we still do not agree on this point). We were still dating in March when Molly went to LA for work indefinitely (M: I thought I broke up with him when I left. I guess I was not clear about that.). Molly drunk-dialed Steffan one night in April, prompting him to come visit her in LA in May. By the end of that trip, it was clear we wanted to find a way to stay together, even though Molly had decided to stay in Los Angeles. By November, Steffan moved to Los Angeles, and the native New Yorker is now deeply in love with his new city.
Isn’t our bride’s BHLDN Theia gown so perfect for Old Hollywood glamour?
Jasmine of Let’s Frolic Together tells us, The Paramour Estate, a colossally fantastic historic old-Hollywood mansion, is like a safari (full of exotic taxidermies) and a quirky history adventure in one. We were completely dazzled by the unique and colorful bouquets and floral design of bougainvillea and tropical leaves (Steffan is a plant dad in a big way and was all about this), and the all-girl live Mariachi band was a treat to arrive to for guests.
Molly’s tropical plant-inspired bouquet featured bougainvillea, ferns, anthuriums, and a big ol’ anthurium leaf.
This ceremony setup, WOW. Steffan is allll about those tropical plants, and they told Brittany of Crimson Floral Co. to “get weird with it” which led to one insanely rad ceremony design!
With all their unique touches, we could not have had a bigger blast celebrating this amazing wedding. Still kinda crying over those hilarious and feelsy vows because Molly is a hella wordsmith, the pizza glass to break (talk about modernizing a Jewish tradition), their making of a cocktail to seal the ceremony (lighting candle is old news!), and especially that nonstop ferocious dance floor with a break for both tacos and donuts mid-party.
The hand-dyed table runners and seating chart backdrop were a nod to the groom’s background in African studies.
And a family member contributed these cool graphic table numbers repping the couples’ fave spots in LA.
They also had some incredible neon wedding signs…
Molly says, I knew we would probably go over budget—most things do—so I had our goal number, and a certain amount of money set aside “just in case:” to cover a rain plan, a last minute problem, a pack of people we forgot to invite, whatever. And we did end up having to dip into that, but it didn’t feel stressful, because that’s what it was there for. What helped us the most was an honest conversation early in the process where we each stated the four things that were most important to us. Everything else, we were willing to compromise on. We are very fortunate to have talented, gracious friends and family who gave us lots of help and support along the way—and we’re glad we weren’t too afraid to ask for help or delegate. Collaborating with family, friends, vendors and artists is what ultimately made our day so special to us, and allowed both of us to enjoy our day stress-free.
Congratulations to Molly + Steffan!
Photography: Let’s Frolic Together / Venue: The Paramour Estate in Los Angeles, CA / Event Coordinator: Louise Georges Yves / Floral Design: Crimson Floral Co. / Hair & Makeup: Design Visage / Stationery: Champagne Press / Catering: Bites and Bashes / Late Night Taco Truck: Jose Perez of Chikali / Desserts: Jeni’s Ice Cream & Kettle Glazed / DJ: Dart Collective / Mariachi Band: The Mariachi Divas / Rentals: Premiere Party Rentals / Table Cards: Rich Veca / Coasters: BeeisforBear / Wedding Dress: BHLDN / Groom’s Attire: Ted Baker
