Southern Weddings

Tammy + Mickey’s wedding is full of beautiful Moroccan detailing complete with a belly dancer.  On top of that, I love Tammy’s Greek heritage and how beautifully it was woven into this celebration.  Tammy and Mickey were married at {Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral}.  The bride wore an {Amy Michelson} gown and the groom looked dashing in his {Canali} suit.  The beautiful floral detail was created by {Louloudi Designs}.  After the ceremony, Tammy + Mickey traveled with their guests to {Hotel Figueroa} for the reception.  Check out what Tammy called “the talk of the evening”… the wedding cake was made by {Rosebud Cakes}!  Photography by {Gia Canali Photography}.  Check out more of Gia’s work on her {Blog}. Thank you for sharing this fun wedding with us today, Gia!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: I lived across the street from Mickey’s shop for six years and we would always notice each other but nothing came of it until finally three years ago when he asked me out. He would always make sure that he was outside setting up the shop at the time I was leaving for work and would stop me at the stop sign in front of the shop and bid me a good day. Finally he got up the nerve and we went out. From that point on we were together.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? I love Moroccan architecture and design, so I found this hotel that was perfect for an ethnic style wedding. I wanted the guests to feel as if they were taking a flying carpet ride to a Kasbah to enjoy traditional Moroccan food and bellydancing. I am Greek and Mickey is Hungarian so of course there was Greek dancing with a bouzouki band.
Favorite design element of your big day: I loved the menus that were done by an Indian company as well as the placecards that were little brass incense burners with peacock feathers coming out of the top of them. Mickey and I made the cards and assembled them. It was tedious but fun. They looked so nice.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My dress was at the second shop I tried. The experience was funny because I went alone and found it right away. I knew what I wanted and had sketched it out so when I found something so close there was no need to make it. The designer is {Amy Michelson}. Amazing. The boutique is: {The Montclair Collection}.
Describe your wedding flowers: Along with the exotic theme of the evening, I wanted lots of vibrant colors. We went with magenta orchids and tangerine dahlias. The tables held the same type of flowers but in bunches of one type of flower which made a statement.
Describe your wedding cake: My wedding cake was a design from {Margaret Braun}, the ultimate cake decorator. It was the Empress Theodora cake with 24K gold mosaic tiles on it in a Byzantine pattern that was adorned with a royal blue swag and topped with a crown that I had copied from a piece of jewelry I had from By Royal Order. It was the talk of the evening.
Our favorite aspect of the wedding was: I loved the fact that my wedding was intimate and everyone was able to take home Moroccan lanterns filled with chocolate kisses with our names on them as well as a little seed packet that said “grow with love”.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Exciting, ethnic, and sensual.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Have a blast doing it. Do exactly what you want within your budget and do not listen to tradition if that is not your style. Make it quirky and interesting for your guests. Remember that is why you are having a wedding with people attending. Make sure not to lag in between dinner and dancing. The evening must flow.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We enjoy traveling and plan on visiting my cousin in Greece this summer for her wedding, then off to Mykonos.
Any DIY items? I say, if you have any creative bone in your body, make the place cards, and as much as you can. It really makes a difference with that special touch.

Congratulations to Tammy + Mickey!  Have fun in Greece!

Written with love by Lara Casey