Jessica and Jesse were married on June 1st, 2019 at The James Leary Flood Mansion in San Francisco. These two have always held a deep love for all things edgy, European, and old world-inspired, so it’s only fitting that they were engaged in Paris and later fell in love with the vintage art deco vibes of their San Francisco wedding venue. Built in 1915, the James Leary Flood Mansion sits atop the Pacific Heights district and opens up to a breathtaking balcony view of both the San Francisco Bay waters and the Golden Gate Bridge. Under the design direction of Prim Event Studio, the Flood Mansion became the perfect setting for Jessica and Jesse’s astrology and magic-inspired wedding celebration.
Jessica and Jesse dated for 12 years before they were married. They met back in high school through mutual friends, in the very town where they both grew up. They mutually describe their relationship as playful, supportive and devoted. After over a decade spent together, it’s easy to see how much they trust and love one another, and how much of their camaraderie and shared humor came into their wedding planning.
When Jesse proposed to Jessica, he chose a beautiful, space-inspired engagement ring that later served as a huge inspiration piece for their wedding day design. Jessica’s celestial Fiat Lux ring is designed by Sofia Zakia and features a center opal stone surrounded by two opposing crescent moons. Both Jessica and Jesse knew that they wanted to create a wedding day experience for their guests that felt just as romantic, magical, and unique as Jessica’s engagement ring. With that in mind, they worked closely with Morgan of Prim Event Design to create a modern interpretation of this magical, romantic feeling, peppered with hints of vintage glamour to keep the entire design scheme timeless. The final design utilized an eye-catching palette of strong black tones, metallic colors, and both rosy purple and blush apricot hues that were carried throughout various personalized details on Jessica and Jesse’s wedding day. These colors and their matching celestial notes were artfully worked together in the floral arrangements, stationery paper design, and even in the bride’s quartz crown! For the vintage elements, we paired striking elements such as Jessica’s beaded Liz Martinez gown, Jesse’s velvet jacket, and the crystal cut wine glasses with the venue’s existing Neoclassical architectural details.
Our signage and reception paper pieces, crafted by Bowerbird Atelier, set the perfect welcoming tone for guests to experience Jessica and Jesse’s magical and mystical wedding vibes. Stephanie of Bowerbird Atelier used beautiful old world-inspired calligraphy to personalize her very own Fleurot Tarot Deck as placecards for Jessica and Jesse’s guests. The various floral graphic elements from the Victorian floral tarot deck can also be seen in several other wedding day elements, from Jessica and Jesse’s bar menu to their seating chart. The black cocktail napkins were customized with stars and moons, paying homage to Jessica’s engagement ring, and featured one of the couple’s favorite, astro-inspired quotes. The invitations from Minted utilized the same beautiful rosy purple of Jessica and Jesse’s wedding linens, while also incorporating subtle art deco flourishes as a reflection of the Flood Mansion venue. Bowerbird Atelier also stepped in to customize the envelopes, adding a black envelope with contrasting white ink printing and customized stamps.
Kaylia of Tumbleweed Floral Truck used Jessica’s two favorite flowers (carnations and baby’s breath!) to create airy installations that perfectly captured Jessica’s modern and romantic aesthetic. Anemones with a dark, deep center acted as an anchoring element in these arrangements, along with peace lilies and hellebores.
The groom Jesse wore a vintage Yves Saint Laurent velvet jacket paired with pointed-toe leather boots. Jessica’s dress by Liz Martinez was inspired by the look of Old Hollywood starlets and featured delicate lace detailing, long scalloped sleeves, and just the right amount of beading for an extra sparkle. She played off her 60’s cat eye with a glamorous Brigitte Bardot-esque half updo. A stone quartz crown, Bella Belle heels and a fingertip veil completed her bridal look. The bridesmaids wore a variety of Jenny Yoo dresses in matching whipped apricot but different styles. The groomsmen opted for crisp black suits from The Black Tux.
Guests were welcomed to the venue with a beautiful champagne display. After welcoming drinks, a string quartet played in the background while Jesse and the wedding party made their way down the aisle. Jessica chose to make her iconic entrance on her own, shortly after Jesse and Jessica’s 11 year-old Yorkie pup Schroeder made his own grand entrance. The ceremony was personally officiated by Jesse’s brother.
After the ceremony, the guests were treated to an additional string quartet performance at cocktail hour, as well as signature cocktails crafted by a cocktail specialist, Craft and Cocktails. The two signature cocktails were specifically made to match the bride and groom’s personalities and flavor preferences. Jessica’s cocktail was a bright pink color and featured her favorite fruit – watermelon – mixed with tequila, jalapeño, coconut milk, lime, simple syrup and soda water. Jesse’s drink featured his liquor of choice – mezcal – a special horchata syrup, bitters and an orange peel garnish. Since watermelon is a favorite of Jessica’s, they made sure to have compressed watermelon from LRE Catering as a passed hors d’oeuvre as well! Towards the end of cocktail hour, our champagne-loving couple kicked the party off into high gear by pouring out their champagne tower.
Guests were welcomed inside the Flood Mansion for dinner and instantly treated to magical space filled with velvet linens, black accents, and abundant, cloud-like floral installations. The wine glass reflected a vintage vibe with the cut crystal, while our water glasses were magical and cosmic with various star and swirl patterns in black, metallic gold, and white from Frances Lane. Our charger featured a black rim with a beautiful otherworldly milky swirl leading to the center. Jessica also requested to have two chairs set aside as a tribute to her maternal grandparents who passed and we adorned their chairs with a posy of floral and their photo. Guests enjoyed a family-style meal, chosen for the feeling of intimacy and shared conversation, and were served a main dish featuring some of the couple’s favorite foods – amazing fried chicken upgraded by LRE Catering with a green tomato chutney and shaved scallions.
Jessica and Jesse’s multiple cakes were actually an emergency plan B option! Their original cake was never delivered, but luckily, we found a nearby Susie Cakes location – which also happens to be one of the couple’s favorite dessert shops! The cakes were displayed in a tiered fashion and, of course, featured a few of Jessica’s favorite flavors, red velvet and carrot. Guests continued to party the night away to beats by Heart of Gold Djs and sipped their custom cocktails well into the night.
Photography: Cassie Valente Photography | Planning: Prim Event Studio | Venue: Flood Mansion | Hair & Makeup: Salt Spell Beauty | Engagement Ring: Sofia Zakia | Bridal Shoes: Bella Belle | Stationery: Bowerbird Atelier | Flowers: Tumbleweed Floral Truck | Catering: LRE Catering | Rentals: Standard Party Rentals | Rentals: Frances Lane | Rentals: Hensley | Linens: La Tavola | DJ: Heart of Gold | Musicians: Synchronicity String Quartet | Lighting: Got Light | Transportation: Bauer’s
PABLO NERUDA