Posted by Pasadena Weekly Staff | May 24, 2016
Some couples meet when they are children attending school together. Others meet years later at high school reunions, through friends’ introductions, or at Happy Hours and other events for singles. Many more hook up via Internet dating sites or Facebook and other social media. And while all marriage proposals ask prospective partners, “Will you marry me,” this question can be posed in innumerable ways and settings unique to each couple.
The five couples profiled in “Arroyo Weddings” illustrate a small segment of this diversity. Their choices of wedding and reception venues, photographers, caterers, hair and makeup stylists, and the many other details that create the perfect wedding demonstrate their individual tastes, values and priorities.
The five profiles also offer suggestions for vendors that can be employed at other weddings. But don’t fret if you disagree with these choices — a large selection of other vendors is available to help design the specific atmosphere you desire on your wedding day.
MARCILE & ANDY
LOVE STORY
Marcile Vadell-Strickland and Andy Montoya met when they sat across the classroom from each other at Monterey Hills Elementary School in South Pasadena. However, Marcile recalls that Andy wouldn’t talk to her. “However, he did sit in the backseat of my mom’s car as we gave him rides home from Monterey Hills Elementary School,” she explains on the Tie the Knot website. “My mom now reminisces about how I would tell her ‘I like this boy, Andy. I like his face.’” However, the two eventually lost touch with each other.
More than 20 years later, Marcile’s dad and best friend convinced her to attend her 13th high school reunion, telling her “You’ll never know who is hoping you’ll be there.” That person was Andy, and the couple reconnected while dancing and talking. The next night they went on their first date; nine months later, they visited their former elementary school, where Andy proposed to Marcile outside their classroom.
Andy and Marcile were married on Nov. 21, 2015 at the First Baptist Church in Pasadena. A yellow school bus transported guests to the ceremony and reception — a tribute to the elementary school where the Montoyas began their relationship.
VENDORS
Wedding Venue: First Baptist Church, 75 N. Marengo Ave., Pasadena; (626) 793-7164, fbcpasadena.com
Reception Venue: Calamigos Equestrian, 480 W. Riverside Drive, Burbank; (818) 9782-5940, calamigosequestrian.com
Photographer/Videographer: K. Fiero Photography; (949) 505-3353, kfierrophotography.com
Cake: Porto’s Bakery & Café, 315 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; (818) 956-5996, portosbakery.com/content/portos-glendale
Floral: Jessica Gray at Vave Studios, 950 Mission St., South Pasadena; (323) 487-9147, vavestudios.com http://vavestudios.com/visit/
Entertainment: DJ Albert Gonzalez, (626) 375-4822; Aaron Copenhaugen, guitarist; El Canito Cigar Events (909) 772-5121; sites.google.com/site/elcanitocigarevents
Bridal Gown: Connie Tao Designs, 23 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena; (626) 765-5939; connietaodesigns.com
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Nordstrom; nordstrom.com
Groom’s Tux: Macy’s; macys.com
Transportation: A yellow school bus to honor the fact that they met in elementary school
CHELSEA & THOMAS
LOVE STORY
Chelsea Lee and Thomas Wuyek met in 2006 when they were freshmen at Johnson & Wales University in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Tommy was studying culinary arts and Chelsea was studying baking and pastry arts. “Our passion and love for food is what initially brought us together,” says Chelsea. “We love spending time cooking together just as much as we love going out and eating a good meal.”
After completing their college educations, the couple moved to California, Chelsea’s home state. During a 2013 trip to San Diego, Tommy, Chelsea and her parents spent the day on Coronado Island. While sitting on a bench watching the waves roll in, Tommy pulled out an engagement ring and proposed to Chelsea.
“I was a mess, in a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt, and my hair was crazy from being windblown by the salty air,” Chelsea recalls. “It was not how I thought I would look when I imagined being proposed to. But it didn’t matter; I had never been so happy in all my life.” Later that day, Chelsea’s sister joined the other family members for a celebratory dinner.
The couple experienced some hard times during their two-year engagement: Tommy needed to have back surgery and Chelsea was saddened by her grandmother’s death. But the couple continued to love and support each other. They were married at the USC Pacific Asia Museum in December 2015
VENDORS
Wedding Venue: USC Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena; (626) 449-2742, pacificasiamuseum.org
Reception Venue: USC Pacific Asia Museum
Photographer/Videographer: Samantha Turchin; (310) 738-8054, samanthaturchin.com
Cake: Porto’s Bakery & Café; 315 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; (818) 956-5996, portosbakery.com/content/portos-glendale
Floral: Vave Studios; 950 Mission St., South Pasadena; (323) 487-9147, vavestudios.com http://vavestudios.com/visit/
Catering: Billotti’s Catering; 45 N. San Gabriel Blvd., Pasadena; (626) 354-1295, billottiscatering.com
Wedding Planner/Consultant: Jessica Wuyek; (443) 622-6747
Bridal Gown: Tak Hua at Aria; 850 S. Broadway, Suite 604, Los Angeles; (213) 629-6981, ariadress.com
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alfred Angelo; 1036#B West Covina Parkway, West Covina: (626) 813-7700, alfredangelo.com
Groom’s Tux: Garment District, Downtown Los Angeles
Hair & Makeup: Heather Roach; (323) 212-2204, heatherroachmakeup.com
Stationery/Invitations: VistaPrint; vistaprint.com
PEARL & SOLOMON
LOVE STORY
Solomon and Pearl Henderson have been married for more than 50 years. The couple met at a wedding, at which Pearl, a bridesmaid, recalls she “was taking a breather at the reception because the cheap, tight shoes dyed-to-match were hurting my feet. … Sol drove up in his red, convertible Jaguar, wearing a hat with a pipe in his mouth. I thought ‘What a handsome, debonair gentlemen. Who is he?’”
The couple struggled with their relationship for four years before getting married. “We were both feeling rather jaded after broken engagements, so it was not easy for us to get into a serious relationship,” says Pearl. “However, from the beginning we knew that something quite special was there between us.” Although they dated others, the two always came back together.
Sol never officially proposed to Pearl. But when Pearl visited Sol at the California National Guard facility during his two-week summer training, she was surprised when he introduced her as his “fiancé.” Six months later, on Dec. 19, 1965, the couple married at the Wilshire Methodist Church in Los Angeles, with a reception in the fellowship hall.
In December 1990, after 25 years of marriage, the Hendersons renewed their vows during a ceremony at the Pasadena Hilton Hotel. Twenty-five years later, they again renewed their vows in a ceremony at the Grand Wailea Hotel in Maui, Hawaii; they also celebrated their golden anniversary with a luncheon reception at the Pasadena Hilton Hotel on Dec. 20, 2015.
The following information refers to the Hendersons’ 50th anniversary reception in Pasadena:
VENDORS
Reception Venue: Pasadena Hilton Hotel, 168 S. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena; (626) 577-1000, hilton.com
Photographer/Videographer: Jerome Sykes at Photographic Memories, 37827 Wisteria Trail, Palmdale; (323) 270-1870, photomem.biz
Cake: Pastries by Nancy, 761 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena; (626) 794-9839, pastriesbynancy.com
Floral: Jacob Maarse, 655 E. Green St., Pasadena; (626) 449-0246; jacobmaarse.com
Entertainment: Jazz musician Billy Mitchell and friends; (626) 641-3262
Bridal Gown: Mon Amie, 355 S. Bristol Ave., Costa Mesa; (714) 546-5700, monamie.com
Hair & Makeup: Chris Owens at Classy Cuts; (323) 708-1920
Stationery/Invitations: Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; (626) 449-4320, vromansbookstore.com
JACQUE & MARCUS
A mutual friend introduced Jacque Robinson and Marcus Baisley about 13 years ago. The two dated for three months before ending their relationship. “I admit,” says Jacque, “I looked for him occasionally on and off through social media throughout the years and could never find a connection. Then one day in 2014 — Aug. 17, to be exact — I found him on Facebook.”
Their reconnection led to another round of dating. By then, Jacque was serving her second term on the Pasadena City Council, and in 2015 she ran for mayor, eventually losing to Councilman Terry Tornek. In the midst of the campaign, Marcus proposed to Jacque during a brief trip to Las Vegas.
“He filmed me in the car asking ‘What would I think if I came back married?’” Jacque recalls. “And I responded that I wasn’t ready because my hair wasn’t done and I didn’t have anything to wear (of all things). It never crossed my mind that the proposal was the purpose of our trip.” After arriving at their hotel, Marcus placed an engagement ring on the bed, knelt on one knee and asked Jacque to marry him.
The couple married on Oct. 24, 2015 at the Scott United Methodist Church in Pasadena. The date was carefully chosen. “His birthday is April 2 and mine is June 22,” explains Jackie. “Our wedding date is the combination of our birth months and days.”
VENDORS
Wedding Venue: Scott United Methodist Church, 444 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena; (626) 793-0543, scottumcpreschool.com
Reception Venue: Sophia Room at Noor, 300 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 200, Pasadena; (626) 793-4518, noorevents.com
Photographer/Videographer: Billy Preston at BP Photo
Cake: Southern Girl Desserts, 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Suite 100, Los Angeles; (323) 293-2253; southerngirldesserts.com
Floral: Scarlett Flowers Designs; (626) 593-2034, losangeleseventflorist.com
Entertainment: DJ Pierre Hall
Wedding Planner/Consultant: Jacqueline Snell of Events by Jacqueline; (626) 399-3042
Bridal Gown: Panache Bridal, 78 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena; (626) 585-8200, panachebridals.com
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: David’s Bridal; davidsbridal.com
Hair Salon: Josephine Robinson at Salon 580; (626) 644-1778, josephiner9208@aol.com
Makeup Salon: Nicole Stephens at Glamluxxe Makeup Artistry; (626) 644-5951, glamluxxe@gmail.com
Stationery/Invitations: Online at Paperless Post; paperlesspost.com
Transportation: Hertz, 2070 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; (626) 578-0443; hertz.com/pasadena
JUSTIN & MERCEDES
LOVE STORY
Mercedes Blackehart, a freelance artist, videographer and production designer, and Justin Chapman, a writer and communications associate at the Pacific Council on International Policy, could have known each other years before they started dating. The two grew up in Pasadena and Altadena, lived a few blocks from each other when they were children, had mutual friends in elementary and middle schools, and attended the same high school in Los Angeles. But they had never met until Mercedes began surfing the Internet.
While waiting for a flight at a Toronto airport in 2012, Mercedes perused the OkCupid online dating site and viewed Justin’s profile. Justin later sent a message to Mercedes and the two agreed to a first date at a wine bar in Old Pasadena. Within a couple of weeks they had moved in together and within nine months they were engaged.
Justin, a longtime contributor to the Pasadena Weekly, formally proposed to Mercedes while they visited Hangzhou, China, a lush lake garden city with which the two instantly fell in love. Handed a gold pouch adorned with Chinese symbols, Mercedes opened it to find a box containing Justin’s grandmother’s ring. Justin bent down on one knee to propose, and despite some complaints that the ring didn’t fit and that she should have worn a better shirt, Mercedes said yes.
Mercedes and Justin married at the Zorthian Ranch in Altadena on Sept. 19, 2015, with Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek officiating. The wedding theme was “Embrace Your Inner Creature.” Mercedes, friends and family members made the hand-drawn invitations, the papier-mache animal centerpieces, masks for the photo booth, and other decorations. The couple’s Chihuahua-mix dogs, Nico and Fiona, served as ring bearers.
VENDORS
Wedding Venue: Zorthian Ranch, 3990 Fair Oaks Ave., Altadena; (626) 797-3359, zorthianranch.com
Reception Venue: Zorthian Ranch
Photographer: Siouxzen Kang; (323) 301-3893, siouxzenkang.com
Videographer: Jaq Schmidt; jaqworks.com
Catering: Gourmet a Go Go; (818) 249-9034, gourmetagogoonline.com
Entertainment: Stoop Steady 6; (626) 710-7575, soundcloud.com/stoop-steady-six; Music Mania, (661) 619-6455, musicmaniadj.com
Officiant: Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek; (626) 744-4111, cityofpasadena.net/Mayor
