An Elegant Black-Tie Wedding at Cafe Pinot in Los Angeles, California

Shannon Radecki (33 and in advertising) and Aaron Pfeffer (37 and a real estate investor) wanted their black-tie wedding in downtown Los Angeles, California, to be playful with lots of personal details. “We knew we wanted to be married at a venue that gave our guests a different, more elegant perspective of Los Angeles—more city, less beach,” Shannon says. “When we stepped onto the Cafe Pinot grounds, we knew we had found our venue.” For the ceremony’s decor, Shannon and Aaron followed a romantic “Midnight in Paris" vibe, surrounding their elegant flower-wrapped chuppah with candles and twinkle lights. After the ceremony their 160 guests settled in at tables set with warm rose gold linens and flatware. Other touches included place cards with chummy nicknames, a specially made “cheesecake” made with rounds of cheese and charcuterie, and frozen bananas from local vendor Hannah’s Bananas. “My advice to brides in the throes of wedding planning is to embrace who you are rather than who you’re not,” Shannon says. “I was dead set on being a relaxed bride, but as a type A personality, that’s not who I am. While I was far from a totally relaxed bride, I was a happy bride, and that was way more important than being as cool as a cucumber.” —Carolyn Meers