Real Weddings Feature: Francesca + AJ | Made by Meg Catering in Los Angeles, CA

Overview: Family and food were very important to both Francesca and AJ, who celebrated their love with a modern-meets-classic style wedding, featuring a primarily all-white wedding theme with small pops of greenery. Francesca designed all the wedding details with a strong California touch to give guests—many of whom are traveling from across the country—a sense of warmth, comfort, and the laid-back beauty of the West Coast. The weather for their summer wedding was gorgeous; being 78° F during the day, 67°F at night, with sunset at 7:52pm. Even with the simple white and green floral palette, she envisioned something more elevated: airy, detailed, and full of character, not too plain, with plenty of candlelight to enhance the atmosphere.

Francesca’s Testimonial: “Post-wedding life has been wonderful, and we’re still basking in the magic of our day. We’re so grateful to have chosen La Venta Inn and Made by Meg Catering—the food was incredible, and our guests raved about it! Everything came together beautifully, and we couldn’t have been happier.”

As seen on Instagram, “Married” has a nice ring to it! 💍

Custom Watercolor Stationery & Menus: Artist Brogan Scott handled the invitations and all the custom signage for the wedding, including the welcome sign, invitation, bar sign, menus with guests’ names at the top, and table numbers. The bride requested that the artist incorporate a venue illustration into the invitation design, along with California vibes—specifically elements like palm trees and the ocean.

Getting Ready: On the morning of the wedding, the bride Francesca wanted to spend peaceful, meaningful time getting ready in the Ocean Cottage bridal suite with her mother and sister before other guests arrived, creating a calm and intimate start to the day.

With a day full of positive emotions at La Venta, the bride also gifted her mother and the mother of the groom their own personalized embroidered handkerchiefs for the ceremony.

While there wasn’t a formal bridal party, she invited her close girlfriends to arrive early and take photos together before the ceremony began.

On the other side of the property, the groom AJ got ready for the big day in the private Hideaway Suite.

Featuring Pre-Wedding Food for the Bride & Groom: In the two separate getting-ready areas on property, the Hideaway Suite and Ocean Cottage, the bride and groom were able to leisurely snack as they got ready with their loved ones. They chose to enjoy an assortment of Gourmet Mini Sandwiches on Brioche Buns: House Roasted Turkey with Brie, Garlic & Walnut Aioli with Baby Arugula + Mesquite Grilled Shredded Chicken with Baby Spinach & Basil Lemon Pesto + Roast Beef with Aged White Cheddar, Garlic Aioli and Pickled Red Onion with Baby Arugula.

Two First Looks, first with the Father of the Bride & then with the Groom.

First Look with FOTB: For her first look with her father, she surprised her very proud dad in front of the keyhole lookout connected to the Oceanview Cottage. You can basically hear the love and positive words exchanged upon this warm embrace.

First Look for the Bride & Groom: The dreamiest first look on the Cottage Lawn, just South of the Ocean Cottage with serene views of the Pacific Ocean, the happiness expressed with the groom’s very first look at his bride on their wedding day melts hearts around the globe.

Sentimental Florals: The most sentimental bouquet we’ve ever seen, with two gold-framed portraits carried with the bride, attached with classic pearls for an extra touch of elegance, beauty, and grace.

White and green isn’t just simple, it’s elevated. A soft whisper of elegance through layered textures, garden-picked blooms, and candlelight that feels like a gentle exhale. Clean. Romantic. Intentional. This is minimalism with a heartbeat. Their florals included a bouquet, centerpieces, bar florals, and five halfmoon grounded arch floor florals at the altar to be repurposed at the sweetheart table.

Ceremony: Guests arrived at 4pm, with the ceremony starting at 4:20pm. For the processional of the groom and the wedding party, including parents, MOH & Best Man, flower girl, and ring bearers, an instrumental cover of “Accidentally In Love” by Paul Hankinson played. For the beautiful processional of the bride and her father, a violin instrumental of “A Million Dreams” by Taylor Davis played as they walked down the stone aisle to views of the Pacific Ocean and their loved ones smiling back at them.

The ceremony was officiated by their friend Jessica in a formal green dress that was the perfect choice to match with the lush green hedges and trees. The couple exchanged their own personal vows before the exchanging of the rings, and the pronouncement as husband and wife before being sealed with a kiss. The looks that were exchanged during the messages – there are no words. Bringing to life a girl’s dream to be looked at that way on her wedding day. For the recessional of the wedding party and newly married couple, “Real Love Baby” by Father John Misty played as the exited the outdoor ceremony space and moved to cocktail hour. We loved that the bride and groom took time for a private moment together following the ceremony.

Cocktail Hour in the Courtyard: The Diamond Bar included top-shelf alcohols, mixers, specialties, garnishes, as well as a selection of beers (Modelo, Stella, & Blue Moon) and wines (sparkling wine: Mumm Napa Brut, white wine: Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc from Napa, red wine: Unshackled Cabernet Sauvignon by Prisoner Wine Company).

Guests were able to enjoy reading the four different hand-written love notes by the couple—two from each of them to one another—custom printed on the cocktail napkins. Two specialty cocktails were selected by the couple, with a matching bar sign by artist Brogan Scott:

Honey’s Spiked Lemonade: Vodka, fresh thyme, MBM lemon simple syrup, and club soda, garnished with a dehydrated lemon wheel and fresh thyme sprig.
Manhattan Beach Marg: Tequila, Cointreau, MBM jalapeño simple syrup, and fresh lime juice, rimmed with Tajin and garnished with a fresh jalapeño slice & dehydrated lime wheel.

Tray passed hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour: A delicious variety of miniature takes on nostalgic crowd favorites were brought around by La Venta staff on a mix of white and clear trays, served individually to guests during cocktail hour in the courtyard.

Buffalo Karaage Chicken with garlic pepper ranch in cones.
Mini LA Dog – Mini Beef Hot Dog wrapped in bacon with mayo & shishito pepper relish (mixed with garlic, tamari, lemon zest and sesame oil) in a toasted brioche hot dog bun.
Mini Sirloin Sliders with juicy sirloin, aged white cheddar, caramelized onions, & garlic aioli on a brioche bun.
Mac n’ Cheese Poppers (Vegetarian) with marinara, fresh basil and shaved parmesan cheese.

Three grazing stations were available for guests to graze and enjoy during cocktail hour, spread between both the outdoor courtyard and connected indoor ballroom:

Tuscan Charcuterie Station – Truffle white bean puree, Roasted red peppers, Marinated olives, Artichoke heart francaise, Grilled zucchini petals, Tomato bruschetta, Crostini, Grilled Tuscan bread, Toasted focaccia, Cheeses – Parmesan, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, & Cured Meats – Genoa Salami, Prosciutto.
Farmers Market Kebab Station – Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp with Roasted Poblano Sauce, Grilled Chicken Kebab with Cilantro Lime Pesto, and Grilled Steak with Chimichurri.
Premium Sushi Station – California Roll, Yellowtail Roll, Shrimp Tempura, Soy Sauce, Tamari, Pickled Ginger, Wasabi.

Reception First Look: We love when couples take a moment to admire their hard work coming to life, from a Pinterest dream to reality. Becoming a more common trend, the newlyweds took a moment together during cocktail hour to stroll through their dining setup. Seating Reveals typically happen shortly before the reception officially starts, allowing the couple to have a moment to see their reception dining space privately prior to guests taking their seats.

Dinner Reception in the Garden Rooms:

The white & green setting in the garden rooms created a serene vibe, from glassware to floral arrangements to impressive LED candles to watercolor menus at each place setting. Guests enjoyed the heartfelt sentimental-meets-playful speeches by the maid of honor and best man, cherishing every moment of the reception.

They had a plated multi-course dinner service from on-site caterer Made by Meg, with rented Caleb Cotton dinner plates, White & Gold utensils, Ark Sage Goblet, Monaco Oatmeal linens and Monaco Oatmeal napkins to match the theme.

Starter Course

Green Goddess Salad with mixed greens, fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes, shaved parmesan, and green goddess salad dressing
Warm artisan ciabatta & kalamata olive rolls served with maldon salted honey butter & herb oil mixture
Kid’s Menu: Crispy chicken strips with fresh fruit, carrots, and a side of fries, served with ranch and ketchup

Main Course Service, Plated Dinner

Beef Entrée: Tennessee bourbon glazed marinated short ribs (green name cards)
Seafood Entrée: Sriracha garlic palm sugar glazed salmon with yuzu tamari (orange name cards)
Vegan Entrée: Roasted cauliflower steak marinated in Mediterranean spices with a roja chimichurri, zucchini, cherry tomatoes & white lemon citrus quinoa (blue name cards)

Sides to Accompany Main Course Proteins

Grilled Asparagus with Crispy Parmesan Cheese
Roasted Rosemary & Garlic Fingerling Potatoes

Portraits: The golden hour portraits leading up to sunset were pure elegance. Taken on the West Garden Lawn and Walkway with views of the Pacific Ocean, lush gardens, green hedges, and La Venta’s historic cupola in the background, setting the stage for stunning photos showcasing their love on their most memorable day.

Dessert: The theme for their desserts was delicious California charm wrapped in romance, nostalgia, and a hint of play. Brownies, cookies, mini donuts, ice cream carts, and a red velvet cake that didn’t stand a chance. “Reminiscing” by Little River Band played as they cut the red velvet cake from SusieCakes together.