Exclusive: Go Inside Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg's Halloween Weekend Wedding!

By Shira Savada
February 22, 2016
Thayer Allyson Gowdy

The actress-style blogger and actor-singer-songwriter headed to a rustic lodge for three days of love and laughter—and some pretty amazing costumes.

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Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg

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Some couples have a thing for holidays. Take Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg. It was during the Christmas/Hanukkah/Festivus season in December 2013 that Bryan, the singer-songwriter and One Tree Hill actor, popped the question. He rented the penthouse suite at the Hotel Vitale in Jamie's hometown of San Francisco, which has panoramic views of the bay and bridge. As the sun set, he sang a song he'd written about them before getting down on his knee, recalls Jamie, the Once Upon a Time actress and fashionista behind the style blog What the Chung

? "He was sneaky, too, recording the whole surprise on a tablet!" she says.

For their big day, the pair decided to tie in another holiday, launching a three-day celebration with a welcome dinner on Halloween eve—costumes required. "We thought it would be a fun way to break the ice," says Jamie. Since the only thing they love as much as a great party is the great outdoors, they hosted the whole weekend at El Capitan Canyon, a nature-chic resort near El Capitán State Beach in California, outside of Santa Barbara. Both Jamie and Bryan had camped growing up and loved the idea of guests bunking in cabins or tents amid groves of oak and sycamore. To complement the setting, Jamie gave her planner, Lisa Vorce, a photo of a sunset as inspiration for the peach, pink, and neutral color palette.

Once all 243 guests were on-site, the fun kicked off at the "Boos & Booze" bash, with ghosts, ghouls, and glamour girls joining in a Mexican buffet and a costume contest. "It was a blast seeing how creative everyone got," says Jamie. On October 31, 2015, the day after the tricks, came the treat: a sunny afternoon ceremony on a hilltop where the duo exchanged nondenominational vows they'd written themselves before Bryan stepped on a glass, honoring Jewish tradition.

Afterward, everyone followed a path to cocktail hour in a vast meadow surrounded by mountain views. They sipped blood-orange margaritas and noshed on vegetable egg rolls, sesame chicken skewers, and stuffed fire-roasted peppers while Bryan's musician friends played. When one of the couple's favorite songs, The Beatles' "Real Love," started up, the newlyweds had an impromptu twirl right then and there. After the alfresco dinner of Caesar salad, Angus tri-tip, grilled chicken, and roasted potatoes, they had their official "first dance" to "All the Way Down," performed by their friend, musician John Graney. Soon everyone joined in, and it was dancing and bonfires late into the night—a fitting way to kick off a lifetime of special occasions.

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The Invitation Suite

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The foil-pressed invitation designed by Amber Moon Design was printed with a watercolor design in the day's color scheme; reply cards introduced an arrowhead motif.

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A Halloween Welcome Gathering

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The tables were dressed in Halloween finery, with charcoal clay pottery skulls, ebony glassware, black-and-gold cutlery, gold foil-stamped menus, and pampas grass. In keeping with the Day of the Dead décor, costume-clad attendees dug into a Mexican buffet of fajitas and beans and rice.

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Boos and Booze

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While guests brought the boos, servers passed trays with booze: vodka-spiked lavender lemonades, garnished with plastic spiders. Custom ForYourParty cocktail napkins helped further set the theme.

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The Couple, In Costume

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The duo in disguise: Bryan as Marty from Back to the Future Part II and Jamie as the leader of Troop Beverly Hills.

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Custom Décor

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Custom papel picado from Casa Bonampak combined wedding imagery and Day of the Dead motifs in keeping with the theme of the welcome party. 

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The Parents of the Groom

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The groom's parents came as Colonel Sanders and Flo, the insurance rep from the Progressive ads.

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A Spooky Surprise

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One guest arrived at the Boos & Booze welcome party straight from Star Wars.

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Pick Your Poison

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The bar invited partygoers to "Pick Your Poison." Popular choices included Avión tequila shots and a specialty drink of Tito's vodka, fresh lemon juice, St. Germain, lavender simple syrup, and soda water.

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A Group Getup

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Jamie and her bridesmaids rocked a group costume as Troop Beverly Hills.

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Lighting Up the Night

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Luminaria bags featuring Day of the Dead imagery added to the festive spirit. 

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An Outdoor Fiesta

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String lights draped in custom papel picado

lit up the night, as did two bonfires.

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Rocking Out

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A pal came as David Bowie in full Ziggy Stardust mode.

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Dressed to Impress

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The wrestler "Randy 'Macho Man' Savage" crashed the party via this suited-up guest.

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S'more Fun

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It wouldn't be camping without s'mores, which guests roasted over bonfires after the buffet dinner.

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An Artful Approach

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"Frida Kahlo" was also in attendance.

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Fashionable Disguises

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Representing the fashion world, "Anna Wintour" and "Karl Lagerfeld" made an appearance. "Seeing our friends and family really go all out on theircostumes for the rehearsal dinner was amazing. The excitement was so great—we kept the party going around the bonfires all night," says Bryan of a memorable moment.

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Award-Winning Costumes

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Awards were given for the most creative costumes, including "Most Likely to Get You Arrested," "Requiring Most Explanation," and the "I'm Wearing 'That' Next Year" award.

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Welcome to Camp

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Upon arrival at El Capitan Canyon, guests received brown paper bag care packages that were gold foil-stamped with the day's logo and filled with provisions including snacks and bottled water.

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Custom Flags

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The day of the wedding, the couple's flag flew from a flagpole on the path to the ceremony, transforming the resort into Camp Chung-Greenberg (and echoing the design of the invitations).

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The Bridesmaids

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The couple scheduled family photos and wedding-party portraits before the vows so they wouldn't miss any of their cocktail hour. But it was important for Jamie that her gown be a surprise at the ceremony. The solution? She wore her Jonathan Simkhai reception dress for photos, switched into the Monique Lhuillier silk tulle and lace ceremony gown for the main event, then changed back. 

Here, Jamie in her Jonathan Simkhai gown with her 'maids in custom dresses from Privacy Please.

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Bridesmaids' Bouquets

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Moon Canyon Design created bouquets of garden roses, dahlias, amaryllis, ranunculus, cactus, and mixed foliage, for the bridesmaids to carry, complementing their pale blue, cream, and gray custom dresses.

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The Groomsmen

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Bryan (in a navy Hugo Boss tuxedo and black bow tie from Nordstrom) chose groomsmen from key phases of his life: three friends from high school in St. Louis, two from college at New York University, a longtime pal from his time in Los Angeles, and his music producer.

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The Boutonnieres

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Boutonnieres of ranunculus, eucalyptus, straw flower, acacia, tuberose, and oak leaf were worn by groomsmen.

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Preceremony Refreshments

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Leather tags labeled bottles of iced tea, lemonade, and water at a hydration station.

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Toss Bags

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Toss bags were printed with the arrow motif.

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The Ceremony

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See More Beautiful Chuppahs

The pair exchanged vows under a chuppah adorned with olive branches and wild grasses. Bryan processed to an a capella version of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys and Jamie entered to "Lay Down" by Son Little.

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Stomping the Glass

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A linen bag calligraphed by Anne Robin held the glass Bryan stepped on at the ceremony. 

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