One Couple's Stunning Navy-and-Maroon Wedding in Oak Glen, California

When it came time to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Joseph Davies turned to her friends for help. Together, they helped scout an Instagram-worthy location where he could pop the question to Susie Weinstein—and they even coached him on what to say. But when Joseph finally got down on one knee, he couldn't remember the speech he and Susie's friends had so carefully prepared. What he could remember, however, was a line from Friends that he knew she'd love best: "You're my lobster." Of course, Susie said yes.

On March 23, 2019, the couple wed in front of 150 friends and family members at Serendipity Gardens in Oak Glen, California, a place the couple say they had never heard of until a friend pointed them in the gardens' direction. "I fell in love with the pictures on the website, and we immediately booked a venue tour," says Susie. It was love at first visit. The outdoor venue "just felt like us," the bride adds.

With the help of event planner Stylish Details Events, Susie and Joseph planned a wedding with a navy, maroon, and gold color palette—and a focus on family, who came from across the country to celebrate with the happy couple. "[Our wedding] was special because all of our friends and family were there to show our special day with us, and it was also special because I saw my immediate family open up in ways I've never experienced before our wedding day," Joseph says.

Watch Susie and Joe's wedding video by Kyro Digital.

The couple's navy-and-maroon invitation suite was designed by The Paper Place, with calligraphy by Eclaire Paperie. 

Susie's long-sleeved lace Pnina Tornai wedding dress was the one everyone agreed was perfect. "It just fit so well and was so fun," she says. "I wanted to look classic yet modern and young, and I really feel like this dress hit all the boxes."

Lovestruck Blooms made Susie's bouquet vision come to life by combining fresh white blooms with deep greenery; the arrangement featured a mix of anemones, roses, and ferns and was tied with long navy ribbon.

In keeping with the couple's color palette, Joseph wore a navy suit. "We both really liked the look of a navy suit and liked how it would match with my bridesmaids," Susie says. A black bow tie and polka-dotted pocket square were the perfect finishing touches.

Joseph's boutonnière coordinated with Susie's bouquet; it featured a white anemone and greenery, tied with navy ribbon.

The couple asked 14 friends and family members to join their wedding party. Bridesmaids were invited to pick their own navy gowns, while the groomsmen donned classic black tuxedos.

Susie and Joe's first look was incredibly impactful for the groom. "I just thought, 'Wow I'm marrying the woman I fell in love with six-and-a-half years ago,'" he says, adding that the stress of "the long wedding-planning process" slipped away when he saw her. "I'm an emotional person, so I get choked up for no reason a lot—but this is by the far the best and my most memorable reason."

In addition to white dresses by Pink Princess, the couple's two young attendants also wore flower crowns.

Before their ceremony, the couple signed a ketubah, a Jewish marital document that outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom to his bride. While Susie was raised Jewish, Joseph converted to Judaism ahead of the big day.

The ceremony took place on Serendipity Gardens' dramatic lawn, where chairs faced an arbor decorated with greenery and flowers.  

Crawling delphinium arrangements lined the aisle—they looked as if they'd grown right out of the grassy ground.

An oversized ceremony program was placed at the start of the aisle. Decorated with trailing greenery and flowers, the sign outlined the key players in the celebration, including the names of the members of the bridal party and the couple's rabbi.

The duo exchanged emotional but funny vows they wrote themselves. Susie was sure to work in a Friends reference, but also mentioned her soon-to-be husband's favorite TV pairing—Jim and Pam from The Office—as well.

"Our ceremony was really important to us, and truly one of the most special parts of the day," Susie says, reflecting on the service.

The cocktail hour took place on the outdoor terrace overlooking the ceremony site below. "We hand-selected lounge furniture for guests and served classic margaritas and Moscow Mules," says the bride. "Live music played while guests sipped their drinks and took in the view!"

Guests found their dinner seats on a contemporary sign; names were organized alphabetically in hexagons arranged like honeycomb. The signage was made by Eclaire Paperie.

The couple's reception took place beneath a clear tent strung with twinkle lights. To keep guests warm, Susie and Joseph placed heating lamps close to the tables, a mix of long farm and round tables. "We wanted a mix of table styles to create an elevated look to the reception tent," Susie explains.

The newlyweds sat at a sweetheart table covered in white candles and flowers.

A wall emblazoned with the couple's first initials served as the photobooth backdrop. The area was also decorated with draping flower arrangements; they framed the monogram, while creeping white delphinum drew the eye upward towards the lettering.

Inside the tent, each table was topped with white flower arrangements and pillar candles.

Menu cards were designed by Eclaire Paperie, and included guests' names written in calligraphy. "We wanted each guest to feel like we had a seat saved just for them," says Susie.

The newlyweds' white wedding cake was decorated with fresh white roses and greenery.

For favors, guests indulged in a donut wall designed by event planners Stylish Details Events. The donut wall featured several donut glazes and read, "Love Is Sweet."

Photography, Jenny Quicksall

Venue and catering, Serendipity Gardens

Event planning, Stylish Details Events

Flowers, Lovestruck Blooms

Videography, Kyro Digital

Officiant, Rabbi Jaclyn F. Cohen

Stationery, The Paper Place

Calligraphy, Eclaire Paperie

Cake, Beverly's Bakery

Music, Atlantic Strings

Rentals, Signature Party Rentals; Archive Rentals

Bride's gown, Pnina Tornai

Bride's accessories, Etsy

Hair and makeup, Design Visage

Flower girl dresses, Pink Princess

Groom's suit and menswear, Nordstrom

Transportation, Best VIP