Real Wedding: Justina and Jason, Los Angeles, California

Justina Blakeney and Jason Rosencrantz first met through her then-roommate, who was dating Jason’s younger brother. Sparks didn't fly. But seven years later they ran into each other again at a party thrown by a mutual friend -- and something finally clicked. The couple -- she's a creative consultant and he's a writer -- wanted a celebration that was playful and reflective of their personalities and rich on DIY details. Soon after they began planning their March 18, 2012, nuptials at the Grace E. Simons Lodge in Elysian Park, in their hometown of Los Angeles, they received happy news: They were expecting a baby girl. It was the icing on their soon-to-cut cake.

The bride designed their invitation suite, which mixed illustration and typography, to give it a graphic look. Featuring the L.A. skyline, their cat, Luda, greenery reflective of their ceremony site, and a stork, it was completely personalized.

"Anyone who has ever been shopping for a maternity wedding gown knows that it isn't easy," Justina says. Thankfully she was able to work with Argentine couturier Stella Alberti for her French lace gown and bell-sleeve bolero. Her jewelry was a gift from her grandmother, Bette.

Jason maintained his cool in a gray tuxedo with pops of yellow.

Justina kept comfortable and fashionable with glittery Kate Spade flats -- a festive touch that paired well with her pom-pom-adorned dress.

Wax flowers, balsa wood flowers, acacia, seeded eucalyptus, and eucalyptus pods were bound together and pinned to the groom’s lapel.

Kelly Cuadra of Viva Voce Designs created the bride’s textured, artfully gathered bouquet of acacia, seeded eucalyptus, pincushion protea, dahlias, ranunculus, daffodils, anemones, sweetpeas, jasmine, star of Bethlehem, leucadendron, kangaroo paws, pieris Japonica, and craspedia. The stems were tied with vintage Japanese batik fabric that Justina found at the Rose Bowl flea market.

Stylist Britni Wood created the bride’s floral head of balsa wood flowers, acacia, leucadendron, wax flower, and seeded eucalyptus. A small faux bird was the finishing touch.

Justina dyed the little girls’ vintage dresses yellow and paired them with floral head wreaths, that mimicked her own.

Moss baskets filled with bougainvillea petals from Justina and Jason’s yard were made for each of the three young attendants.

Jason's groomsmen wore gray suits accented with yellow vintage pocket squares, bow ties, socks, and shoelaces. The bridesmaids wore dresses of their choosing in shades of marigold.

The groom's two female attendants donned retro gray suits similar to the groomsmen’s.

A bridge on the property provided a photo-ready spot for the bridal party to pose on.

A bolt of fabric from the 1960s, found at a fabric store for just $1 a yard, was rolled out and fashioned into an aisle runner for the ceremony.

Paper parasols in the wedding’s color palette were set out for guests to shield themselves from the springtime sun.

Small floral arrangements in glass jars dotted the aisle.

Justina's friends, Shauna Nepp and Dabito, created a wedding huppa with vintage crocheted linens, flowers, and fresh lemons from the couple’s yard.

Justina's brother officiated the secular ceremony, which included the Jazz stylings of their friend, Fabiano do Nascimento. Jason and the wedding party entered to “Corcovado” -- the first song the couple learned to play together(with the bride on vocals and the groom at the piano). The bride walked down the aisle on the arms of her mother and father to Bob Marley's "Turn Your Lights Down Low".

Before being declared “a family” the couple exchanged personalized vows and wedding bands. Justina's previously belonging to Jason's grandmother, and his ring from The Sly Fox was made from recycled gold."The fact that our daughter was in my belly during the wedding made it all the more special," Justina said.

Jewelry designer and photographer Kira Lillie and interior designer Faith Blakeney, Justina’s sister and maid of honor, brought sartorial sass to the event.

To keep the nearly two dozen children entertained during cocktail hour, Jenga, wooden Connect Four, and Pick-Up-Sticks were set out.

Rubber-stamped paint chips made cute and simple table numbers.

Vintage table runners were topped with cloth napkins in varying shades of yellow, biodegradable areca-leaf plates, Mason-jar glasses, and gold flatware. The potted-plant centerpieces, put together by friends and family, doubled as favors.

Contemporary Catering prepared an Italian-inspired “pescatarian” family-style menu. It included salads, papardelle primavera, grilled vegetables, roasted red potatoes, and branzino with charred fennel, saffron, and tomato-herb cream sauce.

In honor of the couple’s shared love of painting, they erected a canvas and propped it with paints, brushes, and aprons so people could leave their mark.

The finished piece later joined the couple's art collection, which hangs in their garden -- which also contains several pictures of the bride painted by Jason early on in their courtship.

A lemon cake with fresh strawberries was made by Olivia Lin of Sweet Catastrophe Cakes. It was topped with an edible version of the collaged figures featured on the invitation suite. Candy succulents and craspedia matched their realistic counterparts in the centerpieces, and even the newlyweds' cat, Luda, made a sugar appearance in between the tiers.

In addition, guests enjoyed a gelato bar from Pazzo Gelato.

Photography: Jennifer Young; Connie Lyu

Location: Grace E. Simons Lodge

Day-Of Coordination: Kelly Cuadra of Viva Voce Designs

Catering: Contemporary Catering

Flowers: Viva Voce Designs; Britni Wood

Stationery: Justina Blakeney

Cake: Sweet Catastrophe Cakes

Music: Fabiano Do Nascimento [ceremony]; DJ Adam Twelve [reception]

Rentals: Town and Country Event Rentals

Makeup: Soledad Alberti

Engagement Ring: Artisan LA