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  4. This Couple Exchanged Vows in Malibu, Surrounded by Oak Trees and Natural Waterfalls
Martha Stewart Weddings

This Couple Exchanged Vows in Malibu, Surrounded by Oak Trees and Natural Waterfalls

Sara Dickinson, Freelance Writer
By Sara Dickinson July 12, 2019
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lauren aaron wedding couple holding hands on bridge
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

These doctors met on a blind date—and about three years later, they invited 180 guests to Calamigos Ranch in California to watch them tie the knot.

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lauren aaron wedding couple holding hands on bridge
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

Lauren and Aaron are both doctors with schedules that make it difficult to meet people. One morning after a night shift, Lauren's coworker, who also had worked with Aaron at another hospital, decided to play matchmaker and send Aaron her photo and phone number. Over the next two weeks the pair texted back and forth, unable to meet up easily because of their schedules and the fact that they lived about 90 minutes apart. They eventually met up for a blind date at a restaurant in Claremont and hit it off right away. "Apparently we both knew it was meant to be as we started dating immediately," Lauren says.

After dating for two-and-a-half years, the couple planned a trip to Arizona to visit Aaron's sister, her husband, and their newborn. Once they were there, Lauren was woken up bright and early for a morning hike with Aaron in the 110-degree heat. At the top of the mountain, after getting attacked by a bee, Aaron got down on one knee to pop the question. "We celebrated with some (nearly) boiling Champagne—it was the most perfect proposal that keeps us laughing each time we tell it," Lauren shares.

The couple took about seven months to plan their big day, which took place on March 9, 2019, at The Oak Room at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California. They wanted a Southern California venue that offered a Northern California feel. Inspired by Lauren's love of oak trees and the couple's passion for hiking, they teamed up with Weddings by Susan Dunne to create an elegant affair for 180 guests with an outdoorsy feel.

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A Neutral Suite with a Pop

lauren aaron wedding invites and white flowers
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

The bride initially envisioned a neutral color palette, but she was convinced by her planner to incorporate some greenery throughout the day for a pop of color. Their stationery was created on simple white cardstock with black letterpress and featured a delicate oak leaf design.

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Mom's Always Right

lauren aaron wedding bride on bridge
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography
Unexpected Tips to Find the Wedding Dress of Your Dreams

Lauren's mom spotted an Essence of Australia wedding dress in the window of a bridal salon in Carmichael, California, and instantly knew it was the perfect gown for her daughter. Lauren ended up visiting the store, trying on a handful of dresses there, and falling in love with a different one. After paying for it, she woke up in the middle of the night in a panic that she had chosen the wrong dress. "I knew I was meant to be in the one my mom had initially eyed," Lauren says. The lace gown featured a V-neck and simple fitted silhouette with a trailing train.

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Accessories Time

lauren aaron bride's gold wedding shoes
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

Bella Belle shoes and a Blossom Veils hair comb were the bride's finishing touches.

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A White Bouquet

lauren aaron wedding bride's white bouquet
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography
64 White Wedding Bouquets

Lauren's bouquet featured garden roses, clooni ranunculus, sweet peas anemones, hellebores, delphinium, spirea, pittosporum, and four varieties of ferns, creating a lush arrangement of white florals and greenery.

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A Personal Suit

lauren aaron wedding groom fc barcelona suit
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography
The Groom's Guide to Choosing a Personalized Wedding Look

Aaron is a huge soccer fan, and even played when he was at UC Davis, so it was fitting that, on his wedding day, he wore a charcoal suit that featured the Barcelona Soccer Club logo in the lining; the ensemble was custom-made by Evolution of Style. He wore Cole Haan shoes, a brown belt, and a blush tie from The Tie Bar.

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The Wedding Party

lauren aaron wedding party in front of trees
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

The couple's wedding party featured six people on each side, including Lauren's 10-year-old twin niece and nephew and junior bridesmaid and groomsman. The bridesmaids wore Bill Levkoff dresses in varying styles while the groomsmen wore suits from The Black Tux with matching blush ties.

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The Location

lauren aaron wedding couple on bridge
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography
12 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Wedding Venue

Lauren's love for oak trees stems from growing up in Sacramento, California, and although she and Aaron now live in Los Angeles, they felt Calamigos Ranch was the perfect spot for their nuptials. Not only did the property have stunning oak trees all throughout, but Aaron grew up about 10 minutes down the road from the ranch, and his family still lives there.

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The First Look

lauren aaron wedding first look couple
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

Aaron and Lauren are very private people, so they planned to have a first look where they could share their personal vows, creating an intimate moment before the ceremony. "We had last seen each other the night before at the rehearsal dinner," Lauren says. "It was an incredible feeling to know that our big day had arrived, and we were finally able to celebrate our love."

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Signing the Ketubah

lauren aaron wedding ketubah signing
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography
16 Ketubahs From Jewish Weddings That Prove How Pretty a Marriage Contract Can Be

Having a traditional Jewish ceremony was important to the couple, who had a ketubah signing ahead of the service.

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A Waterfall Marks the Spot

lauren aaron wedding ceremony location in front of waterfall
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography
51 Beautiful Chuppahs from Jewish Weddings

The ceremony took place on a deck surrounded by natural stone waterfalls and low hanging oak trees adorned with twinkle lights and chandeliers. The aisle went over a tranquil pond, symbolizing the couple crossing a bridge into a new life as husband and wife. A traditional chuppah featured crisp white roses and fresh greenery.

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Stomping the Glass

lauren aaron wedding groom stomping glass
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography
17 Jewish Wedding Traditions for Your Big Day

After making her way down the aisle with her father to Pachelbel's Canon in D, Lauren joined Aaron underneath the chuppah for the ceremony. The service included several more Jewish rituals: Their wedding party recited seven blessings and their parents recited a blessing while draping them in a tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl.

Aaron's most memorable moment of the entire day, however, came at the end of the ceremony: "It was the moment I stomped on the glass and made it official!"

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The Cocktail Hour

lauren aaron wedding bar menu
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

Guests enjoyed cocktails and mingled while the wedding party took photos. The cocktail hour took place on a deck near the entrance of the ceremony, where some of the surrounding oak trees emerged through the deck itself.

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Wooden Seating Chart

lauren aaron wedding seating chart
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography
29 Creative Wedding Signs You'll Love

Rich wood elements were seen throughout the day, including in the seating chart, where guests found their table assignments on a wooden sign.

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The Oak Room

lauren aaron wedding head table surrounded by plants
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

The reception took place in The Oak Room, with floor-to-ceiling oak-trimmed windows bringing the outdoors inside.

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On the Tabletops

lauren aaron wedding reception tables
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

Each place setting featured a rich wood charger, a dusty green linen napkin tied in a loose knot, and a menu printed on white cardstock with the oak leaf emblem seen on the invitations. The tables were topped with classic white linens; each guest had a minimalistic name card that featured a gold leaf fish design.

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A Nod to the Bouquet

lauren aaron wedding white floral centerpiece
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

The centerpieces, which referenced the bride's bouquet, featured mostly lush greens with pops of white garden roses.

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Dinner Time

lauren aaron wedding place setting
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography
25 Unexpected Wedding Food Ideas Your Guests Will Love

Guests enjoyed a three-course meal that included a locally-sourced green salad with a thyme ricotta crostini to start. Attendees had their choice of marinated prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes and a mushroom aus jus, or roasted halibut with grilled zucchini baba ghanoush and a white wine garlic sauce.

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The Cake

lauren aaron wedding cakes in front of fire place
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

For dessert, Lauren and Aaron worked with their favorite bakery, SusieCakes, to create a combination of chocolate, vanilla, and marble confections. The design of the main three-tiered cake was simple and elegant, and incorporated some greenery to pull in the natural elements of the overall décor.

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The First Dance

lauren aaron wedding bride and groom hora
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

After their first dance to Jason Aldean's "You Make it Easy," the pair celebrated their union with a traditional Hora dance, which involved them being lifted into their chairs.

For couples currently planning their weddings, Lauren has this piece of advice: "We are not a couple that ever fights, but planning our wedding definitely added a new dimension to our relationship and led to a lot of bickering. Just be patient with each other, because the wedding day itself makes the whole process completely worth it!"

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Sources

lauren aaron wedding couple walking
Credit: Anya Kernes Photography

Photography, Anya Kernes

Event planning and Design, Weddings by Susan Dunne

Venue, Calamigos Ranch

Flowers, Mulberry and Moss

Stationery, Minted

Calligraphy, Gabriela Durig

Bride's gown, Essence of Australia

Bride's shoes, Bella Belle

Bride's hairpiece, Blossom Veils

Hair and Makeup, Bridal Bliss Beauty

Groom's suit, Evolution of Style

Groom's tie, The Tie Bar

Groom's shoes, Cole Haan

Cake, SusieCakes

Music, Red Shoe LA; Angelica Strings

Lighting, VOX DJ's

Rentals, Borrowed Blu

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    1 of 21
    2 of 21 A Neutral Suite with a Pop
    3 of 21 Mom's Always Right
    4 of 21 Accessories Time
    5 of 21 A White Bouquet
    6 of 21 A Personal Suit
    7 of 21 The Wedding Party
    8 of 21 The Location
    9 of 21 The First Look
    10 of 21 Signing the Ketubah
    11 of 21 A Waterfall Marks the Spot
    12 of 21 Stomping the Glass
    13 of 21 The Cocktail Hour
    14 of 21 Wooden Seating Chart
    15 of 21 The Oak Room
    16 of 21 On the Tabletops
    17 of 21 A Nod to the Bouquet
    18 of 21 Dinner Time
    19 of 21 The Cake
    20 of 21 The First Dance
    21 of 21 Sources

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    This Couple Exchanged Vows in Malibu, Surrounded by Oak Trees and Natural Waterfalls
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