Kaleena and Todd had a list of must-haves for their L.A. wedding venue—”room for our wedding party for the weekend, a beautiful outdoor area for our ceremony, a huge barn for our dining space, and enough room for a playful teepee.” They found all this and more in the fabulous Lombardi House. With the help of planner Weddings by Jennifer Laskey, the venue became the vibrant “once-in-a-lifetime party” the couple had envisioned. Captured in photographer Chad Salvador‘s signature party pic style, Kaleena and Todd’s wedding is a total delight!
From the bride: Our relationship began as many do, in the workplace. We both worked at the same restaurant, I was a waitress, he was my manager. I moved away for school and we endured a crazy long distance relationship. We both have a passion for food and traveling, and we’d often plan trips to see each other, to cities in and out of the country. We were loving exploring the world together and growing as a couple.
Once I graduated I moved to New York and we finally moved in together. Soon after, on a ski trip in the Alps he asked to marry me. It was a complete surprise.
Initially we took it slow with planning. We really wanted to take the time to see what inspired us. We knew the wedding was about us, but we wanted to curate the entire guest experience- from the moment guests arrive at the ceremony, the music transitions, the dining style, to the party that kept going… we wanted to thoughtfully write down what was important, so we could keep ourselves on track. We knew our guests were here for us, but we wanted to show them a party.
We found our perfect location on Hollywood Blvd that had all of our must-haves; room for our wedding party for the weekend, a beautiful outdoor area for our ceremony, a huge barn for our dining space, and enough room for a playful teepee. We chose an amazing coordinator that brought the space and our design inspirations together- we wanted to blend rustic with our personal touches, fun with sophisticated, and most importantly we wanted a place where we could all have a once in a lifetime party.
The wedding flies by. Everything moves so quickly as there is so much to do. The investment in a wedding coordinator is invaluable. To be able to focus on the moment and celebration, while feeling confident that somebody is keeping the party on track meant so much to us.
From Planner: This was such a dream wedding for me to plan. We were one of the early weddings at the Lombardi House. For almost 5 years (2004-2009) I lived 2 blocks from this venue, which at that time was a hoarders paradise, a dilapidating old 1920s gem wasting away. With a passion for historic restoration and vintage architecture I would walk by it all the time on my walks up the street to the popular ‘franklin village’ wishing I had the cash to buy and save it. Some 10 years later I got introduced to the Candace, the daughter of the owner whom had done just that, thank God for him really!
Wedding Planner + Designer: Weddings by Jennifer Laskey // Photography: Chad Salvador // Flowers: Jodie Tucker, Flowers by Jodie // Furniture and Tabletop Decor: Archive Rentals // DJ: Dart DJ // Venue: Lombardi House // Videographer: ByDesign Films // Photo Booth: Mobile Photo Booth // Dessert + Cake: Hannah’s Bananas // Food Truck Catering: Heirloom // Staffing/ Bar Setup: Hottown Events // Ceremony Musicians: Pacific Coast Strings // Venue: Lombardi House
