When Emily Moran and Eddie Simon visited San Francisco to celebrate their two-year anniversary – and the birthday of Emily’s mother – Eddie knew it was the perfect time to pop the question. While his beloved was preparing for her mom’s birthday party, he was busy planning the proposal.

After hiring a car to pick them up, the couple arrived at the marina where a yacht was waiting with six of their closest friends. “We spent the next hour cruising around the bay, and as we approached the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset, Beyoncé’s ‘Crazy in Love’ started playing,” explains the bride of the cue for Eddie to take her to the front of the yacht and propose. “As he asked me to marry him, whales and dolphins breached the water – as if he had planned that too,” muses the bride.

Emily and Eddie knew they wanted to get married in Southern California in June, and they found their perfect venue at a country club in Los Angeles – quickly hiring Tessa Lyn Events to design the day and help coordinate all of the details. “Our planner Tessa was who we turned to for literally everything,” shares the bride. “I don’t know what we would have done without her!”

“Our planner Tessa was who we turned to for literally everything. I don’t know what we would have done without her!”

After a sunny outdoor ceremony that overlooked the bride’s alma mater, guests adjourned to the ballroom for a seated dinner and dancing. “We wanted something elegant, yet modern,” explains the bride of their vision. The room was decorated with tables covered in gunmetal linens and topped with white flowers from Butterfly Floral & Event Design and soft pink details.

A five-layer wedding cake with an ombré design featuring white sugar flowers and silver elements delighted attendees. As guests hit the dance floor, they enjoyed music spun by a DJ as well as performances by a hip-hop violinist. “Eddie and I are both hip-hop fans and this was a great way to infuse that into our wedding while still keeping it elegant,” notes Emily.

Once the clock struck midnight, the newlyweds made their grand exit as friends and family members waved sparklers. “It was all such a blur, but I think my favorite moment came at the end of the night when we had our sparkler exit,” smiles the bride. 

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