As she rode down the escalator at Los Angeles International Airport, she spotted him – her ride home from the airport whom she had been dating remotely due to the pandemic. David Jimenez-Katsman stood there in a trench coat, blaring “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel from a boombox he held over his head. Though he had been planning charming FaceTime dates for months, Emily DaSilva vividly remembers snapping a photo in this particular moment, and texting her friend, “Omg. I think I’m dating someone.” She replied, “EMILY. MARRY HIM.”

Under the guise of David winning a holiday gift raffle at work, the twosome set off to Kauai to enjoy the grand prize. During a whimsical photoshoot – which wasn’t a first for them while on vacation – Emily was asked to get ready for a pose running off into the sunset. “With no hesitation, I stood with my back to David and was instructed to turn around on the count of three. I whirled back with my arm outstretched, only to look up for David, and realize he was down on one knee. I promptly fell into the sand right next to him,” she describes. “Of course, I said yes. But only after two minutes in absolute disbelief, repeatedly asking him if he really won the trip to Hawaii!”

The affianced pair agreed that it was very important to get married in Los Angeles and share with their loved ones the city they live in and the places where they fell in love. They also really wanted Emily’s childhood rabbi in New York to officiate the ceremony; however, his only available date in 2024 was in just five months – over Memorial Day Weekend – when he already had plans to be in LA that weekend. “We did not anticipate our engagement would be as short as it was!” exclaims Emily. “We got uniquely lucky with our wedding planning and were surprised that our top choices were still available the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend.”

Emily imagined that the entire wedding would exude the excitement and ambience of walking through a “colorful garden in peak bloom at the height of spring.” “We were so lucky that our floral designer infused exquisite, elaborate bursts of color everywhere,” illustrates the bride. “My favorite, though, was our chuppah. I wanted it to feel like it had naturally sprung out of the ground, as if in a lush English garden, and wow did it ever! The landscape, too, was so green and vibrant, and the chuppah was a jaw-dropping feast for us and for all of our guests.”

“We were so lucky that our floral designer infused exquisite, elaborate bursts of color everywhere.”

David walked down the aisle with his parents to the tune of “Happiness” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, much to the delight of his bride who has a passion for theatre and curated a beautiful song list for the talented quintet – comprised of professional Broadway musicians – who performed live.

Emily was resplendent in a timeless strapless ball gown and carried a feminine bouquet of dainty blooms in hues of lilac and crème brûlée. The heartfelt service was infused with meaningful familial elements, including both the bride and groom carrying mementos of their late grandparents, in addition to the couple participating in Jewish wedding customs.

The burst of punchy colors from the ceremony continued onto the reception lawn: “This was where the all-encompassing spring garden really came together,” says Emily. With their love of hosting dinner parties at the forefront of their vision, the couple’s wedding planner designed an elaborate setup at each tablescape, in addition to a showstopping 15-foot structure that surrounded the dance floor, highlighting suspended gardens and lanterns.

A custom wrap for the dance floor – a location where everyone spent a lot of their time that evening – was truly a masterpiece showcasing the watercolor border first seen in the invitation suite. The groom is an exceptional dancer, and his mother is an award-winning, international dancer, so the traditional wedding dances were especially important – and entertaining for partygoers.

The big day was lovingly thought-out in every detail and resulted in a perfect day for the couple, as well as their family and friends. With so many wonderful moments, it’s difficult for the newlyweds to hone in on just a couple of their favorites. David confides that he reread Emily’s vows every night for a week after the wedding. “They were poetry,” he says. “I loved seeing how happy Emily was that day. Her joy is generally infectious, but it was next level that day.”

This real wedding was originally published in the Summer 2025 issue of Inside Weddings magazine. 

To order a copy of the Summer 2025 issue, visit our library of Inside Weddings digital back issues available for purchase.