Not every bride can boast that her groom was vigorously involved in the planning of their wedding, but Laurie Henderson married a man with production experience. “I used to work for a wedding planner when I lived in New York City, and since living in Los Angeles, have produced over twenty charity events for Lupus LA,” says Adam Selkowitz. “I tried to be involved in almost every aspect – except the wedding dress, of course. I was especially involved with the timeline and how our guests would experience the day.”

The couple’s choice of location influenced the understated theme that would be threaded throughout the event. “Because the wedding took place in Malibu, a city known not only for its beaches but also for its proximity to the entertainment industry, and Adam has close ties to the industry as a producer at Waterfall Films, we wanted to integrate a subtle movie theme into the wedding,” Laurie explains. “During the ceremony, in lieu of traditional wedding songs, we selected film scores, such as the theme song from Forrest Gump, and our ceremony program – as well as the cocktail napkins at the reception – featured film quotes from our favorite movies.”

A fresh color scheme set the stage for the couple’s al fresco vow exchange. “To complement the stunning outdoor scenery, we decided that apple green would be our primary pop of color,” Adam asserts. “To maintain crisp, clean lines, we accentuated the green with lots of white.” Bamboo elements were introduced along the aisle, culminating in a chuppah festooned with dendrobium orchids and horsetail. An assortment of peonies, lilies, roses and orchids composed the bride’s all-white bouquet, and bridesmaids carried white roses down the aisle. “We inserted a pop of green through the ring bearer’s pillow, which was constructed with green bamboo,” adds Laurie.

Melding the traditions of both families was of great importance to Laurie and Adam. “Because I am Catholic and Adam is Jewish, we wanted our ceremony to reflect both religious traditions,” says the bride. “Accordingly, we had both a priest and rabbi preside, and we were so fortunate that they allowed us to tailor the ceremony to best fit our personalities and include religious traditions that were personal to us.” The groom was particularly touched by the couple’s personal vow exchange. “We had each written our own vows and hadn’t shown the other,” he recalls. “Laurie read hers first, and I quickly realized how similar they were to my own. At that moment, I was never more sure that I was marrying the right person. “

Touches of chocolate brown balanced the décor at the cocktail hour that immediately followed the ceremony. Petite centerpieces included clutches of flowers in white and green as well as arrangements of apples set on tables surrounded by brown chiavari chairs. Mojitos – the bride’s favorite – were offered as a specialty drink at the bar, and passed appetizers included zucchini blossoms, vegetarian roll-ups, shrimp, and pigs-in-a-blanket (an absolute must for Adam). “We thought it would be fun, given our almost opposite tastes in food, to do some healthy ‘Laurie’ appetizers and some less-than-healthy ‘Adam’ appetizers, something many of our guests actually picked up on,” adds the bride.

After locating their seating cards on a table patterned with ribbon, guests filed into a stunning tented reception. “We placed a great deal of emphasis on the look of the wedding reception and really worked to make it a magical moment when guests walked into the tent,” asserts Laurie. Notes of silver were introduced to emphasize the drama and elegance of the space, including Chameleon chairs and sparkling light fixtures. “We wanted the reception centerpieces to be dramatic with an element of surprise, while complementing the color scheme of white, silver, and green,” says Laurie. “We opted to have multiple arrangements within each centerpiece, utilizing calla lilies, orchids, roses, tulips, and wheat grass. Glass and mirrored containers completed the look and truly set the ambiance for the reception.”

Guests were served a shaved vegetable salad, followed by their choice of grilled Chilean sea bass on an asparagus raft, grilled skirt steak with Yukon Gold potatoes, or asparagus ravioli. As a nod to the couple’s sweet tooth, a trio of desserts was offered in addition to a cake iced in fondant with a subtle pattern of basket weave. The film theme continued with a fantastic spin on the typical candy buffet usually offered to guests as favors. “We treated our guests to a ‘concession stand’ with different flavors of gourmet popcorn and old-fashioned candy,” says Laurie. White take-home bags were labeled with an iconic quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

The evening ended with everyone on the dance floor, the couple’s loved ones celebrating together. “I still remember getting teary-eyed during the hora when I looked around and saw both families with their arms linked, dancing around the circle as if we had all been participating in this tradition for years,” Laurie reminisces. “To see two sets of families and friends welcome one another so openly and joyously was truly a magical moment.”