A Romantic Wedding Inspired by Movies at Montalvo Arts Center

What makes this gorgeous wedding captured by Sally Pinera so incredibly special is its one-of-a-kind theme. The bride being a film producer and the groom being a major movie fan, these romantic California nuptials planned by Manna Sun Events are inspired by exactly that - movies! From a venue covered in towering Cypress trees, hundreds of white roses, magical water fountains decorated in unique vintage details and elements of film… this wedding is truly something special! So, are you ready? Lights, camera, ACTION!

From Manna Sun Events... The bride Qi majored in film studies in college, so when brainstorming on themes for their wedding, they agreed that their wedding should feature film elements which were very important to their life, along with hints of natural, rustic and vintage style. With this film theme and style in mind, we believed that Montalvo Arts Center was the magical place for their dream wedding. Montalvo Arts Center is an Italian Mediterranean Revival mansion nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. From those towering Cypress trees, fragrant citrus, and hundreds of white roses in the formal Italianate Garden, to the soothing sounds from both the wall fountain and the central marble fountain in the Spanish courtyard; from the sculpture inspired by C. S Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia in the Love Temple, in front of which, the couple exchanged their vows, to the one-and-a-half-acre Great Lawn in front of the Villa, every step in Montalvo Arts Center was a breathtaking scene from a romantic movie.

This stunning wedding was filled with film elements such as invitation details with film designs, ticket-stub like escort cards, the vintage typewriter, movie reels, director’s natural chairs, movie slates and more. Customized film canisters were for guests to leave their blessings to the couple. Menu and seating chart printed on fabric, brought some vintage vibe and warm texture to this wedding. The banquet tables with aurora blush table runners, enjoying the beautiful garden view from the villa, were decorated by floral arrangements, composed of flowers in mostly ivory, blush pink, peach, greenery and hints of burgundy colors with low gold vases. Fruits such as peaches, blackberries, pomegranates and figs on vary low vintage gold stands were placed between floral arrangements. Blush pink taper candles with gold candle holders on varying heights sparkled between floral arrangements. On the dessert table, the love story of Qi and Wei was written on the fabric, using as the table runner. That was the best wish from our team that we hoped as this couple keep writing their own love story, every bits they write together, would be even sweeter than desserts!

From the bride... Wei and I met in a party in 2016. It was just the day after my birthday, so it was very easy to remember! Despite the gloomy rainy day, Wei traveled a long way and came to the party. That was how our story began. When we started dating, Wei and I got sick one after the other for almost a month. Both of us chose to show up to our dates with our physical illness, thus we spent a lot time in the movie theaters. Because I was a film producer, and Wei was this number one movie fan, film took a large portion of our conversation, and it kept playing a crucial role in almost every stage of our relationship. This was the reason we hope our wedding would feature film elements. I’ve always like delicate and elegant designs, with hints of vintage style, just like old movies that worth watching over and over again.

Through friends, I found Manna Sun Events. After communications online and an international call, I was sure that Manna and her team were the planning group I was looking for. Manna’s team and I shared the same vision, mission, and attitude towards the wedding. Even when I could only describe the wedding I wanted vaguely, they could easily understand my ideas and needs and found a solution right away. I once saw a picture of a long path with towering Cypress trees on both sides (I didn’t know what kind trees they were at that time), and I was thinking how wonderful it would be if my wedding could be held here in the future. I didn’t know what this place was called, and where it was, until Manna miraculously showed me the information and pictures of the venue she recommended. This was IT! I was fascinated that Manna was able to find my dream place, and on the picture, was the Love Temple at Montalvo Arts Center. Located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Montalvo Arts Center was the perfect match for the elegant and vintage style I was after.

It didn’t take long till Manna and I chose the color palette, composed of blush pink, ivory, the rich burgundy, decorated with lavish and vintage gold vases, berries and figs. It was such a delight when I received the décor proposal from Manna Sun Events, because it was truly the wedding that I dreamed of, with surprises I didn’t expect. The team poured the heart to every teeny-tiny detail, and it was full of unique designs. Digging throw each photographer’s portfolio to find the ideal photographer for our wedding did take me a long time. I’ve always loved film photography, and I believed that it was a good fit for the vintage style. Since every part of the wedding was attentively designed and I hoped that they could be captured and preserved, it was very, very important to find the great film photographer. Honestly, there were many good photographers, it was not easy to find the one had a style of his/her own, and could catch and match the different textures of different weddings in their works. Therefore, I was deeply attracted by the sweet yet classic style from Sally Pinera Photography. The bright yet soft lighting Sally used was so warm and elegant. The figures in her works were glowing warmly, and the sweetness she created was so delicate and irresistible. When I received the photos after wedding, I was fascinated by her sensitivity to catch those subtle emotional connections and many dramatic moments. Every time I looked at these photos, these wonderful works were able to bring me back that very emotional day.

Photographer: Sally Pinera | Videographer: Love Unique Studio | Florist: April Baytan | Cake: Studio Cake | Catering: Le Papillon | Makeup and Hair: Yi Bridal | Lighting: JL Imagination | DJ: Big Fun DJs | Officiant: Daniel Curtis from Officially Yours | Wedding Venue: Villa Montalvo | Linen Rental: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental | Photobooth : Pix Co Photobooth | Planning, Design and Coordination: Manna Sun Events | Rentals: Bright Event Rentals | Secondary rentals: Hensley Event Resources | Stationery and Calligraphy: Blush Type | Strings Trio: Corelli Strings | Sweets: Dolce Cakes