1. Real Weddings

A Bright Summer Wedding in Lakewood, CA

Andrea thought Robert was the cutest boy in her fifth grade glass, but he transferred schools before she could work her charm. When they met again in

Andrea thought Robert was the cutest boy in her fifth grade glass, but he transferred schools before she could work her charm. When they met again in high school, they hung out with the same group only to lose touch after graduation. One night years later, Robert was in one of Andrea’s dreams, so she called him to see what he was up to and they met for dinner at Robert’s apartment (he cooked eggplant parmesan!). As they rekindled their friendship they developed crushes on each other and soon started dating. The Bride Andrea Tropeano, 32,a teacher The Groom Robert Strouse, 32, a chemical dependency counselor The Date August 8 Nine months later, Robert took Andrea to Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro, his favorite place to watch the sunset, and proposed.

Andrea wasn’t sure about the strapless, modified-mermaid style dress when she first saw it, but fell in love with the way it fit when one of her bridesmaids encouraged her to try it on. She switched the brown velvet sash it came with for a black one she thought would better suit her and the wedding.
An Etsy seller custom-made a ring pillow and flower girl bag with birds that matched the ones on Andrea and Robert’s invitations.
Yellow sling-back heels with adorable bows were the perfect way to add a pop of color to Andrea’s look -- and Robert wore socks to match!
Andrea loves bright, “happy” colors, and yellow has always been one of her favorites, so she knew she wanted it incorporated into the wedding. The couple put a fun twist on black and white by adding yellow and green to the mix.
Andrea is known for her love of cupcakes, and she wanted to share them with her guests. Alternating flavors and frosting colors made for a pretty display, and homemade paper birds topped them off.
Andrea and Robert bought their favorite yellow, green, and white sweets and set up a candy buffet to look like something out of an old-fashioned candy store.
Andrea picked up bright-yellow chrysanthemums at the Los Angeles Flower District and wrapped them tightly together with green ribbon.
The couple hung the escort cards from twine with mini clothespins; after guests took their cards, they were asked to replace them with a Polaroid of themselves from the DIY photo booth. That way, when new guests arrived, they knew who was already there.
Andrea and Robert chose Lakewood Village Community Church for its rustic, open-beamed ceilings. They decided to let its natural beauty shine and not decorate at all.
Andrea enlisted her mom’s help in sewing colorful napkins out of various patterned fabrics. They tied black and white ribbon around them and placed them on polka-dot plates.
Andrea and Robert bought their favorite yellow, green, and white sweets and set up a candy buffet to look like something out of an old-fashioned candy store.
Andrea found great (and affordable) ruffle dresses for her bridesmaids at the Gap! She chose black to match the sash on her gown.