A Modern, Unconventional Wedding at Smog Shoppe in Los Angeles, California
From start to finish, Augustus Prew and Jeffrey Self’s wedding at Smog Shoppe in Los Angeles was a fun-filled fete that was anything but boring.
From the technicolor wedding cake to the personalized lawn games and Victorian candy bar at the reception, personality-packed doesn’t even begin to describe the unique details that made up the one-of-a-kind event. Augustus tapped his brother, a talented illustrator, to create a caricature motif to incorporate throughout the festivities. “We stuck it on everything you could possibly stick a face on,” Augustus says. The decorative detail made an appearance on cornhole boards, stickers, stationery and more. The couple even branded their goodbye gift—a next-day recovery kit complete with Ibuprofen and all the fixings for Bloody Marys.
The ceremony also reflected the couple’s style and desire to engage guests in the day’s events. In addition to writing their own vows, the couple performed a spell during the ceremony. “We got everyone to write a wish on parchment paper and send it up into the air, then we all lit a candle. We said a nice incantation, all 200-plus people together, and then released that into the air,” Augustus says. “That was our nod to the joining together of souls, as opposed to it just being, ‘Repeat after me,’ ‘say this,’ ‘I do,’ ‘I don’t.’ We wanted to show that it was our special moment, our little magic moment.”
The newlyweds took a laid-back approach to dinner, treating guests to a food truck buffet of Thai and Mexican cuisine. The format allowed guests to eat when they pleased and encouraged everyone to mix and mingle. Party games were scattered throughout to give a sense of fun and playfulness, as were Polaroid cameras and props. A three-tier cake with psychedelic and succulent-studded layers stole the show during dessert. “At the top of the cake was an edible photo—a printed version of my brother’s illustration of us—with us laughing and looking at each other,” Augustus says.
The pair’s sartorial decisions were another standout element. Augustus donned a blue velvet bow tie and white dinner jacket tuxedo with gold embroidery, while Jeffrey opted for a printed tux in a bold shade of blue. For Jeffrey and Augustus, the complementary color scheme was representative of their marriage. “It represents two people coming together, sharing life and experiences together, but doing so in their own unique way,” Augustus says.