An Art Deco Inspired Wedding at Cicada Restaurant and Lounge in Los Angeles, California

Sara Ceballos (34, Actor) and Unai Montes (38, Communications and Public Affairs) first met in high school. “We met when I was a freshman and he was a senior,” explained Sara. “Unai knew my brother, who had graduated the year before, so when our paths crossed one day, we struck up a conversation. That ended up being one of only a handful of times that we talked that year.” Flash-forward to 15 years later, two moves to LA and one Facebook friendship later. “One day I read a piece that Unai wrote and posted to Facebook, and I was taken aback because he articulated beautifully several things that I had been thinking a lot about at the time. I reached out to him about his writing, and Unai suggested that we meet in person.” When they were finally able to coordinate schedules, Sara said it was like meeting someone new and seeing someone you had known forever all at the same time. “It was electric.”The proposal happened three years later on a trip to the Getty Museum in LA. Unai said he wanted to take some photos so set up a camera on a self-timer. Right before the camera flashed, Unai got down on one need and proposed. “Those first few moments of being engaged were extremely emotional. We spent some time taking in the gorgeous sunset, and I couldn’t stop looking at my hand!” Sara and Unai knew right from the beginning that they wanted to get married in a Catholic Church, so they began their wedding planning by looking at churches across LA. “When we walked into St. Teresa of Avila Church in Echo Park/Silver Lake, we both knew it was our church,” said Sara. “It was exactly the environment we’d pictured, with beautiful classic architecture that is grand yet intimate.” For the reception, they had one place in mind. “We knew that we wanted to celebrate in one of the beautiful historic buildings of LA. We looked at many venues, but nothing is quite like Cicada Restaurant and Lounge.” The 1920s architecture and historic details helped Sara and Unai recreate the vintage Hollywood vibe they wanted for their wedding. “It was a perfect match,” Sara said.