Dried Flowers Filled This Vegan Wedding at Valentine in Downtown Los Angeles, California

Imagine The Lion King’s Nala and Simba sharing a love-filled embrace as the sun sets on the African savanna. That’s what inspired the look of Lauren Kimble (31 and a wedding coordinator) and Ryan Hampton’s (32 and a mental health professional) vegan wedding at Valentine in Los Angeles. While the couple’s wedding design was memorable, the aesthetic of the day was secondary to the many priorities the couple shared for their event. They wanted a day that honored their Christian faith, didn’t put them into debt, safely followed pandemic guidelines and was sustainably minded. “My vegan and eco-conscious beliefs are very important to me,” Lauren says of prioritizing sustainability throughout the planning. “I wanted to make sure we minimized our carbon footprint as much as possible while also hosting a cruelty-free event.”
“Ryan was a huge fan of The Lion King growing up and we both fell in love with the Broadway production,” says Lauren. “Inspired by this, our vision was to create a ceremony that transported our guests back to when Simba and Nala fell in love in the jungle, complete with rich textures, natural wood and earth tones, and all the vibrant colors of an African sunset.” The couple’s ceremony included both a foot-washing ritual and jumping the broom. They also had each of their junior bridesmaids carry a rose for their grandparents, including Lauren’s late grandmother and two who joined via Zoom. Because of the pandemic, “Ryan’s mother and sister made safari-inspired masks for all of our guests,” says Lauren. At the reception, the vegan toasted-coconut and German chocolate cake was a hit. “Guests remarked that they couldn’t tell it was vegan. We felt we accomplished our goal of great taste without compromising the vegan ethical standard.”
It was important to Lauren and Ryan that their wedding leave “as small of a carbon footprint as possible.” Thoughtfulness with decor helped them make that priority a reality. The couple was able to minimize how many arrangements they brought in because the “venue is actually a greenhouse, with a variety of live plants serving as the backdrop for the ceremony itself.” I made sure to hire vendors who were well-versed in vegan and eco-conscious events. For our decor elements, our designer used dried flowers and lots of repurposed materials.