Editor’s Note:

We have a special HI Real Bride/s this week! Abby happens to be the best childhood friend of HI's owner, Lily. Lily and Abby have spent 33 years as besties, dreaming up fashions and schemes and dreams about what Abby’s big day might be like and who it would be with. 

What joy it was for Lily to help style and dress both Abby and Diana for their special day back in November. 

Celebrating and honoring the love between these two feels extra special in this month of June, a moment where LGBTQIA+ folks have renewed fear for their rights to live freely. 

In an abridged excerpt from Lily’s speech at the wedding...

~

I want to say that with this union, the planet has gained a beauty so powerful that it will ripple for generations and generations.

I want to say that you two are a beacon of hope and resistance in our world. And that we will stand by you through whatever comes.

I want to say that I am deeply humbled to be here, on this day, in this moment. 

To support you, Abby, in your lifelong journey in finding love is one of the deepest honors of my whole life.

~

HI loves Abby & Diana, and we hope you enjoy and take inspiration from their glorious day.

Photos // Max Knight.

Abby & Diana! Tell us about your wedding day and surrounding events. Where did it all go down, and did you have any particular inspiration or musts when choosing a location?

We were both born and raised in Los Angeles, as were all four of our parents. When it came time to choose where to get married, we wanted to find a place that felt in homage to that, something classically LA. Our first idea was to get married at Musso & Frank's because - come on! But they don’t let you bring in a dance floor. There was something appealing about doing it all in one location to create a sort of transportive experience and cut down on logistics.

When we toured the Paramour Estate, it was magic. There’s so much history, so much soul. It’s an old 1920s home, ever the ‘party house,’ that was later turned into a convent and then handed to the current owner, who’s rented it out since. We loved that the Paramour had all the decorations we’d need and that we didn’t have to bring in much more than flowers and ourselves to make it feel dynamic and lived in. The nearly 360 views of LA didn’t hurt either.

A Los Angeles institution: The Paramour Estate.

How did you two meet? What was the proposal like?

We met on Raya in July 2020. Every part of that sentence is wild because (1) we don’t really identify with that app, and (2) the timing was unexpected. Amidst all of the fear and uncertainty of that time, we had a life raft of new love. It’s surprising that we are both from LA but never crossed paths, a little ‘Romeo & Juliet’ - Diana from the Palisades and Abby from the Valley.

 Abby from the Valley. Diana from the Palisades.

Our proposal was definitely non-traditional. We have always felt a special connection to Northern California and, more specifically, Point Reyes. We planned a quick trip after our good friends’ wedding in Mill Valley and stayed at a quiet waterside Bed & Breakfast. We proposed to each other on a foggy afternoon on Tomales Bay and read what we realized later were basically vows. We were staying in a converted tugboat and had built a fire in the wood-burning stove. It was everything we wanted it to be. And then we went to the hotel bar for martinis and oysters.

We did a sort of ‘reverse’ of the usual ring tradition - we made simple bands for our engagement and then fancier stone rings for our wedding day. The bands were made from gold from all four sides of our family - we collected small jewelry pieces and melted them down into one pot, and from that, our rings were formed. They were the general shape and style of Abby’s parents’ wedding bands.

Abby and Diana show off their sparkling wedding rings. 

Describe your Happy Isles pieces! How did you choose? 

Diana had a bi-coastal Happy Isles experience. There were some contenders at HI Los Angeles; however, the magic happened in New York with a two-piece 90’s Dolce and Gabbana.  It was an unusual shape, and there was a lot of extra fabric, but Lily had the vision and looped in her trusted tailor, Tashina, to rework the silhouette and fit it perfectly to Diana’s body. She knew it was the one because it was highly unusual, and the process of reimagining the look made it bespoke.  

Diana in a customized 90s Dolce & Gabbana two-piece.

For the ceremony, Abby wore a custom suit from High Society. There is nothing like getting a suit custom to your body. Her second look was a vintage Happy Isles knit floor-length dress with fur trim on the sleeves and bottom of the dress.

Abby in her custom suit from High Society, and Abby's mother, Louise, wearing a dark blue Bill Blass gown from Happy Isles.

Did you share outfit pics before the big day?

We did not share any outfit pictures, but we did choose Abby’s best friend since 2 years old, Lily Kaizer (The name might sound familiar...), as our fashion ‘‘moderator’, who would hold both looks in her mind and guide us so that we looked part of the same story. There were a few moments when each of us accidentally caught a glimpse of an outfit picture on the phone, but it was ok. The reveal on the big day was still a real reveal. 

Happy Isles owner and Abby's bff, Lily, giving her speech, wearing HI, of course.

Where did you shop for accessories, and how did you style your look/s? Give us the deets! 

Abby wore a special body suit that complemented her custom look. Shout out to Sarah’s Lingerie in Studio City. They have been around so long that they don't even have a website! (Editor's Note: Love the brides' sparkly shoes? Find similar styles here, here, and here! ✨)

Both brides wore bejeweled shoes with their looks to compliment the glamour of the venue. 

What was the most memorable aspect of your dress-shopping experience? Is there anything you would like to highlight or share with other brides considering an appointment at Happy Isles?

Diana - My dress was a completely different dress when I started. It was two pieces, a top and a skirt, and we had no reference images for how it was styled back then, so I really made decisions based on my body and taste. The top took so many fittings to get right, but wow - in the before photos, I looked like Carol Burnett in her Curtain Rod sketch, and the after felt like something out of Jane Austen or Pirates of the Caribbean. It was a little scary to leap into the unknown, but with high risk comes high reward, especially in the hands of the Happy Isles team. 

Diana and Abby pose in a baroque tableau before their reception.

Did you ever feel like you were breaking the mold or challenging expectations while wedding planning? What were some ways you stayed true to yourself during what can be an emotionally complex experience?

The short answer is yes. One of the gifts of being a queer couple is that all traditional bets are off, the slate is pretty much wiped, and you can start from the ground up in terms of what you want. We wish that for all couples, but family expectations and cultural expectations are real.

A window into the love that surrounded Abby and Diana. ♥️

So much of our wedding day was ‘regular’ and traditional, but we really focused on the ceremony itself and spent a lot of time with both our officiants (Thor & Amy, our friends) to craft something super personal. Abby’s dad is a musician, so he played a Cat Stevens song.

The couple said their vows on a special family heirloom rug made by Diana's grandparents.

Abby is Jewish, so we did our own version of The Seven Blessings; we wrote just four of our own and had our parents recite them while our siblings wrapped us in an heirloom Talit. We got married on top of Diana’s father’s rug - another treasure that was handmade for him by his parents, Diana’s grandparents, in the 1960s. Dick & Ann Irvine would drink cocktails and hook rugs when he came home from work; that was their way of staying connected. It’s a special reminder to find special moments amidst the chaos of life. 

Abby and Diana opted for a ceremony that touched on tradition while still speaking to their unique story.

They say every wedding has a “wild card” moment. Did anything unexpected happen or surprise you during planning or the day of?

We decided to do a larger parent dance instead of just a father/daughter dance. But our moms cut in too soon (very them) and left both of our dads momentarily partnerless on the dance floor, so they found each other and danced beautifully hand in hand to “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King. It was a vision!

Let the dancing begin!

HOT TAKES: Do you have any advice on wedding planning or dress shopping? Please pay it forward to our future brides!

All that matters is that you feel your best and comfortable to spend many hours in it! Once the day begins, it feels like all bets are off. If things droop or tear or fall, whatever. Diana danced all night in the ballroom, and people started to throw Peony petals on the dance floor. Her skirt got stepped on, and her shoes stained pink on the bottom, but it’s a beautiful memory, evidence of a damn good time. It’s not meant to be perfect. 

Abby strutted her stuff on the dance floor in a slinky knit gown with feather cuffs from Happy Isles.

If you had to choose your single best wedding day memory, what would it be?

Impossible to choose. It was a blur of cherished moments, too good to put into words. It runs like sand through your fingers, a dream you don’t want to wake up from. A moment we will continue to remember and feel was when we walked into dinner, holding hands together, seeing our family and most special friends seated side by side; the room was glowing - it all felt golden and magical. Candlelight, big beautiful full red peonies. It was a swirl of emotions! We were married. 

Abby and Diana mid-air for the horah.

Now that the wedding chapter has come to a close, what are some dreams you have for your future, both personally and as a couple?

We look forward to never planning another wedding again. Now, all our resources will go towards renovating our very quirky Craftsman bungalow. 

Their first married kiss! (Still not over this rug...)

And finally - shout out your vendors! 

Photography: Max Knight @maxknightmax

Planning: Erica Sconzo 

Venue: The Paramour @the_paramour_estate 

Catering: La Morra Pizzeria @lamorrapizzeria 

Floral: Amber Lu @aamberlu 

Hair: David Pierre at @thehairatelierla, @paigewishart_glam

Makeup: @paigewishart_glam

Music: Dart Collective @dartcollective 

Stationary: Casual Letterpress @casual_letterpress