Claudia + Luis by Northwest Film Co.

Our wedding palette was a celebration of bold, joyful blooms

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Luis is an avid golfer, musician, entrepreneur and content creator. Claudia is also an entrepreneur & chief marketing officer for beauty brands. She enjoys cooking & gardening, and all things beauty. We’re both equally obsessed with bookstores & food. Our love language is spending time together, and we truly look forward to any family trips & vacations with our kids, Mila (16) and Aidan (22, in the military). 

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Cinco de Mayo. One of our mutual best friends from San Francisco—who, for reasons still unknown, had withheld this introduction for a full decade—was in town hosting an event. We were both invited for margaritas, and by the end of the night, we were making out at a dive bar, accidentally breaking a glass, and booking our first official date. That date happened one calendar day later—and from that moment on, we were completely, unequivocally in love.

Exactly one year later, on May 5, 2023, we got engaged. (Otherwise known as the greatest day of Claudia’s life that does not involve giving birth to another human.) It happened in our little Los Angeles backyard, the sun in our eyes, our dogs Chai and Ozzy wrestling in the background, and both of us in complete disbelief.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

We’re deeply inspired by Buena Vista Social Club—the soundtrack to our Sundays—and by the richness of our California and Latino roots. We live life in full colour, surrounded by art, bold hues, and joyful energy. One of our closest friends designed our wedding logo, a meaningful lockup filled with personal symbolism. It features a hummingbird—my favourite animal and a small but powerful spirit—and a lion (or León), representing strength and protection. The floral elements reflect what we love and grow at home: vibrant bougainvillea and, in honour of Luis’ Atlanta upbringing, magnolias. Our wedding palette was a celebration of bold, joyful blooms—bougainvilleas, calla lilies, proteas, anthuriums, and orchids—brought to life with touches of embroidery from my family’s vintage tablecloths woven throughout.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

My husband is an avid golfer, so we had our custom lockup and emblems printed on golf balls as guest takeaways, along with a putting green for everyone to enjoy. Our love of art showed up through a watercolour artist who painted portraits of each guest live. As someone who loves to cook, I created a custom spice blend as our gift, complete with packaging we designed ourselves. We had custom matchbooks and napkins. We also had a custom doormat for the entry to the venue that bore the design that was made for us. For our reception and cocktail hour, we used vintage linen tablecloths handmade and embroidered by my grandmother. Every flower we chose held personal meaning—each one tied to a member of our families or to us as a couple. I also stamped our dog’s footprint on my husband’s pocket square so he could be there with us in spirit.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

We agreed quickly on the size of our wedding (# of guests), so beginning our list and reviewing who we would most want there made it easy to narrow down quite a few other choices (venue sizes, locations, etc.). We loved coming up with more of the details and moments that would make it really feel like our wedding and started building our ideal music playlist early, during road trips or even date nights, just adding songs we loved so we wouldn’t forget.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

We were truly blessed with some talented humans helping us.

One of our favourites was our portrait painter, Jewel Sales. We’d met Jewel at a friend’s wedding and absolutely fell in love with her watercolour portraits as keepsakes for guests. These were an absolute hit, and her work is truly beautiful and special.

Sarah (our wedding planner) kept us on track and sane, and made the day-of so effortless. We like to think we’re pretty chill, but she kept things on track and moving exactly the way we needed everything to.

Diosa Blooms flowers — both Luis & I are from the San Francisco Bay Area, and one of my favourite florists is owned by 3 BIPOC sisters who have exquisite taste. We called in a big ask for them to come down and take care of our florals, and my bouquet and our environmental flowers were truly stunning.

Northwest Film Co.—our photographers & videographers are an incredible married couple who simply know how to capture love and the moment. We adored them and all of the content they provided to us!

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

Claudia—For my dress, I gathered my 2 best friends (and bridesmaids), daughter and mom & mother-in-law to go to a specific designer’s trunk show to try on a dress I’d been eyeing. That specific dress was absolutely NOT the one! However, one foot into the Vivienne Westwood dress and we all knew. I also chose a dramatic mantilla veil as a nod to our Latin culture so that it would match our setting and environment.

The after-party dress was a fun, tiny sequined number I fell in love with. I felt like a tiny cake topper in that one, and I just loved every second of it.

To surprise Luis on the day of our wedding, I planned a little something. Because we couldn’t bring Ozzy, I brought Ozzy to him. I picked a simple pocket square from Tom Ford and bribed Ozzy with peanut butter to let me ink pad his toe beans. The little footprint is so special and a keepsake that he can keep close to his heart forever.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Claudia—my wedding band is actually made mostly from diamonds from my mom’s engagement & wedding band. We repurposed as many stones as we could into the band, and it’s an absolute heirloom. I love it.

Luis—the brief was “old man wedding band.” He loves classic pieces, so it was a very traditional, softly rounded white gold. wedding band that completely fits his aesthetic.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

We splurged on our wedding photographers/videographers. They were absolutely incredible, and we were able to get a mix of Super 8 and digital footage. The framing of our shots, the intimate moments, and the absolutely insane use of the foggy elements led to some really beautiful moments. We were VERY happy with this investment, and we still have yet to really go through alllll of the photos for album creation. A spoil of riches, truly.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

Our first dance with our kids was one of the most sacred moments of our wedding.

Our first look was really special, and the photos that ensued from that moment are some of our favourites.

Our vows were truly magical — it was fun to echo so much of what we each felt and said IRL.

I also loved taking photos with my husband in the fog — having that moment to escape from everyone was a wild and fun time to just be married and have a romantic moment that was captured in such a surreal way.