I wanted the vibe to be bright, drenched in various dimensions of light, but also moody & chic as the sun went down.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Amanda: I’m an Egyptian-American, born in New Jersey and grew up in California. In my adult life, I’ve lived between Los Angeles and New York and love the city life working in the communication field, mostly at boutique to mid-size agencies working with some of the most interesting brands in beauty, fashion, lifestyle and entertainment, and technology. I love to travel, read, hike, talk to strangers, be around my family and friends, and just experience this beautiful world. I’ve worked backstage at fashion week for nearly a decade, set up a guy friend with his now wife (she was a former coworker of mine!), hiked to the top of Mt Fuji and 13 miles of the Inca Trail of Machu Picchu, lived on a sailboat for a week travelling from Panama to Colombia, been a bridesmaid at least 5x, seen too many epic concerts around the world to name, and generally lived an incredibly full and fulfilling life. I’ve loved every single minute, even the difficult minutes.
Jacob is perhaps one of the most adventurous and intelligent people I have ever met. He spent his twenties backpacking and motorcycling Central America and rallied a car he bought for less than $1k from England to Mongolia. Rescued a lost man in Costa Rica, donated his motorcycle to a sloth sanctuary and had the opportunity to meet the world famous Sloth as a result. He restored a sailboat and sailed it from San Francisco to French Polynesia. He can build and fix anything and everything, and if a motor is involved, he is totally into it. This guy races everything but is especially into desert racing. He is an enigma unlike anyone I’ve ever met – he does not judge people, does not talk about others, can interact with any type of person, and he is always the same. I’d say it’s because he’s confident and comfortable with who he is; his inner sense of being is rock solid. I really admire it. Jacob owns a manufacturing business with his business partner, and together, they’ve grown it from one 3D printer in a garage to a 500-square-foot office to 3, 3,000 square-foot buildings and 15 employees. He’s always known he wanted to be an entrepreneur; he wanted control of his life and his time. I don’t think he’s ever met a challenge he could overcome or an engine he couldn’t fix.
We didn’t know each other at the time, but fun fact – we attended the same university, UCSD. We were on very different college paths – he was invited to attend the Clinton Initiative speaker series while a student at UCSD; I often showed up late to classes because I had to stop for snacks and had the nickname “Scorpion Girl” from a local bar I visited every Thursday. (I received high grades but was a bit wild; it’s deeper than that, but it’s a good enough explanation)
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met at a brewery in Long Beach in 2021 and ended up talking for hours more than I ever anticipated. Those hours felt like minutes, tbh, and once I realized how much time had passed, I said I had to leave because I was taking a call with my mom, who was in Egypt at the time. Jacob was so cute, he didn’t want it to end, so he asked if we could have dinner aUer I was done. He was waiting promptly at my door when I was finished, and we went for burgers. At the end of the night, he dropped me home, and we had dinner again the next night.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
There were many small moments that showed me that Jacob was a man I could rely on and believe in. But most notably, I always felt a sense of calm when I was with him. I think Jacob would say it’s because of that sweet ass (don’t print that, please), and it was also a series of moments that led to the larger determination that, while neither one of us ever previously thought the other was their future partner type, or what we had envisioned, we recognized that we were right for each other.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
Jacob mostly let me take the lead in the vision and the details. He knew I cared more about that stuff than he did, but we both knew we wanted an interesting reception venue that wasn’t your typical go-to. We are not really into golf or country clubs, and while I love the super fancy hotels, I did not love the price tag. When I suggested the DTLA Union Station train station (I had gone to an NYE party there in 2016 & knew it was possible), we both knew it fit our styles well. I wanted the vibe to be bright, drenched in various dimensions of light, but also moody & chic as the sun went down. I spent so many hours looking at beauty and fashion events in New York and LA for inspiration, and Pinterest as well.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
Jacob would tell you I was willing to splurge on all of it, ha! Our absolutes were delicious food, an open bar, and good music. My absolutes were all of those, plus exquisite florals (I’ve known Lauren since we were 14 & she is an exceptional floral artist!) and the best MC & DJ in the biz (also my bonus- cousin!).
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the `me)?
Jacob restored a 1970 Datsun 311 Roadster for our wedding (the guy loves cars!), and on the wedding day, while driving to the church, Jacob discovered the usable capacity of the gas tank did not apply to steep hills or any incline, so basically, he ran out of gas. This caused some delays, as you can imagine, but fortunately, his “pit crew” knew exactly what to do. He was later than the bride! Lucky for Jacob, his crew is all a bunch of racers & car guys. Another fun fact was our shuQle company somehow mixed up the addresses of the church, so all the shuQles went to the wrong place at first and had to make their way to the right church. Le sigh! Haha
Tell us about your main ouwits, what was unique, is there a story?
I only had one look for the wedding – my wedding dress. Initially, I thought I wanted multiple outfits, but when I broke down the amount of time I would need for new looks & touch-ups, plus the cost of anything I remotely liked (I have expensive taste), it just didn’t seem worth it to me to splurge on having more than one look. Plus, it took me five dress-shopping appointments before I found the dress I loved. It was the last dress I tried on, too, and not at all what I had thought I would pick. A friend of mine is close to the owner of Loho Bride in Weho, and the two of them kindly took care of setting up appointments and showcasing dresses I had selected. On my 2nd appointment at Loho, several friends joined my mom and I, and when two of my closest friends saw my selections, they secretly set up an appointment at Monique Lhuillier for later that day – they said it was because I was being too modest and picking dresses that, while utterly beautiful, may not be suited for the big wedding that we were due to have. That one move of theirs led me to ask, “Do I like trumpet dresses now?” “Am I going to wear a princess dress?” A close Egyptian friend of mine also recommended I visit the bridal studio where she found her dress, and that appointment was a turning point for me.
The stylist was superb. She corrected me when I called dresses princesses that they were A-line and pulled the most phenomenal dress out – one I would have never pulled myself – it looked like the Dior Gown Natalie Portman wore in a Dior fragrance commercial circa IDK, but it was divine and feminine. I almost picked it – but I wanted to take my last appointment at The White Dress in Corona Del Mar before I made my decision. I showed my top contenders to the stylist at the White Dress – the classic A-line and the burn-out gowns from ML and this other dress from the shop in the valley – and explained what I loved and was hesitant about with each of them. Then came the Ines Di Santo dress. It was like a combination of all the dresses and the perfect balance of femininity and edge; it was more closely connected to my personality while still having the wow factor. There weren’t any tears about it, but there wasn’t a moment of hesitation. My gloves, created by Rita Bridal, using parts of my dress from hemming, were icing on the cake.
VENUE Holy Virgin Mary and Saint Pishoy; DTLA Union Station PHOTOGRAPHER Fatima Elreda, @fatimaelredaphoto VIDEOGRAPHER Boy Brooklyn, @boybrooklyn_ PLANNER Hello Gem Events, @hellogemevents FLORIST Nu Leaf Design, @nuleafdesign CELEBRANT Both uncles of the Bride ENTERTAINMENT Chris Berry, @chrisberry_soundwave; Famous Stage Dance, @famousstagedance HIRE Furniture, Tabletop, and Linens – La Pinata Party Rentals, @lapinataparty; Decor – Hello Gem Events, @hellogemevents CATERING 24 Carrots, @24carrotscatering CAKE Jenny-Lynne Hughes DESSERTS Aunt Su-Su, aunt of the bride, and a group of women from the bride’s family’s church STATIONERY & SIGNAGE Day-of-Paper – Hello Gem Events, @hellogemevents BRIDAL DRESS Ines Di Santo purchased from The White Dress, @inesdisanto, @thewhitedresscdm BRIDE’S SHOE Gucci, @gucci BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Earrings – Swarovski, @swarovski – gifts from the bride’s cousin and his wife; Gold Bracelet – Gifted by the bride’s cousin; Gold Cuff Bracelet – Gifted by the bride’s bonus dad, Paulie; Diamond Necklace – Gifted by the mother of the bride; Ruby Ring – Bride’s grandmother’s; Custom Gloves – Rita Bridal, @ritabridal MAKEUP Dominique Lerma, @dominique_lerma HAIR Cortney Jamian, @_cortneyajamian_ TUXEDO Suitsupply, @suitsupply GROOM’S SHOE Allen Edmonds, @allenedmonds GROOM’S HAIR & GROOMING Travisean Hayes, @hairbytravisean
