Old Hollywood Glam: David Tutera & Joey Toth in Los Angeles, CA
April 23, 2016, Kona Hawaii: "I proposed to Joey on my birthday while we were on vacation with daughter, Cielo," David recounts. "Our first thoughts were, 'Let's make this intimate and small.'" By early June, the date (April 1, 2017), the church (Hollywood United Methodist Church) and the reception venue (Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles) were locked down. “We were moving fast!” David exclaims.
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Church came first, along with another milestone: They were the first same-sex couple to be married there. Reception venues like vineyards and beach locales were considered, then discarded for being too far from the church. Once the couple signed on with the Biltmore nearby, the design approach quickly came to life.
April 23, 2016, Kona Hawaii: "I proposed to Joey on my birthday while we were on vacation with daughter, Cielo," David recounts. "Our first thoughts were, 'Let's make this intimate and small.'" By early June, the date (April 1, 2017), the church (Hollywood United Methodist Church) and the reception venue (Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles) were locked down. “We were moving fast!” David exclaims.
The duo started by compiling a guest list of 400 friends and family from around the world. "Our target was 300, which is exactly where we ended up," David says, adding, "So much for the small wedding!" Still, David kept the focus on comfort and ease.
The menu by the hotel's in-house catering team was inspired by Hollywood steakhouses of yore, such as the iconic Chasens and The Brown Derby.
There were surprise moments throughout the evening. Some, like the gospel choir performance (A Choir by Jason), were planned. Others were happy accidents. Case in point: three-and-a-half-year-old Cielo chose to approach the altar during the reading of the vows to ask the couple if they needed gum! Both were unforgettable moments.
"It was a festive night with 300 guests in a grand setting with 20,000 roses, white wall-to-wall carpeting and a stunning, Gatsbyesque black and white dance floor, yet it felt like an intimate party in a cozy room." The flowers were provided by Butterfly Floral & Event Design, who created dramatic motifs using a palette of white and cream passion roses.
“Seeing how happy my husband was, dancing with our darling daughter Cielo as a family and having a special dance with my mom meant the world to me,” David says.
A Sweet Design bakery crafted the six-tiered wedding cake, a smaller dulce de leche cake and a chocolate-vanilla marble cake, plus desserts like chocolate-dipped strawberries, mocha and vanilla mini-cupcakes, and coconut chocolate cake pops. Some of the sweetest moments happened on the dance floor.
