Bronte and Dean met on July 1, 2017, at a friend’s house party in Santa Monica. Dean had just moved into a new place there from Malibu, and Bronte was hanging out with college friends nearby. “It was a perfect storm of divine timing of being in the right place at the right time,” she says. The two hit it off almost instantly, though it took Dean a month to actually ask her out. From that first date, neither of them looked back.
Location: Los Angeles, US
Style: Old Hollywood with a Modern Edge
Season: Fall
Time of planning: About 1 year
Number of guests: 110
Setting: Private Estate
They got engaged in 2024, in Lisbon, tacked onto a vacation after a friend’s wedding in Norway. “It was the perfect way to celebrate seven years together,” Bronte says. The next day, her parents arrived, and the whole group celebrated as one. Nobody was particularly surprised. “We’re pretty sure everyone knew we were getting engaged,” she says. “Dean told my dad he was planning to propose that week, and he can’t keep a secret.”
The wedding’s inspiration came from old black-and-white Hollywood films like Sabrina, layered with the energy of 1960s dinner parties and modern touches like chrome accents and curving tables. La Vie Photography captured every bit of it, moving through the day with the same instinct for detail that shaped everything else about the wedding.
Fashion
Bronte wore a dress from Huong Boutique to get ready in, before changing into a Sarah Seven gown for the ceremony, finished with a veil by Toni Federici, shoes by Tony Bianco, gloves by Carolina Amato, and a neck scarf by Natalya Valentine. Her perfume was from Merit Beauty, a scent she loved so much that she gifted it to her bridesmaids, too. The bouquet came from Hadley and Ren, and Lys Artistry handled hair and makeup.
As a bridal stylist herself, Bronte had a clear vision from the start. “I kind of already knew what I wanted to look like on my wedding day,” she says, “and I had my dress before we even had our venue secured.” The look she was after landed somewhere between Audrey Hepburn, Carrie Bradshaw, and Josephine Baker, and she wanted to stay in the same dress all night, letting it transform through the evening with a few key accessory changes instead. “I always tell my brides you want to feel beautiful, confident, and comfortable on your day,” she says, “and I felt just that. I still think about how amazing I looked and felt on our wedding day.”
Dean wore a suit from The Black Tux, finished with Hugo Boss shoes and a vintage brooch that carried the whole old Hollywood theme without tipping into costume. He was happy to let Bronte take the lead on the styling. “I wanted something classic that leaned into the old Hollywood vibe without being costumey,” he says. “She definitely had a vision, but I had the final say.” One of her ideas stuck with him in particular: swapping traditional boutonnieres for vintage pins. Dean sourced a set for his groomsmen and himself, giving the whole group something a little different to wear.
Private Vows
One of the most memorable parts of the day came before any of the guests arrived. “The most memorable part of the day were those private vows,” Bronte says. She and Dean wrote them down and saved them, with a plan to revisit them every year, a way of remembering the promises they made to each other, and maybe adding a few more along the way.
"It gave us a chance to get all the nerves out and slow down and remember what the whole day is about before getting into the rest of it."
Ceremony
The ceremony space had been walked through more times than either of them could count, always an open field on paper. On the day, with the florals and staging finally in place, it looked nothing like what they’d pictured. “It really blew us out of the water,” Bronte says.
Bronte’s dad officiated, and the two wove in a mix of lighthearted personal vows alongside the more traditional “till death do you part,” keeping the public ceremony upbeat without losing any of the heart. He read from a scroll that unrolled all the way to the floor, a prop that had the whole crowd laughing. “He had the perfect combination of humor and heart and brevity that we wanted for our ceremony,” Bronte says.
"We really wanted someone we knew, and who knew our relationship, to marry us, and Bronte's dad has been a big champion in wanting us to tie the knot, so he was the perfect person to get us past the finish line."
Inspiration & Photography
Cynthia of Hadley & Ren connected with Bronte immediately over a shared love of thoughtful details, bold design, and the beauty of the unexpected. “She came in with a clear vision rooted in classic luxury and opulence, which became the foundation we built from,” Cynthia says. That early direction nodded to a California coastal affair, with delicate references to oysters and pearls bringing texture and refinement to the space.
As the concept deepened, it shifted into something more personal. Dean’s family has deep ties to Hollywood, which led Cynthia to reimagine the celebration through a 1960s film lens, drawing from classics like Sabrina while layering in chrome accents and sculptural, curved tables. “The couple described their vision as an elevated supper club,” Cynthia says, “timeless at its core, yet layered with unexpected moments.”
“I think what made our day so unique was the attention to detail, the way our families really came together to make the day so special for us and make sure it surpassed all our expectations!” Bronte says. La Vie Photography worked closely with the couple throughout, and it shows, every moment carried through in images that feel just as personal as the day itself.
Reception Decor
To add dimension to the black-and-white foundation, the planners intentionally introduced color through the florals. The overall design was anchored by a black-and-white checkered dance floor, tying back to the cinematic inspiration while grounding the room in a bold, graphic statement. One of the most meaningful layers came from Bronte’s mother, who designed the day-of signage herself, a handcrafted touch that made the whole experience feel even more intimate and reflective of the family’s involvement.
The reception unfolded outdoors in a full al fresco setup, and the reveal left the couple genuinely speechless. “It was beyond anything we could have imagined,” Bronte says. Her parents had quietly worked with Cynthia behind the scenes to upgrade several of the designs, one of many ways the whole family showed up to help build the day. Each table was named after a Hollywood star, the most meaningful being Claire Dodd, named for Dean’s grandmother and reserved for the parents’ table. Drinks leaned into twists on the classics, White Negronis and Penicillins, and the food drew its own praise. “I have to give a shoutout to the most incredible catering team at Fundamental,” Bronte says. Served family-style, course after course had guests raving.
Reception
The service, the food, every detail of the evening brought the dinner party atmosphere fully to life. Music got just as much attention. Bronte and Dean spent hours curating two separate mixes with Vox DJs, a Love Mix and a Party Mix. Dean is notorious for his dinner playlists, so the two leaned into songs that doubled as their own love story, Portuguese fado, samba, classic love songs, and orchestral versions of their favorites. Moon River made four separate appearances, each time remixed, since it’s the song Bronte walked down the aisle to and considers “their” song. The first dance went to “Til There Was You” by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston.
The cake came from Susie Cakes, a longtime favorite of the couple’s, and enough of it survived the day to end up in their freezer. “Dean has only gone in once so far to steal a slice,” Bronte says. “Not sure if it’ll make it to our one year anniversary.” Speeches brought their own surprise: Bronte’s aunt, a professional storyteller, told a King Arthur-inspired love story that neither of them knew was coming until the day itself. “Guests said they felt transported to another world,” Bronte says. Every speech landed, with more than a few hints dropped about future Coopers. “Still working on that,” she laughs.
"We really felt so loved and cared for. The moments that stand out the most are those moments alone, the first look, the private vows, even getting like 5 minutes together the morning of our wedding before everyone was awake we were up at the crack of dawn and just talked about how excited we were and how much we love each other."
Advice from the couple:
• We would say your team really matters! Every vendor we had was enthusiastic about our day! I would say choose people to surround yourself with who are just as hyped for your wedding as you are, from your vendors to your wedding party to your guests. You’ll feel that love and support come through, and I feel like you can see that from the beautiful images Viet captured for us to how we just speak about one of the best days. It felt like the best start to the next chapter of our lives, and we’re so lucky that it starts like a fairytale!
PHOTOGRAPHY La Vie Photography | PLANNING, DESIGN & FLORALS Hadley and Ren | HAIR & MAKEUP Lys Brides | CATERING & BAR Fundamental Events | FURNITURE RENTALS Town and Country Event Rentals | TABLESCAPE RENTALS Soiree 8 | DJ Vox DJs | CAKE Susie Cakes | VALET Chuck’s Parking
