PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
Consider Amanda Thomas and Pat Monahan the Bey and Jay of the L.A. fashion scene. She owns LuvAJ, a line of fashion-forward jewelry and leather pieces that has garnered devotees like Miley Cyrus and Kylie Jenner, and he's the mastermind behind Private Party, the cheeky sweatshirt and T-shirt line that, while new, already has fans like Madonna and Drake.
L.A. power couple? Yes. Insanely cute? You bet. And, as expected, not a single detail was overlooked for their December 2014 wedding in Palm Springs. In fact, the desert nuptials included a variety of inspirations that ranged from Morocco to P. Diddy's annual white party. The results are a feast for the eyes, and utterly inspiring for anyone who wants a traditional wedding that is anything but boring.
Ahead, Amanda walks us through every detail, from the couples' engagement story to her custom-made dress (it took six months and has over 10,000 Swarovski crystals!) to the Adidas sneakers she changed into for the reception.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
As cliché as it sounds, I knew what dress I wanted to get married in for years…. When Givenchy came out with their couture collection in 2010, I saw this one nude gown covered in crystals, and I knew that I had to get married in that dress. Considering I look nothing like a supermodel, and the dress is five years old, I also knew I had to find a seamstress to make it from scratch.
"The only person crazy enough to say yes was Armine by R-Mine Bespoke. I worked with her twice a week for six months to bring my vision to life. The final dress is made from two thin layers of nude mesh, covered in over 10,000 Swarovski crystals, and weighs more than a small child. It truly is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"My longtime friend and hair and makeup artist Sunnie Brook did my glam for the big day. I work with her on tons of campaign shoots for Luv Aj, and she has such a great eye for beauty. We’ve built such an amazing rapport that I honestly trust anything she wants to do. For the wedding, I just wanted to feel like a buxom blonde, like Brigitte Bardot."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"My makeup was super-matte and clean, with a dramatic liquid-eyeliner cat eye and a pink lip. Every time I walked by a mirror, I did a double take because I couldn’t believe that was me!"
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"I met Pat one night at a college friend's dinner party in Venice. We bonded over our love of rap music and drinking wine with ice cubes. After a few weeks of hanging out, he finally asked me out, and our first date ended up lasting three days. After that, we kind of just never left each other’s side, and a year later he proposed!"
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"I was convinced Pat would propose at our house or by the beach...something mellow for sure. We were at a big launch party for the release of my belt collection with Stone Cold Fox one night last April, and all of our friends were there. It's honestly the last place I thought it would happen. Cut to 11 p.m., when the music stops, a giant spotlight hits me, and everyone starts screaming. It took me a good 30 seconds to realize what was going on. I looked over, and Pat was on one knee, with a Feyoncésweatshirt on and a ring box open. I was just so shocked and excited. Best night ever."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"I have been making jewelry since I was 14 years old, so the jewelry for our wedding day was one of the most important elements to me. My engagement ring is rose gold with a hexagon, halo set, round center stone on a pavé X ring."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"We knew we wanted to get married in Palm Springs, because it's our home away from home. It's a place that holds some of our fondest memories."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"When we decided on Palm Springs, we knew we wanted to stay away from hotels, because there isn't a ton of flexibility with designing the space. So, we started researching private homes. La Chureya was such an incredible find: It has a massive front yard, which worked perfectly for the ceremony, and a gorgeous courtyard and backyard for the reception."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"We walked down the aisle to a string quartet playing Drake and Beyoncé."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"My engagement ring is kind of a piece on its own, so I wanted to have my wedding band be something totally separate and a statement ring, too. I designed a coil ring that went from pavé to baguettes, then back to pavé. I'm obsessed with it, and wear it on my other hand now."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Luke and Katherine are a husband-and-wife photography team who were recommended to me by a close friend, and they were amazing. Having two people shooting at once was so key to capturing every moment of the day."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Our florist, Dandelion Ranch, built us an incredible succulent altar that truly was the focal point of the ceremony."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Luke and Katherine's style of photography is really modern and cool, definitely perfect for someone like me who is so picky about the visuals."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Found Rentals and Witty Rentalsprovided all the Moroccan wedding blankets, vintage leather couches, and sheepskin rugs."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"If there is one thing I can recommend about planning your nuptials, it's to hire a wedding planner! We used Beau and Arrow Events. I have a pretty flexible schedule because I work for myself, but having the Beau and Arrow girls on my side was the biggest lifesaver. They were so easy to work with and really understood my vision and vibe."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"My best friends, Cydney and Dallas, are the owners and designers of Stone Cold Fox, an L.A.-based line known for its boho-inspired silk dresses. My bridesmaids ranged from a size 0 to nine months pregnant at the time, so I knew we had to do something custom to fit everyone perfectly. They let us choose the silks and blend a few different dress designs into one to come up with this simple and chic wrap dress that really complemented everyone."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
The seated dinner started at dusk...
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
Pat and Amanda slowing down for just a second...
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Pat didn’t want a traditional band, so he decided to be bold and get some diamonds in his ring. His band is channel-set black diamonds in a yellow-gold band. It’s subtle but still makes a statement."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Pat and the groomsmen each wore a skinny suit from TopMan."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Since it was a winter wedding, we wanted to incorporate dark purple and peach-colored florals, mixed with tons of succulents."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
A Bey and Jay moment? We think so.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"I had a very clear vision of the kind of vibe I wanted for the day, but it was Beau and Arrow and their Rolodex of vendors who brought it to life."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"For party favors, our guests received Private Party sweatshirts! Even before the wedding, we had guests asking us if the gifts were going to be Pat's sweatshirts, so it just seemed like a no-brainer. He came up with a few amazing phrases for them, and we set up a mini Private Party pop-up shop in the reception area. When people saw it during dinner, it turned into Walmart on Black Friday. Almost every sweatshirt was gone before the first dance!"
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"We added in a lot of cacti, since it's Palm Springs, and did mini potted plants, too."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"One of the things on our bucket list is to go to P. Diddy’s annual white party. It’s just the ultimate turn up, and every year the photos make me want to teleport to Miami and try to get in. We wanted to channel that vibe and do something a little nontraditional, so we asked all the guests to dress in white."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"For the tables, we did cacti nestled in clear, crystal quartz shards to make them a bit more magical."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Casa de Perrin provided all the vintage Czech glassware, plates, and rose-gold silverware."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Whenever Pat and I go to Palm Springs to hang, we eat at Birba. It’s like an L.A. restaurant, just plopped in the middle of the desert. They do delicious and chic Italian food, and it was something that was very easy for us to agree upon for the wedding. We served the food family-style, so every table got plates to pass and share. We included things like chimichurri flank steak, gluten-free squash-blossom ravioli, French fries two ways, and chopped salad."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"My girlfriend Leslie and her friend Courtney recently started their latest food venture in L.A., called Large Marge Cooks. Leslie is the former pastry chef at Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC, so she is the woman for nontraditional cakes. Leslie and Courtney came up with really interesting donuts and cookies, and then made their famous Mexican-hot-chocolate churro cake, which was the hit of the night."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Our guests wearing all white ended up being such an amazing element of the night, because it created camaraderie. Plus, it was the middle of winter, so everyone was excited to dress like it was summer, especially our East Coast friends."
Let the dance party begin...
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"Our videographer, Yayo Ahumada, got some insane footage that we’re cutting together now. It's going to look like a music video; I can't wait to see it all!"
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROSE AND LUKE GRIFFIN.
"As spectacular as my wedding dress was, it weighed a million pounds, so I knew I wanted to change into something fun and easy for the latter part of the evening. My dress designer, R-Mine Bespoke, whipped up this Chantilly-lace tuxedo-blazer minidress for me two weeks before the wedding. By the end of the night, I had the tuxedo dress on with my Adidas Stan Smiths. It captured my style to a T."