Some weddings feel beautiful. Joanna and Spencer’s artful wedding felt alive — a weekend full of design, storytelling, and the kind of creative details that made guests say, “This is so Jo and Spencer.” As a Los Angeles wedding planner, it’s a dream to partner with couples who lead with imagination, intention, and heart. This Redbird celebration was all of that: bold, playful, deeply personal, and an unforgettable experience from the moment guests arrived.
Featured on Green Wedding shoes
A Love Story Rooted in Adventure
Joanna and Spencer first met in Denver in the summer of 2019 through a mutual friend. Months later, life brought them both to California, where their friendship turned into something deeper during a pandemic season of bike rides, backpacking trips, LA food tours, and shared playlists. Their story unfolded across mountains, frisbee fields, new jobs, and countless pints of ice cream — a relationship built on curiosity, creativity, and joy.
That same spirit became the foundation of their wedding design.
An Artful Wedding Designed With Identity at the Center
Joanna and Spencer approached their wedding not just as a celebration, but as a chance to create a world — a curated, immersive weekend that reflected their values, cultures, and quirks. Their guiding question:
“What can we do so when our guests walk in, they immediately think, ‘This is Jo and Spencer’s wedding?’”
Bold, Minimal, Playful
Their aesthetic was minimal yet impactful — modern lines, clean forms, and color used with intention. Fruit styling became a signature motif, replacing table numbers with vibrant seasonal citrus and stone fruit arranged artfully on each table. Against Redbird’s lush courtyard garden, every pop of color felt bright, fresh, and distinctly spring in California.
A Duality of Day and Night
They envisioned the day as a journey — sunny, colorful, and airy for the ceremony and dinner… shifting into something moodier, edgier, and more atmospheric once the full moon rose.
A true “choose your own adventure” wedding.
The Venue: A Garden Oasis in DTLA
Joanna and Spencer chose Redbird for its impeccable food, warm service, and the rare duality of being both an intimate garden escape and a modern downtown LA landmark. The venue’s classic architectural lines and greenery-forward courtyard offered the perfect clean backdrop for their high-impact design moments.
One-of-a-Kind Guest Experiences
This was a wedding where every detail invited guests to interact, explore, and delight in discovery.
Wedding Passport Books
Inspired by the couple’s love for stationery and a memorable trip to Japan, each guest received a personalized wedding passport — a small, beautifully letterpressed booklet filled with custom pages, inside jokes, and prompts. Throughout the weekend, guests collected custom-designed stamps at different moments and installations, turning their passports into a keepsake full of memories.
A Sticker + Tattoo Vending Machine
Yes, a vending machine — but make it elevated, art-forward, and extremely fun. Guests pulled custom stickers, prints, and temporary tattoos designed by Daily Pen Pals in collaboration with the couple, adding a playful, nostalgic touch that had people returning again and again.
Fortune Cookie Seating Assignments
A nod to Joanna’s Chinese heritage and to the couple’s love of small surprises. Guests cracked open custom fortune cookies to reveal their seating assignment — each fortune playful, thoughtful, and original.
Fruit-Forward Table Styling
Instead of numbers, each table was marked by a styled vignette of fresh fruit — bold, sculptural, and a modern twist on arful wedding décor. It was a visual feast and a subtle tribute to California’s spring bounty.
Late Night Eats
Once the dance floor opened (with the moody, club-inspired energy Spencer always dreamed of), guests were treated to late-night bites — fueling two and a half hours of nonstop dancing and celebration.
Joanna’s Artful Bridal Style
Joanna approached her bridal look with the same creative curiosity she brought to every part of the wedding design. She wore a stunning bridal cape — modern, sculptural, and effortlessly chic — paired with custom earrings she designed and fabricated herself.
As an engineer and designer, she prototyped multiple sizes, experimented with paint, and worked with a fabrication vendor to cut aluminum components. The result: a pair of earrings that weren’t just accessories, but wearable art and a meaningful keepsake.
A Weekend Built on Personal Meaning
Beyond the playful details and artful wedding design, this celebration was grounded in identity.
Honoring Joanna’s Heritage
- A welcome event at an Asian grocery mart
- Custom fortune cookies
- Rich red accents
- Elegant orchids
Celebrating Spencer’s Love for Basketball
- Bar menus with cheeky nods to L.A. basketball royalty
- Custom matchboxes styled like tiny Bicycle card decks
Everything was intentional, storytelling-driven, and distinctly theirs.
Planning Together
Working with Joanna and Spencer was a true partnership marked by trust, creativity, and enthusiasm. They came with bold ideas — and my job as their Los Angeles wedding planner was to help shape them into a cohesive, elevated experience while connecting them with vendors who could execute with quality and care.
From letterpress printing to custom fabrication to sourcing a vintage vending machine, we collaborated on every detail to ensure their ideas were possible, practical, and within budget.
Favorite Moments From the Day
From Joanna
“Sitting at the dinner table and taking in every sight, sound, and color — realizing they had designed an entire world that reflected who they are.”
From Spencer
“Seeing Joanna walk down the aisle, glowing in her cape and handmade earrings — a moment he will remember forever. And later, walking into the “party” at 9:30pm: their own private club, exactly the vibe he always wished existed.”
A Celebration That Felt Like Them
This wedding wasn’t just beautiful. It was immersive, thoughtful, and deeply personal — the perfect reflection of two people who see design as storytelling and celebration as an art form.
And it’s no surprise that Green Wedding Shoes featured this incredible celebration — it was brimming with creativity, personality, and moments of pure delight.
Joanna and Spencer, thank you for trusting me to help bring your world to life. Your wedding wasn’t just unique — it was unmistakably yours.
photography: Alexes Lauren Photography
venue name: Redbird, Los Angeles, California, USA
planning + design: Jessica Foster Event Planning
florals: Shindig Chic
wedding dress: Reev Bridal
hair stylist: Kayla Arielle
groom attire: Seigo Neckwear
paper goods: Shindig Chic
sticker vending: Daily Pen Pals
catering: Redbird
linen rentals: Luxe Linen
music: DJ Solstice
lighting: DJ Solstice
passport books: Aardvark Letter Press
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