Ojai Elegance Meets Cozy Charm: A Wedding With Neutral Tones and Home-Inspired Comfort

By Kevin Harson23 May 2025

When it came to the vision and design of the wedding, we wanted it to be the perfect blend of timelessness and a sense of coziness by choosing neutral and earthy tones, and comfortable yet chic furniture that would make guests feel like they were in our living room — think palettes of creams, whites and greens, and materials like natural woods, boucle and velvet.

Our overall theme was California-inspired minimalism, which I think perfectly describes us as we were both born and raised in Los Angeles. We picked every detail as if we were designing a home, rather than making it feel like we were planning a wedding.

Max and Lauren had been dating for 7 years. They met through Max’s two best friends, with whom Lauren went to elementary school. Max, who is 1 year older, was living in LA, and when Lauren graduated from college and moved home, she and her girlfriends threw a housewarming party and invited those two friends (who brought Max), and the rest was history. They got engaged in March 2022 on the beach in Marina Del Rey. Max proposed during sunset with Lauren’s sister and her boyfriend and her best friend, Brittanie, watching in the distance. Right before he proposed, she looked at Max and said, “Wouldn’t this be a great place to get engaged?” He responded with, “Well, actually… ” and before she knew it, he was down on one knee proposing. After their beach engagement, Max brought her back to his parents’ house, where he threw a surprise engagement party with their closest friends and family.

For the ceremony, Lauren wore a custom gown designed by Mark Ingram, featuring a deep V-neckline, a contoured midriff, a full skirt with a fun slit, and an elegant bow detail adorning the back. For the reception, she wore a Vera Wang mini dress with a playful and modern bubble-hem skirt. The bodice featured a structured high neckline with a square cutout detail that adds a chic, contemporary touch. The look was elevated with a delicate bow-topped veil, providing a fun bridal vibe, and paired with Prada platform heels for a glamorous finish. Perfect for dancing the night away!

The bridesmaids were dressed in mismatched black gowns that fit their style.

The men donned traditional tuxedos with black bowties. The groom’s look was made complete with Christian Louboutins.

Cocktail hour featured a his and hers signature cocktail. For her, “The LP” Ojai Margarita. For him, “The Black Mamba” Old Fashioned. After passing hors d’oeuvres, guests enjoyed a tomato and burrata salad and main course, followed by their choice of wedding cake or a dessert from the selection of cupcakes and handheld treats.

The Farmhouse is such a beautiful place, and we wanted to make sure that we were leaning into the surrounding environment and creating a space that complemented the venue’s architecture and the beauty of Ojai’s outdoors. Working with florist, Pigsty, was such an easy decision for us because of her specialty in creating impactful yet organic florals and her use of bouncy white, cream, and ivory flowers and locally foraged branches that complemented the large olive trees.

A traditional three-tier white wedding cake adorned with florals.

Our wedding song was “Your Song” by Elton John.

I think what makes our wedding so special is being surrounded by all of our friends and families, and how close all our families have gotten in the past 7 years that we have been dating and how close all of our friends are to each other – a lot of us have known each other since kindergarten.

We put a lot of thought and design into details like our invitations, and also making the Farmhouse feel cozy with silk ivory linens and bone velvet tablecloths. We also brought 9 olive trees in to surround the tables and placed trees as centerpieces on the round tables with hanging tea lights.