A "Father of the Bride" Inspired California Backyard Wedding

Madeline & Kevin, August 3rd, 2024, Brentwood, California

Jan 17, 2025

When Madeline sent me her wedding in early September of last year, I was giddy. I absolutely love a backyard wedding, and of course I am obsessed with all things inspired by Father of the Bride. I asked Maddie if she’d want to be our January wedding feature because her and Kevin’s day just gave off the happiest, most excited, anything-is-possible energy. In other words, a perfect kick off to a brand new year! Their celebration was simultaneously laid back and elegant, intimate but also a blowout bash with amazing tunes. You can truly feel the fun in every picture.

The wedding took place this past summer in the backyard of Madeline’s childhood home in Brentwood, California. My heart sank when I began prepping to share their day. I quickly reached out to Maddie to see how her and her family were doing. Brentwood is incredibly close to the Palisades, which has been devastated by the recent Los Angeles fires. Luckily, Maddie and her family are safe (though still under mandatory evacuation at this time) and their beautiful home is still standing.

But not everyone was so lucky. Maddie and Kevin’s close friend and the officiant of their wedding, Charlie, lost his Altadena home that he shares with his girlfriend in the Eaton Fire.

There has been a lot of heavy content in the last few weeks surrounding the Los Angeles fires. It’s just utterly devastating. Personally I have been overwhelmed and not sure how best to help, especially from so far away. I second-guessed even sharing this wedding, and of course talked with Madeline about this as well— the last thing I would ever want is to be insensitive during this incredibly emotional and difficult time for so many.

I think it can be easy when horrible things happen and there is mass destruction to go a little numb. I myself am certainly guilty of this. But what I couldn’t help but remember in looking at the gorgeous photos from Maddie and Kevin’s day, was just how important home is to all of us. It doesn’t matter the size or the location— it’s the memories and the magic that get created over the course of a big, beautiful life well-lived. This is just one home, one family, and one day. But it’s also a bittersweet reminder of just how much was truly lost so quickly for so many people.

Madeline and I thought it would be nice to use this wedding feature as a way to help. First and foremost, we want to share Charlie’s gofundme. I’m so pleased to see that they hit their initial goal, but truly everything helps. Consider donating to their dear friend here.

Additionally, I will be donating all of my January revenue on Substack to World Central Kitchen. I don’t make a ton on this platform, but I do have access to a friend whose company matches all donations to non-profits. So we will double the love! If you’re not a paid subscriber here, now is a great time to join the party. And if you already are and want to contribute, message or email me! We can coordinate to maximize your donation.

Life is hard, life is scary, but life is beautiful. I hope this wedding serves as a reminder that there is so much love, so much light and so much happiness ahead.

I will let Madeline share in her words, about her and Kevin’s magical day below.

Enjoy!

“When my now husband, Kevin, and I got engaged, we decided pretty much immediately that we would get married at my parents' house in Brentwood, Los Angeles- which is also where Kevin proposed. It's a lush, private, beautiful space. Kev and I have spent so much time there together (he met all my friends and my parents for the first time in that backyard, among other special memories - Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, etc.), and we also both knew that we didn’t want a huge wedding. It was nice that having it at home meant the guest list could only be so big (we ended up at 83). It’s hard not to get sucked into what you’re ‘supposed’ to do, or what other people want or expect you to do. But, we just kept coming back to the purpose of the day - for Kevin and I to commit to each other in front of our loved ones, and celebrate joyfully. Everything else seemed to fall away.

My husband and I met at the beginning of the pandemic on Hinge - he's a musician and had just returned home from a cancelled tour due to Covid. I'd never seen his profile before and thought he was SO cute and funny (he's @kevinfarzad on twitter), plus it said in his bio that he was the drummer of this indie band that I liked. I messaged him something cheeky about one of their songs (feeling freed by the thought that it would definitely not go anywhere, given that we were all stuck at home), and the rest is history.

With the wedding at home, the inspiration naturally became “Father of the Bride” - Nancy Meyers, classic but not stuffy, sweet and simple. We’d let the beauty and greenery of the backyard and the house speak for itself.

The night before, Kevin and I stayed together at a hotel near my parents’ house. I am somewhat traditional/superstitious, but I knew that I wanted to be with Kev the night before. We both sleep best together, and I wanted to feel my most comfortable. It also allowed us to have some special time together the morning of the wedding before we parted ways to get ready, which I think really helped to center me.”

I got ready with my girlfriends at one of my dear friend Jackie’s house - she and her husband conveniently live just down the street from my parents. I’ve been friends with these girls since 7th grade, and it was so surreal to spend the day getting ready together in this way. I kept saying it felt like something 15 year old me would have journaled about as a manifestation.

Jackie is a consummate host. She hired a private chef ( @sauceyrosie on tiktok!) through a company called I Have This Friend (full disclosure - two of our best friends started this company and it’s awesome). Emily, the private chef, made the most luxe spread and then as an extra surprise, Jackie asked that she make us pina coladas to sip on - my favorite drink lol! She also had *Father of the Bride* playing on the TV in the background (she thinks of everything).

Kevin and I met back up for our first look in my parents’ backyard. We couldn’t stop kissing.

I was so excited and a little bit nervous.

We didn’t have a true bridal party, but my husband’s brother, wife, and their two kids walked down the aisle, along with my brother. Our nephew, Luke, was the ringbearer and did a fantastic job. My husband and his dad, and then the rest of our “bridal party” walked down the aisle to “Our House” by Crosby Stills Nash and Young. The music was really important to me and my husband (who is a musician and music producer), and I absolutely loved this choice. The domestic scene just reminds me so much of our little life together and brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.

I walked down the aisle (flanked by both of my parents - no joke my mom literally had the stone walkway widened so that the three of us could fit lol - she did not want to miss out on this moment!) to God Only Knows by the Beach Boys. Even though I had lived out of my parents’ house and with my fiance for a while by this point, it still felt very symbolic to walk out of the front door of the house I grew up in to meet my husband-to-be at the end of the aisle.

The first thing we did when we got to the end of the aisle was light a candle for Kev’s late mother. I loved that it felt like her spirit was there with us through this really special moment. I also wore a ring of hers on my right hand (gold and sapphire - my something blue).

Neither my husband nor I are religious, but the ritual of the ceremony was very important to us. We knew that we would want a friend to marry us, and Charlie, a songwriter and poet, was the clear choice. He’s my husband’s bandmate - of their original band, Sure Sure (an indie pop/rock band), and now of their new project, Outside Air. Charlie has known Kev since they were in their early 20s, and has been a part of our relationship since Kev and I met four years ago. He knows us both so well, so his words were incredibly personal and meaningful (and funny - the perfect blend of humor and gravity to match the import of the day).

“We wrote our own vows, and hearing Kev’s was far and away my favorite part of the whole wedding. I heard from several people afterwards that many tears were shed in the audience (someone even told me they heard someone let out a wail at one point), which felt like a real win. After we exchanged our rings and were officially married, we dipped our pinky fingers in honey and fed it to each other. This is a Persian tradition - my husband is Iranian and we wanted to find a way to incorporate some of his culture into the ceremony. I absolutely loved this part and thought it made the ceremony unique and memorable. Another special detail - Kev’s wedding band is actually his late mother’s that we had enlarged to fit him.

After the big kiss, we walked back up the aisle to ‘Do You Believe in Magic?’ by the Lovin’ Spoonful. Such a fun celebratory song - and the whole day really felt like magic.”