Heart & Soul
The bright and playful Madonna Inn wedding of Jesse Chamberlin and Jimmy Marble marries originality and the element of surprise
Marigold centerpieces by florist and friend Amy Osaba are topped with specially ordered neon signs.
Ask Jesse Chamberlin what makes a ceremony unforgettable, and the photographer will reveal the recipe she formulated while capturing more than 500 weddings: unique details, sincerity and surprise. “The most memorable ones are those that are made personal—not just what is trendy,” explains Jesse, who applied the plan to her own nuptials with her beau, multimedia artist Jimmy Marble.
The bride in GUCCI and the groom in a custom blue suit and embroidered Gucci dress shirt.
The L.A.-based couple’s relationship was one-of-a-kind from the get-go. “On our first date two years ago in Point Dume, we drank wine, swam, took pictures and laughed,” remembers Jimmy. “I knew right there on that beach that if I could somehow spend every day with this woman, I would in a heartbeat.” Sure enough, just three months later they celebrated their engagement atop a Teotihuacán pyramid in Mexico, and sent out -fortune-cookie invitations to welcome 170 guests to San Luis Obispo’s belovedly kitschy Madonna Inn.
After spending New Year’s Eve at the MADONNA INN while scouting the venue, Jesse Chamberlin and Jimmy Marble decided to re-create the hotel’s balloon drop for their fall wedding.
The love-drenched day kicked off with a ceremony in the ballroom, where a choir of friends sang Beach Boys tunes while Jimmy, Jesse (in a multicolor Gucci dress) and her two sons—Gracyn, 10, and August, 6—huddled beneath a special flag designed to honor the union of their newly formed family. The kids, aka the “best boys,” later pulled the strings to the balloon drop, covering guests in thousands of pink, red and orange balloons before a mariachi band escorted everyone outside for tequila shots. “Every time we had a new surprise, you could see the guests light up,” Jesse recalls.
Loved ones gather around the bride and groom in the hotel’s GOLD RUSH STEAK HOUSE.
The night went on with no shortage of thoughtfully whimsical wonders, from the mounds of marigolds artfully arranged by florist Amy Osaba topping the tables—more than 3,000 blooms in total—to the pink-clad gift bags of Twinkies and La Croix. “We tried to give every bit of tradition a revision and our personal touch,” says Jesse.
For the bridal party, stylist Jamie Catino found vintage dresses that matched the era of the hotel.
PLANNERS Bash Please, Ashley Meaders ENTERTAINMENT DJ Smiles Davis VIDEOGRAPHY Shark Pig RING Grace Lee Designs STATIONERY Ashley Meaders WINE Montinore Estate CHAMPAGNE Pharmacie LINENS La Tavola RENTALS Yeah! Rentals HAIR AND MAKEUP Erin Walters
Photography by MAX WANGER.
Written by ANUSH BENLIYAN.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2017 issue of C Weddings.
