Zoe Smith and Elias de Wit met while attending college at the University of Michigan – Zoe, a freshman and Elias, a junior. “My best friend was dating Elias’s roommate, so we ended up hanging out in the same group fairly often,” says Zoe. “We were instantly intrigued by one another, and had a lot of common interests and hobbies; so we quickly became best friends. One day, he got up the courage to kiss me and the rest is history!”
For their fifth anniversary, the couple decided to celebrate by visiting Elias’s family home in Sonoma, California for a relaxing weekend filled with beautiful views and wine tasting. After arriving at the house, Elias continuously asked Zoe to play a game of pool with him. Pool had always been “their thing,” as Zoe’s dad has a pool table at his house in Colorado. “Elias asked me to ‘rack’ the table, which requires taking all the balls out of the pockets,” Zoe recalls. “As I removed them, I nonchalantly – and accidentally – tossed aside what I later realized to be a jewelry box with my engagement ring inside! I quickly realized what it was, and immediately started crying tears of joy.”
"I COULDN’T WAIT TO WALK DOWN THE AISLE TO MARRY MY BEST FRIEND" ZOE SMITH
During the wedding planning process, the bride-to-be found a new appreciation for details. “I wasn’t one of those girls who had her entire wedding vision nailed down to a tee prior to being engaged, so we figured out most of it along the way,” she adds. “Our wedding was in Los Angeles and my mom lives in Michigan, so we had nightly Facetime meetings to keep on track.”
After months of planning, the bride was excited to see how beautiful the ceremony and reception looked. Before the ceremony, she caught her first glimpse of the décor while walking down a staircase adorned with a lush floral garland – a special surprise from the florist and designer. What she saw, exceeded all expectations. “I thought I would be a little nervous, but I woke up with a lot of excitement and couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle to marry my best friend,” she says. “Everyone told us to take in and appreciate each moment, because the day goes by so quickly. That couldn’t have been more true!”
After the ceremony, the newlyweds continued to be pleasantly surprised by how talented their team was – not to mention, astonished by their hard work. When the vendors were finished flipping the ceremony space for the reception, each table looked unique with a gorgeous mix of varying floral arrangements.
“It truly was the perfect day,” says the bride. “Elias and I were both the first of our friends to get married, so there was a lot of genuine happiness and positive energy from our friends and family, which made it that much more special. It was amazing how excited they were to celebrate with us. We had the time of our lives dancing the night away with our friends and listening to their hilarious, thoughtful speeches. We want to relive the day over and over again!”
WEDDING TALENT
Location: Hotel Casa del Mar, Santa Monica, CA; Planner: Bob Gail Special Events, Los Angeles, CA
Floral and Event Design, Linen and Rentals: Delux Floral, Detroit, MI; Cake: The Butter End Cakery,
Los Angeles, CA; Wedding Dress: Ines Di Santo; Bridal Salon: Roma Sposa, Birmingham, MI; Makeup and Hair: Make-up Therapy, Los Angeles, CA; Engagement Ring and Wedding Bands: Peter Norman Jewelers, Los Angeles, CA
