(Apollo Fotografie)

Wedding Inspiration: A modern couple jumps the broom at Lake Merritt's Terrace Room

Dec 20, 2018

True love can be found on Tinder. No, really!

Noel Walton and Jhony Bonilla found each other on a dating app. And after some courting, dating, and bonding, Bonilla popped the question at Walton's favorite sushi restaurant—and then the wedding-planning Pinterest boards began. Walton looked at "hundreds" of inspiration shots before selecting her look: a classy, off-the-shoulder ivory gown.

Her bridesmaids were adorned in blush-hued floor-length frocks, while the groomsmen (and one groomswoman!) sported charcoal suits (and dress) with geometric ruby socks. Naturally, the groom matched his wife-to-be in an ivory suit jacket with black lapels. Tucked in each of their jacket pockets was a red handkerchief to tie it together with the bouquets.

To make it easy for guests, Walton and Bonilla wanted both their ceremony and reception in the same location. Wanting to show off the beauty of Oakland, they selected the Terrace Room, where floor to ceiling windows overlooked lovely Lake Merritt. They kept the decor—black chairs with leather seats—minimal to allow the panoramas of the landscape to shine. The interior was bathed in natural light, and round tables were draped in crisp white linens.

Asiatic lilies, red roses, and baby's breath lined the aisle in tall glass vials and bloomed from the bouquets. For centerpieces, crimson roses were submerged in cylindrical vases with a floating candle on top. In a combination of new school and throwback, their songs were "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran, "Spend My Life With You" by Tamia and Eric Benet, and "Let's Get Married" by Jagged Edge.

After jumping the broom, an open bar flowed all night while guests noshed on cupcakes and took to the dance floor. The couple even received a tiny fur baby to start the next chapter of their lives.