Inside Emily Wheeler and John Pew's Post-Lockdown California Dream Wedding
Considering they’re both “life-of-the-party” types, Emily P. Wheeler and John F. Pew shared a remarkably quiet and cozy engagement. Emily recalls waking up in bed one morning to John beside her with a band courtesy of a fellow jeweler in New York—and that simple, intimate gesture meant more to her than any extravagant proposal. “We savor our mornings together,” Emily said of the significant moment. “The quiet before the storm."
A former IMG model, Emily, 37, is now a Los Angeles-based fine jewelry designer, whose self-titled brand can be found at luxury retailers including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Elyse Walker, and Net-A-Porter, as well as in select boutiques across the United States. A frequent volunteer for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society, she's also an animal lover with a passion for philanthropy and sustainability. Hailing from the midwest, John Pew, 35, is an avid snowboarder, mountain biker, and baker, and a co-founder of the ski apparel company Trew. For his main gig, he's the lead strategic designer at Boston Consulting Group Digital Ventures in Los Angeles.
Braedon Flynn
"This was never an 'opposites attract' kind of situation," Emily said of their four-year romance. "We are very similar people with very similar values." Per close friends of the pair, Emily and John both "bring the heat" to any festivity—Emily adds that “Hurricane JEmily” became their endearing couple's nickname during their wedding reception—and make for uplifting and supportive company through the best and worst times. Above all, Emily and John value having fun and making one another laugh. "We spend a lot of our time together in stitches and we know how to disarm each other with laughter," Emily said. "We have also both gone through a lot of therapy, and both speak the language that it enables and teaches you. I find that huge. It’s always been hard for me to fully relate to people that don’t do the work to become more self-aware."
Braedon Flynn
Their first meeting was a love-at-first-sight ordeal—at least on John's end. The two first met in Tahoe in their early twenties through mutual friends, one of whom was Emily's roommate in San Francisco. Per their winter tradition, the group rented out a house at the base of the Palisades Tahoe ski resort Squaw, and John joined in for one weekend. Emily said she felt an immediate attraction to John when she saw him, but she recognized that the two were in different places at the time. While Emily was newly dating someone else, John was launching his ski company alongside his brother and touring various ski resorts in an effort to secure product placement. But these circumstances only further motivated John. “Emily had always been in the back of my mind since I met her,” John recalled. “I remember thinking that I needed to get my life together so I could get a girl like her. It was a crush that lasted years, really.”
Braedon Flynn
Thanks to serendipitous circumstances, Emily and John reconnected years later in July 2018 after they’d both moved to Los Angeles. Emily ran into him during a night out with a mutual friend at Soho House in Malibu, and recalled instantly feeling a connection again. "I had more fun with him that night than I ever had with anyone," she said. "We say we fell in love that night and the rest is history. We started dating immediately after that and things moved fast from there."
After just 6 months of dating, the two made the big step to move in together in Venice, California. Four months after that, John carried out his proposal in bed. "We knew I would later make my own ring, but I wanted the timing to be a surprise and waited until we were engaged to make something more substantial," Emily said. For her, both the surprise and setting were perfect. "We often spend twenty minutes or so [in the mornings] just snuggling and giggling [in bed] as we’re still half asleep," she said. "It’s our favorite time together, even if we have to fight for it sometimes with our busy schedules."
Braedon Flynn
Just like how the rest of their relationship had progressed, Emily and John wasted no time jumping straight into wedding planning following the proposal. The two landed on the Sands Hotel and Spa, the first venue they saw in Palm Springs, California, where they had also spent a beautiful getaway weekend in celebration of their engagement. The venue's "no noise curfew" was among the significant dealmakers for Emily and John—though they also liked that its location was local enough but still felt like a destination, and that it could host all of the weekend’s events in one place, barring the need to coordinate transportation. "It was adorable, the right size, and the food was great," Emily added. "I don’t like to overthink things, so we booked it for April 4, 2020."
Braedon Flynn
The two ultimately had to push back the wedding date twice due to COVID—but the delays bought them time to reimagine the wedding's aesthetic into something more fresh, fun, and summery. The new vision was brought to life by Wild Heart Events wedding planner Jaime Kostechko, and involved a pink disco reception followed by a raging silent disco in the pool. "Emily and John gave me free rein to create something magical under the constructs of aligning with the Sands’ existing vibe and the amazing custom Rodarte dresses Emily was having made," said Kostechko. "We leaned into the iconic pink walls of the Sands Hotel & Spa and touched on emerging trends such as wavy edges and flowers mixed with fruits [Of The Flowers]."
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
For the color palette, the duo chose an array of warm citrusy tones, which perfectly matched Emily's bedazzled 7.4 carat diamond ring. "I started looking for a diamond shortly after [John's proposal], and fell in love with a 7.4 carat modified oval champagne diamond at the annual Tucson Gem Show," Emily said. "I set it east-west in 18 karat rose gold with ombre pink and Padparadscha sapphires going down the sides." She paired the ring with an equally summery wedding dress of her dreams: a custom Rodarte flamingo-pink Chantilly lace gown—courtesy of Rodarte co-founder and designer Laura Mulleavy and celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger—with 3D floral detailing and a touch of glitter. "I have always loved Rodarte," Emily said, "and it was a pretty easy decision to have them make my wedding dress as they are also LA-based."
The wedding was finally confirmed for the end of October 2021 after a 2-and-a-half-year postponement, and the events were captured beautifully by photographer Braedon Flynn. All of Emily's looks were curated by Erlanger and featured her own custom jewelry, while John’s looks were courtesy of MGK style.
Braedon Flynn
The four-day marathon began on Thursday, October 21st with an intimate dinner with both Emily and John's parents. “Our parents had never met since our relationship moved so fast, so we planned a dinner with just our immediate families,” Emily said. The families mingled and ate at a private outdoor table at Mr. Lyons, an upscale retro steakhouse in Palm Springs. For the elegant, romantic evening, Emily wore a white Oscar de la Renta dress featuring black diagonal stripes and a pointed bust- and hemline, paired with Manolo Blahnik shoes and her own custom jewelry. Meanwhile, John matched her neutrals in a black long-sleeve shirt and light khaki pants.
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
On Friday, Emily and John opened the celebration to the rest of the guests with a welcome party at the Olive Grove garden, featuring a Moroccan-themed dinner served by The Pink Cabana. Kostechko styled the venue with chairs, sofas, and romantic lighting, all of which paired well with Emily and John’s coordinated vintage outfits. For the evening, Emily wore a Hanae Mori dress along with Jimmy Choo flats and Zimmermann sunglasses—and John wore a custom outfit by Thank You Have a Good Day, a Brooklyn-based boutique for clothes handmade out of vintage and antique table cloths.
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Saturday was for all the wedding magic in an all-day affair, which began with a brunch and pool party at The Sands. "John—being the total ham that he is—led an exercise class that morning and had all our friends and family following along from inside the pool, under the awnings, and on balconies," Emily said. On the bachelorette side, Emily's maid of honor organized a mini "Brunchelorette" at the Olive Grove in place of the real thing that had been canceled due to the pandemic. The brunch was styled by Kostechko with low-table seating featuring desert yellows and pinks that complemented Emily's bright outfit. "The ladies were served the most beautiful food and beverages and chatted the morning away, quelling all nerves and wedding day anxiety," Kostechko said. "It was truly the best start to a wedding day that I have ever seen."
Braedon Flynn
The Olive Grove was later transformed into the site of the ceremony, where Emily walked down the aisle in a serene, summery wedding ensemble that perfectly suited the venue. In addition to her custom Rodarte gown, her hair—styled by Sunnie Brook—was worn down in a relaxed and straight do, which she paired with minimal, rosy makeup courtesy of Pati Dubroff. John met Emily at the end of the aisle in a custom Caldarella grooms suit, with his hair styled and gelled by Tim Duenas.
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
The wedding ceremony was led by John's father-in-law, Kirk. "It was incredibly special to have Kirk, who is very dear to us, marry us," Emily said. While the two had already gotten legally married, sharing the moment again with friends and family made their commitment feel more official. Emily and John wrote their own vows to one another and read them aloud in front of the guests, prompting them to shed several tears. Emily confessed, "John was just a bit teary while I was on the verge of full blown ugly crying."
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Following the ceremony was a beautiful sit-down dinner around the pool—then dancing at The Pink Cabana. For their first dance song, Emily and John went the sentimental route with “Forever After All” by country artist Luke Combs. "I used to say I hated country music but had never really given it a chance,” said Emily. “John grew up in North Carolina and is a big country fan. He especially loves Luke Combs and started playing him a lot at the beginning of the pandemic. I started singing along and eventually was requesting it." She continued, "The lyrics are so romantic, and we would spend many quarantined nights drinking too much wine and dancing around the kitchen to 'Forever After All' and other songs with our three dogs weaving around our legs tripping us up."
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
Braedon Flynn
For the night owls, a raging silent disco was set up around the pool from midnight to 4AM. "All our guests ended up jumping in the pool with their clothes on, but surprisingly only a few headphones had to be replaced," Emily said. "We had to beg the DJ to stay later twice, as everyone was having so much fun and didn’t want it to end." And in a moment straight out of a movie, she added, "John and I were the last ones to go to bed, spending our last moments in the hot tub together, reflecting on the best day of our lives."
The night's events were followed on Sunday morning with a warm, hearty brunch. "John’s mom hosted brunch at The Pink Cabana with bagels, lox, eggs, and everything else you would want after a night like that,” said Emily. “We lounged around the pool and outside the restaurant and said our goodbyes as guests left for their flights."
Braedon Flynn
Despite the weekend’s abundance of playful glamor, Emily tells BAZAAR Bride that one of her sole concerns about the wedding was making sure everything was as pro-green as possible. "We did not mail paper invitations and instead sent electronic ones,” she explained. “We also limited paper and plastic at the wedding, used reusable wire frames for flower arrangements, scheduled events that did not require transportation, and included lots of vegan options for meals.” In lieu of gifts, the couple asked guests to make donations in their honor to organizations including Peninsula Humane Society/SPCA, Planned Parenthood, ACLU, Sierra Club, and Marfan Foundation. And for their honeymoon, Emily and John chose The Brando, a luxury eco-resort in Tahiti. "The Brando’s sustainability efforts are unmatched as far as I can tell," Emily said. "The resort is the only development on the atoll and the rest is conserved and managed by a local nonprofit called the Tetiaroa Society, that will take you on tours and teach you about the local ecology.” She added, “We did their 'green tour' and learned all about their solar, recycling, and deep seawater air conditioning systems.” The resort is also the first in the world to be LEED certified, meaning it meets special requirements related to carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, and more.
Braedon Flynn
Now, six months later, Emily still reflects fondly on the wedding. "We just wanted it to be a really fun party and we accomplished that,” she said. “I don’t think anyone did much sleeping that weekend." And despite being "heartbroken" to postpone the special event multiple times due to COVID, everything managed to fall beautifully into place—just like how her romance with John did. "[Our wedding was] an outpouring of love and a celebration of freedom post-lockdown," Emily said, "with both of us riding high at the helm."
Sabrina Park is a Digital Fellow at HarpersBAZAAR.com where she covers news, fashion, and culture stories. When she’s not writing she loves hanging out with her cat, reading outdoors and scrolling the depths of TikTok.
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