Kelsey McKinnon and Josh Donfeld first laid eyes on each other at a group dinner at Little Next Door in West Hollywood. Fast-forward five years to another memorable evening when Josh, a hedge fund manager, proposed at their home with a classic cushion-cut solitaire. The structure of their multiday event the following fall quickly unfolded: There would be a cocktail party at their home on Thursday night, a seated dinner at Spago in Beverly Hills on Friday, the wedding at the Sunset Tower Hotel on Saturday and a brunch at their home on Sunday—and all 130 guests would be invited to each event. “We entertain at home all the time and loved the idea of having everyone come over. Plus, the Sunset Tower is a two-minute walk from our house,” says Kelsey, who is a senior editor at C Magazine. “In fact, I think the only time I got in a car the whole weekend was to go to Spago.” The soft pink-and-gold interiors of the iconic Regency-style hotel helped inform the black-tie dress code, but the atmosphere was anything but uptight, from the couple’s first dance to Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up” to the cadre of young cousins in the wedding party. Kelsey wore a simple, unembellished sheath gown from Amsale and diamond earrings that were a gift from her parents. Under a baby’s breath chuppah and a rare blood moon, the couple exchanged vows in a Jewish ceremony. The bride
Feature tbd Clockwise from top left: Kelsey at home before the ceremony. The lively horah dance. In lieu of a traditional bridal party, the bride and groom included their young family members in the wedding. The airy baby’s breath and lace chuppah by HOLLYFLORA.
insisted on small, round dining tables, each topped with a glass candelabra and a low wreath of amaryllis, garden roses, tuberose and dahlias. “It felt very European; we didn’t sit down to dinner until about 9:30,” she says. For hours, guests drifted between the dance floor inside to a lounge area by the pool on the warm September evening. The couple had booked a suite at the hotel, but at the end of the night they decided they’d rather walk home—Kelsey in her wedding dress and Josh in his tux. “It was also my birthday, so we took a piece of cake to go and Josh lit a candle on top when we got home.” • VENUE Sunset Tower Hotel PLANNER Finch Events FLORIST Hollyflora CAKE Lark Cake Shop ENTERTAINMENT West Coast Music (The Midnight Special), Rico Espinoza RENTALS Town & Country Event Rentals DRESS Amsale TUX Ralph Lauren STATIONERY Jonathan Wright and Company