There’s nothing like getting married in a former smog shop to get a one’s future with their loved one up and running. Revived by the team also behind the Millwick in Downtown Los Angeles. Mid City’s Smoggshoppe helped make Nicole and Joe’s July rustic wedding one for the books.

Before the couple headed over to the former smog-check center to say their vows and celebrate with a night full of libations, high emotions and love, the bride and groom prepared for their big day in different parts of town. Over by the West Side Nicole got her dose of “something blue” as she gazed out at the rising and crashing waves from her room at Hermosa Beach’s 16 The Strand.

Nicole’s posse composed of her mother, friends and other loved ones helped prepare her at their seaside room. Of course, the bride wasn’t the only one to get special treatment as her mother also got ready for the day. The bride’s entourage donned matching tropical robes and popped a special bottle of champagne.

Like DTLA’s the Millwick, Culver City’s SmogShoppe offered the couple many opportunities to make the mid-city haven their own. The couple decorated the space with succulents and golden, mylar balloons. Nicole’s bridesmaids filed down the aisle in their gowns, each a different shade of dark green, also adding to the wedding’s plant theme. The wedding ceremony and cocktail hour also featured a live musician who rang in the newlyweds. But the combined beauty of the ceremony and its location did not end as Nicole and Joe exchanged rings and kisses. Instead, the wedding ceremony was just the start of it.

The couple’s entourages joined the newlyweds for group pictures in the Shoppe’s parking lot painted gold by the setting Los Angeles sun. With the right lighting and vibrant plants, the parking was anything but.  Once frequently occupied by anxious drivers hoping to pass a smog test, the Smogshoppe’s parking lot can switch from mundane concrete to hip and urban, or sacred in a matter of seconds with the right can-do attitude.

While the ice cream buffet was a highlight of the night, it barely compares to the couple slicing the cake. Stationed under the golden balloons reading “XOXO,” the two-tiered naked cake sported gold rings and a succulent topper, keeping in line with the rustic looks of the ceremony and its location. The evening continued with hours of dance, from Nicole’s number with her father to Joe with his mother. Nicole’s bridesmaids and friends along with Joe’s own crew joined in the fun, dancing the night away, making lasting memories with each step.