How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story:
Well, we tell it differently, so here is mine and his:

Leslie:
It all began when our mutual costume designer friend, Julie Weiss, insisted that I meet “the greatest guy” named Sim. Having a horrible track record with blind dates, I politely declined. Julie, being as persistent as she is, gave Sim my number anyway. He called and amazingly, we had a lot in common and he sounded like a non-psychopath. So it was on, I had a blind date! That was it, I was hooked. It wasn’t long before we were spending lots of time together at the movies, batting cages, and lots of dinners. Sim made his intentions clear to everyone at my brother John’s wedding when he did a Michael Jordan worthy leap to catch the garter belt, after I had caught the bouquet. It wasn’t too long after when Sim asked for my Dad’s permission. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Sim:
When I ran into my old friend, Julie Weiss, I had no idea my life was about to change forever. I wasn’t feeling well that night and almost skipped the party. That night, Julie and I made a pact to set each other up with dates. Two days later, Julie called to tell me she had someone in mind for me named Leslie Durso. Minutes after the phone conversation, I proceeded to look her up online. I’m not proud of myself for cyber-stalking but at the same time I’m glad I did – her pictures were beautiful. After deciding my actions weren’t the least bit creepy, I dialed her number. That first phone conversation lasted almost an hour. We laughed throughout our first date at Tower Bar on the Sunset Strip. After the good food, great wine, and even better conversation — I was completely hooked. It was by far, the best date of my life and I could not wait to see her again. Subsequent dates consisted of me making her nauseated from driving, slamming her foot on the car door, and scalding her skin with hot tomato sauce. That’s just a sampling of the year to follow –and she still said yes when I asked! Leslie’s close friends know exactly how lucky I am to have found her. She is my partner and I’ve never been happier.

What was the theme or design inspiration for your wedding?
I really wanted a lot of tradition, combined with modern elegance.

Tell us about the attire for both bride and groom:
Sim wore a traditional tuxedo and I wore a custom Lazaro gown. The veil I wore was an antique Chantilly lace veil that my great-grandmother had made for my Grandmother’s wedding. My mother also wore it for her wedding.

Favorite design element of your big day:
Everything! I loved the flowers, I loved the bridesmaids dresses. I loved the cake. I loved my dress. Really, everything.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?
Wanting to include everything in our wedding. I realize there were some things that just weren’t going to make it in and that was ok.

What advice would you give to a couple planning their wedding?
Plan. Plan. Plan. Every tiny detail should be thought of. When everything has a plan, everything runs smoothly and calmly.

Best advice someone told you at the wedding?
Eat! And take a second to enjoy a moment together.

Any specific reasons behind certain choices you made for your wedding? Flowers that were your mom’s favorite, or your first dance was to the first song you ever heard together, that kind of thing?
Like I said before, we really tried to include a lot of traditions. We got married in the same church my parents did. I wore the same veil my Mother and Grandmother had worn. The knife we used to cut the cake has been in the family for over 200 years. Things like this were really special to me.

Tell me something about your photographers, Beautiful Day Photography.
She was more like a guest at the wedding who happened to have a camera in her hand. She is becoming a wonderful friend and I’m so happy she got to experience this with us. She got every single shot I could have ever possibly imagined!

Wedding Vendors:
Venue: Santa Luz Country Club
DJ: Dean Henderson
Officiant: La Jolla Presbyterian Church
Florist: Metro Floral
Cake: Flour Power
Dress: Here Comes the Bride, Lazaro
Bridesmaid Dresses: The White Dress, Melissa Sweet
Photographer: Beautiful Day Photography (of course!)

We’re proud to say Beautiful Day Photography is a mywedding.com member.