Six years after meeting as 20 year olds at a mutual friend’s party in New York, Bono Melendrez proposed to Meghann Stephenson on Thanksgiving. Meghann had already selected an 1800s East-West rose-cut marquise diamond engagement ring—as her grandmother and mother also had marquise cuts—when Bono decided to ask her to marry him. His band was ending their two-week tour in Los Angeles, and Meghann was headed to The City of Angels to meet him for the last show. “My only request was ‘Please don’t bring the ring on tour,’ but a few days before I flew to L.A., Bono’s mom suggested I get a manicure,” Meghann shares.
The trip also coincided with Thanksgiving, so after spending time with family, they snuck off and drove to Malibu. “We went for a walk on the beach as the sun was setting, and Bono got down on one knee and immediately apologized for proposing on Thanksgiving,” Meghann recalls. “Sharing that moment privately just between the two of us was so special.”
The couple had originally planned to host a wedding in Austin in April 2020, but they cancelled six-months out, when Meghann’s father’s health declined. “Then Covid hit, and my dad passed away in May of 2020,” Meghann shares. “There was so much uncertainty around Covid, and I just wasn’t emotionally ready to replan.” The two moved from New York to Los Angeles in 2021 and found Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Santa Susana for their nuptials. “We kept the decor very minimal; the venue really speaks for itself. We also made sure any rentals we brought in felt natural to the space.”
To help plan their autumn wedding, the bride and groom enlisted Abby & Caroline. “Since I’m a painter, I decided to design all of our paper goods,” Meghann shares. “I drew a floral border, inspired by our wedding flowers, for our invitations that our friend Sarah of Guten Co. letterpressed with gold foil. I also hand-painted our bar and dinner menus with watercolor and designed matchbooks as a small party favor.”
The venue very much inspired Meghann’s wedding dress. “I always loved Markarian, and everything fell into place once I tried on their Prudence dress at Loho Bride in L.A.,” she says. “I ordered the dress in a custom dupioni silk and had it shortened to hit just at my ankle. The silhouette, train, and shorter length felt very ’60s to me and, much like our venue, it felt casual but still elegant.”
On the day-of, the bride got ready with hairstylist Sierra Kener and makeup artist Nicole Walmsley. To complete her ensemble, Meghann styled the dress with Sophie Bille Brahe drop pearl cluster earrings, a diamond and pearl pendant my dad had given me when I was little—I wanted to keep him close to my heart that day—and white Manolo Blahnik slingback Hangisis. The final touch was the Monvieve Donatella veil. “We went with a custom length a bit shorter than a traditional cathedral to work with the train of my dress,” the bride shares. “My veil was one of the most special elements of the day, apparently some of the laces are made on the same loom that made the lace on Grace Kelly’s wedding dress.”
Continuing the ’60s inspiration, Meghann wore a Jane Birkin–esque Saint Laurent cream crochet minidress to pick up her marriage license. She paired the mini with cream leather Manolo Blahnik open-toe mules and a top-handle bag from Hunting Season. And for the rehearsal dinner at Bacetti, the bride-to-be wore a Khaite blouse with white trousers and vintage Manolo Blahnik mules.
After the first dance, Meghann changed into a Saint Laurent party dress inspired by Jane Birkin, Sharon Tate, and Priscilla Presley. “I set an alert for Saint Laurent dresses on The RealReal, when the exact dress popped up in my size maybe two days later,” the bride shares. “She had definitely lived a long life with a few stains and beads missing, which only made me love her more. I decided to document the restoration process on Tiktok not expecting to get 10 million views, but wow did it end up being my dream dress.”
Bono was also inspired by the mid-20th century, and somehow the first suit he tired on from A.P.C. was perfect. The youngest members of the wedding party, Antoinette and Anthony, walked down the aisle ahead of the bride in looks from La Coqueta.
On October 14, 2022, guests gathered in the olive grove for the sweet ceremony. Meghann and her mother walked down the aisle to “These Days” by Nico. “I still tear up every time I hear it,” she says of the tune. Then, the pair stood together under an arch of chamomile, foxglove, amaranth, and greens by Pigsty.
The bride’s best friend of 30 years officiated the service and brought everyone to tears. Then the couple exchanged their personal vows, shared a first kiss as newlyweds, and recessed to “Here Comes the Sun.” Bono adds, “The whole ceremony felt so intimate, and I felt surprisingly comfortable reading my vows. When we walked down the aisle together, it was super fun realizing that we just got married.”
The newlyweds attended to their Champagne tower during the cocktail hour by the pool. Then they led their party to the courtyard for the family-style Italian dinner, catered by Très La and served with natural wine and sourdough bread from their favorite bakery, Jyan Isaac Bread. Dessert was a Polenta chiffon with vanilla bean custard, raspberry-rose geranium jam, and salted vanilla bean buttercream sheet cake topped with chamomile and strawberries from House of Gluten, which Meghann and Bono cut as “Modern Love” by David Bowie played.
The pair shared their first dance to “If Not For You” by George Harrison, and after the bride changed into her minidress, the party never left the dance floor, thanks to the deejay from Dart Collective. “Eating, drinking, and dancing with friends and family is pretty much as good as it gets!” Bono exclaims. Once the day came to a close, the bride and groom went home to eat leftover pasta from the rehearsal dinner, and friends came over the next day to polish off the cake and remaining Champagne.
