Kaley Cuoco’s wedding day was all about personalization. The Big Bang Theory actress married her love, Karl Cook, in an elaborate ceremony on June 30, on Cook’s farm in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Cuoco’s wedding planner, Lauren Tatum, who’s now worked with the actress for six years, tells The Knot that her goal for the wedding was to make everything “them,” as in highly personalized in detail.
“Kaley wanted it to be very romantic and intimate,” Tatum says. “She wanted it to be all white, lots of whites and creams, and lots of candles and sparkles.”
In fact, the sitcom star was so ecstatic to get the party planning started that she immediately dialed Tatum to prepare her for the celebration ahead. “Thirty minutes after she got engaged, both she and Karl sent me a bunch of personal photos and videos,” Tatum recalls, “and they said she was engaged and asked me to plan the wedding.”
The ceremony itself incorporated the couple’s many pets—including their dogs and Cuoco’s pet mini horse Shmooshy—while Cuoco’s sister Briana officiated. The subsequent reception, however, was where Tatum made sure things got even more personal, including everything from a giant ice luge embellished with symbols of their love (there was a horse! their initials! a 1920s car!) carved into the ice itself, all the way to a dessert bar with the pair’s favorite sweets and treats.
The reception, which was held in a two-story tent, also allowed for Cuoco and Cook’s guests to get prime views of the couple even if they were scattered throughout the space.
“It was this beautiful, really beautiful thing, and it was strategic because she and Karl both came down those stairs and had their first dance on the dance floor,” Tatum recalls. “And then we had video projected all over the tent so people in the back could see them dance and there were stars projected up on the ceiling so people could watch their first dance with that in the background.”
“Karl — those two have — they have everything in common,” Tatum adds of the couple. “They have the same personality. Their love for animals. It’s one of those things where when I first met him, I thought, ‘This could be love.’”
Here, some more details about the happy couple’s big day.
THE VENUE
“It’s their favorite place,” Tatum says of Cook’s farm, where they held their outdoor ceremony and then indoor (well, in a two-story tent) reception. The aisle leading to the altar was made entirely of hardwood, allowing for Cuoco to teeter toward the front without worry. The entryway to the tent for the reception was lined with swoon-worthy fairy lights, and the tent itself had “two upstairs sections on either end for people to look down over onto the dance floor and tables,” Tatum says.
THE CEREMONY
Cuoco and Cook opted for a smaller wedding party (Cook had two groomsmen, while Cuoco had just one bridesmaid), but what they lacked in human support, they more than made up with in animal solidarity.
The couple, who are both equestrians and animal-lovers besides, incorporated four of their dogs (who walked down the aisle on leashes) and Cuoco’s pet mini horse Shmooshy in the ceremony. “His hair was all in braids, his tail had flowers and braids,” Tatum says of the horse. “And Schmooshy the mini horse was led down the aisle by the flower girl.”
Videographer Tiffany Schultz of Enjet Media tells The Knot that it was one of the standout moments of the day. “One of the most unique and meaningful parts was how wonderfully they integrated their animals into the day,” she says. “Guests were able to connect with horses in the barn while sipping custom craft cocktails. Later, acrobats, fire-breathing performers and carnival treats like hand-spun pineapple cotton candy were enjoyed by all mid-reception.”
THE DRESS
Cuoco had a few outfit changes throughout the night, though her first wedding dress is the one that may just take the cake for most elaborate and ethereal. The gown, an embellished lace number with a matching cape, was made by Reem Acra; her ceremony look was styled by Cuoco’s close friend Brad Goreski and stylist Daniela Romero.
#laurentatumevents #kcsquared
#kcsqaured #laurentatumevents @normancookOnce the more official part of the day was over and the fun was about to begin, however, Cuoco changed into a white lace jumpsuit by Tadashi Shoji and put her hair up into a high ponytail.
THE DECOR
The look and feel of the event was 1920s glam, according to Tatum. And glamorous, it most definitely was! The couple exchanged vows before an enormous floral arrangement made up of all kinds of roses, peonies, hydrangeas and pampas grass in lush pink and champagne shades. “The florist was down there working for three days straight!” Tatum says.
#laurentatumevents #kcsquaredAdditionally, at the reception, the couple opted to carry the wooden, rustic theme into the two-story tent with wooden cutting boards in place of plates. “We had those personally made,” Tatum says, adding that Cuoco and Cook opted to keep all the boards afterward, to be used at the farm.
THE FOOD
When it came to food, the couple did not skimp. “They had a gourmet burger bar,” Tatum says. “It was gourmet burgers and there was a vegetarian burger and then there was a beet burger and then it had all the accouterments: applewood bacon, every cheese you could imagine, lettuce, tomato, onions, guacomole, caramelized onions, pickled carrots, pickled cucumbers. It had broccolini. It had vegetables. It had waffle fries and shoestring sweet potato fries and it had garlic aioli. It had a tarragon mustard, it had a homemade ketchup, tomato ketchup.”
Gourmet burger dinner. #laurentatumevents #kcsquared #myworldonaplate @myworldonaplateTHE CAKE
With the wedding cake, however, Cuoco and Cook opted to go a different route. The pair offered up an entire smorgasboard of desserts in place of a more traditional wedding cake, including cake pops and cupcakes that had pictures of all the animals on them, as well as pictures of Cuoco and Cook.
There was even a nitro ice cream station where guests could get a waffle bowl and load up on homemade ice cream. “There was dry ice billowing out of that room, which was super cool,” Tatum says.
THE GOODIES
In addition to the food and dessert, the couple also offered up some goodies in the form of a “Beauty Room,” where Tatum says there were plenty of things to help guests freshen up throughout the night. “The beauty room was where there was tons of makeup. Perfume. Lotion. Toothbrushes. Toothpaste. Deodorant. Dental floss. Foundation,” she says. “There were people misting your feet. There were guys in there shining your shoes.”
#kcsquared #laurentatumevents #katiekeifnerTHE VIDEOGRAPHY
“We approach each and every film project with a fresh and open perspective in order to stay true to the couple’s energy, aesthetic and vibe,” Schultz adds. “So when it came to Kaley and Karl’s day, we simply let them be themselves on-camera. Kaley wanted it to look like an old film, so we very much integrated a ‘gritty’ approach juxtaposed against playful footage that was polished and slightly cinematic in order to tell the whole story.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Though the preparations for the wedding were extensive, Tatum says it was all worth it in the end. “ Listen, I’m grateful it all came together,” she says. “I’m just proud of the whole thing and that the couple was happy and the guests were happy and the guests truly couldn’t have given enough compliments and I think they had a wonderful time and it was just a spectacular night.”
Secure your ideal wedding vision by starting with The Knot’s Style Quiz, here.