The photogenic alleyway, running through the heart of a development known as Two Rodeo Drive, is typically filled with well-heeled shoppers sashaying in and out of stores most people can’t afford — mingling with crowds of selfie-snapping hoi polloi and streaming influencers.
asserted
people → run → polloi
But the secluded side street off of movie-star gorgeous Rodeo has another, after-hours scene — the winding, block-long strip is also one of LA’s most extravagant open-air wedding event spaces, complete with photo-bombing Versace and Cucinelli-clad mannequins, standing around demurely.
asserted
strip → have → Versace
The bougie background doesn’t come cheap, however.
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background → come → ?
Recent blushing bride Shadi Hashemi, who hosted her wedding welcome dinner there in July, told the California Post that shutting down the street for the evening cost her close to $50,000, in fees paid to the Two Rodeo management.
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shutting → blush → management
Security and specialized, required insurance — not to mention food and beverage — were entirely separate.
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Security → require → food
Securing separate permits from the city took months, she said.
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she → secure → months
But Hashemi, from Vancouver, B.C., had scores of guests coming in from out of town, and she wanted a space that screamed Beverly Hills — to welcome them to her husband-to-be’s hometown.
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that → have → hometown
“We were looking for iconic venues that reflect what Beverly Hills is known for and what people would come to LA and see and want to experience,” she explained.
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she → look → LA
An event planner herself, once Hashemi discovered that you could actually throw a party in the middle of the street, she was sold, and quickly got to work on her 160-person blowout — a haute happening that challenged even someone of her seasoned experience.
uncertain
that → discover → experience
The luxury stores take priority, the ambitious recently betrothed explained — meaning her army of vendors “literally had 60 minutes to put the bar, the food stations, the lighting” and everything else in place, after doors had been locked tight for the night.
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doors → take → night
“It’s a very labor-intensive type of setup with zero room for errors,” she said.
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she → ’ → errors
For her money, Hashemi got the atmospheric alleyway completely sectioned off from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. — giving the couple and their guests the experience of partying in one of Southern California’s most recognizable locations, without the camera-toting crowds.
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alleyway → get → crowds
In Beverly Hills tourist literature, Two Rodeo is referred to as the “crown jewel” of the city’s Golden Triangle.
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Rodeo → refer → Triangle
The development features European piazza elements like archways, fountains, street lamps and ornate architecture.
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development → feature → archways
Constructed in 1989 by real estate developer Douglas Stitzel, a dramatic entrance staircase from street level is meant to evoke Rome’s Spanish Steps.
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staircase → construct → Steps
Once Hashemi’s guests climbed those stairs, they were invited to take their seats at two long dinner tables covered in florals, menus and place settings.
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they → climb → florals
“I think the location itself is iconic,” Hashemi told The Post.
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Hashemi → think → Post
“We wanted to enhance on it — versus work against it or completely change the space.”
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We → want → space
Hashemi is just one bride who’s discovered the charm of the not-so-secret location.
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who → discover → location
One couple flew all the way from Jakarta to shut down the posh strip for their wedding welcome dinner — at a cost of about $35,000, said the bride, Clarissa Tanoesoedibjo-Tjipto.
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bride → fly → 35,000
Along with her now-husband, Anthony Putra Tjiptodihardjo, the pair hosted roughly 120 guests at Two Rodeo ahead of their 2024 nuptials — turning the sloping space into a candlelit dream.
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pair → host → dream
The location wasn’t simply selected for its 90210 address.
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location → select → address
“My husband and I got first introduced by his cousin during our Christmas holiday in 2012 outside the cafe, by the steps, at Two Rodeo, so that place holds a special memory for the both of us,” Tanoesoedibjo-Tjipto told the California Post.
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Tjipto → introduce → Post
The couple later spotted the venue being used for a Lunar New Year celebration on Netflix reality series “Bling Empire” — tipping them off that the spot could actually be rented for private events.
uncertain
spot → spot → events
“When we planned our wedding in Los Angeles, we couldn’t find a proper location or setting that fit nicely with our story,” she said.
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she → plan → story
“We finally decided to just go for it and try to see if we can host our welcoming dinner at Two Rodeo.”
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we → decide → Rodeo
For Tanoesoedibjo-Tjipto’s August 2024 soiree, two long white-clothed banquet tables stretched down the cobblestones, flanked by glossy black chairs.
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tables → stretch → chairs
The tables were dotted with vivid orange and yellow florals, citrus fruits and warm glowing lights.
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tables → dot → florals
“We played with a lot of pops of color on the tables, mood & lighting … to really blend together the set up with the existing space,” Tanoesoedibjo-Tjipto said.
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Tjipto → play → space
On her unforgettable night, a live band serenaded guests as the sun went down.
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sun → serenade → guests
“The acoustics were beautiful there because of the venue’s narrow layout,” she recalled.
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she → recall → layout
“It was magical and everything we’ve possibly dreamed of.”
uncertain
we → dream → ?
While booking the venue wasn’t cutthroat — Tanoesoedibjo-Tjipto noted that few people even realize the development can be privatized — securing permits with the city of Beverly Hills once again took months.
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securing → book → months
And some of the fee, she said, went towards compensating any businesses that had to close to accommodate them.
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that → say → them
As others have discovered, the set-up window for her lavish affair was punishingly narrow.
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window → discover → affair
“We had to wait until shops close after 5 p.m. to begin setting up tables, decorations, production, etc.,” said Tanoesoedibjo-Tjipto, adding that her team managed to complete the transformation “within 2 hours.”
asserted
team → have → hours
From approximately 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., the entire cobblestone block was closed to the public, but bystanders on Rodeo Drive could still walk past and sneak a glimpse of the festivities from the outside.
uncertain
bystanders → close → outside
Everything then had to disappear that same night so stores could reopen the next morning.
uncertain
stores → have → ?
The venue itself operates like a blank slate — booking Two Rodeo is more like renting an extremely glamorous blank canvas and less like booking a hotel ballroom.
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booking → operate → ballroom
Representatives for Two Rodeo management declined to speak to the California Post before publication time, when asked for further details about costs and the popularity of the rental.
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Representatives → decline → rental
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
