Written in Romance: Cherish & Kyle Thompson

A local couple ties the knot at {pages} a bookstore.

“We wouldn’t be a modern-day couple if we didn’t meet online!” says Palos Verdes native Cherish of her Bumble encounter with Kyle. “Our first date was at Simmzy’s in Downtown Manhattan Beach.”

After six months of dating, the couple decided to tie the knot. “When you know, you know,” says Cherish.

As a lover of books and longtime employee of {pages} a bookstore, Cherish always dreamed of having a bookstore wedding. “My dear friend and owner of {pages}, Linda McLoughlin Figel, suggested to me that we should have it at her store,” she says. “It just felt so right and turned out to be the most perfect place for our special day.”

The wedding happened very quickly. Once the couple knew it was going to be at {pages}, they were excited to plan how it would all come together. “We wanted it to feel very intimate, so there were many personal touches to the day that made it special,” shares Cherish.

“To be able to start our lives together among the greatest love stories … it was magical.”

“Our ceremony felt very ‘us’ in many ways,” she adds. “We wanted to do things a little untraditional.”

She notes that their favorite part was entering the ceremony and walking down the aisle together to “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” by Leo Sayer. “Everyone was up and dancing, and it was a great way to begin our ceremony.”

The wedding party crossed the street to The Arthur J for an intimate cocktail party and reception. “The food and staff at The Arthur J were incredible,” Cherish says. “They even featured our signature cocktails, each one named after Kyle, our son, Ollie, and myself.” Guests enjoyed a delicious cake from Lido Bakery in Manhattan Beach.

“Our wedding was so special and so personal—really a dream come true,” Cherish remembers. “To be able to start our lives together among the greatest love stories … it was magical.”