06/06

kate + daniel in greece

Kate and Daniel came traveled all the way from Malaysia for a pre-wedding photo shoot in Santorini, Greece. Malaysian Chinese has a tradition of taking pre-wedding photos, and since Kate and Daniel were planning a trip to Greece and Turkey for holiday anyway, they decided to take their photos pre-wedding photos there.

Looking at the photos, you wouldn’t know they were frazzled or stressed, but the day progressed in a way they never expected. The couple planned for photos with a different set of gowns and jackets and additional props; however after the couple posed on the beach, their parked car got stuck in the sand on the beach. Eventually, and after unsuccessfully trying to push the car out themselves, nice locals passed by and stopped to push and pull their car out. Everyone was so consumed with finding a solution, no photos were taken, but the memory is a treasure…and the photos look flawless.

The beauty, rich colors, simple and natural, romantic elements were captured beautifully by their photographer, Anna Roussos. Kate’s beautiful, custom gown was handmade by a designer in Malaysia.  The shape, the details and the design of the gown is one-of-a-kind made just for Kate.

The couple is getting married in July, and we wish them nothing but a lifetime of happiness…and tow trucks close by just in case they get stuck again. 🙂

{images via Anna Roussos Photography}

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05/30

antonia + reggie

When Jessica Strong, owner of  A Vintage Affair Rentals, and Emily of Emily Elizabeth Photo sent these ‘backyard wedding celebration’ photos to us, we were smitten. We love the simplicity of the celebration and its uniqueness filled with DIY details by the bride and groom. They really made it ‘their day’ in every way. Oh, and the fabulous food truck…we absolutely love!
Here’s all the wonderful details from the blissful bride:
September 23, 2011 was the day of my wedding celebration.  I was married to my Love, Reggie Lafaye on May 5, 2011 at the Starhouse near Boulder, Colorado with under 10 guests in attendance. This was exactly what we wished for – a small, sacred ceremony and then a super fun, happy party with all of our friends and family with us to celebrate our love.
My vision was one of celebration basked in the aesthetic of myself and my husband which is very earth connected, but still elegant and creative. Originally I wanted a bohemian carnival feel, like gypsies running through the night celebrating being alive! Had we a farm with tons of land, I think with my amazing wedding coordinator, Paige Domiano of Peekay Soiree, we could have achieved that. But since we chose to have our celebration at our home in the city, we had to tone it down a bit.
We still kept an undertone of carnival to the party. Paige made beautiful, mini hot air balloons that sat atop of the pillars as you entered our home. Our guest book, which people left finger prints instead of signatures, was a hot air balloon illustration done by Bluedetoi, a custom artist on Etsy. Several other ‘carnival’ touches were achieved through custom pieces. We have a local godsend in Denver, a company called A Vintage Affair Rentals, I choose to rent an old gumball machine that we filled with chocolate-covered peanuts. Also our bar was an old lemonade stand, which reminded me of an early 20th century carnival or fair. I also made a numbered checkered board for people to put their drinks on while dancing. That was a HUGE project! It took twice as long as I thought to stencil in all the numbers and paint them opposite colors.
We had home-made caramel corn served in old school pop corn bags, and of
course the FOOD TRUCK! Nothing says carnival more to me than a food truck. And Steuben’s Food Truck did an outstanding job serving over 100 people amazing food.

That aesthetic was balanced by the more refined elegant Bohemian touches, which is my essence. I love the creativity of what a bohemian lifestyle is with a touch of old Hollywood glamour thrown in for good measure. My dress was made by Two birds. Since I wore a white dress to our ceremony I wanted something in color for the celebration. And I wanted that color to be a dark teal. The fabric was so soft and did not wrinkle! Also, it photographed beautifully and I was comfortable all night long. My husband wore a vintage suit of my grandfathers as an homage to him. He recently passed and was a very big influence in my life. 
My best friend Mia and I made my bouquet out of peacock feathers. I wanted something that I could have forever, and have a rich and luscious feel (old Hollywood). It turned out so beautiful, especially since we made it the day of the celebration while we were getting our hair done! Thank God we are both good under pressure. We also made my husband’s boutonniere out of feathers as well.

The flowers were made by another one of my best girlfriends who is a genius when it comes to arranging. We used wild flowers with twigs and feathers. I wanted it to look like someone took a walk in the forest and collected these, and that is exactly how they came across. I found all different shapes of vases and spray painted them. Mostly in black, brown but a few white to give it contrast. They sat upon wood slices, some of which has tiny birdhouses next to them.

The lighting was mostly twinkle and gas lights with a lot of lanterns. I love the feel of lanterns especially when they have that gypsy quality to them. We hung the vintage lanterns from our oak tree and them randomly places the others around the yard. My husband and his father hung a ton of the twinkle lights above the dance floor. It looked amazing! That is where everyone gathered after we ate dinner, underneath the “stars” of the dance floor.
We did a lot of things ourselves but two of my favorite pieces I made were the photo booth backdrop and the party favors. The backdrop was totally tongue in cheek. It was a two wolves howling at the night sky that had a full moon and some extraterrestrial activity happening. Everyone, even my grandmother, was howling’ at the moon! And for the party favors, I wanted something that would be a keepsake, and that would not be thrown away. So I made stainless steel and leather key chains. They were all slightly different but very beautiful. I made a handful of them with fur and leather fringe for some of my girlfriends who like that look. They were made from recycled leather and fur I bought from Ebay and the stainless steel rings I bought at home depot.

Right after dinner and all of the toasts, we went to the front of the house for a group photo. Paige handed out sparklers to everyone and this is where the night turned up a notch. We took photos with all of the sparklers, and then headed to the back for a full-on dance party! I was on the dance floor all night long. It was once of the most incredible nights of my life. I was literally high off of all the happiness and love that everyone felt. It is a night I will never forget. I love and thank everyone who made this such a success.
VENDOR LOVE
Photography: Emily Elizabeth Photo
Catering: Steuben’s Food Truck
Desserts: Watercourse Bakery {mini ho ho’s, Happy Cakes – mini pies, homemade S’mores sticks}
Libations: Mondo Vino
Event coordinators: Peekay Soiree, Paige Domiano
Vintage Decor Rentals: A Vintage Affair rentals
Dress: Two Birds
Makeup by Angela Alonzo:  angela.marie.alonzo@gmail.com
Hair: Love, a Hair Studio by artist  Orleana Lynch
DJ: Eric Halborg of  The Swayback
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05/29

udder-ly in love

I LOVE the idea of doing a milk and cookie themed party for kids, but after seeing this beautiful, vintage Milk and Cookies shoot at Love and Lavender, I know a milk and cookies shoot for adults is not only fun, but gorgeous too. In fact, for cookie lovers, I think this party theme is a necessity. It’s official…I’m UDDER-ly in love…as Love and Lavender so eloquently say in the shoot!

 I love all the details in this shoot – the chocolate chips weighed on an antique scale, the menu on wood shingles and a recipe for love guest table…oh, it’s too cute for words! Thank you to the creative and talented sisters-in-law pair, Ellen and Aileen, at Love and Lavender for sharing their photos with us. And, definitely check out the rest of the shoot here {there’s a lot more fantastic inspiration waiting for you}.

If you thought Part I was amazing {you’re right because it was}, but you’re in for a tasty treat with Part II of their cookie shoot. See the full shoot here.

{images courtesy of  Jonda Spurbeck Photographers via Love and Lavender}

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05/23

heather + dennis

I saw this photo…
and was completely in love with this wedding…and I want to borrow the bride’s red shoes!
Heather and Dennis McMahon were married back in June 12, 2010 in Syracuse, New York. Living in Colorado and planning the wedding in New York was no small feat according to Heather, “but damn was it a good time, and a day that I would do over and over again, and never change a single detail.” 
Two years later, the classic ballroom/vintage style of this wedding is still timeless and an inspiration for today’s brides. Per Heather and Dennis’ request, their photographer Kelly Stremmel captured their day the way it unfolded, without too many shots being posed, but rather artistic shots that represent things the way they took place.  The artistic, natural shots Kelly captured was one of our favorite things about this wedding…and we’re happy to share it with you today.
After meeting at SUNY Oswego in New York their last semester of college, and joining mutual friends at a Dave Matthews Concert several weeks later, Heather and Dennis had an undeniable love connection. Having dated only 6 short months, the love birds moved Vail, Colorado and on their 4th anniversary Dennis popped the question at The Vail Plaza Hotel before a romantic dinner at LaTour. They married two years later, almost 6 years to the day of our “first date” at the Dave Matthews show.
In Heather’s words: It was very important to me that my bridesmaids be comfortable and have the ability to showcase their own style. I gave each girl black coque feathers to put in their hair however they desired once it was styled, and a vintage brooch to incorporate into their dress wherever they liked. 
We wanted to have a bit of Colorado inspiration in our wedding, but still pull off the ballroom vintage vibe. We placed hummingbird fly fishing flies in our calla lily boutonnieres for the guys as Dennis is a big fly fisherman and our guest book was a coffee table picture book filled with stunning images of Colorado. 
To see each other or not to see each other before the ceremony was a question Heather struggled with, but as she said, “I knew that if I didn’t see him and get all of those emotions out-of-the-way, the anticipation was going to leave me an emotional, blubbering wife-to-be. Dennis is my rock and I needed him with me for the emotional roller coaster that was our wedding day… and I simply could not wait to be with him! So, about an hour prior to the ceremony Dennis and I met on a street corner.
 
The 590-room non functioning hotel was built in 1924 and has character and charm like no other. The floor to ceiling windows offer a picturesque view of the city, the stunning vintage gold chandeliers everywhere create an incredibly romantic ambiance, and on the 10th floor is the Grand Ballroom…perfect for our reception. 
In Heather’s words: The Dave Matthews Band was what sparked our fiery romance, and therefore their music served as inspiration on our wedding day. Our first dance was to none other than the DMB song, “You and Me.” Dennis picked me up when Dave sings “…teach them to fly…” And we leaned back and forth on each other singing “…we could do better than anything that we did, you know that you and me, we could do anything,” with a stratigic high five and then I did my happy dance. 
Per Heather and Dennis, their DJ handed our “flair” toward the end of the night, which brought out the silly in everyone.
And, who wouldn’t want to run in the rain at the end of your wedding night? How romantic and fun…the perfect send-off if you ask me!
 
VENDOR LOVE
Bridal gown: Maggie Sottero Amour Brooch, purchased at Spy Baby Bridal Boutique in Syracuse, New York
Bridal shoes: Nina
Photographer: Kelly Stremmel
Makeup: Gina Scammell {Ginascammell@yahoo.com}
Hair:Tiffany DeWald {tiffanydewald@ymail.com}
Wedding Planner/Day of Coordinator: Amy Preble {miller5401@hotmail.com}
Ceremony Venue: The Most Holy Rosary Syracuse, New York
Reception Venue: The Hotel Syracuse Syracuse, New York
Cake: Pascale Bake House, Syracuse, New York
Desert Bar: DIY {Do-It-Yourself}
Stationery: DIY
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05/16

jennifer + carl’s italian i do’s

All three of us were fortunate enough {thanks mom and dad} to study in Florence, Italy for a semester during college. It may have been the best 6 months of our lives. Priceless beauty and memories we all cherish!

During Jenna’s travel abroad adventure, the whole family flew out to travel with her for a couple of weeks, and we made the trip to Santa Margherita. What a treat! Nestled on the gorgeous Italian Riviera, the colorful buildings, fabulous shops, beautiful views from boat rides or the coast, enchanting side streets and the delicious food of this small town is intoxicating.

Which is why, when we received photos from Julian Kanz Photography of Jennifer and Carl saying I do at Villa Durazzo in Santa Margherita Ligure, our hearts were overjoyed with excitement.

We love the mini-sized Italian transportation, the setting, Jennifer’s contagious smile and the simplicity and beauty of the day.

VENDOR LOVE
Venue: Villa Durazzo, Santa Margherita Ligure
Photographer: Julian Kanz Photography

{images via Julian Kanz Photography}

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