WEDDING BLOG

Lush Beachside Ceremony by Day, Sophisticated Candlelit Reception by Night at Villa Ananda in Phuket

September 7, 2026 | justine

Ammy and Duke’s Phuket wedding moved from a ceremony between coconut palms and the sea to dinner under crystal chandeliers and hundreds of candles. A white aisle ran through loose arrangements of ivory, blush, and burgundy flowers, while the ocean remained almost completely unobstructed behind the altar. Hours later, long tables, candlelight, and abundant florals took over the grounds of Villa Ananda.

Music was just as much a part of the day. The original artist behind one of the couple’s special songs performed it live as the bride walked down the aisle, followed later by Duke’s favorite band and Ammy’s favorite DJ. And when rain interrupted a planned beach performance after the ceremony, everyone simply headed inside for live music until the weather cleared.

Ammy and Duke first met while playing golf with friends. Neither had gone into that day expecting to meet someone, and Ammy says she had already stopped actively looking for a relationship.

There wasn’t a single moment when she decided Duke was the person she would marry. “It was the way he chose me every single day, through both the ordinary and extraordinary moments,” she says. “His love felt effortless, safe, and unconditional, and that’s when I knew I had found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

By the time they planned their wedding, friends and family would be traveling from around the world to join them. A formal welcome party didn’t make much sense with everyone arriving at different times, so they skipped it. Guests could settle in, explore Phuket, and come together for the first time at the ceremony.

What We Love About This Villa Ananda Wedding

The original artist behind the couple’s special song performing it live as Ammy walked down the aisle
Custom golf balls printed with Ammy and Duke’s portraits as a reference to how they met
A ceremony design that left plenty of room for the palms, ocean, and sunset
Hundreds of candles and crystal chandeliers lighting the reception after dark
A rain shower that moved the post-ceremony live performance indoors for 45 minutes

Featured Vendor:
Wedding Bliss Thailand

Keeping the Ceremony Decor Simple Allowed the Ocean to Stay in View

Choosing Villa Ananda was easy for Ammy. The property had long been one of her favorite places in Phuket, particularly for its privacy, beachfront location, and open grounds.

The ceremony décor stayed relatively low around the landscape. A flowing white aisle was edged with garden-style arrangements in ivory, blush, and burgundy, with coconut palms overhead and the water beyond the altar. Rather than constructing a heavily decorated ceremony space, the florals followed the existing surroundings.

Ammy had admired the work of Junebug vendor The Wedding Bliss Thailand before getting engaged, so she already knew who she wanted to work with. She trusted the team creatively while staying involved in decisions about the ceremony, flowers, dinner, music, entertainment, and how the evening would unfold.

The couple didn’t single out one area of the budget for special treatment either. “For us, it was never about spending more on one particular element,” Ammy says. “Our priority was making sure every detail reflected us as a couple.”

Bringing a Favorite Song Into the Ceremony in a Big Way

As Ammy began her walk down the aisle, the song playing wasn’t a recording. The original artist was there performing it live.

The choice was part of a much bigger emphasis on music for the couple. They invited artists whose songs they had grown up with, then chose Duke’s favorite live band and Ammy’s favorite DJ for later in the night.

The ceremony stayed focused on the vows and rings once Ammy reached the altar. “In that moment, nothing else mattered,” she says. “It was simply the two of us making lifelong promises, surrounded by the people we love most.”

Letting a Little Rain Rewrite 45 Minutes of the Schedule

A live beach performance was planned for immediately after the ceremony. Just before it began, a gentle rain started falling.

Everyone moved indoors, and the performance moved with them. For the next 45 minutes, guests gathered together for live music while they waited for the rain to pass. Once it did, the reception continued outside as planned.

Ammy doesn’t remember the change as a problem that needed fixing, which is also behind the advice she gives couples planning their own weddings.

“A wedding isn’t a performance. There’s no rehearsal and no second chance,” she says. “Stay present, embrace whatever happens, and choose to focus on the joy instead of the imperfections.”

Going From an Open-Air Ceremony to Dinner by Candlelight

Once the sun went down, the look of the wedding changed considerably. Long tables filled the reception area beneath crystal chandeliers, with hundreds of candles and flower arrangements running through the dinner setup.

Ammy and Duke wanted dinner to be less of a formal reception and more of a long dinner party. Guests ate together, listened to speeches, and had time to talk before the band and DJ shifted the night toward dancing.

Their clothes changed with the pace of the evening, too. Ammy’s gown and Duke’s tuxedo were both custom-made, while the bridesmaids wore coordinated dresses and the groomsmen had more room to vary their looks. Ammy kept her hair and makeup soft and natural for the ceremony, then changed into a short lace dress for the after-party.

Putting Their Own History Into the Details

Among the favors at Villa Ananda were custom golf balls printed with portraits of Ammy and Duke. For anyone who knew how they met, the reference was immediate: their relationship had started during a round of golf with friends.

Music offered another running thread. The artists they invited, the song Ammy walked down the aisle to, Duke’s favorite band, and Ammy’s favorite DJ were all choices pulled from what they actually listened to rather than selected simply to fill different parts of the timeline.

By the reception, speeches gave way to the band and then the DJ, with guests dancing and singing along late into the celebration. After traveling from different parts of the world, everyone was finally in the same place, gathered at Villa Ananda for the night. And after the rain, schedule change, outfit change, and months of planning, Ammy’s advice is fairly simple: “At the end of the day, your wedding is about marrying the person you love and celebrating with the people who matter most.”

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Darin Images
Event Planning – The Wedding Bliss
Venue – Villa Ananda
Floral Design – IAMFLOWER
Videography – Madiow Photography
Makeup + Hair Styling – Jiranet
Wedding Dress – GEMS Prive
Groom’s Apparel – Pinky Tailor
Rings – Harry Winston
Rentals – Somethings Gotta Bliss
Technicals – KS88 Event Production + Charlie Rerkskin
Entertainment Organizer – Go Above Music

A Maroon Bells Ceremony and Snowmass Reception: A Quintessentially Colorado Mountain Wedding

September 5, 2026 | justine

ivory sage green

Selena and Kris got the mountain ceremony they had traveled to Colorado for, but they didn’t trade away the parts of a traditional wedding they cared about to get it. Forty guests joined them at Maroon Bells Amphitheatre before everyone headed back to Top of the Village in Snowmass, where the intimate reception turned into a full-on party and, eventually, a group jump into the pool.

Junebug vendor Maye.Be Take A Photo, was there for more than the photos. She helped Selena and Kris work through the planning from a stage when they didn’t yet have a venue or guest list, which gave her an intimate role in this Colorado mountain wedding.

What We Love About This Colorado Mountain Wedding

A Maroon Bells ceremony where 40 guests could take in the mountain views without a difficult trek
Their favorite Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, picked up three hours away and brought to Snowmass
Both sets of parents dancing to their own first dance songs
A cancelled plan for star photos that ended with the wedding party and parents jumping into the pool instead

Figuring Out The Wedding Started With One Non-Negotiable: The Mountains

When Selena and Kris first found Junebug vendor Maye.Be Take A Photo on Facebook, many of the usual wedding decisions were still open. “We really didn’t know a lot when we started planning,” their photographer, Sam, recalls. “They didn’t have a venue picked or a guest list. It was so fun figuring it all out together!”

The clearest part was where they wanted to be. “They really wanted to get married in the mountains, but they also wanted some elements of a traditional wedding and an epic party with their favorite people.”

Maroon Bells Amphitheatre ended up solving more than the scenery question. It offered the mountain setting they were after, along with built-in seating and accessibility for friends and family. Pairing it with Top of the Village in Snowmass gave their Colorado mountain wedding a natural second half: everyone could return for the reception, then stay there once the party ended. As Sam puts it, “Epic views at the Bells. And then no one had to worry about driving after the party because everyone stayed at Top of the Village.” Convenience at its finest.

Getting Everyone To Maroon Bells Took Some Advance Planning

The biggest logistical question had to do with getting 40 people to the ceremony site. Maroon Bells admittance includes only a limited number of vehicle permits, so most guests needed to arrive by shuttle.

Once everyone had made the trip, Selena and Kris took a few minutes away from the group for their first look. Kris stood facing the mountains while Selena approached from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. “They shared the sweetest hug, a few tears, and lots of smiles. Selena had so much fun showing off her dress and veil.”

There was also a small detail she didn’t catch until later. “When I was editing their video, I realized that in his vows he called her stunning, which was exactly what he said during their first look!”

An Intimate Guest List Didn’t Mean Having A Quiet Reception

Back at Top of the Village, the 40-person guest count worked in Selena and Kris’ favor. Their photographer describes the reception as “very intimate, but also a party.”

One running competition helped. Selena’s younger sister and another bridesmaid decided to see who could collect the most ties from the men at the reception. “They ran around trying to convince guys to give them their tie. It was really close.” Family traditions made their way onto the dance floor too, with both sets of parents dancing to the songs they’d used for their own first dances.

Then there was dessert. Selena and Kris had repeatedly mentioned their favorite Cheesecake Factory cheesecake during planning. The closest location was three hours from Snowmass, but because it was near the airport they flew into, they picked one up on their way.

It was exactly the kind of specific choice that suited this Colorado mountain wedding. Not every detail needed to reference the location. Some could simply be things Selena and Kris genuinely liked enough to haul into the mountains.

Bad Weather Scrapped The Star Photos And Sent Everyone To The Pool Instead

The night was originally supposed to end with Selena and Kris heading out for star photos. But the weather wasn’t cooperating, and the reception was going too well to pull them away simply because something was on the schedule.

Sam suggested taking the party to the pool instead. “Their whole bridal party and even their parents got into it,” she recalls, calling it “an amazing example of how going with the flow on a wedding day leads to the most incredible experiences.”

For a Colorado mountain wedding, where weather can easily interfere with carefully laid plans, their pivot worked because they didn’t spend much time mourning what wasn’t happening. The party was already there. They followed it.

Featured Vendor:
May.Be Take a Photo

Moving Some Portraits To The Next Day Took Pressure Off The Wedding Timeline

The next morning, they headed back into the mountains for a couple’s portrait session with just the two of them. “It was a great way to take the pressure off of getting all their couple photos done on the wedding day, while also taking advantage of the fact that they had traveled so far for their wedding.”

They had private moments together, but they didn’t spend half their reception away from the people who had traveled to celebrate with them. “Throughout the party I watched them split apart and come back together so many times.”

It’s also the advice she’d give couples drawn to a similar mountain wedding: “You can have your cake and eat it too! It is possible to have the mountain views, the party, and the healthy balance between time alone plus time with everyone.”

For Selena and Kris, stretching some of the festivities beyond the wedding day made that possible. The mountains got their time. Their guests got theirs. And when the weather changed the final plan of the night, there was still a pool waiting downstairs.

The Wedding Team:

Photography + Videography + Event Planning – Maye.Be Take A Photo
Ceremony Venue – Maroon Bells Amphitheatre
Reception Venue – Top of the Village Snowmass
Floral Design – The Bride
Catering – Hippie Chicks Catering
Cheesecake – Cheesecake Factory
DJ – KayBay Entertainment
Makeup + Hair Styling – Full Circle Aspen
Wedding Dress – Ava Laurenne Bride
Groom’s Apparel – Indochino

Classic Charleston Charm in This Admiral’s House Wedding

September 3, 2026 | justine

bright red light pink orange sage green

Belle and Owen filled their Charleston wedding with the kind of details guests could actually interact with: couches and coffee tables arranged like a living room, family wedding photos spanning generations, a band-led music line from ceremony to reception, and plenty of food for a crowd that had traveled to celebrate with them. Even a Southern tradition that didn’t quite go according to plan became part of the story when the couple tried, unsuccessfully, to dig up a bottle of bourbon buried at Admiral’s House a month earlier.

Their love story began while Belle was attending the College of Charleston, and Owen was a student at The Citadel.. “We knew there was a spark from the moment we met,” Belle says. They later discovered they had been in the same place at the same time several times before finally crossing paths.

Only a few weeks into knowing each other, Owen received an opportunity to transfer to The Ohio State University to play basketball. “It was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up,” Belle says, so they spent their final two years of college long-distance. When it came time to choose a wedding location, Charleston brought them back to where their relationship had started.

The setting was classic Lowcountry, with oak trees, Spanish moss, historic architecture, and water views. But inside that Charleston framework, Belle and Owen went decidedly less traditional, using color, mismatched wedding party fashion, playful florals, and family details to make the day distinctly theirs.

What We Love About This Admiral’s House Wedding

A reception designed more like a giant living room than a formal event space
Wedding photos from the couple’s parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents displayed alongside family keepsakes
Bridesmaids and bridesmen choosing their own outfits from Belle’s color palette
The Vinyl Junkies leading everyone from the ceremony to the reception in a music line
Belle surprising her mom by dedicating her bouquet to her during the reception
A buried-bourbon tradition that ended with Owen digging around the lawn in his suit and never actually finding the bottle

Featured Vendor:
TLC Wedding Photography

Choosing A Historic Charleston Venue Without Ignoring Its History

Admiral’s House was the first venue Belle and Owen toured, and it ended up being the only one they needed to see. “We knew we wanted to capture the classic Charleston, Lowcountry feel, but wanted to avoid any venues tied to a dark past,” Belle explains. The house was once the residence of the Naval Admiral when the surrounding site operated as Charleston’s Naval Base, and its restored architecture offered the history they were looking for without compromising on that priority.

Large oak trees and Spanish moss surround the property, with views toward the water. The setting gave them the Charleston character they wanted while leaving plenty of room to take the design somewhere more colorful and playful.

When A Southern Wedding Tradition Doesn’t Go Quite To Plan

A month before the wedding, Belle and Owen followed the Southern tradition of burying an unopened bottle of bourbon at the venue, which is supposed to bring good weather on the wedding day. The plan was to dig it back up and share a drink after the ceremony.

There was just one problem: they couldn’t find it. “Owen was digging, in his full suit and tie, looking for it, and we actually never ended up finding it,” Belle says. Somewhere on the grounds of Admiral’s House, presumably, there is still a bottle of bourbon waiting to be discovered.

Giving The Wedding Party A Color Palette And Letting Them Take It From There

Belle wore a Sareh Nouri gown from Maddison Row South with Manolo Blahnik shoes, while Owen and the groomsmen used tuxedos as a neutral base for the rest of the wedding party.

Rather than selecting one bridesmaid dress for everyone, Belle provided a color palette and let her bridesmaids and bridesmen choose their own outfits. After talking through the overall colors with their planner, they landed on blue suits for the bridesmen. The result worked with the rest of the wedding: coordinated, but not overly matched.

Keeping Their First Look For The Ceremony

Belle and Owen skipped a first look. “I wanted Owen to see me walking down the aisle,” she says. Their vows became one of the ceremony’s most personal pieces. Belle had actually written hers three years before the wedding. On the morning of the wedding, she gave Owen a journal filled with letters she had been writing to him since the beginning of their relationship. One page was missing from the collection because that letter had become her vows.

Owen’s vows came with a small mishap. He accidentally skipped an entire page while reading them during the ceremony. Afterward, the two found a private spot inside Admiral’s House, where he read the missing section just to her.

Belle also carried something from her closest friends into the day. Her bridesmaids surprised her with a book filled with letters and photographs, including childhood pictures and memories from their friendship and her relationship with Owen. Owen wore pins honoring close family members who had passed away.

Letting The Band Lead Everyone Straight Into The Reception

There was no quiet transition from ceremony to cocktails. The Vinyl Junkies gathered the guests and led them toward the reception in a music line, turning the short walk into the beginning of the party. Once everyone arrived, the band moved onto the stage and played songs the crowd could sing along to.

Later, Belle shifted the attention to her mother. Instead of tossing her bouquet, she dedicated it to her and gave a speech thanking her for the role she had played in her life. Her mom had no idea it was coming.

Designing The Reception Like A Giant Living Room

Belle and Owen wanted guests to walk into a space that encouraged them to settle in, talk, eat, and stay awhile. They treated the reception at Admiral’s House almost like an oversized living room. Couches and coffee tables were mixed among the usual wedding setup, then layered with books, lamps, and photographs. “We wanted our guests to feel welcomed as if we were throwing a giant house party,” Belle says.

Family history became part of that room, too. A table displayed wedding-day photographs of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, alongside sentimental pieces connected to their families. Both had grown up watching marriages they admired, so rather than simply referencing family in speeches, they gave those relationships a physical place in the reception.

That willingness to veer away from convention also shaped their vendor search. They gravitated toward creative teams who were open to “pushing the envelope” rather than defaulting to something traditional, particularly when it came to the florals and photography.

Making Food And Easy Logistics Worth The Extra Spend

With many relatives traveling for the wedding, food became one of Belle and Owen’s biggest budget priorities. Their planner helped them work backward from what they could spend, matching them with vendors and finding ways to get more from the budget without losing the elements they cared about.

The celebrations began with a smaller rehearsal dinner at MoMo at Riverfront Park, within walking distance of the wedding venue. By the time the wedding began, guests already knew where they needed to be and what to expect.

Putting The Phone Away Made It Easier To Actually Attend Their Own Wedding

Belle’s biggest advice for other couples is less about what to book and more about what to do once the planning is finally over. “When I arrived at the venue that morning, I handed my phone to a bridesmaid and told them I did not want to see it until the end of the night,” she says. “It allowed me to be present for every moment and really take in each part of the day.”

Her other recommendation is considerably more practical: schedule time to eat. With guests constantly pulling newlyweds in different directions, she warns that dinner can easily disappear from the agenda unless couples deliberately make room for it. After spending months thinking about how their guests would move through the wedding, Belle and Owen made sure they had space to enjoy it, too.