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Sunset Santorini Elopement at Oia Mare Villas

November 19, 2017 | Junebug Weddings

Katherine and Austin’s intimate Santorini elopement featured the truly beautiful backdrop of Oia Mare Villa. The Greek island’s famous sunsets, blue rooftops and white washed buildings and magical uninterrupted views of the Aegean Sea. The sweet groom designed the bride’s bouquet as a surprise with help from local florist Forget Me Not, featuring gorgeous blue orchids, purple-toned thistles, and green ferns. Photographer Brandi Sisson and second shooter Caitlyn Carr captured this adventurous couple celebrating their love and exploring the windy streets and mountain cliffs of the charming island.

The Couple:

Katherine and Austin

The Wedding:

Oia Mare Villa, Santorini, Greece

While I was getting ready the day of our ceremony, little did I know, Austin had walked to the local Greek florist shop. He spent a few hours with the owner, designing and customizing my bouquet. He surprised me with a breathtaking arrangement. It was the sweetest gesture and illustrated just why I chose him to be my partner for life.

Because we eloped, our families and friends were not there to share the special moments. The most important thing on our wedding day was capturing these moments through pictures. I wanted our loved ones to feel like they were there in spirit. Brandi, our photographer, exceeded our expectations and even made a few family members cry!

Santorini’s color pallet is breath taking and was the perfect backdrop for the intimate elopement we were looking for.

Brandi, our photographer, was a dream come true! Her work is wonderful and unique. She is great at capturing the moment and practices pulling the emotions of her subjects into her pictures. She is patient, kind, and best of all, someone I would call a friend!

Our ceremony took place in the town of Oia in Santorini, which is famous for it’s sunsets. Every evening, thousands of people gathered up in the mountains, lining the white-washed buildings. From our vantage point, the crowds were up behind us and we had an uninterrupted view of the setting sun on the Aegean Sea. After we said our “I Do’s,” the crowd began to cheer as we had our first kiss as husband and wife. The moment was just plain magical.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Brandi Sisson and Caitlyn Carr
Venue – Oia Mare Villa
Floral Design – Forget Me Not

 

Congratulations to Katherine and Austin on their gorgeously intimate elopement and special thanks to Brandi Sisson and Caitlyn Carr for capturing this adventurous wedding. For more destination elopement inspiration, check out this Scottish destination elopement in the Isle of Skye!

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This Cherry Creek Estate Wedding Showcases an Effortless Neutral Color Palette

November 18, 2017 | Junebug Weddings

Nicole and Joel wanted a fresh spin on a timeless tradition, and their Cherry Creek Estate wedding provided a perfect setting, beautifully accented by a dreamy, neutral color palette. The venue’s Bavarian barn and European styled mansion was the stunning focal point with a complimentary mix of neutral shades of white and beige with green and metallic accents for a romantic and effortless look that didn’t overshadow the rustic estate. This self-proclaimed rebellious bride also broke traditional with a two-piece wedding dress created with three different designer separates from Pearl & Dot Bridal Boutique that created a chic and elegant look perfect for this sunny, summer wedding. The Jar Photography captured so many truly beautiful moments from the day, starting with a blindfolded first look and ending with stunning photos of the couple at sunset trying to keep the bedecked horses from munching on the bride’s stunning bouquet from MJ’s Floral Boutique.

The Couple:

Nicole and Joel

The Wedding:

Cherry Creek Estate, British Columbia, Canada

I always envisioned myself in something totally unique for my bridal look. I had tried on a million dresses and nothing seemed to come close to the idea I had in my mind. The fabulous team at Pearl & Dot helped me create a one-of-a-kind look by pairing three different designers pieces together. Initially, the thought of a two piece dress wasn’t in my realm of imagination, but after trying it on I couldn’t see myself in anything else. I loved the lace topper andthe elegance it provided for the ceremony. Getting married in the middle of summer made for a very hot & sunny day- the perfect weather for a 2-piece bridal dream. Not only was I beyond comfortable during the reception, but loved that without the lace topper my dress had a more sexy and glamorous feel to it.

Our single most important aspect of planning the wedding was staying authentic to who we are as a couple. We wanted a wedding that felt intimate andromantic, yet effortless and easygoing- attributes we have always shared in our relationship. A marriage is a celebration of love & commitment, we wanted our guests to viscerally feel this through every detail of the wedding.

Some of our most memorable parts of the day happened prior to the ceremony. Joel and I wrote letters to each other the morning of our big day. We opted to read the other’s letter aloud while holding hands- separated by a door between us. I could hardly wait to see him after hearing his voice andfeeling his presence. Joel was then blindfolded and we were both driven to a beautiful lookout of the Rockies, on a ridge that slopped up from behind the estate. Seeing his eyes catch mine for the first time is a moment we will both share forever. It was just the two of us surrounded by breathtaking views. We had long been against the idea of doing a “first look,” but are so happy we had a change of heart. It was an intimate moment we were able to share alone before the rest of the day carried on.

We wanted our ceremony to truly reflect our love and unity as a couple. We chose to write personal vows and honored my husband’s grandparents who celebrated their 50th anniversary the same year as our wedding. They were the first to walk down the aisle and open the ceremony. In a way it felt symbolic of them “passing the baton” to us as we embarked on our journey as husband and wife.

From the beginning I was a bit of a rebel bride. I had seen enough tacky replications of the “stereotypical” wedding that I was determined we were going to have a fresh spin on a timeless tradition. Cherry Creek provided a base for our palette with it’s beautiful Bavarian barn & European styled mansion. We paired neutral shades of whites & beige with subtle accents of greenery & metallic to compliment the natural essence of the estate. We wanted our day to feel chic, romantic, intimate and effortless.

We were both on the same page from the beginning as to keeping our wedding colors neutral. We both have attended weddings where bold, tacky colors overshadowed an otherwise beautiful venue anddidn’t want to make that mistake. Our colors were very neutral- soft whites & beiges with subtle greenery as we wanted our palette to compliment the venue. We also incorporated metallic accents to breakup our décor and give a bit of dimension.

Processional: Higher Love – James Vincent McMorrow
Recessional: Beautiful Day – U2
First Dance: In Case You Didn’t Know- Brett Young

We have yet to meet a kinder, more talented couple than the dynamic photographer/videographer duo that make up The Jar Photography & Films. They knew we wanted photos that captured the real, authentic emotions of the day- nothing tacky or overly “posed.” We were absolutely blown away when we received the wedding album and video. I can’t express what a truly priceless gift it is to be able to watch the best day of your life play out on film. Even better, we were able to share the video they made for us with our family and friends who were unable to attend the wedding.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – The Jar Photography
Venue – Cherry Creek Estate
Floral Design – MJ’s Floral Boutique
Catering – Cherry Creek Estate
Cake – Pretty Sweet Bakeshop
DJ – Local DJ
Videography – The Jar Photography
Invitations – Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding Dress – Pearl & Dot Bridal Boutique
Groom’s Apparel – RW & Co.
Rings – Cullinan Jewelers
Rentals – The Local Booth
Transportation – Mountain High Shuttle

 

Congratulations to Nicole and Joel on their beautifully chic wedding day and special thanks to The Jar Photography for sharing this gorgeous estate wedding with Junebug! For more classic estate wedding inspiration, check out this Burnham Grove Estate wedding with a touch of Old Hollywood glamour.

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Positively Enchanting Camp Wandawega Wedding in Wisconsin

Jen and Will wanted their weekend-long Camp Wandawega wedding to be full of friends and family, outdoor activities, and relaxed vibes. The charming campsite was decorated with elegant details like candles, festoon lighting, and colorful flowers that invited the guests to explore their quirky and unique venue in the woods. Pastel floral design by Fleur Chicago created the relaxed, bohemian chic color palette featured in the bride’s up do and bouquet, throughout the outdoor chapel and elegant reception marquee. The vintage campsite theme was a huge success, with friends and family kayaking, swimming and swinging from the rope swing and classically old-school basketball court dance floor under the iconic camp tree house. Madeline Druce Photography captured all of the elegant and rustic details that made this throwback wedding a charming success.

The Couple:

Jen and Will

The Wedding:

Camp Wandawega, Elkhorn, Wisconsin

Our favorite part of the weekend was watching our guests enjoy Camp Wandawega all weekend long and really get to know each other. We had many guests from the bride’s side spark up lasting friendships with guests from the groom’s side. While the girls got ready, I could watch friends and family kayaking, swimming and swinging from the rope swing.

We wanted the weekend to be insanely fun! Will andI have both attending many weddings and we talked about what made our favorite weddings stand out in our minds and then tried to make sure we were enabling our wedding to be that way. We wanted lots of time for people to get to know each other andplenty of time for partying.

We got married at the outdoor chapel on site and then guests explored the venue while sipping Wisconsin beers. After dinner we moved to a makeshift basketball court dance floor under the iconic Camp Treehouse for dancing until we did a sparkler tunnel to a giant bonfire to end the night with s’mores and snuggles under Pendleton blankets while a spectacular lightening storm rolled in. It really was the perfect weekend!

Our ceremony felt really personal to us because we were married by my Aunt Joyce who has been a very supportive and loving person in my life. She wrote a beautiful ceremony and Will and I wrote our own vows which meant a lot to both of us. My cousin’s husband, Paul, played acoustic guitar andsang at the ceremony which was another personal touch that added to the moment. It was important to me that the ceremony be long enough to feel meaningful but not feel formulaic. 

I am a designer and have lots of experience with events from a past life as a college catering coordinator. I was excited to design my own website, save the dates, invites and paper materials. I also took on the task of being my own wedding planner and coordinating the thirty vendors involved to pull off a weekend long wedding in the woods at a venue not entirely set up for events. While I never imagined to spend so much time scoping port-a-potty layouts when planning my wedding, getting into the details turned out to be a lot of fun and an awesome learning experience.

I wanted a look that would be reflective of the venue and the relaxed, boho chic look was going for. I ended up purchasing one of the first dresses I tried on from a shop called Carrie Karibo Bridal Boutique right at home in Cincinnati.

Obviously, weather is always a wild card when planning an outdoor wedding. Heat and mosquitos were our main concern with a lakeside wedding in mid-July, but we were thrown a little surprise when the “flood of the century” hit Elkhorn, Wisconsin in the days before our wedding! Lucky for us, we didn’t even notice the venue had flooded in four feet of standing water just the day before. So grateful to this miracle worker for saving the day and so relieved he knew not to panic me if he was confident he could resolve it in time.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Madeline Druce Photography
Event Planning – Lindsay Flasch
Venue – Camp Wandawega
Floral Design – Fleur Chicago
Catering – Irene’s Catering
Cake – Simple Bakery
Live Music – Yazz Jazz
Videography – Mann Frau
Wedding Dress – Amy Kuschel
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – BHLDN
Groom’s Apparel – Hugo Boss
Rings – Jack and G
Rentals – A La Crate Vintage

 

Congratulations to Jen and Will on the success of their quirky and unique wedding and special thanks to Madeline Druce Photography for capturing this lovely, rustic weekend! For more camp wedding inspiration check out this Lord of the Rings meets Wes Anderson wedding of every nerd’s dreams!

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