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5 Ways to Include Your Favorite Wedding Traditions in Your Elopement

March 15, 2018 | Junebug Weddings

photo by Maggie Grace Photography

Just because you’ve decided to elope doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include some of your favorite wedding traditions in your big day. In fact, eloping gives you a golden opportunity to pick the traditions you love and leave that ones you don’t. Whether you’re saying “I do” with just a minister present or you have a handful of your nearest and dearest around you, adding one or more of these wedding traditions will make your elopement feel extra special.

photo by Lindsey Noel Photography

Wear White

We’ll be the first to admit that there are few things that make a wedding feel more like a wedding than the bride(s) in white. Even if your fiancé is the only person to see you, you should choose a wedding dress that makes you feel like a bride. For some, that means a lavish wedding gown they’ve had their eyes on for years. For others, that means a simpler dress, such as one of these wedding dresses under $200, a handmade gown from Etsy, or even a little white dress that they can wear beyond the wedding day. No matter what you’re looking for, this handy list of elopement dress inspirations is sure to help you find the wedding dress of your wildest dreams!

photo by Emily Kirke Photography

Indulge in a Wedding Cake

Hopefully this goes without saying, but you should never pass up an opportunity to eat cake! And you definitely don’t need a room full of people to justify getting a wedding cake you’ve always dreamed of. We are obsessed with these wedding cake trends for 2018 and think any of them would be perfect for any size celebration. You don’t even need to go for the full-out wedding cake if you know you two won’t be able to finish it. Simply ask your bakery to make a small-scale version of your favorite design so that you have a little something sweet to enjoy on your wedding day and freeze the rest for later.

photo by Kayla Rocca

Have a First Look

A lot of couples that elope choose to get ready together on their wedding day, which we absolutely love! But, if you’ve had your heart set on that emotional and exciting moment when your husband- or wife-to-be sees you for the first time in your wedding dress, we say go for it! You could even have the best of both worlds with a relaxing morning and breakfast together then go your separate ways to get ready before your first look. Depending on where you’re getting married, you might even be able to do one of these first look alternatives and save the reveal for the ceremony.

photo by Nicole Veldman Photography + Video and Kelly Breann Photography

Include a Ceremony Reading

In addition to your wedding vows, make your ceremony one to remember by reading a meaningful passage that reflects your understanding or wishes for marriage. If you need a little inspiration, we have a list of unexpected wedding ceremony readings from famous books, TV shows, and movies to get your creative juices flowing. This is also a great place to include any witnesses that will be attending. You can either ask them to read a meaningful passage or ask them to write a little something special for you two, such as a prayer or their best marriage advice, and read it before you exchange your vows.

photo by Kristen Kaiser

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue

While a lot of old-time wedding traditions have gone out of style, the sentiment behind something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue has stood the test of time. Traditionally, your something old should reflect a connection to the past, such as a family heirloom or childhood photo you can carry with you during your elopement day. Your something new signifies optimism for your future and can be anything from your new wedding attire to a new piece of jewelry or a even simply a new haircut. Look to your grandparents, parents, siblings, or dear friends for something borrowed to show respect for the support your loved ones have given over the years. And, finally, get creative with showing your love and fidelity through your something blue. If you’re stuck for ideas, take a peek at our round-up of the best something blue ideas for your wedding day.

Are you planning an elopement and looking for ways to include your loved ones? We’ve got some tried and true ways to keep your family and friends involved when deciding to elope.

Happy planning!

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This DIY SmogShoppe Wedding Gives a Subtle Nod to Wes Anderson

March 15, 2018 | Junebug Weddings

Kristen and Keith’s DIY SmogShoppe wedding is full of whimsical and quirky charm. Their green and gold color scheme made for a fun reception space full of succulents from The Succulent Source, candles, and a few DIY projects – like a custom built sweetheart table completed by Keith! Embracing some Wes Anderson vibes, these two opted for an untraditional cake topper of foxes on their Butter Cake Shoppe wedding cake. The fun and carefree reception went on without a hitch thanks to Falon B Weddings coordinating and Premiere Events Group DJing the evening. John David Weddings photographed the many special and unique details and big love between Kristen and Keith.

The Couple:

Kristen and Keith

The Wedding:

The SmogShoppe, Los Angeles, California

We DIY pretty much EVERYTHING at our wedding. Kristen designed and printed all the invitations, the RSVP cards, the menus, the bar menu, the “well wishes” cards, and the programs – all herself.

The part we both remember more clearly than anything else is the first look. I (Kristen) just remember being so nervous for everything up until that point, but right when I saw Keith my nerves just melted away and everything felt right. It was such a personal moment and we’ll never forget it.

Kristen is obsessed with BHLDN. Everything she wore (with the exception of the necklace Keith gave her during the first look) was from there. I (Kristen) had the idea of a boho fairy princess. Weird, I know, but I wanted to incorporate the wedding colors without it looking gaudy. The Reagan dress from BHLDN is so beautiful, I didn’t want to add much sparkle to it.

Trust yourself. Keith and I paid for the wedding almost entirely ourselves, so we had the final say in everything. What matters most is what YOU want your wedding to be. Other people can chime in with their advice, but remember it’s YOUR day – so ultimately, you should have the final decision.

I cannot say enough about how kind and inspiring JD Swiger is. He is SUCH a pro. I found him through a friend and hired him to do my sister’s wedding in Dallas back in 2015. I knew when I got married I had to have him at my wedding – so we flew him to Los Angeles from Austin, and I’m so glad we did. He’s fast and BRILLIANT. He also couldn’t be sweeter and more polite. His candids and portraits are some of my favorite pictures from our wedding. And he worked overtime, too, just out of the goodness of his heart. We love him to death.

Keith‘s friend of 15 years, CJ Pomerantz, was our officiant. Keith‘s background is Jewish, so we “broke the glass” in an Etsy bag Kristen ordered that said “Keith and Kristen just smashed it!” We also wrote our own vows – which makes a ceremony much more personal than you could ever imagine.

It’s funny, I (Kristen) am from Michigan but I’ve lived in L.A. for the past eleven years. My husband (Keith) is from L.A. So Los Angeles is a huge part of who we are. We connect to it. We wanted the wedding to just feel like us – a little quirky, a little whimsical, and a whole lot of fun. If nothing else, we wanted people to walk away from our wedding and say, “That was so Keith and Kristen.” And I think we accomplished that.

We’re not really formal people, and we wanted to incorporate our love of Los Angeles into the venue. We’re also not religious so a church was out of the question. The SmogShoppe had everything we wanted: an L.A. vibe and a whimsical and romantic feel. It was perfect for our wedding day. It ended up fitting our colors (sage green and gold) perfectly, too!

Keith literally built from scratch the sweetheart table and the easels that held our “guest book” poster and escort table (carpentry is a hobby of his).

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The Wedding Team:

Photography – John David Weddings
Day of Coordinator – Falon B Weddings
Venue – The SmogShoppe
Floral Design – The Succulent Source
Catering – Border Grill
Cake – Butter Cake Shoppe
Officiant – CJ Pomerantz
DJ – Premiere Events Group
Live Music – Angelica Strings
Videography – Nowadays Pictures
Makeup Artist – Lindsey Dickenson
Hair Styling – Sierra Garman
Wedding Dress – BHLDN
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – Adrianna Papell
Groom’s Apparel – Vera Wang
Groomsmen’s Apparel – Calvin Klein
Rings – Helzberg Diamonds
Rentals – A Rental Connection
Favors – The Succulent Source

 

Thank you to Junebug member John David Weddings for sharing this eclectic wedding with us! If you can’t get enough of the Wes Anderson vibes, then you’re in luck! This Lord of the Rings meets Wes Anderson wedding is every nerd’s dreams.

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This Breathtaking Tuscany Destination Wedding is an Italian Fairy Tale Come to Life

March 14, 2018 | Junebug Weddings

Heather and Blake’s Tuscany destination wedding is as dreamy as it gets. After bonding over their love for travel, these two lovebirds talked about one day getting married at Blake’s family’s villa and that soon became a reality! With the help of Serena Ricci, they planned a romantic wedding ceremony and intimate reception that was too perfect for words. La Gardenia provided a ton of greenery and large white blooms that covered the ceremony archway and reception tables. Autumn Nicole Photo and her BFF second photographer, In Frames Photography, traveled to Tuscany to photograph Heather and Blake’s fairytale of a wedding.

The Couple:

Heather and Blake

The Wedding:

Cortona, Tuscany, Italy

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When planning a destination wedding, definitely take that location’s taxes into account. We had set our budget and chosen most of our details before we realized taxes in Italy are 10 to 22 percent, depending on the service. So we had to rework a few things, but it all turned out in the end. 

We were lucky enough to have Autumn and her BFF Morgan along as her second shooter, and they were my favorite part of the whole weekend! Not only were they fantastic at getting us to relax and laugh during our bridals shoot, but they helped with every single mishap on the big day. From loosening up over-styled hair and blending out eyeshadow blunders to retrieving forgotten bouquets and playing therapist during some stressful moments, they did it all!

When we first met, Blake and I bonded over our mutual love of travel, and later on he mentioned that if we ever got married, we should do it at his aunt and uncle’s villa in Tuscany. At the time, it sounded like a crazy fairytale, but a few months later we were engaged and ended up unexpectedly relocating to Italy for work. Talk about fate! We had always wanted to keep our wedding small and intimate…what better way than making it a destination wedding at a family home? Everything really fell together beautifully.

Blake is from Manhattan and a true city guy at heart, and had always wanted a classic, elegant celebration. I grew up in Virginia, and had always imagined myself getting married outside in the mountains, with a rustic vibe. Neither of us were into dance floors and DJ’s and bridal parties – the traditional wedding format. We ended up striking a nice balance between our styles: black tie, outdoors, with lots of greenery and candle light. Keeping the guest list small and having everyone at one long table kept things intimate, with plenty of lively conversation. No need for loud music or dancing, just spending quality time with the people we love.

All of the speeches from the guests were really touching. Almost everyone spoke at some point over the course of the evening, and there were lots of laughs and a few tears as well. Blake‘s father read a moving story called The Train of Life (author unknown) that threw everyone for a loop – he’s usually a big jokester, and none of us expected such a lovely reading. 

Another highlight was the afterparty at the monastery, where Blake taught my mom how to play beer pong. She had so much fun, and still has the ping pong ball as a memento!

Also, as cliche as it is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Our vintage Alfa Romeo getaway car was unexpectedly unavailable the day of the wedding after driving an hour to pick it up, I forgot my bouquet, my hair didn’t turn out quite how I wanted…but it was all ok. Sure, I was 30 minutes late to my wedding, but it was fine. My brothers saved the day with their Vespa rentals. As for my hair, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t the end of the world. Just enjoy the day!

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Autumn Nicole Photo
Second Shooter  In Frames Photography
Event Planning – Serena Ricci
Venue – Private Residence
Floral Design – La Gardenia
Catering – Preludio Catering
Officiant – Charlton deSaussure
Live Music – Firenze Classica
Stationery – Minted

 

The biggest thanks to Autumn Nicole Photo for sharing this fairy tale wedding with Junebug! For more magical nuptials, take a look at this Italian countryside elopement in Florence that is the epitome of intimate.

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