WEDDING BLOG

New Fashion Report! Wedding Dresses from NYC Bridal Market with Photos by Joy Marie Studios

May 13, 2013 | editorial team

For our all new Fashion Report, we’ve combined the wedding dress runways of Reem Acra, Ines Di Santo, Angel Sanchez, and Oscar de la Renta with the gorgeous imagery of Joy Marie Studios! Gorgeous! Check out these beautifully constructed and elegant designs from some of today’s top bridal designers, and get inspired to make a wedding fashion statement that’s all your own.

Jump on over to our Fashion Report section to see the full feature!

Vintage-Style Wedding in Benton Harbor, Michigan – Ali and Ryan

May 12, 2013 | editorial team

The Couple: Ali and Ryan

The Wedding: 8.24.12 – Blue Dress Barn, Benton Harbor, Michigan

What three adjectives best describe your wedding? Vintage country, relaxed, and rustic.

What was your wedding color palette? Browns and greens.

What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day? We both wanted something unconventional and mainly outside. Ali loves antiquing and finding vintage treasures, so we wanted to incorporate some of them into the decor. We chose relatively local beer (Bells and New Holland breweries) and wine selections (Black Star Farms & Fenn Valley wineries) because we wanted to support Michigan businesses.

Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding? Dancing to the music of the band, eating late night pizza and playing moonlit lawn games, smoking cigars (Ryan), enjoying the band, watching the wedding video with guests.

What piece of advice would you give to a bride planning her wedding today? Websites like Pinterest and Etsy are very helpful when trying to come up with planning ideas and themes. Try to have fun and enjoy the day. It is a lot of stress beforehand, and if you make the day stressful as well, whats the point? So dont sweat the small stuff, and focus on the positives because youll want to cherish the good memories.

The Wedding Team:

Photographer: Heather Jowett
Reception Venue: Blue Dress Barn
Videographer/Film Maker: Andy Owen
Invitation Designer: Inspirations By Amie Lee
Catering: Cravings Catering
Late night snack: Traveling Wood Fire Pizza Oven
Florist: Hamilton Dahlia Farm
Cake: Amber Gries
Wedding Dress: Septembers Bride
Bridal Accessories: Cowboy Boots – Tony Lama
Flower Girls Apparel: Dresses – Abercrombie & Fitch, Boots – Old Navy
Groom & Groomsmen Apparel & Accessories: Pants – Bonobos, Shirt- Earnest Sewn, Vest – J.Crew, Boots – Ariat, Cravat – Steamiscellania from Etsy
Hair: Salon Cheveux
Make-up: Mariah Hansen
Live Music: The Appleseed Collective
Favors: Coffee bought in Costa Rica
Rings: Brides Engagement Ring – Todd Alan, Brides Wedding Band – Ceramic Gestalt, Groom’s Ring – Jewelry by Johan Tungsten
Bamboo Dinnerware: Susty Party

Thank you so much Ali and Ryan!

Gray and Yellow Destination Wedding in St. Augustine, Florida – Kristin and Nick

May 9, 2013 | editorial team

emerald green gray white yellow

The Couple: Kristin and Nick

The Wedding: 2.16.13 – The Oldest House and The White Room, St. Augustine, Florida

What three adjectives best describe your wedding? Charming, welcoming, and get-away

What was your wedding color palette? Gray and mustard yellow

What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day? Pretty soon into the wedding planning process, Nick and I decided that we wanted a destination wedding. Our most favorite weddings to attend were ones that felt like vacations and we loved the idea that guests would be able to treat the event as a weekend getaway. Because of this, the entire focus of the wedding and the weekend was making sure our guests would have a blast. From the wedding eve get-together where our favorite band played a private show, to the fun-filled photo booth, to the upgraded reception bar package, we made sure there was great time had for all. I made welcome bags for all guests complete with snacks, a hangover kit, and a personalized city tour pamphlet to ensure everyone made the most of their time in St Augustine. For the wedding ceremony, we incorporated our guests into the celebration by organizing a ring warming. Later at the reception, we made sure to order late-night munchies, which are always a hit with guests. To cap off the weekend, we held a farewell brunch to say goodbye to our close friends and family.

Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding? I felt like so much of my time planning was spent thinking about the reception, so its surprising to me that my most favorite memories are from the wedding ceremony. We splurged on the ceremony location and I couldnt be happier with that decision. It made for a beautiful setting and I was very moved by the magic of the moment that day. Additionally, since we had my brother officiating (who has no experience officiating), I had to write the entire ceremony myself. Because of this, I really felt connected to every passage and reading and it was priceless to have someone so close to us perform the marriage. To stay with the intimate feel of the ceremony, Nick and I even wrote our own vows. They turned out beautifully and I will always remember that moment – minutes before becoming husband and wife, sharing our love, dreams, and wishes to each other in front of our closest friends and family.

What piece of advice would you give to a bride planning her wedding today? If youre not a natural party planner and your budget allows it, get a wedding planner! I didnt, but I think thats my only regret from the whole process. My stress level was through the roof during much of the wedding process and I think the extra expense would have been completely worth it.