Since Valentine’s Day is coming up this Thursday, we’ve got love on the brain even more than usual around here! And what better way revel in it than by diving into the intimate and absolutely breathtaking boudoir photography of Elizabeth Messina? Elizabeth’s imagery has a look that’s all her own, and it simply radiates romance from the core. Valentine’s Day is also the birthday of Elizabeth’s beautiful blog Kiss the Groom, so we’ll be celebrating with her this Thursday with two very special surprise projects… I wish I could let the cat out of the bag now, but you’ll just have to stop by on Valentine’s Day to find out what we’re up to!
Want more? Don’t forget to come back this Thursday on Valentine’s Day for two exciting announcements and lots more from the fabulous Ms. Messina. And if you’re interested in learning more about Elizabeth’s distinctive, romantic and ethereal approach to photography, check out her gorgeous book The Luminous Portrait!
Allison and Dan love California almost as much as they love each other, so they held their stunning Napa Valley wedding at Auberge du Soleil – a magical spot with incredible views, romantic spaces, and the perfect blend of rustic elegance. Nancy Liu Chin’s beautiful floral designs thoughtfully complemented the venue in every way, and photographer Michèle M. Waite perfectly captured every moment. One detail I particularly love? Allison’s wedding day seamstress she had on hand to ensure the fashion was flawless. Heidi Johnson of Wedding De-Tailor ensured that every strap was hidden, every rumple was straightened, and not a speck of dust or lint was in sight. Love this brilliant idea!
What three adjectives best describe your wedding? Rustic glamour, intimate, and magical.
What was your wedding color palette? We wanted the gorgeous location in Napa Valley to speak for itself, so I chose colors and accents that lent an elegant, old-Hollywood glamour to the more rustic decor of the Auberge. We had silver linens with lots of mercury votives with tea-lights and used gray as an accent (bridesmaids dresses, groomsmens ties, striped straws). With that as a base, the flowers were a mix of ivory/cream and blush/peach with pops of burgundy to compliment wine country in autumn. The ribbon on the bouquets was burgundy along with Dans pocket square.
What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day? It was important to us to infuse personal elements into our wedding so that it was a reflection of our style and relationship. We love California and wanted a destination wedding, so choosing Napa was a no-brainer! We wanted an intimate, California wedding with a glamorous and sophisticated edge, so the Auberge was the perfect location – intimate yet open, with a terrace overlooking Napa Valley. We brought in little touches to make it personal, including using wine bottles from Swanson, a local winery, as a guest book (people signed the bottles for our first, third and fifth anniversaries with metallic markers), and we had our logo printed on cocktail napkins for the cocktail hour. My maid of honor is a designer, so it was special for me to work with her to create the signs throughout the wedding, from the programs, to the menus to the Love is Sweet dessert sign.
We also transformed the terrace after the ceremony into a lounge area with café lights strung overhead, hurricanes with candles and sofas! It was a great way to cool off from dancing. Plus, the photo booth was out there!
Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding? One of the most special moments from the day was when my brother sang You & I by Wilco as a surprise. It is such a fond memory we will cherish forever.
We also are so happy that we wrote our own vows. Our officiant was truly amazing and made our ceremony so personal and meaningful, and then to say our vows to each other – it was more special than we could have imagined. I thought it would be more nerve-wracking than it was – it was just fun! I am glad we opted to do that because I dont know that well have the chance to say those words to each other in front of all our loved ones again!
What piece of advice would you give to a bride planning her wedding today? Just have fun with it and dont over analyze every small detail. Trust that your vision will come together, and if you arent sure about what you want, ask a trusted friend or planner for help! Also, Pinterest is an amazing tool for brides. I had a shared Pinterest board with my florist, Nancy Liu Chin, that we used to narrow down the vision for the day.
Another thing I would recommend is hiring a day-of planner/assistant – Heidi, our wedding detailer, was awesome. She was on-site to press all the dresses on the day of and she really went above and beyond – I cant recommend her enough! She fixed buttons on my mother-in-laws dress, sewed bra straps in place, lint rolled and pressed the jackets, helped with my dress during pictures, washed my feet after the photos – I can go on and on! She was such an unexpected blessing but now that I look back, I couldnt have done it without her.
Last thing – as a destination bride, I know that you can do almost everything via phone or email, so dont go nuts making a gazillion appointments. It is literally the best day ever – enjoy it!
Thank you, Allison and Dan, for sharing your beautiful wedding!
Readers, are you planning your own wedding? Allison’s florist, Nancy Liu Chin, shared some great info with us recently about how to prepare for your first meeting with a florist. It’s a must-read! And for more gorgeous work from Michèle Waite, check out Jamie and Steven’s stunning northwest wedding, and Sarah and Andrew’s northern California celebration!
Hey photographers and photography lovers! If you follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram you’ve seen that we’ve spent the past few days styling the wedding fashion and decor for Marcus Bell’s Wedding Photography Workshop on CreativeLIVE. Marcus is a longtime member of our World’s Best Wedding Photographers Hotlist, and it was a blast getting to see him in action – shooting, editing and talking about his authentic, intelligent and humble approach to wedding photography. If you weren’t able to tune in while the class was broadcasting live, we have great news… CreativeLIVE is replaying Marcus’ entire workshop this weekend, for free! If you’re looking for some solid photography education and inspiration from a true great in the industry, don’t miss it! You can see a few of the highlights below…
Wedding Photography with Marcus Bell on CreativeLIVE Saturday 2/9/13 beginning at 8am, through Sunday 2/10/13 Watch the rebroadcast at www.CreativeLive.com/live1
Special thanks to all the generous wedding professionals who donated their products, time and talents to help us bring together the wedding set-ups for this workshop! Our models – Kim and Adam Bamberg, and their sweet families, from La Vie Photography, our crazy talented event designer and florist – Alexa Johnson from Fiore Blossoms (and Junebug!), the beautiful wedding gown from The Dress Theory, rustic wood dining table from Seattle Farm Tables, letterpress menus from Ephemera Liberated Letterpress, wedding cake from The Sweet Side, rentals from Pedersen’s and umbrellas from Bella Umbrella.
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