WEDDING BLOG

Bright, Multicultural Washington D.C. Wedding – Rachel and Bhavik

March 27, 2012 | editorial team

The Couple: Rachel and Bhavik

The Wedding: 6.25.11 – Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, D.C.

What adjectives best describe your wedding? Quintessential DC, elegance with a multicultural twist.

What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day? I wanted our day to be romantic, elegant and fun. Since my husband is Hindu, we did a traditional Hindu and Christian ceremony so that both sides of our family and culture were represented. We decided that our reception would be the part of our wedding that truly represented our personal style.

We both love D.C. so we wanted a space that would truly capture the feel of our city. The Ronald Reagan Building fit that to a tee. Since it was going to be such a long day we wanted to keep our guests moving around so they didnt get bored. We also wanted to incorporate the outdoors and have indoor/outdoor spaces. The Pavilion Room was the perfect spot for our reception because it had balconies overlooking the city and a huge glass ceiling that allowed us to see the stars at night. In order to incorporate the romance we had large orchid arrangements with hanging candles floating down, and also had shorter arrangements with LOTS of candles. We had originally wanted cherry blossoms, so Da Vinci Florist made the orchid arrangements mimic cherry blossoms, since they were just out of season for our wedding. Our cakes pattern mimicked the lace on my dress. To incorporate a little fun we had the bridesmaids in short ball-gown style dresses and a photo and video booth.

Because we were doing two ceremonies I decided I wanted my personal style to be very traditional for both weddings. For the Hindu ceremony I wore a traditional sari with lots of gold jewelry. To incorporate my personal style and personality I made sure the sari and jewelry had a big bling factor to them because I love all things sparkly! For the Christian ceremony I wanted a traditional yet romantic look so I chose a cathedral veil for the actual ceremony and removed it for the reception. I incorporated a lot of sparkle again with my jewelry. My grandmother had passed away recently so I chose her favorite flowers for my bouquet: peonies and garden roses. I also had my bouquet wrapped with left over material from my dress.

Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding? Being surrounded by all of our loved ones and friends was the most amazing part of our wedding! Seeing everyone together, in one place, to celebrate your love–it was one of those moments when you realize how lucky you are to have such amazing people in your life. It was truly powerful.

Also, walking down the aisle and meeting my fiances gaze was a really amazing moment. I had held it together all day, half way down the aisle we locked eyes and I started crying because I realized I was about to marry my best friend. When I got to the stage he was teary too and we both whispered, “I love you.” At the end of the ceremony my grandfather pronounced us husband and wife, and instead of saying you may now kiss the bride, he said, You may now kiss my granddaughter! It was really sweet.

At the Hindu ceremony their was a portion where everyone throws flowers at you for good luck. Well, our bridal party got a little over zealous and pretty much started a flower fight! It was hilarious and all of our guests enjoyed it a great deal.

And last, but not least, we are so happy we decided to do a photo and video booth. We have so many fun and goofy pictures of all of our friends and family. The video booth turned out hilarious and we also have a lot of really sweet messages from our loved ones. Priceless memories!

Wedding color palette: Champagne and Plum

The Wedding Team:

Photographer: Jennifer Domenick – Love Life Images
Event Planner: Atrendy Wedding
Wedding Venue: Ronald Reagan Building
Videographer/Film Maker: Love Life Images
Officiant: Christian Ceremony: Brides Grandfather; Hindu Ceremony: Grooms Uncle
Invitation Designer: Cherish Paperie
Catering: Ronald Reagan Building
Florist: Da Vinci Florist
Cake: Fluffy Thoughts
Wedding dress: Pnina Tornai, Kleinfeld Bridal
Bridal accessories: Kleinfeld Bridal
Hair and make-up: Audrey Bethards
DJ: Anthony Simpson
Favors: Miniature Washington D.C. monuments from Georgetown Truffles Belgian Chocolates

Thank you so much, and congratulations Rachel and Bhavik!

Glamorous Black and White Wedding at L.A.’s Vibiana – Callaway Gable – Neda and Eidin

March 23, 2012 | editorial team

black silver white

Today’s dazzling Los Angeles wedding at Vibiana has it all! A striking venue, gorgeous fashion, important cultural traditions, an elegant color palette, and an incredibly handsome couple! Neda and Eidin’s wedding day was beautifully captured by Callaway Gable Photography, and we are so excited to share it with you!

The Goals: Above all else, Neida and Eidin wanted their guests to leave thinking they had been to the party of their lives! They chose L.A.’s unique and awe-inspiring Vibiana as their venue, and then they carefully selected party elements that would exceed expectations. Another priority was to pay homage to the cultural traditions of their families through Persian music, food, and customs.

The Design: The couple wanted an event that would bring to mind both Old Hollywood and modern design. Vibiana’s striking interior was the perfect backdrop for their glittering white wedding ceremony, and their black and white dream reception. The unique decor included a dramatic sofreh complete with black crystal mirror, baroque frame escort cards that also served as favors, and a sophisticated black and white wedding cake by The Cake Collection . Their contemporary centerpieces from florists Spring Flowers were sculpted topiaries of white blooms on black manzanita branches, which echoed the white manzanita trees that framed the ceremony area and sofreh.

The Look: Neda wanted a wedding dress that was also sexy, so her gorgeous fitted Kenneth Pool gown was an inspired choice. She accessorized with not one, but two pairs of Christian Louboutin wedding shoes to round out her “something new”! She borrowed antique diamond and pearl chandelier earrings from her mother, and wore her mother’s blue bracelet with a traditional evil eye to keep away bad spirits on this oh-so-important day. Neda kept things elegant and timeless for her bridal party with long black chiffon dresses with ivory sashes. The incredibly dashing Eidin wore a tuxedo by Yves Saint Laurent, and crazy-cool studded loafers from Christian Louboutin.

The Moments: The most memorable parts of the busy, joyful day where when everything else slipped away and Neda and Eidin found themselves focused on their love for each other. Neda said, “We were both so nervous to see each other for our first look, but the moment he turned around, we locked eyes and couldn’t look away”. Their first dance to Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” was another incredibly romantic moment when everything else seemed to temporarily recede.

Neda wanted to infuse their ceremony with cultural wedding traditions and the upbeat Persian song that played while she literally danced down the aisle provided another wonderful memory. And they will always treasure the best man’s speech that brought the entire place to tears!

The Pros: To learn about all the professionals involved in bringing this amazing wedding to life, be sure to visit Neda and Eidin’s page in our Real Weddings Library. And don’t miss Neda and Eidin’s super-stylish engagement photos that we published on Photobug back in August!

Thank you so much Neda and Eidin for sharing your glittering event! Our very best wishes to you in your new life together.

Readers, for more glamorous and gorgeous inspiration, be sure to check out our Real Weddings Library!

Fashion Shoot to Benefit Thirst Relief International

March 22, 2012 | editorial team

Today we are celebrating World Water Day with an incredible project that was born from the generous, giving spirit of someone in our own wedding community; photographer Jim Davis Hicks. He founded Thirst Relief International to tackle the crucial international shortage of clean, plentiful drinking water. Thirst Relief is able to do big things with even small donations, so everyone can help make a difference in someone else’s life. Five dollars provides someone with clean water for 25 years!

One of Thirst Relief’s projects is an annual benefit shoot that takes place every year at Wedding & Portrait Photographers International, WPPI. Before the event, wedding photographers bid on the chance to learn from and shoot alongside some of the world’s best talent, and 100% of the proceeds go directly to Thirst Relief water projects located around the world to help provide people with a long-term source of clean water.

photo by Mike Colón

This year’s shoot boasted an incredible line-up of instructors: Mike Colon, David and Luke Edmonson, Rocco Ancora, Roberto Valenzuela and CM Leung. The shoot took place at Ghost Town outside Las Vegas, and took on a Wild West-boudoir feel with the featured corsets by Glamtastik. Here are just of a few of our favorite shots from the day…

photo by Mike Colón

photo by Bernie Aho Photographer

photo by Matthew DeMaria Photography

photo by Rocco Ancora

“It was a true honor and privilege to be involved in the Thirst Relief Charity shoot. It has been, without doubt, the most rewarding thing I have ever been involved in. The money that we raised will give 2000 people fresh drinking water for the next 25 years.–Rocco Ancora

photo by Hector G Zouls of Zouls Photography

photo by Jeffrey Kuo Photography

photo by Krista Puruhito of Puruhito Photography

photo by Donal Doherty Photography

I was attracted to the event because the images from previous years are exceptional and the instructors I would have an opportunity to shoot and learn and hangout with are all amazing. We travelled to Ghost Town outside Vegas, which has the most random of random stuff lying around and is such an amazing location for photography.–Donal Doherty

photo by Marian Bader Wedding and Lifestyle Photography

photo by Wing Wong

photo by Luke Edmonson of Edmonson Weddings

photo by Meaghan Elliott Photography

Pretty amazing, life changing stuff!–Meaghan Elliott

photo by Caleb Cheong Photography

Would you like to join the cause and help provide clean drinking water around the globe? Thirst Relief is partnering with Sevenly to sell limited edition t-shirts that are only available this week (and are only $22!) in honor of World Water Day. All proceeds will go to building four wells in India. You also can make a fast and easy donation right on the Thirst Relief website. Remember that $5? Imagine skipping your morning latte tomorrow, but having it matter for 25 years. Pretty awesome!

photo by Aundrea Shafer of A. Shafer Photography