WEDDING BLOG

Vintage Airplane Themed Wedding in Mission Viejo, CA – Tine and John

March 19, 2012 | editorial team

The Couple: Tine and John

The Wedding: 10.9.11 – Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, Mission Viejo, CA

What three adjectives best describe your wedding? Vintage-inspired, Whimsical, and Romantic

What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day? It was important for John and I to have a fun and unique wedding that reflected our own personalities. It was easy to come up with a vintage style airplane themed wedding as my husband, John, is a commercial pilot and we both love to travel. This became the starting point for our planning and it was relatively easy to come up with the ideas to follow suit. Our airline was called Air Gill (our last name) and our flight number was 10.9.11 (our wedding date). Luckily, I worked for a custom invitation and favor company called Smitten on Paper and with the help of Diana at Diana Chou Designs we were able to create personal touches. Our names on our invitation were custom written to look like air writing from a plane and our guests had to reserve their seats. Upon arrival our guests had to Check In at the table and were given boarding passes which served as their programs. One side listing the bridal party as the flight crew and the ceremony as the entertainment. The boarding pass also became a functional item as it listed the Gate Number to the table in which the guests would be sitting. On the table we provided our guest with an assortment of nuts labeled Nuts for You and with the help of our family and friends we made the table stands and the vintage flower hair clips that were attached to the menu. The flower clips were made in fawn, dark teal and ivory and represented what our guests had chosen to eat.

Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding? It was important to us that our guests had a good time so we started off by providing them with The Pop Shoppe, an assortment of refreshments before the ceremony. During the reception we hired a 5-piece band who sang the likes of Frank Sinatra and the musicians of that era. We also had a caricaturist come and draw black and white photos for our guests throughout the night. Our wonderful photographer, April, provided us a photo booth that allowed our guest to take pictures with props on a stick or write notes on a chalk board for us. As another treat for our guests was a dessert and candy bar, the Baggage Claim, with five delicious desserts and five candies to choose from. One of my bridesmaid is a wonderful artist and provided the chalk board.

Wedding color palette: Ivory, Yellow, Dark Teal and Fawn

The Wedding Team:

Photographer: April Smith and Co. Photography
Event Planner: Diana Chou Liao
Wedding Venue: Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club
Officiant: Reverend Todd G. Rodarmel
Invitation Designer: Smitten on Paper
Caterer: Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club
Florist: Flower Allie
Wedding Cake: Beverlys Best Bakery
Wedding Dress: Rina di Montella
Bridal Accessories: Shoes – Badgley Mischka; Earrings – Nadri, Necklace and bracelet – Adriana Orsini
Bridesmaids’ Apparel and Accessories: Amsale
Groom and Groomsmen Apparel and Accessories: Tommy Hilfiger; Groom’s accessories: Tie and shoes – Gucci; Groomsmen’s accessories, Tie – Giorgio Armani
Hair and Make-Up: Hair – Janice Valdez Hair Design @ Cartel Salon; Makeup – Katie Gee
Live Ceremony Music: Harpist – Tomoko Sato
Live Reception Music: 5 piece Jazz Band – Bill Chico Enterprise
Wedding Favors: Scallop top baker box with “Nuts for You” tag – Smitten on Paper; Vintage flower hair clips; Tom Kelly Caricatures; Dessert and candy bar
Wedding Rings: David K. Jewelers
Caricaturist: Tom Kelly Caricatures

Thank you so much Tine and John! Our best wishes to you!

Readers, see even more inspirational weddings in our Real Wedding Library!

Intimate Courthouse Wedding – Sonali and Jatin

March 16, 2012 | editorial team

black ivory

Today’s beautiful, vintage-inspired wedding is a triple-threat! It features an absolutely stunning couple; a darling photo shoot in vintage-inspired settings; and an intimate, personal ceremony. Sonali and Jatin wanted to celebrate the milestone of marriage in a quiet, reflective setting, and spend time with just their closest family and friends before the larger reception that followed. We are so lucky to get a peek at all of the special moments that Sarah Culver captured!

The Couple: Sonali and Jatin

The Wedding: 02.07.12; District Courthouse, Annapolis, Maryland

What were your most important priorities for your wedding? What made you choose such a small, intimate ceremony? We wanted to have our court ceremony in a setting that best represented our personalities and style, and Annapolis has the charm and history that we were looking for. Its quaintness was perfect for our pre-wedding photo shoot which had a vintage theme. The peace and relative quietness of the courthouse allowed for us to have a leisurely arrangement and accommodate our personal touches.

For a long time we have valued the intimacy of milestones and significant moments between us. Even our engagement was private in its setting on an isolated Hawaiian beach. Since we knew the future traditional component to our marriage ceremony would involve our large families and friends, we wanted to keep the moment of our officiation true to its meaning before facing the distractions of our other ceremonies to come.

How did you make your courthouse ceremony personal? What personal touches or traditions did you weave in? Our pre-wedding photo shoot had a vintage theme which set the tone for the rest of the day. Starting with our wardrobe which reflected an earlier time, to the antique locations that our photographer chose such as the old post office and an antique shop; to the high tea in Annapolis after the ceremony; and the post dinner at the old colonial Ambassador restaurant (which is one of my favorite Indian restaurants), we tried to include a personal touch.

My mother wove in the “something new/something old/something blue” European tradition by giving me a new purse, a vintage ring from her youth, etc. Jatin’s mom brought Indian sweets for all to share in celebration after the ceremony.

Looking back what is your favorite memory of the day? Having tea at 49 west (coffee shop) during our photo shoot…throughout our relationship, we had spent countless, seemingly mundane, moments drinking tea together at cafes all over the world. On our wedding day, it felt just felt natural to have go have tea together, and romantic as always; but yet this time we had the giddy thrill and anticipation of our big event to follow!

The Wedding Team:

Photographer: Sarah Culver Photography

Bride’s Apparel
Dress: ABS
Shoes: Audrey Brooke
Jewelry and Hair Pieces: Icing

Groom’s Apparel
Bowtie: Burberry
Shirt: Charles Tyrwhitt
Jacket: Theory
Pants: Banana Republic
Shoes: Johnston Murphy
Suspenders: Seigo New York

Make-up: MAC Cosmetics
Rings: Tiffany & Co. and Blue Nile

Sonali and Jatin, thank you for sharing your very personal and romantic day with us! We are so happy for you!

Be sure to check out Junebug’s Real Weddings page for more gorgeous wedding inspiration!

Modern, Tropical Wedding Floral and Fashion Design – A Wedding Inspiration Photo Shoot in Costa Rica

March 15, 2012 | editorial team

chartreuse dark pink orange purple white

Tropical destination weddings are more popular than ever, and for good reason. Between getting to enjoy the beauty and culture of an incredible travel locale, and the intimate feeling of spending not just one day but a whole vacation with your nearest and dearest, destination weddings can be absolutely magical! I love today’s fashion and flower wedding inspiration photo shoot from Costa Rica, that shows a sophisticated and high fashion take on what a modern destination wedding look can be all about. If glam is your goal, then here are some gorgeous tropical wedding style and venue ideas you’re sure to love!

From stylist and wedding planner, Candice Dowling Coppola of Jubilee Events: Our inspiration for this fashion shoot came from the luxury properties available at Stay in Costa Rica. Beth Chapman, stylist and owner of The White Dress by the shore wanted to create a luxurious, dramatic and romantic look for brides having a destination wedding. The natural landscape of Costa Rica and Los Suenos resort provided us with the majority of the flowers used in the bouquets, designed by Datura: A Modern Garden. Our fashion shoot mixes both a tropical feel and a modern, sophisticated and decadent direction.

The gowns and accessories were shot in the most amazing locations– from the multi-million dollar spanish influenced home of Puesta Del Sol with breathtaking views of the rainforest and three different pays that surround Los Suenos Resort to the modern and swanky digs at Villa Artiv with it’s vintage Louis Vuitton trunk and Pucci chair. All three of these luxurious properties are available for not only accommodations, but also for amazing wedding receptions and ceremonies!