Ok vintage decor lovers, we’ve all just hit the jackpot! Vintage Marquee Lights is a small decor company out of South Carolina that builds amazingly authentic antique style lights that can be used to perfection as wedding and home decor! Inspired by the lights of Broadway and Las Vegas, they offer letters, numbers, symbols, and even custom orders in any color you like. Check out their website for more, and have fun getting creative for your vintage wedding!
Melissa and Hakeem said that they were initially worried about planning a wedding while they were both medical residents, but I’d say they pulled it off in grand style! I adore these vibrant, stunning photos by Cliff Brunk Photography that captured all the traditional Nigerian clothing, gorgeous San Francisco scenery, and the day’s joyous moments. You did a beautiful job newlyweds!
The Couple: Melissa and Hakeem
The Wedding: 6.24.12 – The City Club – San Francisco, CA
What three adjectives best describe your wedding? Multicultural, San Francisco, and Fun
What was your wedding color palette? Eggplant, lavender, indigo blue and ivory
What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day? We were both very opinionated and involved in the style of our wedding. We wanted a style that was vibrant and colorful, something modern with a bit of old Hollywood glamour.
The incorporation of our families and their many cultures was extremely important to us. Hakeems family is Nigerian with strong cultural roots in their community, and my family is Filipino and American. Our ceremony included elements of both of our backgrounds, with bible readings in Yoruba (Hakeems Nigerian language) and the Filipino chord and veil ceremony (a tradition that originated in the Philippines that is present at all Filipino weddings). Our cocktail hour showcased foods from both cultures and our wedding guests coordinated their own ethnic clothing from Nigeria with our wedding colors. During our reception, we had a Nigerian money dance where Hakeem and I changed into traditional clothing of the culture and danced to Nigerian music.
Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding? Initially, I was very intimidated by planning an entire wedding on our own, without a wedding planner – we were both resident physicians at the time and working over 80 hours a week! Despite the initial worrying, I love that we were able to pull it off. We definitely worked as a team by putting our multitasking skills and OCD personalities to work. We designed a day that was exactly what I had envisioned.
One of the best moments was our first look photo shoot. It was amazing to see my future husband waiting for me in front of our entire family – it was a very intimate and unique experience. Afterward, we went on a couples-only photo shoot with our make-up artist, photographers, and videographer, which was the best part of the day. It felt like we were filming a movie with this entourage of videographers following us. We also loved hanging out with our photograhers Cliff and Malarie, and had a blast creating artistic and beautiful images.
What piece of advice would you give to a bride planning her wedding today? Being organized and paying close attention to details really pay off in the end, and be sure to delegate tasks to family members or friends who want to help out. Enjoy the day and cherish the moments as they arrive. You cant change anything once the day arrives and you will never get those moments back.
The Wedding Team:
Photographer: Cliff Brunk Photography
Ceremony Venue: St. Marks Lutheran Church
Reception Venue and Caterer: The City Club
Videographer/Film Maker: Bay Area VDO
Officiant: Pastor Elizabeth Ekdale
Invitation Designer: The Aerialist Press
Florist: Asiel Designs
Cake: Torino Baking
Cupcakes: That Takes the Cake
Wedding Dress: La Sposa Fanal
Bridal Accessories: Haute Bride
Bridesmaids Apparel: Jessica McClintock
Bridesmaids Accessories: Forever 21 and DSW
Hair & Make-up: Maria Chang from Professional Makeup Artistry
DJ: Jon Higgins from Denon & Doyle
Live Music: San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Transportation: Cable Cars and Sausalito Limousine Company
Photo Booth Rental: Denon & Doyle
Candy and Dessert Table: Kristina Capule
Linens: La Tavola Linens and Napa Valley Linens
Groom’s Ring: Derco Fine Jewelers
Bride’s Rings: Shane Company
Photo Shoot Venue: Omni Hotel Presidential Suite
Rehearsal Dinner Venues: Holy Gelato, Marnee Thai, Curry Village
Thank you, Melissa and Hakeem, for sharing your beautiful multicultural wedding with us!
When it comes to wedding planning, there is no doubt that choosing the perfect wedding venue is at the top of every couple’s priority list. Whether that’s a glittering ballroom in your favorite hotel, a one-of-a-kind hideaway in your hometown, or a far-flung destination resort half-way around the world that will give your guests the vacation of a life time, there’s a perfect venue for every kind of wedding. To help all of our readers find exactly what they’re looking for, Junebug will be launching a new World’s Best Wedding Venues Hotlist at the end of the month (along with some awsome new site features), and to celebrate all the goodness to come we’re giving away an amazing goodie bag of wedding travel accessories from Sosie, Plum Pretty Sugar, Shutterfly, Wedding Paper Divas and Of the Fountain!
To enter to win, simply choose your dream travel style from the images below and pin your favorite inspiration board to Pinterest with the hastag #junebugtravelgiveaway. Not a city, country or beach vacation kind of girl? Pin your own travel inspiration board or photo with the same hashtag and you’ll be entered to win as well! One entry per reader, please. (UPDATE: the Pinterest search feature has been giving us some troubles, so to be sure we have record of all the entries, please leave a comment here with the link to your pin!) We’ll accept entries for two whole weeks and randomly choose our winner on Monday, November 26th, 2012. Fun right?
So… are you a tropical beach vacation lover? Do you love the feeling of sand beneath your feet? Then pin this beach wedding inspiration board to enter to win…
(Images top to bottom from the One & Only Ocean Club Bahamas, Erik Clausen, Jillian Mitchell, St. Regis Punta Mita, Four Seasons Lana’i at Menele Bay, and Jillain Mitchell)
Is the fresh air and calm of the countryside what you crave? Do you love seeing vineyards and spectacular natural vistas from your window? Then pin this elegant countryside wedding inspiration board to enter to win…
(Images top to bottom from Kenwood Inn and Spa, Allyson Magda, Jay Lawrence Goldman, Michele M. Waite, Michele M. Waite, and Kenwood Inn and Spa)
Or maybe the big city is what makes you feel alive. If the bright lights, dramatic architecture and endless activity of cities both modern and historic are what you want in a dream honeymoon or wedding adventure, then pin this urban wedding inspiration board to enter to win…
(Images top to bottom from Four Seasons Seattle, Joy Marie Photography, Enchanted Atelier/Emme Wynn, Kristen Weaver, Pedro Damain Photographer, and The Lanesborough London)
Here is the amazing package of prizes that is up for grabs for our lucky winner…
Sosie Perry Tote:
When you’re jetting off on your honeymoon, a stylish and practical bag that can hold all your travel essentials is a necessity. This faux leather Perry Tote from Sosie is the perfect choice with its fun deep teal color and large size with plenty of compartments for easy traveling. Sosie is an online shopping mecca, offering a comprehensive assortment of super stylish apparel, shoes and accessories for a great price, and they’re continuously on the hunt for emerging, trend-setting designers to include on their site.
Fashion lovers, check out their extensive inventory at shopsosie.com. You’ll be hooked!
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Plum Pretty Sugar Maxi Dress & Robe:
Every bride wants to feel beautiful and effortless on her honeymoon! Plum Pretty Sugar makes that easy with their adorable cotton maxi dress, which ties at the shoulders for easy on and off, and has a sash you can switch out to customize your look. But that’s not all! Plum Pretty Sugar is also giving away one of their signature robes to match the dress – what a treat!
With designs that inspire a cozy, romantic lifestyle, Plum Pretty Sugar’s pieces are ideal for cuddling up on your honeymoon, or at home. If you love their sweet style as much as we do, check out their website!
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Shutterfly Premium Photobook:
As complete wedding photography fanatics ourselves, we are particularly excited that Shutterfly is giving away one of their new and completely customizable Premium Photo Books to our winner. With their genuine leather covers, double thick professional-grade paper, and album pages that lay flat for a completely seamless display, these personalized photo books are ideal for your favorite wedding, engagement or honeymoon photos.
To see the all of the creative products and projects you can put together on Shutterfly, visit their website!
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Wedding Paper Divas Thank You Cards:
After your loved ones have shared your wedding day with you and showered you with gifts, a thoughtful thank you is a must, which is why we’re so excited for Wedding Paper Divas to gift 50 custom thank you cards to our winner! With a selection of trend-setting and elegant designs, Wedding Paper Divas’ cards are printed on the highest quality paper for a flawless look and feel. What’s even better? Our winner gets to choose the style of thank you cards she wants from their extensive selection and have them customized by a Wedding Paper Divas stationery specialist!
Check out the Wedding Paper Divas website for all your design options!
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Of The Fountain Luggage Tags:
For a fun addition to your honeymoon travel essentials, these amazing custom leather luggage tags from Of The Fountain are just the ticket! Brandy, who fills her etsy shop with hand-crafted custom mementos that are all creatively stamped on leather, is giving away two luggage tags (one for the bride and one for the groom!) to our winner.
The Of The Fountain shop is full of inspiration and artistic ideas – the options for customization are seemingly endless!
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Good luck readers! We look forward to seeing all your travel inspiration pins, and sharing our new wedding venue recommendation list with you at the end of the month!
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