What can we say about this romantic, touching, and emotional wedding, photographed by the wonderful Elizabeth Messina? We originally published the post on June 11th, 2009, and we love looking back at it every chance we get…
Another edition of favorite wedding photographs from our sweet and talented Art Director Kim….
The adoration: Six years ago while planning my own wedding I came across the most charming and inspiring real wedding in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. I cut it out to put in my own wedding inspiration book along with fabrics, photos, sketches, color palettes, seating charts, and dozens of pages of stylish details. In the end it was the only real wedding that made its way into my book. I could have only dreamed that six years later I would meet the photographer and become her friend. These photos by Elizabeth Messina are from her own grandfather’s wedding. No doubt you’ll be as inspired as I was by the touchingly beautiful images. We feel truly honored to be able to share them with you.
Anthony and Mae began their courtship after Anthony’s friends recognized a kindred spirit in Mae and urged him to call her. When Mae arrived for their blind date she was 20 minutes early and he was already there. Both widowed, both Sicilian, and both longing to travel back to the island, they spent the next year traveling together and supporting one another as they faced life’s challenges and fell in love. One spring day Mae opened her door to find a giant bouquet of flowers and a note that said, “I love you, I need you, let’s get married!” With enthusiastic blessings from their families, plans soon began for an intimate church ceremony and a cocktail reception for 50 guests.
Elizabeth fondly remembers the moments before the wedding when her grandfather, a former first-chair concert violinist, serenaded her alone as he waited to go to his bride.
With Anthony’s son as their best man and Elizabeth’s daughter as their flower girl, Anthony and Mae became husband and wife surrounded by their closest family members and friends. Now that they are no longer on this earth, they still remind us that love is all there is.
These gorgeous images, full of joy and promise, were taken in and around the Santuario de Chimayo Church outside of Santa Fe where it is said that miracles happen, and obviously they do.
Thank you again, Elizabeth, for sharing these treasured photos with us; you are an endless inspiration and truly a miracle in our lives!
For more images from this incredible wedding visit Elizabeth’s blog, Kiss the Groom, where she showcases her latest work and her own inspirations.
This Mexico wedding falls into our favorites category for so many reasons – the event was incredibly unique, totally authentic and overflowing with love, the photos just couldn’t be better, and the couple themselves are people we adore. Photographers and Junebug members Ben and Erin Chrisman are two of the most special people we’ve been lucky enough to get to know over the past 5 years of Junebug, so of course we’re excited to take another look at their beautiful wedding post, originally published on March 14, 2011…
Today we have a very special Real Wedding that’s so sweet it spans both of our blogs as well as our Real Wedding Library! Photographers Erin and Ben Chrisman are not only some of the very best wedding photographers in the world, they are also madly in love with one another and when you’re lucky enough to see them together in person, there is no doubt that their love story is one for the ages. They were married in Mexico last November, and they used their creativity and experience attending hundreds of other weddings to create an event for themselves and their friends that was 100%, perfectly, personal.
With many of their friends being wedding photographers one of their biggest goals was to have a “kickass party for all our wedding photographer friends who never get to go to weddings as guests.” How fun is that?
The wedding was officially photographed by one of Erin and Ben’s associate photographers, Aaron Morris of Chrisman Studios, whose heart-stopping images you are seeing here, as well as by Twin Lens Images, whose work you can see today over on Photobug today along with an interview of Ben and Erin. Don’t miss it!
Another main goal was to have an intimate and meaningful wedding that felt fun, relaxed and spontaneous, without too many rules or formalities. Erin and Ben met in and adore the country of Mexico, so after an intense search for the perfect location, they chose to have a destination wedding at the stunningly unique Hacienda Uayamon in Campeche. It’s a luxury boutique hotel that holds authentic ruins from the 1700s, including the incredible crumbling chapel where their candle-lit wedding ceremony took place.
After throwing out the ceremony they had been rehearsing because it just felt too formal, they asked their friend and officiant Sam to improvise and surprise them with something new. As the wedding began, Erin and Ben walked down the aisle together and were overwhelmed with emotion as all of their guests clapped and cheered along with the live music. For Erin this was her very favorite moment of the day, and “was just the warmest, most encouraging, most embracing feeling I could ever imagine. I was immediately relaxed by it, and it set the tone for the rest of the ceremony. It’s just another example of why sometimes it’s best to let everyone surprise you.”
The wedding reception was a true celebration, and their outdoor setting was simply unbelievable! Surrounded by ancient ruins as well as incredible modern lighting, Erin and Ben danced with their friends and family long into the night. One look at these dance floor images and you’ll see exactly when I mean – what a perfect party!
Huge thanks to Aaron for sharing your gorgeous images, and to Erin and Ben for sharing your wedding story with us! We’re so touched to get to be a part of your wedding experience.
Lesley and Mike are one of those amazing couples who have personal style for days, so their sunny St. Petersburg, Florida wedding was, naturally, a brilliant reflection of all the things they love. Photographer Matt Miller of Our Labor of Love was the perfect match to visually tell their story, and the mid-century modern beach style of their venue The Postcard Inn created the happy-go-lucky vibe they were looking for. We hope you’ll sit back, relax, and welcome in the weekend with these playful photos of a one-of-a-kind DIY wedding!
The Goals: Lesley and Mike centered their wedding planning goals around making sure their guests would have an incredible time. They knew that if everyone around them was happy, they would be able to relax into their day and enjoy each other all the more. And because music is what initially brought Lesley and Mike together and is a constant source of connection in their relationship, it played a huge roll in every detail of the wedding as well. They spent months debating songs for their wedding play lists and for all the major moments of the day, and came up with choices they were thrilled with. Lesley and the wedding party walked down the aisle to “Transatlanticism” by Death Cab for Cutie, after the ceremony they exited to “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” by Outkast, the father-daughter dance was to a non-traditional but perfect-for-them Jimi Hendrix song, and Lesley and Mike’s first dance was to “I Never” by Rilo Kiley. “Its this swooning ballad from a woman to a man and Mike and I were in our own little song bubble…and then he dipped me (my worst fear)…it wasn’t so bad!”
The Design: In the first moments of touring The Postcard Inn on the beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, Lesley and Mike knew they had found their wedding venue. Lesley loved the sitting area with bookshelves and birch wood stumps, Mike loved the skateboard decks decorating the walls, and they both loved the mod and beach-y atmosphere it would create for their Mad Men-esque wedding style. Friends and family were skeptical that it could be made formal enough for a wedding, but with Lesley and Mike’s vision and the incredible Postcard Inn staff, Lesley says that the choosing this venue turned out to be their best decision by far.
Inspired by the look of mid-century modern shag carpets and a fabulous fabric pattern found at Ikea, Lesley chose a color palette of mustard, gold, gray, amber and black. West Willow Designs made postcard style wedding invitations and a simple program for the wedding that included an article by Lesley’s step-dad and fun facts and a Madlib on the back. Wedding favors were mixed CDs made by the couple along with a donation in each guest’s name to Stand Up For Kids Tampa. Mike is vegan, so he was excited to have delicious vegan food options at the wedding for all to enjoy. Wildwood BBQ Catering prepared tasty BBQ tofu, and for dessert there was a feast of cakes! Lesley’s aunt made lemon, guava, cream cheese, chocolate and coconut pound cakes, and Bread & Roses Food Coop made vegan earl grey tea cake, vegan Oreo cheesecake infused chocolate cake, vegan strawberry layer cake and vegan almond marzipan cake. Wow!
The Look: Lesley loves vintage fashion but was having a hard time finding the perfect authentic Betty Draper style vintage dress, so she broadened her horizons and fell in love with a new but vintage-inspired design from the Vineyard Collection – the Trish dress. “I loved the swoosh of it when I walked. It made me feel captivating and classic. I felt really comfy and just enough like a bride. Perfect for my style.” Lesley also went all out with amazing accessories – shoes by Kate Spade, a clutch from Mermaids Dream, a hair band by Kirsten Kuehn Designs and earrings by MomentusNY.
The wedding party’s style was creative and dapper – the groom and groomsmen wore gray suites from Billy London UK, and the bridesmaids wore gray Jim Hjelm dresses and custom belts by Sweethead on Etsy.
The Moments: The wedding ceremony was brief but powerful, and focused on the history of Lesley and Mike’s relationship, which began exactly three years before their wedding day.
One of their favorite moments of the night was as they sat and listened to their friends and family members give toasts. “…with the lighting under the trees, the full moon and a great breeze, it was just magic. Mike and I could finally settle in next to each other and hold hands. It felt relaxed – like watching a great movie and turning to each other to remark on something funny or sweet.”
As the wedding wound down, guests watched bits of the movie Endless Summer that had been playing silently on a giant screen to set the mood and Lesley and Mike stole away to their room before the after party began, for a few moments alone to celebrate their incredible day.
The Pros: For more information on all of the wedding professionals that contributed their time and talents to this wedding day, be sure to visit our Real Wedding section.
Thank you so much for sharing your wedding with us Lesley and Mike! What a day!
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