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Pink, Purple and Fuchsia California Wedding – Tina and Alan

July 29, 2011 | editorial team

fuchsia, pink, purple and ivory wedding at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California, photo by Caroline Tran Photographer

Leave it to top Southern California photographer Caroline Tran to bring us a wedding that’s packed full of the prettiest wedding colors, decor details, and happy, happy people! Tina and Alan’s Menlo Park, California wedding is a true treat!

fuchsia, pink, purple and ivory wedding at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California, photo by Caroline Tran Photographer

The Goals: Tina and Alan wanted an outdoor garden wedding with a fun atmosphere, and they really found what they were looking for in a venue with the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California. “The Allied Arts Guild was a gorgeous venue and it was love at first sight. In the ceremony area, we loved the hydrangeas that surrounded the fountain, and the tree we stood under as we said our vows. It allowed us to have a perfect September afternoon wedding.”

fuchsia, pink, purple and ivory wedding at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California, photo by Caroline Tran Photographer

The Design: Wedding colors of pink, purple, fuchsia and ivory were chosen to decorate this modern, romantic wedding, and were woven throughout many, many details of the day. Tina and Alan wanted their colors to contrast with the greenery of the garden venue and really make the ceremony and reception areas pop. Another sweet recurring wedding detail they loved was the pair of custom Kokeshi caketopper dolls they used not only on top of their wedding cake, but also on their invitation’s RSVP return envelope stamps, and as magnet wedding favors. And to beat the late summer heat? A Pinkberry frozen yogurt truck at the reception!

To honor Tina and Alan’s Chinese heritage their wedding invitations were written in both English and Chinese, and they held a traditional Chinese tea ceremony to honor their elders and receive their blessings. Love that meaningful addition!

The Look: Tina wanted a modern and clean yet romantic bridal look, so she wore a trumpet shaped wedding dress with ruffles by Alvina Valenta along with fresh flowers in her hair, and most importantly a diamond-encrusted necklace that was designed and hand-made by Alan’s father, a jeweler.

fuchsia, pink, purple and ivory wedding at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California, photo by Caroline Tran Photographer

The Moments: When Tina looks back on their wedding day, she loves thinking of their ceremony under that big, beautiful tree, “Even though we were surrounded by our friends and family, it felt like it was just the two of us in the whole entire world. It was so emotional for us. When we said our vows to each other, it was the happiest moment of my life.”

Another moment that must have been so sentimental for everyone in attendance (it makes me tear up just imagining it!) was when Tina and Alan honored their families in such a respectful and wonderful way. “Both our families immigrated to the US and they sacrificed a lot to get to where we are today. We wanted them to know how much we love them and appreciate everything they have done for us, so we called them up to the “stage” in front of all of our friends and family and told them how much we loved them and thanked them for raising us. It was an extremely emotional and sentimental moment for all of us.” What a wonderfully love-filled day!

The Pros: To lean about all of the extremely talented wedding professionals who contributed to this wedding, be sure to visit Tina and Alan’s page in our Real Wedding section!

fuchsia, pink, purple and ivory wedding at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California, photo by Caroline Tran Photographer

Thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding with us Tina and Alan!

To plan your own Southern California or Seattle area wedding, browse our Plan Your Wedding Hotlists! And to find a dream wedding photographer for your wedding anywhere in the world, be sure to check out Junebug’s World’s Best Wedding Photographers Hotlist!

And see more purple wedding color ideas in our wedding photo gallery!

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Junebug’s Favorite Weddings – Mae and Anthony – Elizabeth Messina’s Grandfather

July 28, 2011 | editorial team

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….

Wedding images by Elizabeth Messina, taken at her grandfather's wedding

The artist: Elizabeth Messina

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.

Wedding images by Elizabeth Messina, taken at her grandfather's wedding

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.

Wedding images by Elizabeth Messina, taken at her grandfather's wedding

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.

Wedding images by Elizabeth Messina, taken at her grandfather's wedding

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.

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Junebug’s Favorite Weddings – Erin and Ben Chrisman’s Amazing Mexico Wedding

July 28, 2011 | editorial team

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…

the Mexico destination wedding of photographers Erin and Ben Chrisman, images by Aaron Morris

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.

the Mexico destination wedding of photographers Erin and Ben Chrisman, images by Aaron Morris

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!

the Mexico destination wedding of photographers Erin and Ben Chrisman, images by Aaron Morris

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 Mexico destination wedding of photographers Erin and Ben Chrisman, images by Aaron Morris

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!

the Mexico destination wedding of photographers Erin and Ben Chrisman, images by Aaron Morris

There is much, much more to this special wedding, so I hope that you’ll jump over to Photobug as well as to Erin and Ben’s page in our Real Wedding Library to get the full, wonderful story.

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.

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