WEDDING BLOG

To end our Real Wedding week with a bang, we’re thrilled to share Ashley and Adam’s Florida New Year’s Eve wedding, photographed by Chicago-based wedding photographers Jeffrey and Julia Woods! Read on to learn all about this truly thoughtful and super fun celebration, and then jump over to our Photobug blog to read our Photographer Spotlight Interview with Jeffrey and Julia too!

The Goals: Since Ashley and Adam’s wedding took place on New Year’s Eve, they knew that above all they wanted to make their event fun! “We picked the most amazing band that kept people dancing until 2:00 am. We fed all of our guests from start to finish… beginning with passed hors d’oeuvres, then a delicious dinner, and serving up mini burgers, french fries, donuts and chocolate late night. We had amazing fireworks at midnight to ring in the New Year, along with a champagne toast! It truly was such a great party and wonderful way to start our life together with our friends and family!”  

Honoring family was the other most important component, especially when it came to Adam’s daughters who were involved in special ways throughout the day.

The Design: Ashley and Adam had originally hoped to have their ceremony in a church, but when that didn’t work out logistically, they had the church come to them! On the lawn of the The Ritz Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida, a “church” was constructed. With the help of wedding planner Rufino Hernandez of the Garden District of Naples and the prop department at The Ritz, they were married in a stunning tented room with sparkling chandeliers, draped fabric walls, faux stained glass windows and an altar to create the feel of a church. Wow!

At the reception a rich gold, ivory and burgundy color palette was used to create a traditional, formal and antique look to the wedding decor. The invitations and paper details were designed by Sheryl at Arabesque and spectacularly calligraphed by Maria Thomas. The wedding cake was five tiers of lemon and hazelnut deliciousness with a look of lace to the design.

The Look: Ashley knew her Pnina Tornai wedding gown from Kleinfeld Bridal, the very first dress she tried on, was the ONE the moment she saw it, and it was one of her very favorite details of the day. “I just LOVE my dress. I love the vintage flare and the detail of the layers and layers of lace and Swarovski Crystals. There is a lot going on with the dress, but it worked for me. As soon as I tried it on… I knew. It was just my style!”

Her bridesmaids and maid of honor wore beautiful eggplant or red full length column gowns, and Ashley gave them long strands of freshwater pearls as thank you gifts which they each wore in their own creative way.

The Moments: The wedding ceremony was very meaningful for Ashley and Adam and they involved many people who are important to them. Adam’s daughters were first and foremost made a priority – they acted as flower girls and junior bridesmaids, their drawings and stories were included in the programs, his 5 year old daughter sang the Shania Twain song “From this Moment” and his 8 year old daughter read the “Cherokee Wedding Prayer”. “It was very important for them to feel a part of everything – it will always be remembered as an intimate family event.”

Another special treat was having the choir from Seacrest Country Day School where Adam and Ashley met sing during the service, and their vows were very sentimental. “During our vows we both were choked up a bit. It was a sweet moment. It could have easily been just the two of us up there, helping each other through the words.”

The reception inside the Ritz Carlton ballroom began with a delicious formal dinner and then the night turned into one big celebration in a night club atmosphere! There were fire pits outside for the kids (and adults!) to roast marshmallows over, then a fireworks show at midnight, and with the help of the Right on Band, everyone danced until 2 am!

Photographers Jeffrey and Julia Woods and film maker Andy Jackson of Portal Films created a very special Black Label Video for the couple, combining Super 8 film footage with stunning still images…

The Pros: To learn about all of the wedding professionals who worked on this wonderful wedding day please visit Ashley and Adam’s page in our Real Wedding Library.

Thank you Ashley and Adam!

Readers, we hope you’ve enjoyed our full week of real weddings on What Junebug Loves! To plan your own Southern California or Seattle area wedding, check out our Plan Your Wedding Hotlists. To find a dream wedding photographer for your wedding anywhere in the world, don’t miss our World’s Best Wedding Photographers Hotlist!

Today’s real wedding bride Hayden, a talented wedding planner herself, got to plan the wedding of her dreams last year when she was the one at the altar. The magical event was held at the breathtaking Thornewood Castle, and only those closest to the couple were lucky enough to join them for the beautiful occasion. Yitzhak Dalal Photography provided gorgeous photos of the classic, romantic event, and couple Hayden and Matt couldn’t have been happier!

The Goals: Hayden and Matt wanted to keep their wedding an elegant, intimate affair, and the Thornewood Castle in Lakewood, Washington was the ideal location. The 200-year-old, twelve-room bed and breakfast just south of Tacoma was the perfect size to host the couples 50 guests. We made a rule only to invite our dearest family, and only our friends that we consider family. This way, no matter where we looked on our wedding day, we saw the face of someone we loved.

A well-established wedding planner in her own right, bride Hayden had fantasized about implementing some admittedly crazy things in the planning of her own special day, but ultimately, she stayed true to her clean and classic personal style. I’m not a very lacy girl, I didn’t want tons of jewels, or frills, just clean, and classic. More along the lines of Grace Kelly. Pearls not bling.

The Design: For their romantic late spring wedding, Hayden and Matt had the already-beautiful Thornewood Castle adorned with a white and silver color palette. Hayden called upon Woodland Flowers to design arrangements of classic, pure white blossoms delicately paired with antique silver tea sets. As guests arrived at the ceremony, which took place in the English sunken garden outside the castle, female guests were given lace-embroidered handkerchiefs with the couples monogram, and male guests received satin wrapped stephanotis boutonnieres.

At the reception, the wedding cake was an amaretto and poppy-seed masterpiece wrapped with gold and silver branches, topped with a nest filled with golden eggs to resemble an Aspen Tree. Hayden was born in Aspen so it was extremely important for her to have that time of her life represented as it united her past with her future. Mikes Amazing Cakes also provided a red velvet grooms cake for Matt, designed to resemble his beloved blue Prius. An arrangement of petit fours was set up for guests to treat themselves to as they left the reception, as were monogrammed umbrellas as a nod to the Pacific Northwest.

The Look: The bride found her gorgeous gown, designed by Melissa Sweet, at The Ivory Suite in South Pasadena, California. She accessorized with priceless heirlooms from her great-grandmother. My very favorite part of my look, even though I adored my gown, was definitely wearing my great grandmother’s pearls. They mean so much to our family. Hayden chose floor-length chiffon gowns for her two maids of honor and knee-length strapless dresses in the same hue for her bridesmaids, all by Melissa Sweet. The charcoal shade of the dresses reflected the natural outdoor setting while remaining formal and elegant. Matt looked classic in Hugo Boss, and he was complimented by his groomsmen, looking sharp and sophisticated in Calvin Klein.

The Moments: During the ceremony, the couple shared vows they had written themselves followed by a reading from “The Velveteen Rabbit.” The moment Matt placed the ring on Haydens finger, she said she couldnt stop giggling and started bouncing up and down at the altar.

Toward the end of the night, the couple set off surprise fireworks, and Hayden recalled, It was perfect in every way. I was able to marry the love of my life, my best friend, soul mate, and partner in crime. We carry that day with us through our marriage and never forget how blessed we are to have each other, our family and friends in our lives.

To top it all off, here is the video preview created by film maker Mitch Mattraw from cabfare productions…

The Pros: To learn about all of the wedding professionals who worked on this wonderful wedding day please visit Hayden and Matt’s page in our Real Wedding Library.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding with us Hayden and Matt!

Readers, don’t miss one more day of our real weddings week tomorrow on What Junebug Loves! To plan your own Southern California or Seattle area wedding, check out our Plan Your Wedding Hotlists. To find a dream wedding photographer for your wedding anywhere in the world, don’t miss our World’s Best Wedding Photographers Hotlist!

To have a tropical getaway in January is a dream come true for most people, and couple Rachel and Adam took it to a whole other level inviting their very closest family and friends to Waikiki Beach for an chic, intimate, destination wedding last winter. Talented photographer Derek Wong was on hand to capture every special moment! 

The Goals: With only 33 guests in attendance, including the bride and groom, Rachel and Adam were able to truly enjoy time with each and every person throughout their stay at the Westin Moana Surfrider Resort. Their main goal was to be able to share this experience with their loved ones, so planning a destination wedding turned out to be their very best decision. “Going to Hawaii, the stresses of a ‘traditional’ wedding were non-existent, allowing the entire party who traveled in from around the world to enjoy not only the wedding day, but the week before and after as well.”

The Design: Rachel’s personal style is simple and clean, so they opted for a color palette of black and white with pink accents, and kept the look of the whole wedding classic with a modern, streamlined aesthetic. The island’s beach, palm trees and ocean view created the ideal backdrop for their modern Christian ceremony, and the hotel’s Beachhouse Restaurant was home to their elegant dinner reception.

The Look: The whole wedding party looked classic and sleek – Rachel in a mermaid shaped wedding gown from ETHOS Bridal Group and accessories from Tiffany & Co. (the bracelet was a gift from Adam on the morning of the wedding!) and Adam in a sophisticated black suit. To keep everyone in the wedding party feeling fabulous and ultra confident, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were asked to choose their own black cocktail dresses and suits, which created just enough uniformity balanced with individual style.

The Moments: Unfortunately because of illness, Rachel’s father couldn’t make the wedding so on the morning of the big day, Adam surprised her with a sweet video message from him.

During the ceremony, Rachel favorite moment was waiting to walk down the aisle, and as a couple they loved their first dance. It was under a banyan tree to a live version of the “Hawaiian wedding song”. Perfect!

The Pros: To learn about all of the wedding professionals who worked on this wonderful wedding day please visit Rachel and Adam’s page in our Real Wedding Library.

Thank you for sharing your wedding with us Rachel and Adam!

Readers, don’t miss more real weddings all week long here on What Junebug Loves, and to plan your own Southern California or Seattle area wedding, check out our Plan Your Wedding Hotlists. To find a dream wedding photographer for your wedding anywhere in the world, don’t miss our World’s Best Wedding Photographers Hotlist!