Loading...

Organic and Elegant Lake Tahoe Wedding at West Shore Cafe

June 24, 2020 | Junebug Weddings

We’re not sure what’s more romantic than reciting your vows on the shores of Lake Tahoe with boats floating in the background as the magical California sun sets. So, naturally, Leslie and Ken’s organic and elegant wedding at West Shore Cafe & Inn has us feeling like we’re looking at something out of a picture-perfect movie! The couple knew they wanted to start their forever in Lake Tahoe, so they hired Forget Me Knot Events & Design to help them plan their most breathtaking day. From the ceremony under the pines to a dreamy dinner on the dock, we can’t get over the little details that made this day a total dream. Get your Pinterest boards ready, babes, because these photos by Autumn Nicole Photography will leave you feeling inspired for days!

The Couple:

Leslie & Ken

The Wedding:

West Shore Cafe & Inn, Lake Tahoe, California

Ken and I are both pretty shy (and both easily cry), so we were nervous about being center of attention. We decided to do our first look before the ceremony and exchange our personal vows to each other. Thank goodness! We cried so much, and thankfully my make up artist was nearby and fixed my look. We went into our ceremony together and calmer, relieved we didn’t cry in front of every one.

RECOMMENDED READING: You Won’t Believe These Bridesmaid Dresses are Under $200

We only had about 5-6 months to plan our wedding, so venue options were pretty limited. Our planner, Allison, had us check out West Shore Cafe and we instantly fell in love. It was right on the water, with a grass area for the ceremony and a long pier for our dinner, it was perfect and the easiest decision!

The moment our ceremony was over, we hopped in wood boat called “The Wild Goose” and cruised around the lake. This was by far our favorite moment of the day; we were able to have some alone time, soak up that we just got married and drink champagne.

Honestly, all of our vendors were incredible. Our planner Allison was so easy to work with, so creative and steered us in the right direction with every single decision. Allison worked with Natasha Kolenko of Golden Fields Floristry to make my floral dreams come true. Natasha went above and beyond my expectations. She spent all morning setting up the suspended floral garland above the pier and it was stunning. And my make up artist, Jessica from LaDiDa Beauty, actually felt like my fairy godmother. She gave me the best wedding day advice, she fixed my hair and make up during all of our photos, and helped me get into our boat after the ceremony. These three ladies brought all the magic to our day, I’ll forever be grateful for them.

Lake Tahoe can get pretty windy and our reception dinner was at one long table down the pier over the water. So we needed a creative way to keep the paper menu’s from flying away in the wind. Our wedding planner came up with this great idea to have her fiance cut pieces of wood the size of the menu, with two small holes at the top to attach each menu to the wood with some pretty ribbon. They did such a great job, the menus looked amazing.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Autumn Nicole Photography
Event Planning – Forget Me Knot Events & Design
Venue – West Shore Cafe & Inn
Floral Design – Natasha Kolenko Designs
Cake – Sierra Bakehouse
Live Music – Bayberry Cast Wooden Boat, Cover Me Badd
Videography – Chair 7 Films
Invitation Design – Sugar Pine Calligraphy
Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist – La Di Da Beauty
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – The Dress Theory
Rentals – Theoni Collection
Linens – Wild Goose 2 Linens, La Tavola Fine Linen

 

Congratulations, Leslie and Ken, and many thanks to Forget Me Knot Events & Design for sharing their day with Junebug! For more northern California wedding inspiration, you’re going to love this earthy, rustic Kirkwood, California wedding at The Hideout.

Sponsors
Email [email protected] to advertise on Junebug Weddings

Breathtaking Dubrovnik Wedding at Sponza Palace

June 23, 2020 | Junebug Weddings

Megan and Alex traveled all the way to Dubrovnik for their breathtaking wedding at Sponza Palace! We’re absolutely in love with the majestic venue and every detail D’inspiration Event & Wedding Planner planned for their day. From a weekend full of activities (including an incredible Game of Thrones walking tour) to the blush and white details of the reception, this day sets our hearts on fire! If you’ve been dreaming of a wedding with all the perfect, romantic touches and sweet moments, you’re going to love the photos DT Studio captured of Megan and Alex’s day!

The Couple:

Megan & Alex

The Wedding:

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Since we asked our friends and family to travel across the world for our celebration, it was important for us for everyone to have an amazing time. In addition to the wedding itself, we planned a weekend full of unique experiences, including a welcome reception with custom cocktails (one called Shadow’s Side Tongue in honor of our dog son unable to attend), a Game of Thrones walking tour and a sunset boat ride on a traditional Karaka ship.

We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to get married in beautiful Dubrovnik, Croatia, a magical, charming and romantic place. Our overall vision for the style of our wedding was to complement the natural beauty of Dubrovnik to enhance the fairytale-like aspects of the city. Our main goal was to create a memorable, elegant experience for the occasion and we were beyond pleased with how everything turned out.

we got married at Sponza Palace, a venue that naturally takes your breath away. For decor, we used a long white runner, white chiavari chairs, long white drapes and touches of flower arrangements that created an ethereal atmosphere. For the reception, we again had the privilege to host our guests at the gorgeous Villa Sheherezade, another venue with a lot of natural beauty and character. We carried over the overall style from the ceremony, with gold trimmed cutlery, small but lavish centerpieces, amber and white lights on the palm trees and lots of candles.

 At the end of the ceremony, after exchanging vows and rings, the Old Town bell tower chimed in the background during our first “official” married kiss. The moment was unreal – standing in the breathtaking open air Sponza Palace on a beautiful, sunny day, surrounded by our closest friends and family, and then hearing the chimes as if on cue. It was magical.

Planning a destination wedding adds another layer of complexity to the process and the biggest piece of advice we have for this is to hire an amazing local wedding planner. Partnering with someone that speaks the local language, has strong local relationships and can advise you on vendors, venues, etc., made all the difference for us. We now truly appreciate the art of wedding planning after working with a pro.

DT Studio felt like family. We were so comfortable around them. We adore our photos and wedding video thanks to the talented duo we had the chance to work with. Dijana and Tom were so fantastic, we could not recommend them highly enough.

The Wedding Team:

Photography & Videography – DT Studio
Event Planning – D’inspiration Event & Wedding Planner
Ceremony Venue – The Sponza Palace
Reception Venue – Villa Sheherezade
Floral Design – Le Saloon
Catering & Cake – Adriatic Luxury Hotels
DJ – DJ Speed
Live Music – Dubrovnik Music
Makeup Artist – Ana’s Salon
Wedding Dress – Sareh Nouri
Groom’s Apparel – Indochino
Boat – Karaka
Rentals – Le Saloon

 

Congratulations, Megan and Alex, and many thanks to Junebug member D’inspiration Event & Wedding Planner for sharing their day with us! For more of this amazing planning team’s work, be sure to visit their page in our directory of the world’s best wedding planners.

Sponsors
Email [email protected] to advertise on Junebug Weddings

This Private Algarve Wedding Will Give You Floral Installation Envy

June 22, 2020 | Junebug Weddings

Arabella and Stephen’s private Algarve wedding was a beautiful celebration of love and nature, with some of the most stunning floral installations we’ve ever seen! Fun fact: The bride and groom each had a lucky flower, the bride’s being a daisy and the groom’s a clover, so planning team La Puta Suegra incorporated those blooms throughout the decor. We’re also blown away by this bride’s style! She totally rocked her custom botanical-inspired gown and extravagant headpiece, all while looking flawless in DIY hair and makeup. If you swoon over bright, happy wedding days, you’re going to fall in love with every photo Pipi Hormaechea captured of Arabella and Stephen’s day!

The Couple:

Arabella & Stephen

The Wedding:

Vila Nova de Cacela, Algarve, Portugal

Arabella knew she wanted something very special to wear at her wedding. She wanted to wear something related to nature and decided to wear a flowered dress under the main dress.

The bride and groom are architects and they wanted a location in Europe that was related to architecture and art. We found a very special architecturally stunning house in Portugal, Algarve, and whose neighbor was Picasso. A paradise and the perfect spot to hold their wedding.

The ceremony was inspired by Ophelia from Hamlet. The forest, lamps, vintage furniture, lots of candles, and colored flowers all were carefully chosen to fit the theme of the day.

 

SHOP ECO-FRIENDLY CONFETTI: Plantables and Paper Dissolving Heart Confetti ($15.00); Confetti Bistro Gold Glitter Confetti ($7.99); Shower and Co Gifts White Confetti Cannons ($25.00+); HIBIMI Biodegradable Confetti Petal Cones ($19.48)

The architecture was very important for the bride and groom. We built an infinity table for all the guests to sit for the dinner, which was more than 50 meters long. Above the table, we created a layer structure with a mirror on the ceiling where everything was reflected.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Pipi Hormaechea
Event Planning – La Puta Suegra
Venue – Private Residence
Floral Design, Invitation Design – La Puta Suegra
Catering – Dani Garcia
DJ – Jimmy Casanovas
Videography – Les Vaques
Wedding Dress – Castellar Granados
Bridal Accessories – Castellar Granados
Groomsmen’s Apparel – Scalpers
Rentals – Jaiak

 

Congratulations, Arabella and Stephen, and many thanks to La Puta Suegra for sharing their day with Junebug! For more Portugal wedding inspo that will make you swoon, you’ve got to see this countryside golden hour elopement at Casas Casidas.

Sponsors
Email [email protected] to advertise on Junebug Weddings