WEDDING BLOG

Grey and Dusty Blue Made This Cordiano Winery Wedding Utterly Romantic

July 21, 2018 | Junebug Weddings

Theresa and Greg’s vintage-inspired wedding at Cordiano Winery was pure wedding elegance from start to finish. Their expert planner Kimberly, from Sisti & Co., perfectly designed every detail, from the vintage china settings to the antique peach-colored roses to the tea-party-inspired cake table. She also set up one of the sweetest entry displays with antique books, framed quotes from philosophers, maps, single-stem roses, and a scroll with quotes from British writers, which added a whimsical touch to the vintage vibe. We love how they used a dreamy grey and dusty blue color palette to keep the overall feel soft and romantic. And we especially love that Theresa’s gorgeous ballgown from Della Curva, which she topped with a delicate lace cape from Bridal Separates, had a subtle blend of those wedding colors. Melissa Alderton Photography and Yours Truly Media completely outdid themselves in capturing this one-of-a-kind California winery wedding!

The Couple:

Theresa and Greg

The Wedding:

Cordiano Winery, Escondido, California

As a wedding gift, I got Greg a personalized wood box with his favorite rum and 2 personalized glasses. The front of the box matched his signet ring that has both of our family crests on it. Greg got me the Jetsetter bag from Henri Bendel with my new initials hot-stamped on the front.

Our friend was our officiant so he knows us both very well. So well that he was able to Rick Roll us during our ceremony since Greg loves that song so much!

My wedding dress ended up being beyond my dreams! I was one of the Alfred Angelo brides, so my original dress did not work out. It actually ended up working in my favor, because the dress I wore down the aisle was one of a kind and amazing! Being a plus size girl, it is hard to shop for wedding dresses because most of the samples you cannot fit into, so you put the dress up to yourself and wonder if it’s going to look the same once it’s in your size. After doing some research I found Della Curva! Even though it was over an hour away, and most of their dresses were outside of my budget, I knew I had to look and see what they had — especially since I would be able to actually try on dresses! As an extra bonus (and how I knew it was meant to be), they had put selected dresses off to the side that they could discount for the women who were affected by the Alfred Angelo fiasco. My dress was on that rack, and thank goodness because I would not have been able to afford it otherwise! After I got my dress, everything else fell into place!

Our vibe was completely chosen by our wedding planner, Kimberly. Growing up, I was not the girl that dreamed about weddings, so I really had no idea what I wanted. With the help of Pinterest and Kimberly’s amazing talent, it all came together and I could not have asked for anything more!

Kimberly was so amazing about all of the personal touches at our wedding! From making wax seals from Greg’s ring to adding English and French philosopher quotes at our entrance area to finding the beautiful peach looking roses because Greg refused to have anything pink at the wedding.

With the help of my Maid of Mayhem, my roommate, and our wedding planner, I crafted the wedding favors. Kimberly helped me pick out the round craft boxes and the velvet ribbon, and my Maid of Mayhem helped me paint over 70 boxes ivory and grey. Once the boxes were dried, we stuffed them with York peppermint patties. After that, my roommate helped write on the lids and helped me tie the velvet ribbon on top.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Melissa Alderton Photography
Event Planning, Floral Design, and Cake – Sisti & Co.
Venue – Cordiano Winery
DJ – Monkeys and Bananas Entertainment
Videography – Yours Truly Media
Stationery – Julie Hanan Design
Makeup Artist and Hair Styling – Style Me Boys
Wedding Dress – Della Curva
Bridal Cape – Bridal Separates
Veil – Steven Bridal
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – David’s Bridal
Groom and Groomsmen’s Apparel – Men’s Wearhouse
Rings – T Palm Jewelers (bride’s wedding band) and Dexter (groom’s wedding band)
Transportation – CLi Worldwide Transportation

Congratulations to Theresa and Greg, and a big thanks to Melissa Alderton Photography for sharing this gorgeous Cordiano Winery wedding with Junebug! Love the idea of getting married at a winery? You have to see this oh-so-romantic blush and ivory Jonathan Edwards Winery wedding!

Modern Bohemian Ozarks Wedding at Hazel Valley Ranch

July 21, 2018 | Junebug Weddings

bright red dark blue ivory kelly green orange sage green

Between the views of the Ozark Mountains, the hand-painted teepee in the reception area, and the DIY details created by the bride’s mother, Taylor and Lance’s wedding at Hazel Valley Ranch was a bohemian dream with a modern twist. The bride channeled her inner bohemian goddess with a champagne lined lace dress by Martina Liana, which set the mood for the entire vibe of this special day. For the decor, they focused on macrame details, Persian rugs and antique candlesticks, and an assortment of autumnal blooms from ZuZu’s Petals & Gifts and fresh eucalyptus from Bloomingful. For the food, they provided a BBQ and an assortment of pies to allow their guests to feel the comforts of home. In addition to the all beautiful details, the couple planned a special smudging ceremony performed by Lance’s father to honor both families’ Native American heritage. Freckled Fox Photography did a phenomenal job capturing every moment of this wildly romantic Arkansas wedding!

The Couple:

Taylor and Lance

The Wedding:

Hazel Valley Ranch, Fayetteville, Arkansas

My wedding planning goddess of a mother found all the vintage Persian rugs and antique brass candlesticks we used, found our wicker peacock chair, made the macrame centerpieces we placed on our sweetheart table, and DIY-ed so many other beautiful details that we incorporated into the wedding!

Lance‘s family are Lumbee Native Americans, and I have Shawnee Native American heritage in my family. So, we decided to incorporate Native American cultural tradition into our ceremony. Lance’s father performed a smudging during our ceremony with sage that he bundled himself and the feather he that had been passed down through the Cummings family, which we received as a gift after the wedding. The smudging ceremony was a quiet spiritual process. Through silence, our friends and family radiated positive thoughts as we are “cleansed” as a couple. The only words spoken were by Lance‘s father, who said beautiful affirmations to each of us during the cleansing.

I wanted a dress that was bohemian and simple but with a wow factor. The beautiful ivory lace over the champagne tulle created a bohemian vibe over a simple silhouette with a long cascading train that gathered beautifully when I turned. The lacework made it feel as if it was a vintage gown that had been passed down through generations. The cascading ivory lace and champagne tulle veil topped off the look perfectly as if it were made for the dress.

We started searching for venues in Northwest Arkansas shortly after we got engaged, but none of them fit our personalities. Just as frustration set in, I stumbled across Hazel Valley Ranch online. I called on a Sunday morning and Marty, the coordinator, graciously allowed us to visit the venue that same day. We were sold as soon as we drove up on the property! Hazel Valley Ranch is secluded and surrounded by the beautiful rolling Ozark Mountains, with buffalo grazing in the fields below the lodge and a beautiful hand-painted teepee in the reception area. We were in awe, and we felt as if the venue was made just for us!

If you are planning your wedding yourself — which is completely doable no matter what anyone says — make sure you have several helping hands for the day before and day-of the wedding. My mom planned our wedding, which is why it turned out to be everything and more than we ever dreamed of. I’m so thankful we had family and my best friend, Adrian, to set up that morning but I do wish we had planned for a larger wedding day team so that the setup hadn’t been so rushed.

We tried to source our menu and beverages for the reception from local vendors. Our menu included ribs, pulled pork, and classic barbecue sides provided by Hazel Valley Ranch. For dessert, we had handmade pies from Skylark Cafe. Our draft beers were from Core Brewing & Distilling Company.

Processional – “Like Real People Do” by Hozier
Recessional – “First Day Of My Life” by Bright Eyes
First Dance – “Sweet Creature” by Harry Styles

The most memorable part of the day was when Lance and I broke away from the reception and walked to our ceremony site in the moonlight. We got to truly soak up the moment and bask in the realization that we were husband and wife. People are not kidding when they say your wedding day goes by fast! It’s so important to take even a small moment away from everyone and enjoy all the incredibly euphoric feelings while simply looking into your partner’s eyes.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Freckled Fox Photography
Venue – Hazel Valley Ranch
Floral Design – ZuZu’s Petals & Gifts
Fresh Silver Dollar Eucalyptus – Bloomingful
Cake – Patticakes Bakery
Pies – Skylark Cafe
Stationery – VineWedding
Wedding Dress – Martina Liana via She Said Yes Bridal
Bridal Accessories – Truvelle
Groom’s Apparel – Ralph Lauren
Cuff Links – Vancrafted Studio
Rings – Kay Jewelers and Staghead Designs
Rentals – Pretty Old Stuff NWA
Macrame Wedding Arbor – WallKnot
Wooden Guest Book – Lorgie

Congratulations to Taylor and Lance, and a big thanks to Freckled Fox Photography for sharing this beautiful Hazel Valley Ranch wedding with Junebug! Looking for ways to add a modern twist to your bridal style? You have to see these 17 modern romantic half-up hairstyles for your wedding!

Intimate Wayfarer’s Chapel Wedding Proves Eloping Can Be Totally Chic

July 20, 2018 | Junebug Weddings

champagne coral dark blue dark red gold kelly green purple

Elizabeth and Ian’s intimate elopement at Wayfarer’s Chapel had the perfect mix of bohemian, vintage, and Art Deco styles! The natural elements and the modern design of California’s “Glass Chapel” made for a show-stopping backdrop for their ceremony, and the minimalist architecture of the reception space at Venue by Three Petals allowed their personalities to shine. Elizabeth’s Maggie Sottero gown and cascading bouquet created by Flower Allie were the epitome of boho chic, and her girls’ velvet green dresses from Unique Vintage added the vintage flair that tied in beautifully with the vibe of the day. SoCal Wedding Consultant worked their magic to keep the details simple but chic, and Kristen Soileau Portraits captured every moment with the grace and creativity this unique California wedding deserved!

The Couple:

Elizabeth and Ian

The Wedding:

Wayfarer’s Chapel and Venue by Three Petals, Los Angeles, California

Some of the most valuable wedding advice I would like to share is to start by hiring a wedding planner. You can have a great vision, but what you don’t realize is the number of decisions you’ll be making on a daily basis and just how overwhelming it all can be. The value they bring during the planning stages and on the big day is priceless. Also, if you are looking for ways to save money, get married on a weekday. Seriously, sounds crazy, but it was one of the best decisions we made! It significantly dropped the overall price of our wedding and I also learned that it is easier to get vendors for your date because their schedules are usually open.

My wedding day fashion is a mix of vintage and art deco. What I loved about my wedding dress were the beading and scalloped train. I also loved my earrings and my shoes. My make up was soft but dramatic. The bridesmaids wore velvet dresses and the groomsmen wore grey suits.

We personalized the ceremony by using nature and design as our inspiration. The history and organic architecture of the chapel mixed with the modern and sleek reception venue tied our love for the outdoors with beautiful design elements. When guests entered the reception, there was a typewriter requesting that each of them “leave us a love note” and to bring a touch of Louisiana with the design of our thank you cards.

The most memorable part of the day was entering the Wayfarers Chapel and seeing my future husband waiting for me at the end of the aisle. It was perfect. The sun was starting to set and the way the light came through the chapel was one of the most ethereal experiences I’ve had in my life.

We didn’t DIY much of our wedding because it was a destination wedding and it was easier to order online and have it shipped directly to California. Esty was my go-to!