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Real Weddings:

Giselle and Jordi’s wedding at Brays Island Plantation

featuring Sean Money + Elizabeth Fay

Miami couple, Giselle and Jordi, brought their big Cuban families to South Carolina to celebrate their nuptials. WED planned a stunning event at Brays Island Plantation including an outdoor ceremony highlighting cultural traditions against scenic backdrop. Following was a personalized reception dripping in greens by Ooh! Events—we’re talking greenery on the light fixtures, suspended greenery wreath chandeliers and modern planter arrangements everywhere. Green letterpress and calligraphy invitation are by the bride and A Fabulous Fete, and a triple tiered chocolate-on-chocolate fudge cake is by Brenna Chiaviello. Photographers-extraordinaire Sean Money + Elizabeth Fay were behind the lens capturing all the details in these striking images.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

We chose to get married at Brays Island Plantation in South Carolina. The location itself holds a lot of significance to us and our family. Over the course of our relationship, we traveled there many times to celebrate holidays and special occasions. We are from Miami, so bringing our big Cuban families to a remote island in South Carolina created a special, intimate ambiance where people really felt like they could relax and enjoy. We were heavily involved in the planning of the wedding – I am talking every single detail, so our unique style and personality was all over it – our personal favorite was the triple fudge chocolate cake.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

On my first day bridal shopping, I fast forwarded through all the stops, and went straight to the mecca of Miami bridal, Ever After (EA).  I tried on a ton of dresses, and was starting to feel a little discouraged because nothing felt right. As I was finishing up, EA owner, Camille, brought in a dress from the “back room”  and it was love at first zip. With Isabel and I, it was a real “meet cute.” She was a modern take on classic vintage – unlike anything I had ever seen before. From the cap sleeve hand applique chantilly lace, to the double row buttons down the back…I was sold. People always say “you’ll know” when it’s the right dress for you, and that was exactly my experience. Vera Wang is the queen of bridal. It was an absolute dream come true to wear one of her gowns.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

Does a donut after party count? Honestly, everything about it was personalized, but our “hora loca” (crazy hour), a common tradition among Hispanic weddings, takes the cake – speaking of cake, did I mention our triple fudge chocolate cake? Jordi and I are old souls, so we took a common Hispanic wedding tradition, and traded in the salsa for oldies jams. Seeing guests of all ages breaking it down jams like “Louis Louis” and “Brick House” was an epic, sweaty masterpiece. Oh, and did I mention there were hats. Really funky hats – like umbrella hats.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Do I have to pick just one? Our first dance to “This Magic Moment” by the Drifters was pretty magical. We dated for 10 years before we got married, and we knew for a long time that would be our song, so it was pretty awesome to finally live that moment. But honestly, the most memorable part of it took place on the dance floor. Our friends and family truly brought their A game. The love we felt from our people was overwhelming. Unlike anything we had ever felt before. Ending the night with powdered donuts in the piano room, singing Billy Joel just topped it off. We really just had the time of our lives.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We met as highschoolers while on vacation with our families in the Dominican Republic. Despite constant adult supervision, we hit it off right away. We reconnected back in Miami and have been together ever since. Our relationship took us from Miami to Tallahassee, Florida where we both attended the Florida State University. Just after celebrating 10 years together, Jordi popped the question at a beautiful dock with one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. Our love for the outdoors has always played a huge part in our relationship, which is exactly why Brays was the perfect destination for our wedding.

Photography: Sean Money + Elizabeth Fay // Planner: WED // Florals: Ooh! Events // Paper Suite Design: Giselle Macias (the bride) // Calligraphy: A Fabulous Fete // Venue and Catering: Brays Island // Hair: Meg Workman // MUA: Dannon K Collard // Dress: Vera Wang // Paper Printing: IBA Paper Goods // Ceremony Music: Classical Charleston // Reception Music: Lucas the DJ // Rentals: Ooh! Events / EventHaus  / Amazing Rentals // Cake: Brenna Chiaviello

 

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Real Weddings:

Paige and Ben’s Wine country wedding

featuring Kreate Photography

Paige and Ben have the amazing recreational sport of dodgeball to thank for their romance. When they got engaged, the couple, who are both from Northern California originally, immediately knew they wanted to get married in the wine country. The bride’s vision for the wedding was around a theme of “natural elegance with urban edge.” They let Chateau St. Jean “do most of the talking” and personalized their day with modern yet timeless touches like gathered florals by Charlotte &Daughters and a show-stopping four-tiered cake by Michele’s Corner Wedding Cakes. Planning was by Alicia K Designs and all the lovely details are captured in these photos Kreate Photography.

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How did you meet? 

We met in San Francisco in 2011 when we both joined the same dodge ball team while trying to meet new people. I asked him out a few months later and knew almost immediately that he was the one. In the past 6+ years, we’ve moved to New York and back to California again and traveled a ton.

Did you have a specific theme/vision in mind for your wedding day? How did you come to pick your color palette?

I work at Instagram doing Communications/Public Relations so have done a fair amount of event planning in my career and I had a pretty clear picture in my head of what I wanted. Ben works in finance, but has a very strong sense of style so his input made a huge impact on the final aesthetic of the wedding.

My vision for the wedding was around a theme of “natural elegance with urban edge.” We wanted it to feel modern yet timeless at the same time, and we wanted the venue to do a lot of the work for us.

I’m a big fan of cool colors such as gray, blue, and green, which played nicely into the “natural” theme. We were able to keep the colors soft, cool, with pops of warmth and color here and there. I did a lot of research on Pinterest looking at different color combinations, and basically combined a bunch to come up with our own. The final palette combined those blues and greens in the form of silver/olive/sage, with blush and crème and a pop of marsala.

What is your proposal story?

Ben proposed when we were traveling in Iceland. On the 3rd day of our trip, we were exploring some of the natural sites, and while I was standing on top of a crevice in the earth where the Northern and European tectonic plates meet, Ben got down on one knee. It was completely surreal. We immediately found a gas station that would sell us a bottle of champagne to begin celebrating. That night, we stayed at a beautiful hotel in the middle of nowhere and watched the Northern Lights dance and move across the sky. It was magical. The rest of the trip we spent exploring while brainstorming our dream wedding. We ended the trip in Copenhagen where we did more exploring and celebrating. It was perfect.

Photography: Kreate Photography // Wedding Coordinator: Alicia K Designs // Florist: Charlotte &Daughters // Save the Dates & Name Cards: PS Paper // Invitations: Bella Figura // Calligraphy: Southern Calligraphy (via Etsy) // Venue: Chateau St. Jean // Dress + Suit Designer: Dress: Monique Lhuillier // Suit: Beckett & Rob // Shoes + Jewelry: Shoes: Jimmy Choo // Jewelry: rings inherited, earrings Overstock.com // Hair And Makeup Artist: Eliza Dougherty (friend) // Cake/Desserts: Michele’s Corner Wedding Cakes // Guest Gifts: DIY // Catering: Park Avenue Catering / The Tomales Bay Oyster Girls // Wedding Rings: Genevieve Lau Jewelry // Ring box: The Mrs. Box

 

Real Weddings:

Emily and Matt’s wedding in Wine Country

Catie Coyle Photography

San Francisco couple Emily and Matt brought all the people they love together in wine country to share in the joy of their wedding day. Their goal to “enjoy the scenery, food and wine of beautiful California wine country” was achieved with the help of Rue 29 Napa Valley and a simple aesthetic highlighting the stunning backdrop at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch. Florals are by EV Floral, the groom designed the invitations and event paper and Catie Coyle Photography was on hand to capture all the love.

 

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What made the wedding special and unique?

When asked what we wanted our wedding to be, we really wanted people we loved to join us in wine country to celebrate a wedding weekend in one of our favorite locations. Wine country is where we go to relax and we wanted to share that with all of our guests. The goal was to enjoy the scenery, food and wine of beautiful California wine country. We got married in late October on a warm Friday evening, following the Napa Valley fires. Until the week before our wedding date, we weren’t sure if we would be able to stay in Calistoga or get married in St. Helena. We were so lucky and thankful that our venue and accommodations (for the most part) were still standing. We were blessed to be able to have our guests come to wine country following such devastation, hopefully bringing life back to the area.

 

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

Every girl dreams of the day they find their wedding dress, I was no different. Though I had a harder time making a decision. I knew I wanted something “me.” My three words I used to describe the dress I wanted were romantic, classic and structured. I found my grown at Amy Kuschel in San Francisco. I was hoping to find a dress by a San Francisco designer and was glad when I fell in love with the simple elegance of “Sugar.” I was with my mom and two bridesmaids when I first tried it on, but later came back by myself to make the final decision. Being shorter (5 feet 1 inch) it is hard to visualize yourself in dresses that you try on and are way too long and sometimes the wrong size. Once I made the decision on the dress I added buttons down the back.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

We wanted our wedding to be intimate and personal, with things that represented us as a couple. Matt designed our wedding invitations and the menus that were on each person’s plate as they sat down. The most personal part of our wedding was that we wrote our own ceremony, and Matt’s father married us, which was very special.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Don’t know if I could pick just one. Having everyone you love in one place is very humbling. After 7 years together being able to say our vows in front of our family and friends was the best gift anyone could ever ask for. The backdrop and stage for our first dance is an image we both remember. Getting time together dancing and laughing was pretty memorable.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Matt and I met in college. He transferred to University of Colorado his sophomore year and was high school friends with two of my sorority sisters’ boyfriends. We hung out in the same circles and saw each other often. After graduation Matt moved to Chicago and I moved to San Francisco, it wasn’t until years later when he moved to San Francisco that we reconnected. We started dating and 7 years later we got engaged. We went up to wine country for a weekend away and had a relaxing time. While sitting by the pool waiting for our massages we were sipping champagne and he pulled out a jewelry box. Matt has a great sense of humor and he asked if I wanted to see what was inside. I was so excited to finally get to marry my best friend. Within 8 months we were married; why wait any longer?

Photographer: Catie Coyle Photography // Wedding Planner: Rue 29 Napa Valley // Floral Design: EV Floral // Stationery: Designed by the groom // Getting Ready Venue: Indian Springs Resort & Spa, Calistoga // Wedding Reception Venue: Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch, St. Helena // Music/Entertainment: Ivy Hill Entertainment // Hair & Make Up: Sherrie Long // Transportation: Pure Luxury Transportation

 

Real Weddings:

Annie and Aaron’s wedding at The Pearl

photography by ART IS FOR LOVERS

Annie and Aaron hosted their Bay Area wedding at The Pearl —a lofty, artistic space that they secured for their big day before the venue was even complete! The couple enlisted the talent of Olea & Fig Studio to design their perfect day by incorporating the bride’s modern taste and the groom’s quirky vibe. The result was a beautiful, minimal modern wedding, organic but not rustic, with several personal details designed by both Aaron & Annie. Amazing greens and florals everywhere were created by The Bloomery Co., stationery by Minted & Olea & Fig, a cake by Jasmine Rae Cakes was the epitome of the couple’s vibe and lucky for us they enlisted the genius of ART IS FOR LOVERS to capture it all!

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From the Bride: We wanted something minimal but modern, organic but not rustic. After scouring through all the venues we could possibly find in San Francisco Bay Area, we fell in love with the Pearl right away even before the venue was completed and furnished. All decor, furniture and stationery were chosen and created based on the same aesthetic concept, and so are our attire and even cake design. We also picked herb names as table names ensuring that herbs were a cohesive theme through out our drink and dinner menu, along with the greenery focus floral design to echo the overall organic feel. And as we are both Taiwanese who have been studying and living in the States for almost 20 years now, we incorporated our Taiwanese roots in our desserts and late-night snacks with a new American dinner reception.

Wedding planning can be one of the most fun and rewarding projects you’ve ever done, especially when this is for you as a couple to tell YOUR story creatively! Do not be limited by the resources available to you or the categorized trends you see on publications.

We had SO MUCH FUN, every moment of it! Having a wonderful vendor team certainly gave my OCD self a completely stress-free wedding day, and one of the best days in my life!

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

Annie’s everyday style is trendy, modern and minimal, which makes the dress searching process not so easy. She basically went to all the bridal shops she knew in San Francisco, and was not able to find a simple and elegant dress which also gives that wow factor, much needed for the grand and design-y venue. BoLee Bridal Couture was her very last stop in the Bay, and as desperate as she was, as soon as she put on Atelier Pronovias’ Emmett, she knew it was the one. The silk crepe created the perfect draping and contour while the detailed design of the back emphasized the bridal modern glamour.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal? 

(The bride was the planner & calligrapher herself). Given that the bride and groom are both originally from Taiwan, the reception was new American – Asian fusion inspired cuisine followed by Taiwanese desserts and late-night snacks featuring their favorite snacks from their childhood. All the place cards, calligraphy menus, thank you bag, table names and mirror signage were hand written by the bride & the Olea & Fig Team the for that beautiful natural vibe. Given that the bride is an ex-fashion blogger and stylist, the seating chart was scripted and printed on pieces of muslin cloths to integrate that garment component. As the groom is a coffee enthusiast, for guest favor, he hand picked the coffee beans and experimented with different cheesecloth for filtering cold brew.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

The couple surprised everyone with their first dance. They started first with How Long Will I Love You by Ellie Goulding, then with the main song being Watch Me by Silento.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Annie met Aaron during her freshman year in collage when Aaron was a senior. They were introduced by a good friend at Aaron’s house party. Aaron asked Annie to be his girlfriend the following New Year’s Eve under the fireworks in Taipei, Taiwan. They were in three years of long distance relationship after college, and were finally both in the Bay Area in 2012.

On 12/19/15, Aaron took Annie on a day trip to Point Reyes supposedly to celebrate their 9-year anniversary together. As usual, Annie always brings her video camera along to record all the trips they took together, which perfectly captured Aaron’s surprise proposal at the intimate Cypress Tree Tunnel. They then spent the rest of the day enjoying their alone time and amazing seafood by the bay before heading back to family and friends to share the wonderful news and the hilarious video that captured the perfect surprise proposal moment.

Photography: ART IS FOR LOVERS // Event Designer & Planner: Olea & Fig Studio // Coordinator: Spreading Lovely // Flowers: The Bloomery Co. // Stationery: Minted & Olea & Fig // Venue: The Pearl // Hair and Makeup: Makeup by Quis // Dress Designer: Pronovias // Wedding Dress Boutique: BoLee Bridal Couture // Cake: Jasmine Rae Cakes // Caterer: LRE Catering // Videography: Cinematt Videography // Groom’s Attire: Indochino // Bridesmaids Dresses Designer Amsale // Shoe Designer Badgley Mischka // Rings: Cartier / Brilliant Earth // Rentals: Bright Event Rentals / Rion Design

 

Real Weddings:

Molli and Justin’s wedding at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art

featuring Eliza Morrill

Molli and Justin’s wedding at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art on the Auburn University campus was full of sentimental details and unique touches. There’s no doubt, though, that the stand out feature of the day was the way Molli’s primary color, bordeaux, was brought to life by florist Thorne and Thistle. The florals are abundant and stunning, transitioning beautifully from the romantic courtyard ceremony to the modern interior of the gallery reception. With planning and coordination by Invision Events, stationery from By Invitation, and a Cakeitecture cake decked out in MORE flowers, this one is sure to inspire and we’re thrilled to share all the beautiful moments captured by Eliza Morrill.

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What made the wedding special and unique? 

From the bride:  I choose to have our wedding at Auburn because I was an art major at Auburn University and had classes and attended events at the museum and always thought it was the most beautiful venue. I’m a third generation Auburn alumna so naturally it’s one of my favorite places!

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

I wanted to keep a family tradition and have sleeves on my gown so I started looking while I was living in Nashville. I found the perfect dress at a boutique in Nashville.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal? 

From the bride: I wore my late grandfathers Allstate “good hands” pin he was given after 40  years of service. I also wore it on my graduation from Auburn. The first dance was the same song as my parents used and they just celebrated 25 years of marriage. I added tulle from my grandmothers dress to add my “something old”.

What was the most memorable part of the day? 

From the bride: I would have to say Justin’s reaction on our first look and when I walked down the aisle. The raw emotion we felt at that moment was better than we ever anticipated.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

From the bride: I met Justin on July 17, 2016 in Birmingham, AL at the World Deer Expo. I was traveling through Birmingham with my friend, Taylor Bassham, on the way home to Columbus, GA for the weekend. She had a friend, Matthew Howell, who was in Birmingham for the World Deer Expo running a booth for his company, Freak Outdoors. She reached out to Matthew and he asked us to stop by the booth on our way back to Nashville that Sunday. When we went to the Freak Outdoors booth, I immediately noticed Justin – it was hard not to with how big of a guy he is! I secretly pointed at him and whispered to Taylor, “I want him!” I was immediately interested in him when we began talking about his travels and his hobbies. I will admit that I was flirting with him really hard! I was disappointed that he didn’t ask for my number because I really thought we had hit it off. So, right before I left the booth, I took it upon myself to hand him my business card with my cell phone number circled on it and told him to call me sometime! Taylor and I left the booth and went to dinner and about 5 minutes later, I had a text message from Justin asking me where we went to dinner and if he could meet us before his flight! He almost missed his flight because we could not stop talking. Two weeks after that he flew to Nashville to see me, and the rest is history!

Justin and I had a whirlwind romance from the beginning and we knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together very early on. I mean he told some of his closest friends at work the day after he met me, “I’m going to marry that girl.” We even said “I love you” only weeks after meeting each other for the first time. People thought we were crazy but when we met each other’s families it was clear to them and us that something was very special about what we have. So, on December 9th we traveled to Bryson City, NC for a mountain weekend get-a-way. Justin had rented us the most incredible cabin I had ever seen and he planned this whole trip for us to celebrate Christmas early together. The next day, Saturday, December 10th, he told me to get ready we were going out to hike and adventure around the city! I of course spent way too long doing my hair and makeup (like I always do) and he was getting very impatient with me and I had no clue why he was getting so flustered! So we set out later that afternoon to go hike part of the Appalachian Trail and we made it about 3.5 miles up the trail when we stopped at New Found Gap. It was sunset and the view was breathtaking. Justin and I were standing on the edge of this lookout when he came up behind me, put his arms around my shoulders, and whispered to me, “I need to ask you something, I heard something and I want to make sure its 100% true.” My initial instinct was worry and panic so I whipped around and found him down on one knee. He asked me “Will you spend the rest of your life with me? Will you start a family with me? Will you marry me?” I was in shock and I could not say yes fast enough!! We were both so emotional in that moment, it was perfect, it was everything I had ever dreamed it would be and more. It still gives me goosebumps just writing about it!

Photography: Eliza Morrill // Planning + Coordination: Invision Events // Floral Design: Thorne and Thistle // Invitations: By Invitation // Venue: Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art // Dress: Morilee by Madeline Gardner // Bridesmaid Dresses: Kennedy Blue // Hair: Stephanie Lee of Swank Salon // Makeup: Carrie Reap // Second shooter: Jennifer Corcoran // Men’s Attire: Men’s Warehouse // Floral Ribbon: Silk and Willow // Cake: Cakeitecture // Rentals: The Event Group // Draping: Unique Element Events