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Real Weddings:

Caroline and Mike’s wedding at Triunfo Creek Vineyards

photography by Jenny Smith & Co.

Caroline had always joked that she didn’t want to get engaged until she was 25, so on her twenty-fifth birthday—after dating for ten years—Mike proposed on their camping trip in Yosemite. The couple celebrated their nuptials at Triunfo Creek Vineyards—a bright and happy event planned by Wish Wonder Dream. Lush and colorful floral by Enchanted Garden Floral Design in coral, pink, red and purple are pure happiness in the simple ceremony on the grounds and courtyard reception under cafe lights. Photographer Jenny Smith & Co. was behind the lens capturing the high school sweethearts as they joyfully embarked on their next adventure in love.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

My grandmother is a retired federal judge, so it’s always been a dream of mine for her to officiate our wedding. Between my grandmother officiating the ceremony and special readings that both of our best friends recited, the ceremony was so personal. We also used our music selections throughout the day to help tell our own story. Music for the ceremony, first dance and reception intros all reflected songs that are special to us and represent different points in our relationship. I also think that our drop dead gorgeous wedding venue made the day hugely special. The grounds are truly magical.

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

It was actually equal parts fate and fire drill! I’d previously purchased another dress early on in the planning process and ended up regretting the purchase as the wedding came together and evolved stylistically. At the last minute, I ended up reselling the other dress and starting over. I went to a bridal salon to shop the available samples since timing was so tight and was feeling discouraged because nothing was calling my name. As we were about to leave, the stylist mentioned that they were having a RIVINI trunk sale and that the designer was on site. All of the Rivini dresses were exactly the classic, simple, timeless style I was looking for and once I tried on my dress, that was it! The Rivini team was amazing in helping me to rush and get the dress in time. Fate!

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

One of our favorite parts of the wedding was the thank you gift for guests. Mike’s mom is a very talented artist and potter and made custom mugs for everyone to take home with them. She has made a special piece of pottery for each of her kids’ weddings and I love knowing that our guests have a homemade gift that will remind them of our day whenever they use it. We also wrote our own vows, which was an incredible moment. Mike’s vows floored me, they were SO good. We both unknowingly mentioned adopting a dog within our vows, and did so within days of getting home from our honeymoon!

What was the most memorable part of the day?

This is truly impossible! The day was perfect from start to finish. But for both of us, the first few moments immediately following the ceremony where it sank in that we were finally married was one of the most joyful feelings of all time.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We met senior year of high school and weathered the storm of going to separate colleges. After graduation we settled in Los Angeles and have been together for ten years. I used to joke that I didn’t want to get engaged until we were 25, so Mike took this to heart and proposed on my 25th birthday on a camping trip in Yosemite. It was a total surprise and I accidentally & unknowingly almost foiled his plan at numerous points, but he pulled it off in the end. A perfect engagement to precurse a perfect wedding.

 

Photography: Jenny Smith & Co. // Planner: Wish Wonder Dream // Florals: Enchanted Garden Floral Design // Paper Goods: Minted // Venue: Triunfo Creek Vineyards // Dress: Rivini by Rita Vinieris // Paper Goods: Minted // Makeup & Hair: Be.NYLA // Cake: Sheila Mae // Band: Downbeat LA // Rentals & Lighting: A Rental Connection // Catering: LA Roots // Bar: Liquid Catering

 

 

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Real Weddings:

Grace and Scott’s Classic Birmingham Wedding

featuring Kelli + Daniel Taylor Photography

Grace and Scott’s wedding day was held at The Club, a venue known for it’s iconic views of downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The couple, who met on a local kickball team, recited their vows in front of a stunning floral arch by Edna K Design on a terrace that overlooked the exact location of Scott’s proposal to Grace. Invision Events planned the day filled with classic details like letterpress by Empress Stationery, calligraphy by The Refined Pen and romantic florals in blush, peach and deep pinks. We especially love the very southern monogrammed linens from Sassy Biscuit—adorable! No details was left un-personalized and lucky for us Kelli + Daniel Taylor Photography was on hand to capture it all.

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What made the wedding special or unique?

Scott and I chose to have our ceremony and reception at The Club in Birmingham, Alabama. We knew early on in our engagement we wanted to get married outside. The Club is iconic for its views of the city, so we had our ceremony on the terrace. What made the terrace extra special is that you can see the overlook where Scott proposed from where we said our vows. In addition to the beautiful views, we wanted to have a focal point to help make the space feel intimate, so our florist created a beautiful arch with flowers and greenery. It was the perfect nod to our love of the outdoors, and helped make the terrace feel personal.

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

I searched and searched for the perfect gown and found elements I liked in a lot of dresses, but not everything all in one. When I went to Carriage House Weddings, my consultant explained how customizable Augusta Jones dresses were. I found two separate dress styles I loved: the shape of the Jessie, a fitted A-line, and the bodice of the Skyler. When combined, both dresses checked all the boxes. Even more, I was also able to select a lace pattern. At the end of the process, I had my own custom gown that was everything I had envisioned.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?  

In memory of my father, and as my “something blue”, my seamstress sewed a patch of his favorite blue shirt into a layer of my dress. A boutonniere was also placed in his chair during the ceremony. After a year of dating, Scott and I adopted a puppy  from the local humane society. Needless to say, he’s the center of both of our worlds, so we knew we wanted him to be a part of our day. While although he wasn’t present at the ceremony, a great friend of ours brought him to take photos with us and the wedding party beforehand. He was the only one with an outfit change that day – a floral collar and a bow tie!​

Scott loves to cook, so we wanted to be intentional about our menu. While neither one of us is Greek, we both love Greek food and went to a local Greek restaurant for our first date. We knew we had to have gyros as a menu item, and the chef at The Club was excited to prepare something atypical of the standard southern menu.

What was the most memorable part of the day? 

I loved the moments Scott and I shared right after the ceremony. The ceremony was incredibly special, but it was such a fantastic feeling to be married and have some time just the two of us to take it all in. While we were excited to celebrate with our family and friends, we were able to sneak away and our photographers snapped some of our favorite wedding photos as the sun was setting.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.  

A mutual friend asked Scott and I to play on an adult kickball team. I’m not athletic in the slightest, but was new to the city and thought it would be a fun way to meet other post grads. Growing up, instead of sports, I took dance lessons, so the emphasis has always been to run pretty, more so than fast. Scott however, played team sports his entire childhood and is very competitive. Fortunately, he put my pointed toe kicks and graceful running aside. I never scored a run that season, but we became more than teammates by the end of summer. Then, on a Sunday in the middle of October, Scott asked me if I wanted to take our dog on a hike. I absolutely love the peak of the fall season, when all of the leaves are bright red, orange and gold. The fall foliage in Birmingham was at this point, so I was especially excited to get outside. We headed to Ruffner Mountain, a meaningful place to both of us, and hiked to the overlook that oversees downtown. I was checking out the cityscape, and when I turned back around, Scott was on bended knee. Extra special note: you can see the overlook where Scott proposed from the very spot we said our vows on the terrace of The Club.

Photography: Kelli + Daniel Taylor Photography // Planning: Invision Events // Florals: Edna K Design // Stationery + Custom Monogram: Empress Stationery // Venue + Catering: The Club // Getting Ready Venue: The Tutwiler // Dress Designer: Augusta Jones // Dress Boutique: Carriage House Weddings // Calligraphy: The Refined Pen // Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental // Groom’s Tux: Mr. Burch Formalwear // Hair & Makeup: The Hair & Makeup Collective // Bride’s Cake: Barb’s Cakes // Groom’s Cake: Pastry Art // Monogrammed Details: Sassy Biscuit // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box // Entertainment: Creativity! via Music Garden Bands // Group Transportation: Rare Transportation // Newlywed Transportation: Coats Classic Cars

 

Real Weddings:

Kayla and Nathan’s wedding at Gale Vineyards

photography by Heather Selzer

“Remember to feel the love. Be in the moment. Getting married isn’t just the day of the event, it’s the entire process. If you don’t enjoy it, what is it all for anyway?” Kayla’s advice to other brides couldn’t more true and the joy that she and Nathan felt on their personalized wedding day couldn’t be more apparent in these beautiful images by Heather Selzer. Planned by CES Weddings & Events, the celebration was held Gale Vineyards and filled with bohemian and rustic details for the Redwood-loving couple. The florals by M Creations Floral Design were stunning and included an eclectic gathered bouquet, ceremony arch and greens dressing up the many reception focal points. We’re especially love the gift display of mugs that the couple hand-selected for all of their guests—a perfect representation of a couple that’s figured out how to find the joy in the journey.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

We originally wanted to get married in the redwoods. We love hiking near our home in the Bay Area and our favorite places all have large dense redwood forests. We found some of that for our special day (the first look), but wanted to also incorporate nature into the invites. So, trees were the theme. Our engagement photos were taken in Redwood Regional Park in Oakland, which were used for the save the dates. For the invites, we took a photo from a log pile in our backyard, and used it as the background. We designed the ideas behind them and Kayla brought them to life using her own calligraphy skills.

We did a rehearsal brunch instead of a dinner to save money and give us the evening to chill with family, friends, and each other. That also meant Friday night was free for us, so we organized a yoga class with the entire bridal party and their partners. Two of our friends are yoga teachers and they lead the 1.5 hour class. It was awesome!

Additionally, many of the guests (and the couple themselves) do not drink alcohol. So we made sure to have tasty alternatives and NA beers.

The reception was held at Gale Vineyards in Durham, California just outside of Chico. We chose this location for both the natural beauty it offered as well as the functionality of having the ceremony and reception at the same venue. Gale Vineyards was filled with tall trees and great space to accommodate the guest count. Hidden off to the side was the bar and boho lounge space the couple designed – equipped with a vintage Italian leather couch, blue velvet lounge chairs, accent rug, and wooden table made by the our close friend. On the other end of the reception space was an open space that served as both the buffet space early in the evening, and the dance floor after dinner.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

We were very close to my grandmother June who passed away a little over two years ago. She was the matriarch of the family. So I created a banner that was hung at the reception with one of June’s quotes to remind everyone that she was there with them on their very special day.

Often brides will create gift boxes for the bridesmaids, but I wanted to also do something for all the mamas in the family. I hand dyed organic cotton robes, shibori style. Included in their box were a custom robe, lip gloss, facial mask, bath salts, and a handwritten card. This made all the mothers and grandmothers feel loved and a special part of the big day.

The officiant was a close friend and the vows were said under a handmade copper altar which we designed and a close friend made for us. We wrote our own vows, and a close friend also came up and read a poem by Rainer Marie Rilke. All of the small, personal details made the reception extremely personal and special.

The takeaway gift was a coffee mug. We went around to various thrift stores, antique stores and shops, to find over 150 mugs that were unique. It’s something that we do in our own home and wanted to share some of that joy with our guests.

Tell us about the dress and how/where you found it.

Initially, I purchased a dress online by Grace Loves Lace. But, when it arrived it didn’t really meet the expectations I had about it. With only 2 months before the big day, I panicked. Luckily, living in the Bay Area, there are plenty of options for last-minute finds! My MOH & I went to San Francisco the next day to hit as many stores as possible. Luckily, we found the perfect dress at their first stop, Glamour Closet. It was much more simple and more of my style. It matched the vintage/bohemian style of the wedding. Love at first sight!

What was the most memorable part of your day?

At the end of the night, the DJ announced the last song. Kayla ran over to Nathan and hugged him. A friend saw this and came up to hug both of them. Then everyone from the wedding started to join in, surrounding the couple in a huge group hug in the middle of the dance floor. They all swayed back and forth laughing and smiling and enjoying the last moments of a beautiful day together. It was magical.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We met in college. Nathan was a roommate to one of Kayla’s close friends. She had a crush on him for a while and one day worked up the courage to ask him out over text – he said yes!

The first date was a cold December night in Chico. The plan was to get coffee at Naked Lounge, but Kayla was starving so upon Nathan’s arrival she asked if they could go eat. They walked around the corner to Upper Crust and sat down with some soup and chili. Between the corn bread and coffee, the school talk and the shared interest in standup comedy, the time flew by. Little did they know, this meal was the start of something special. They had found their partner, their person.

One of Kayla’s favorite places in Chico, where we met, is called Monkey Face. It’s a rock formation in Bidwell Park that looks like the face of a monkey. When you climb to the top you can see the entire canyon and the city of Chico stretched out before you. Nathan took her for a hike up there and popped the question in September 2016.

What advice do you have for brides planning their wedding?

Maintain collaboration with your partner throughout the entire planning process. It’s very important to discuss the details with your significant other to ensure that your ideas are both reflected on the day of your wedding. And, make sure you pick the best MOH and BM for the job. There will be times when you really need to lean on them to help you through it all.

Remember to feel the love. Be in the moment. Getting married isn’t just the day of the event, it’s the entire process. If you don’t enjoy it, what is it all for anyway?

Photographer: Heather Selzer // Planning: CES Weddings & Events // Florals: M Creations Floral Design //  // Calligraphy: Letter After Letter // Venue: Gale Vineyards // Dress: Sarah Seven // Wedding Dress Boutique: Glamour Closet // Shoes: Charlotte Stone // Brides Ring: Aura Jewelers // Hair Stylist: Lucy Keene // Makeup: Powder Room // Groom Attire: Baroni Suits / Formal Education // Grooms Shoes: Aldo // Handmade Details: The Creative Crow // Catering: Bacio // Desserts: Upper Crust // Linen Rentals: We Do Designs // Specialty Rental: Heirloom Fox // Music: Clearcut Entertainment // Film Lab: The Find Lab

Real Weddings:

Monica and Mack’s wedding at Elliston Vineyards

featuring Kristine Herman Photography

Monica and Mack’s wedding at Elliston Vineyards is a lovely wine country wedding with a rich pink, red and purple palette. The look is introduced by an painterly invitation suite by Mich Design Studio while florals by Kimmie’s Floral Design add romance and color at every turn. We’re loving the way the wind catches the beautiful raw silk ribbon by Tono and Co and how  Kristine Herman Photography captures it and every beautiful moment in these lovely film images.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

It is hard to pinpoint exactly what made our wedding feel special, because the entire day felt so special with our closest family and friends. Choosing a wedding venue that was tucked away in the hills and within 20 mins from our home made it very special for us. It will always be a place where we pass by every once in a while and can visit easily.

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

My mom and I decided to make a last minute appointment at BHLDN in Beverly Hills while we were visiting LA just to check out the dresses, not really thinking of actually purchasing yet. At first both my mom and I thought a dress with sleeves or wider straps would be more flattering on me, but after a couple dresses the stylist could tell I still wasn’t really loving any of them. The stylist gave me a separate top and skirt and I absolutely fell in love even though they only had tiny thin straps. Goes to show that you never know until you try it on, and props to the stylist I had to figure out what I liked!

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

Mack got me a monkey from Build-A-Bear a month into dating and we decided to have our ring bearer use the monkey to walk our rings down the aisle instead of a traditional pillow.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Trying to read our vows through our tears of happiness during our ceremony was the most memorable and I will never forget that.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Mack and I met back in college in Fall 2009 in a philosophy class. After class ended one day, he decided to walk up to me and introduce himself before I left. We realized that we actually went to the same high school and had a lot of mutual friends, but we just missed each other in high school since he graduated the year I started.

Mack proposed on my birthday trip to Vegas with a couple of our close friends in November 2015. We really wanted to go to the High Roller Observation Wheel and check out the view of the strip at night. The lights were so pretty on the way up, I remember telling Mack to just enjoy it and take it all in. I was oblivious to the fact that he was about to propose. Once we reached the top with our friends, he pulled me to the center of the pod and got on one knee and proposed! To be honest, I have no idea what he said to me and I had to ask him later to tell me again!

Photographer: Kristine Herman Photography // Florals: Kimmie’s Floral Design // Invitations: Mich Design Studio // Venue: Elliston Vineyards // Dress: BHLDN // Ribbon: Tono and Co // Bridesmaid dresses: Adelyn Rae // Bridal shoes: Marc Fisher // HAMU: Urban Beauty Loft // Film Lab: Photovision Prints

 

 

Real Weddings:

Allison and Ben’s wedding at Black Pointe Inn

featuring Jaimee Morse Photography

Allison and Ben were married at Black Point Inn in Maine, surrounded by both the forest and the beach. The venue is stunning on it’s own, but the couple wanted to bring more vintage romance to their big day with an explosion of lush florals, unique linens, and gorgeous surroundings. Their planner, Heidi, of SHE Luxe Weddings & Design paired them with Pretty Flowers Maine and the result is SPECTACULAR. Voluminous blooms in rich pinks, deep burgundy and dusty peach fill arrangements-galore and—most memorably—wrap the gorgeous birch Chuppah while a pastel sunset creates a magical ceremony backdrop. This wedding is one for the books and we’re thrilled to share these beautiful images by Jaimee Morse Photography.

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What made the wedding special and unique? 

Ben and I are both products of divorce, remarriage and a blending of families. Bringing our families together in a place where we wanted to establish roots as a couple is the main reason we chose to marry in Maine. We were lucky enough to be able to do a complete buyout of the Black Point Inn in Scarborough, Maine, which is about 20 minutes from downtown Portland. In true Markus-Poirier fashion, this meant both sides of the family had to blend. It was incredible to walk around the inn all weekend long and physically experience our families become one. It was also so special to have all of our friends from Los Angeles fly across the country to physically experience how special Maine is.

The building, which is surrounded by both the forest and the beach, is stunning on its own, but we wanted to bring more vintage romance to our wedding with an explosion of lush florals, unique linens, and gorgeous surroundings. Our planner, Heidi, of SHE Luxe Events paired us with Amy of Pretty Flowers Maine and she did not disappoint. We had California weather on the beautiful fall day we were married on, which sealed the deal for the most perfect and memorable day of our lives.

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

My dress is made by Pronovias. My mom, my MOH and I set out to try on dresses at a few stores and happened to stumble across Panache in Pasadena, CA. We walked in without an appointment just to look around and they had a no-show and fit me in that day. Funny enough, one of Ben’s childhood friends wore the same dress on her wedding day a year before and when I saw it on her, I was bummed because I knew that was the dress I was supposed to wear on my wedding day. I actually never thought I would wear it because I could not have the same dress as one of our friends, but when I saw it in the store, I decided to try it on for fun. When I walked out of the fitting room, my mom and MOH gasped and simultaneously said, “that’s it!” I tried to rationalize away from it, but no matter how many dresses I put on, we always came back to this one. I added a vintage crystal belt I found in a store in Downtown LA, which made it different enough from our friend’s dress and she actually was excited and flattered when she saw me in it.

 

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal? 

We used the same tapestry my mom and step-dad used in their Chuppah on their wedding day to line our Chuppah. The floral beading matched my dress and our theme perfectly. It was so special to have a piece of my parents’ love over us as we vowed to love each other forever. Having so many flowers at our wedding also made it special. I grew up with my grandmother throwing parties that revolved around the floral arrangements. I wanted to channel our shared love for that aspect of a party and make the florals a focal point. Ben and I also decided to read letters to one another during our ceremony that we had not shared with anyone except the Rabbi before that moment. It was important to bring a personal touch to our ceremony since our Rabbi had only met us a few months prior.

What was the most memorable part of the day? 

The most memorable parts of the day were our first look and reading our letters to one another during the wedding ceremony. It was those moments that made our wedding feel real because they were just about us and nothing else mattered.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Ben and I met on a typical Saturday night out in Los Angeles. He was the only guy dancing in the bar and I went up behind him to make fun of him. He actually never gave me the chance to make fun of him because before I could move away without him noticing me, he turned around, grabbed my hand and said, “not so fast.” Needless to say, I was mortified and not interested. It wasn’t until much later in the night that I decided to give Ben a chance.

As a Los Angeles native, I had never met anyone from Maine before. When we first met, I (embarrassingly) admitted I did not even know where Maine was on the map! Over the past 6 years, I have grown to consider the state to be a second home. On one of our annual trips home to Maine, Ben woke me up early in the morning to go on a walk. Each time we are in Maine, we take the mile walk through Ben’s childhood neighborhood to Fort Williams, which is the home of Portland Headlight. We like to walk through the neighborhood and talk about everything Ben used to do in certain spots growing up. When we got into the park, the headlight was unusually crowded for that time of day.  Rather than walking towards it, we ended up walking towards a house on a cliff and stopped to take a picture in front of it. At that point, Ben got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was completely shocked! Shortly thereafter, his mom, brother, and step-dad jumped out of the bushes yelling, “congratulations.” I called my parents to share the news, a little sad that they were not there to share the moment with us. Later that morning, we joined forces with Ben’s dad, step-mom and sister for breakfast. As we were walking into the restaurant, I heard someone yell at me from across the street. I looked up and my dad and his girlfriend were there! Ben had arranged for them to surprise me for the weekend. I immediately burst into tears and could not believe he had pulled this off. After breakfast, Ben and I planned to spend the rest of the morning in the Old Port together. We went into a bar to have a celebratory cocktail and I asked him why he was acting weird. Two minutes later, I turned around to see my mom and step-dad in the same bar, cue more tears. We spent the day showing my parents around downtown Portland before heading home to change for dinner with Ben’s dad. As we walked into the house, I was surprised for the fourth time that day by Ben’s extended family and closest friends  at an engagement party his family had planned for us. Needless to say, the day of our engagement was one of the most exciting days of my life.

Photographer: Jaimee Morse Photography // Planning and Event Design: SHE Luxe Weddings & Design // Floral Design: Pretty Flowers Maine // Invitation designer: Rebecca Lieberman // Venue: Black Point Inn // Beauty: Uptown Curl // Film: ARA Films // Dress designer: Pronovias // Suit/Tux: Suit Supply // Shoes: Imagine by Vince Camuto // Band: KB3 // Lighting: Event Lighting Concepts // Rentals: One Stop Event Rentals // Linens: BBJ Linens & Nuage Designs