Project Wedding Blog

This week’s real wedding comes all the way from Brisbane, Australia… and I’m so excited to share it with you!  Jess and Brendan planned a dreamy, romantic kind of day, with a beautiful soft color palette and eco-savvy styling.  Both down to earth types, their aim was to host a celebration that felt completely like them.  Fall in love with their gorgeous album by our Queensland faves, ngg studios.

The maid’s outfits were soft and feminine, chosen to accompany the relaxed, romantic theme of the wedding. Rather than having dresses, the girls wore skirts and tops… which, according to the bride, all of them have turned in to many different outfits since the wedding (you have to love bridesmaid attire that you can actually wear again)!  The bride’s friend designed all of the florals perfectly to her specifications, Jess nearly cried when she saw how beautifully they turned out.

Jess and Brendan married in front of a large tree in Kalimna Park.  The paper goods and cake carried thru a subtle, natural tree theme throughout the afternoon!

It was important for them to host an event that was beautiful and sustainable, so they held their reception at Forest Glen Organic Farm.  The tables were decorated simply with pinecones and wildflowers.  For favors, they offered guests herbs in plantable pots.  The afternoon was a picture of natural simplicity in all of its romance.

The cake was an incredible confection, a Jaffa Mud Cake with a tree design spanning the tiers (yum)!

Best wishes to the lovely couple!  See more of Jess and Brendan’s day  in our Real Wedding Gallery…

Photos by ngg studios

Ceremony Site: Kalimna Park

Reception Venue: Glen Organic Farm

Bridal Gown by NCLN Collection

Bride’s Hair: Fresh Image Hair & Nails Salon in Evans Head

Wedding Party Makeup: Bronzed and Beautiful

Cake by Coorabell Cakes

Tags: Australia, Brisbane, lovely, pink, romantic, soft color palette.

Mike and Merryn married on New Year’s Eve 2011 in Brisbane.  They were inspired  by the 1960’s style depicted in the TV series ‘Mad Men;’ yellow with deep purple was the bold and happy colour theme.  (These oversized balloons are my fave)!  Mihaja Photography perfectly captured the moments, emotions and quirky details of this special day.

The couple met when Mike moved into Merryn’s share house in Brisbane in 2004. Mike says he knew there was something special about her from the moment he met her. They used to stay up late on Friday nights drinking red wine, chatting and listening to music, then falling asleep on the couch together. In 2008, they moved to London for six months, but six months soon turned into three years!

Mike describes the wedding proposal: “On our seven year anniversary, I surprised Merryn with a dinner at Kensington Roof Gardens. I had created a hand made book with each page illustrating a different reason why I love her so much…. the last few pages did all the hard work!”

Merryn wore a custom gown by Dolly Couture, even her dress and shoes had adorable yellow accents (swoon)!   Above, she poses with her charming wedding party attendants.  The ceremony took place at the Roma Street Parklands, where those happy yellow balloons were poised amongst the trees. 

After the ceremony, the wedding party indulged in a slew of fun-filled portrait sessions, then headed over to the Victoria Park Golf Course for the party.

So presh, right?!

Thanks very much to Mike and Merryn for lighting up our week!

xoxo

Photos by Mihaja Photography

Bridal Gown by Dolly Couture

Bride’s Shoes by Next

Men’s Attire by Topman

Ceremony Venue: Roma Street Parklands

Reception Venue: Victoria Park Golf Course

Yellow Balloons via Ebay

Cupcakes by The Cupcake Parlour

Reception Photobooth by Flashback

Tags: 1960's, Australia Real Wedding, balloons, Brisbane, Mad Men, yellow.

When I first saw Jessica and Joe’s wedding album, I was blown away by the awesome purple hues, floral blends, and special little details (like the bride’s sparkly Louboutin’s)!   I thought you’d love their sweet nuptials and vibrant color inspiration captured in photos by Katherine O’Brien Photography. Jessica and Joe’s day was a mirror reflection of modern meets tradition.  The bridesmaids looked classic in long gowns and carried stunning bouquets by Verbena Floral.  The florals and décor elements were centered around a purple and pink accent palette; contemporary parcel invites set the tone for the November wedding. Jessica and Joe met while living in Chicago after college.  Eventually, they both landed jobs in London, where they currently reside.  They returned to the states to take their vows in a traditional ceremony at St. Austin’s Catholic Church. When the couple headed abroad, they weren’t able to bring along their adored Scottie, Cosmo.  He has been living with Jessica’s parents, who drove him down from Wisconsin so he could play the role of the ring bearer! 

After a classic ceremony and portraits around town, everyone headed to The Austin Club to celebrate… Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: austin, purple, traditional.

This week’s Real Wedding takes us to Phoenix, Arizona, where Taylor and Brandon wed at the The Farm at South Mountain.  The desert really is so beautiful….. Add a rustic setting, twinkling lights, and incredible flowers… and you’ve got an evening of sheer romance!  Here’s a quick peek at their album, photographed by Galaxie Andrews, but you can catch the full feature {here}!

We just love the look of the rich red and sweet peach palette against the desert backdrop!  Camelback Flower Shop worked their magic to design breathtaking florals for the event. It was a gorgeous November day in Arizona, a moderate eighty-five degrees.  These two lovebirds are laid-back types… they wanted a wedding that was easy-going and spacious, with lots of outdoor room.  Taylor wore a simple chic gown by Wtoo; Brandon took a casual route, wearing dress pants and a vest.The tabletops featured blooming kale, roses, peach tones, and candlelight.  String lights lit up the night and created quite the ambiance on the farm. 

For favors, Taylor and Brandon gifted jars of fresh salsa (so creative and perfectly Southwest)!

See more of their day in the Real Wedding Gallery….

Sweet wishes to the happy couple!

Photographs by Galaxie Andrews

Venue: The Farm at South Mountain

Florals by Camelback Flower Shop

Bridal Gown by Wtoo

Bridesmaid’s Dresses by Aria

Bride’s Hair by Park Avenue Blow Dry and Beauty Bar

DJ: SKM Entertainment

Tags: Arizona, desert, peach, ranch, red, romantic, rustic.

What do you get when two creative types tie the knot?  Something totally creative, utterly unique and very them of course!  That’s exactly what Jennifer, a life and style blogger, and Kyle, a bassist set out to do.  They had a sweet outdoor wedding in Kyle, Texas at the charming Winfield Inn. The day was documented by one of our favorite Austin photographers, Katherine O’Brien!Jennifer and Kyle aren’t traditional types… and they did their day a little ‘differently.’   The ceremony was all about friends and family, and their lively reception was all about fun.  Lucky for them, their parents encouraged them to not let traditions and family pressures shape their wedding plans.  With that advice, they went at it, creating an event all their own.  They incorporated Kyle’s love of music and Jennifer’s eclectic and vintage style.  Pops of reds and other bright colors came thru beautifully in the pics!

Read about the crazy way they met, and a bit about their planning process just below!  (We’ve got the bride lined up to share a bit of custom wedding fashion advice for ya’ll tomorrow too)!

Photographs by Katherine O’Brien Photography

Venue: Winfield Inn

Bridal Gown by Rachelle Briton

Bride’s Shoes by Kate Spade

Ceremony Music by Michael Kingcaid

Flowers by Laura Daly Designs

Makeup by Julie Odom

Reception Music by The Motts

From the Bride:  Kyle is a musician, bass player, and COO of a small start-up based in Austin, and I’m a life and style blogger, writer, and content marketing manager. We met in 2008 outside of a food trailer. Yes, a food trailer. They’re wildly popular here in Austin, and one of the most popular ones, called Flip Happy Crepes, happens to make delicious gourmet style crepes. At the time it was so popular that it was impossible to order, eat, and get out in less than 90 minutes. That’s just how it was! I remember it being a Saturday morning, early, and I dragged my friend out to try Flip Happy Crepes with me. We arrived and of course had a good 45 minute wait before we could even order. The place was packed! We were lucky enough to grab two seats at the one picnic table that was just less than full of people. Kyle and his then roommate happened to be sitting there too. After probably an hour of mingling and some good food we just sort of parted ways, but Kyle managed to give me his business card before he left. Kyle didn’t want to flat out ask for my number because he didn’t want to spoil the moment, but I had plans to email him later that weekend anyway. And I did! One week, several e-mails, and a phone call or two later, we went on our first date. Now we’re married, living a super happy life in Austin, loving our darling poodle named Simon.

Kyle and I took a slightly different approach to wedding planning. We wanted to have a ceremony with all of our friends and family and a fun and lively reception to follow. However, it was super, super important that the wedding felt like “us.” We wrote our own vows, handpicked all of our music for the ceremony and reception, and DIYed as much as we possibly could for the entire event. From the beginning, our parents told us that this day is all about us and we can’t let traditions and family pressures shape what our wedding should be. That’s exactly how we felt throughout the entire process.

As far as the actual inspiration for our wedding, we wanted the evening to feel very playful but classic at the same time. Classic in a romantic, two people fall in love, vintage kind of way. I was inspired by springtime (even though we got married in the fall!), mid-century vintage dresses, and beautiful linens that you’d expect a grandmother to collect for decades. I collected tons of vintage bottles and handkerchiefs for the centerpieces and cake plates for the dessert pies and cake. I also knew that I wanted to incorporate vintage sheet music somehow. I handmade all the boutonnieres for the groomsmen using the sheet music, and it was perfect because the all of them are musicians! And to keep things rather playful throughout the whole evening, I made “love streamers” for guests to wave throughout the ceremony and reception. My favorite piece of décor had to be the hanging paper cranes made out of old sheet music. One of the first things I ever gave Kyle after we started dating was a paper crane that I made. He still has it! So it felt very personal and sweet to have dozens of paper cranes hanging from the trees as we walked down the aisle. I think the very most important thing for us was making sure that everything, from the music to the food to the vintage postcards we collected for the centerpieces, reflected our style and personality. I truly believe that personal touches make weddings all that more special. And guests love it too!

The weather couldn’t have been lovelier. The ceremony was scheduled for the evening and the girls and I had all day to lounge around The Winfield Inn and get ready. I loved being able to see the whole day come together. And as the ceremony got closer, I got more and more excited to see Kyle for our first look! It was wildly romantic seeing him for the first time. I absolutely recommend a first look. It sort
of eases some of the nerves and you get to just relax together with the wedding party before the ceremony even starts! We had extra time to take photos beforehand so we could get straight down to partying after the ceremony.

I think the actual ceremony was my favorite part of the entire day. I immediately started bawling as soon as my father and I started down the aisle. I felt like a mess! I just couldn’t hold it in. But the actual ceremony was everything I thought it would be—me and Kyle confessing every ounce of love we had for each other in front of our favorite people. His vows were amazing.

The reception was wicked fun too. I think the live band really set the tone for the night. We had our friends’ cover band play really great tunes and guests were moving and shaking pretty much the entire night.

Tags: austin, DIY, eclectic, outdoor.

When you work in the wedding industry, you stockpile tons of ideas… so when one of us gets married… watch out… it’s bound to be fabulous!   Ann is a beauty pro out of Northern California and she’s seen lots of weddings.  After dating Larry for four months, they knew it was meant to last and decided to tie the knot!  Ann paired her industry wisdom with her creative side (and the help of family) to dream up this dazzling apricot and pink wedding!  Here’s the album by Visia Productions: 
Ann is a total bombshell and a beauty expert, so it’s no wonder she looked positively divine!  The flowers are a a romantic creation by Nicole Ha.The couple met via a mysterious photo online.  Ann casually reached out Larry to network, thinking he was a photographer.  Emails turned into texts, texts turned into phone calls.  The phone calls turned into dates and the rest is history!  They celebrated their vows at  Ming’s Restaurant in Palo Alto, California.  Ann and her family were a paper-flower making factory before the big day.  With the help of her florist, the dazzling table décor came together. 

So, so stunning…

All our best to Ann & Larry!

Photos by Visia Productions

Hair & Makeup by Ann Ho: Styles by Ann and Kathy Ly for A List Makeup

Bridal Gown by Casablanca

Bride’s Shoes by Jimmy Choo

Florals by Nicole Ha

Venue: Ming’s Restaurant

Tags: apricot, dazzling, glamorous, paper flowers, pink, silver.

I have something soooooo stunning for you today!  Without further ado… Marcy & Alex‘s old Hollywood-inspired wedding in Palm Beach, Florida.   From the exquisite bride, to the rich red roses to the glamorous style, there is so much gorgeousness to indulge in with this one.  Many thanks to Jessica Lorren Organic Photography for sending this wedding our way!  Marcy wore a breathtaking, backless Monique Lhuillier gown and Christian Louboutin heels.  The gentleman’s wardrobe was formal and classy- traditional black tuxedos with crimson roses on their lapels.
The couple said their vows at The Royal Poinciana Chapel and celebrated at an exclusive venue. Marcy’s favorite part of the night was becoming the wife of the man of her dreams.The wedding party = crazy beautiful. (Aren’t those colors so amazing)?! But just wait for these reception pics- utterly ravishing.  The space was adorned with sparkling silver linens and Black Magic roses in vintage style candelabras.  It was styled to old Hollywood perfection by Dream Concierge.

See the full photo spread in our Real Wedding Gallery!

Sweet wishes to this happy couple!

Photographs by Jessica Lorren Organic Photography

Event Design by Dream Concierge

Ceremony Site: Royal Poinciana Chapel

Bridal Gown by Monique Lhuillier

Shoes by Christian Louboutin

Bride’s Hair & Makeup by SoBeMakeupStudio

Florals by Dalsimer Florist

Catering by Chez Gourmet

Entertainment by Carlos Oliva Los Sobrinos del Juez

DJ-Len at Custom DJ Services

Tags: Florida, old hollywood glamour, ravishing, red, roses.