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Hot Pink Rocks at this Malibu Wedding

This wedding from Heavenly Blooms took place at the Malibu Nature Preserve, a truly breathtaking venue overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The bride loves the color pink, orchids and crystals, which you can definitely see throughout the wedding details.

Florida’s Fisher Island – Memorable Destination Weddings

This lovely wedding was held at the famous Vanderbilt Mansion on Fisher Island in Florida, which is a wonderful choice for a destination wedding.

Fisher Island Club is the home of the elegant and historic Vanderbilt Mansion.  Because Fisher Island is a private members residence, the club hosts a select amount of catered events every year.  This makes hosting an event here at Fisher Island all the more special and unique.  In recent years, Fisher Island Club, due to its natural attributes, impeccable service and safe environment, has become a premier destination of choice for exclusive events. The Mediterranean style mansion, former estate of the Vanderbilt family, provides a unique and classic setting for weddings. In the center of the Mansion Courtyard is our famous Banyan Tree that is as historic as the Mansion itself and makes the most romantic setting for wedding ceremonies. The tropical gardens, marina and view of the Miami skyline also provide a picturesque backdrop for outdoor events.

Jamaica’s Tourquoise Sea a Perfect Setting

This summer’s heat is so overwhelming we went looking for something with a “cool” feel. This ocean side wedding in Jamaica from Andy Marcus of Fred Marcus Photography in New York was the perfect refreshment.

The magical Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios was this wedding’s destination. It has an incredible beach, gorgeous rooms, and a private, small hotel that you can take over with loved ones. The vision for this wedding was for something elegant, relaxed, fun and comfortable.

The day of the wedding was spent with volleyball, swimming in the ocean and lounging together until the afternoon ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. Late night there was a bonfire for post-wedding relaxation in the sand and continued cocktails.

The bride’s dress was by Monique Lhuillier. This dress was perfectly elegant and simple for a beach wedding. The lace made it special, but the design made it relaxed, comfy and very much her style. The bride was able to dance and move in it – even sit in the sand – plus she could be barefoot. Very important for a wedding with a “no shoes” dress code!

Destination Weddings: Newport Beach Seaside Wedding

San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographer Meg Perotti feels lucky to document love! Trained in fine art photography, she approaches weddings in an intimate artful way resulting in images that emulate the bride and groom’s unique personality and beauty that will be cherished for years to come.

The wedding below took place at the bride’s family vacation home on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, California.

The bride wanted something ocean inspired but nothing too “theme-oriented”- no starfish, sand dollars or messages in a bottle.

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Glamourous Destination Weddings – The Montage at Beverly Hills

As a bride, selecting the venue for a destination wedding can be daunting if you don’t already have a place in mind. The Montage Hotels & Resorts elegant Beverly Hills location was the setting for this photo shoot from GreyLikesWeddings.com. It was staged by wedding designer and planner Details Details.  The amazing flowers are by Bloom Box Designs and gorgeous photography by Samuel Lippke.

About the location … Kay chose this photo feature on Montage in Beverly Hills based on her own wonderful experiences. Montage is devoted to delivering an elevated guest experience. A key part of all Montage Hotels & Resorts is a commitment to refined living. Guests can expect impeccable hospitality, exceptional epicurean experiences, world class spas and an elegant yet welcoming ambiance with the goal of creating lasting and cherished memories. Knowledge and passion for exceptional personalized service are the foundation upon which this property management company is built, and these desires are infused in each destination. (more…)

Hawaiian Wedding Inspiration: Oahu South Shore

Many brides share a lifelong dream of getting married barefoot on the beach. This bride’s vision was realized in an intimate ceremony at Paiko Beach, a hidden strip of sand on Oahu’s south shore. The couple then switched gears (and clothes) with a traditional Catholic ceremony at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, which happens to be the oldest Catholic cathedral in the United States.

The bride did not hesitate in planning her wedding, as the Cathedral is where her mother was married.

The bride wore a dramatic mermaid gown that she found at a bridal shop in Chinatown…ironically, the same boutique where her mother found her own gown. The tulle skirt on the dress reminded her of a ballerina’s costume. An avid dancer, the bride paired the dress with her pointe shoes! She carried a bouquet of white roses, her favorite flower. The bridesmaids wore one-of-a-kind cocktail dresses in bright confetti colors by fashion designer Cindy King of the label Acid Dolls.

The groom opted for a stylish beige suit with a pale pink bowtie.

Photographer Ja Tecson captured the couple perfectly.

Source: PacificWeddings.com

Vintage Vineyard Wedding In The Texas Hill Country

Bride and Groom, Rachel and Greg, met at work where they both work at Marquee Event Group, an event rental company in Austin, Texas. Rachel is an outside sales representative; Greg is a member of the inside sales and marketing department. The attraction started over their love of dogs.  After initially blowing Greg off with a “I don’t date my co-workers excuse,” Rachel returned several weeks later from a trip to Ireland to attend a friends wedding, with a different perspective. Rachel asked Greg on a date to the dog park and that was the beginning.

Now, the juiciest part of the story is that they never told anyone at work they were together until Rachel walked into work with an engagement ring on her finger several years later. They blew everyone away! They were both nervous about people’s reactions. Yet, it turned out that everyone was so excited (and so shocked). In the end, it was the greatest surprise and their “family” at Marquee threw them a great wedding!

The wedding theme – Vintage Vineyard Elegance – was due to Rachel’s work. As a vendor in the events industry she had been fortunate to be a part of some truly amazing weddings. She wanted her wedding to be something she’d never seen. She wanted something unique that was her own. That’s why Rachel and Greg chose Flat Creek Estate in Austin’s Hill Country. Food was a big part of the wedding as well. They wanted to have a nice dinner party with a ceremony thrown in. Thus creating a family reunion with elegance, and they felt the vineyard was the perfect venue to create that experience.

Rachel used her wedding dress as her first item for décor inspiration. Marquee’s Owner, Damon Holditch, had her butter taffeta linens made from scratch. Damon also agreed to make the plum faux silk cocktail tables linens tied with a butter taffeta sash around the base as well as the plum silk button cake table. Purple is Rachel’s favorite color but she didn’t want to go too crazy with the purple.

The tent was also a very important design element. It can be difficult to maintain a vintage look in a tent and it’s even more difficult for someone who rents tents for a living to be wowed by a wedding tent! The goal was to have the ceiling treatment low and bring the top of the tent lower and cozier. Rachel also wanted eclectic and mismatched lighting. The tent went right on top of a parking area with paver stones that made it feel antique. Marquee’s efforts brought tears to the bride’s eyes when she finally saw it all come together.

The Bridal Bouquet was a mix of fluffy white hydrangea, white ranunculus, white sweetpeas, white majolica roses, white spider tulips, white hyacinth and white lilac. On her bouquet, “The Key” is the badge of the brides’ sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. The sapphire is recognized by Kappa as the symbol of truth, sincerity and constancy. Although the bride graduated from college in 1996 Kappa is still close to her heart. There were 7 Kappa’s at the wedding, including the Matron of Honor who was a sorority sister and college roommate.

Final notes from the bride …

“Photographer Jennifer Lindberg is amazing! She is truly dedicated to her craft and she is incredibly talented. It was a dream come true for her to photograph our wedding. In my mind there was no other choice. We were lucky and deemed it fate that she was available on our wedding date. We knew she would bring a personal view and photo journalism style photography to our wedding. That is what I wanted. As soon as I saw our “sneak peak” slideshow that Jennifer put together I was in tears. She is brilliant!”

“Take my advice … Hire a wedding planner and trust them! Use strong and reputable vendors because they really will make a huge difference in your wedding execution. Try to make decisions and stick to them. Because our engagement and wedding planning was only 3.5 months long we could not waiver on decisions and that really was a blessing. If any part of your wedding is outdoors be prepared for Plan B and be comfortable with it. I think our final plan was Plan E but it ended up perfect. If you’re planning your wedding on a budget set priorities on what is most important. For example, catering and décor was a high priority for us but that meant that music and paper goods had a lower priority.”

Featured Wedding courtesy of Jennifer Lindberg

Wedding dress: Forever Yours
Grooms attire: Black suit – Jones New York Collection
Bridesmaids: J Crew
Wedding Coordinator: Clink Events
Location: Ceremony & Reception – Flat Creek Estate
Rentals: Marquee Event Group – the bride & groom’s employer.
Floral: Prive Floral
Caterer: Primize
Wedding Cake: Simon Lee Bakery

Featured Wedding in Santa Barbara: A Chance Meeting of Old Friends

Chance meetings can change your life. It did with this couple who knew each other throughout high school, yet it wasn’t until years later that a chance meeting at a hang out in Austin, Texas, where they both attended the University of Texas, reconnected them; this time forever.

Torri and Andy’s first date, a week later, was at Cedar Street, where they listened to the Spazmatics, the same band who, four years later, would be hired to play at their wedding! The proposal came on a Memorial Day weekend at the Chateau du Sureau outside Yosemite National Park with a beautiful, bended-knee proposal amid tea lights in the forest.

Torri’s wedding dress was a Lazaro, Spanish-inspired gown, with a Monique Lhuillier veil. She found the dress in Scottsdale, Arizona where her father lives, on a special trip with her mother. Final approval came after her Dad visited many bridal boutiques with Torri and helped her make the final decision – now that’s a special dad!

Torri and Andy chose Santa Barbara as their wedding location due to Andy’s father who was in Seminary at Old Mission Santa Barbara. The full choir performed throughout the ceremony.

Montecito Confections created two beautiful cakes for the event. The bridal cake was a 4-tier cake with Tiramisu, coconut and the traditional Southern Red Velvet Cake flavors. Persimmon colored Plumerias trailed down the edge of the white fondant cake. The groom’s cake was in the shape of a panda (the bride’s nickname for the groom) and was a bittersweet chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse filling.

The reception was an alfresco, family-style celebration held in traditional Italian style to honor the bride’s family, at a private estate, Terra Bella, in Hope Ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Guests dined on antipasto with bowls of risotto and penne a la puttanesca passed around family style. For the main course, guests enjoyed filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus with hollandaise sauce. Along with the cake, guests were treated to a gelato bar.

The reception began with Music from the local band, Luna Gitana. The reception continued well into the night with music by the Spazmatics.

Trolleys were on-hand to transport guests from the Mission to the estate and to take guests back to their respective hotels at the end of the evening with gifts of pashminas, Torrone Italian candy and jordan almonds wishing everyone, Buona Sera.

Our thanks to StrictlyWeddings.com Dallas photographer, Thisbe Grace, who as always, brought her own grace and style to these wonderful wedding photos.

Bride and Groom: Torri Hansen and Andy Ainsa
Date: September 25, 2010
Photographer: Thisbe Grace Photography
Bridal Gown: Lazaro
Cake: Montecito Confections
Wedding Ceremony: Old Mission Santa Barbara

Destination Weddings – One and Only Palmilla Hotel, Cabo San Lucas

We were so taken back when the ONE AND ONLY Karen Wise shared this wedding with us. It was a match made in heaven – her exquisite work and the magnificent One and Only Palmilla Hotel in Cabo San Lucas.

When we think about getting away, we only think of this resort for it is indeed one of our favorite places to escape – no wonder this couple chose it for their destination wedding! Please enjoy each beautiful detail that Photographer Karen Wise was able to capture.

A traditional, white-washed Mexican chapel is the setting for the hillside weddings at Palmilla. As part of its four-night destination wedding package, the resort provides a horse-drawn carriage for the bride and groom to travel to the chapel. Once inside the Chapel … the start of a new beginning.

Photographer Karen Wise, originally from Montreal, lives in New York.

Jamaica’s Ocho Rios – This New York Couple’s Perfect Destination Wedding

We are delighted with this fun wedding from Andy Marcus of Fred Marcus Photography in New York. Who wouldn’t have a good time in Jamaica? The bride did a wonderful job telling us her story as well …

… Matt and I met through mutual friends from college. We spent 6 years dating before we decided to get married. We had always wanted a destination wedding where we could be surrounded by those we love and have a vacation as a group. We chose the magical Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios, Jamaica because of the incredible beach, gorgeous rooms, and the fact that it was a private and small hotel we could take over with our loved ones. In addition, they have a fantastic staff, incredible food, are easy to travel to from our home in NYC and have a location that needs no decoration! Our vision for the wedding was to have something elegant, relaxed, fun and comfortable.

Our wedding festivities began on Thursday evening with welcome cocktails in one of the incredible ocean front suites. On Friday, we had a ladies spa morning, beach volleyball tournament and a sunset boat cruise and rehearsal dinner for all the guests that afternoon/evening. Then came the day of the wedding which was spent with more volleyball, swimming in the ocean and lounging together until the afternoon ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. Late night there was a bonfire for post-wedding relaxation in the sand and continued cocktails. (more…)