wedding day Archives - Page 2 of 10

A Classic Vineyard DIY Wedding

August 15, 2014 Leave a Comment

This wedding screams classic! I mean each and every detail is absolutely gorgeous and jaw dropping beautiful. Let me tell you a little secert…this wedding is DIY. I could not believe it, as all the romantic and elegant details are done to perfection. Perfect for this stunning couple. Amazingly captured by Sonya Lalla Photography, this wedding has all the pretty details created for a magical day. Oh, and this bride is super stunning! I mean that lace dress was made for her. I LOVE the bridal gown. Before heading out to start the weekend, take a moment to view the lovely photos of this classic wedding.

From the bride…

Steve and I have known each other pretty much our whole lives. We grew up together in church and went to the same school growing up. He has been best friends with my brother for as long as I can remember so he has always been around. As a matter of fact, our parents have been close friends for a long time as well, so there are strong ties between our two families.

Having grown up together, people would always talk about us “getting together”, but nothing ever really happened between us. He is four years older than I, so he was in college while I was in high school. When it was my turn to go to college, and I was officially “old enough”, neither of us made a move, and we both moved on. We were always very close friends and saw each other all the time at church and various family get-togethers.

As a few years passed, we were both in different relationships, but people kept wondering when/if we ever would finally end up together. As my relationship ended, his relationship was just beginning and it seemed that timing was against us again. I was in the process of moving on while his relationship was going seemingly well, but I couldn’t help but wonder “what might have been”. Soon after, his relationship ended, he came to me one afternoon and said that we needed to talk. He told me how he had always had feelings for me and wanted to see if things between us could work. That was just over a year ago and we have been inseparable ever since.

Last summer he flew me out to Washington to meet some of his family. While we were there he drove me to Seattle, a city I have always wanted to visit. While we were looking around and seeing the city, he told me to look up at the Space Needle.Once I glanced up, he said “We are having dinner up there tonight”. I was so surprised and thought it was the sweetest thing for him to surprise me with such a nice dinner. After we finished our wonderful meal, he came over to my side of the table, asked me to stand up, got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. It was the most intimate and perfect proposal!

Wedding Day

We tried to make things just simple, pretty, and classic. “Classic” is what I tried to think of whenever I was making decisions for the day. We only used two vendors, besides our wonderful photographers:-), and that was Weinhardt Party Rentals for our glasses and napkins, and Zach Lewis, from Illinois, for our music. Other than that, everything was done by us. We ordered our flowers from Sams Club and put them together the night before, my wonderful Momma made our food, my students helped us set up and tear down, my cousin help set up all of the bars and did all of the signs, and Steve’s childhood neighbor did all of our desserts. There were plenty of other things that people helped us with and we are so thankful for everyone who helped make our day so perfect.

Vendors:

Photographer: Sonya Lalla Photography

Reception Venue: The Vineyard at Riverbend Chapel

Lighting: Weinhardt Party Rentals

Filed Under: General, Real Weddings Tagged With: black and white, bride, classic wedding, DIY wedding, groom, lace, real wedding, rustic, Sonya Lalla Photography, The Vineyard at Riverbend Chapel, vineyard wedding, wedding, wedding day, white flowers

Weddings at the Villa San Juan Capistrano

August 4, 2014 1 Comment

Another fabulous venue tucked away in a lovely town. For living in Orange County my whole life, I was pleasantly surprised when I found this pretty hidden gem in the historic part of San Juan Capistrano, California. I was lucky enough to stop by this quaint and pretty venue offering the most amazing details. The Villa San Juan Capistrano is an old home turned into a wedding magical venue with the most charming details. From the moment I walked under the stunning greenery walkway, my eyes were all over the place, admiring all its lovely details. A place any bride and groom can call home for one day and make their own. If you love rustic and old world charm, then consider The Villa San Juan Capistrano to celebrate your wedding day!

Tyler Branch Photography

josh Elliott Photography

Becca Rillo Photography

Tyler branch Photography

Becca Rillo Photography

Ryan Phillips Photography

Troy Grover Photography

Josh Elliott Photography

Adrian Jon Photography

About The Villa San Juan Capistrano…

Warm. Inviting. Timeless. Exclusive. Historic.

The Villa San Juan Capistrano is brought to you by the innovative minds that created the Ramos House Café located in The Los Rios Historic District in Orange County.

The turn-of-the-century home was part of the Yorba family estate, built in 1918. The property has worn many hats over the years, such as: a board and batten house in the 1930s, where itinerant farmers from nearby orchards would spend the night; as well as an antique store/wedding facility, owned by Gep Durenberger in the 1960s until the early 2000s.

Today, the unique establishment has been renovated and restored by current owner, John Q. Humphreys, as a timeless event space.

Now in its fifth wedding season under Humphreys’ ownership, The Villa San Juan Capistrano provides unforgettable memories, complete with a romantic, garden atmosphere full of ancient fruit trees, all enhanced by gas lanterns, with historic buildings surrounding the stone courtyard where festivities take place.

The Villa San Juan Capistrano is equipped with a few of the industry’s finest vendors. Iva Lee’s is the property’s exclusive, full-service caterer, and handles food, beverage, and rental services. Divel Entertainment is the facility’s resident DJ, who also offers MC services with basic packaging. How Elite Valet Service is included in the venue rental, and is complimentary to guests on the day of the event. And lastly, The Villa San Juan Capistrano includes an onsite-day-of-coordinator to manage functions on the scheduled event date.

Step inside and feel the essence of time flourish around you and loved ones.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: bride, groom, orange county venue, San Juan Capistrano, The Villa San Juan Capistrano, venue, villa, wedding day, wedding venue, weddings

BHL Vendor Hot Pick: Rock Me Up

July 21, 2014 4 Comments

We are kicking off the week with a fabulous company who knows how to pretty up brides and her maids. On wedding day, photographs are taken at all times, a smile here, a pose there, and a capturing of lovely moments everywhere. Having a Make Up Artist that really understands weddings and the photographs that go with them is really important. That is why we have chose Britney Moya of Rock Me Up as our Vendor Hot Pick of the week. She is not only a beautiful and lovely person, but she has some mad beauty skills that blow our minds. Oh, and she makes you feel gorgeous as you are getting your make up done. It is an amazing experience, and it should be this way for one of the biggest day of your lives. Start your Monday with a pretty post.

About Rock Me Up…

Beauty Expert and Licensed Skin Care Therapist Britney Moya started her Bridal Company in 2011 Catering to Brides exclusively. Britney took her passion as a Make Artistry and product Knowledge Specialist to develop a cosmetic line that would cater to her brides. Rock Me Up Cosmetics is a mineral base, high definition makeup that is healthy for the skin and photographs flawlessly for the camera. Britney and her team of trained beauty professionals offer a full range of Beauty Services leading up to the wedding and day of services. Providing Facials, Eye Lash Extensions, Airbrush Tanning, Waxing & Men Grooming. Britney offers her Brides that exclusively book with her a Complementary Skin Care Analysis that Includes, determining the clients skin type, addressing any skin care concerns, and providing a skin care protocol that meets the individuals needs, To ensure the Bride has Healthy glowing skin on the day of her wedding.

On the day of the bridal trial/ preview, Britney and her beauty experts will create a look that is elegant, sophisticated, and that is designed to accentuate the brides unique Beauty. Our Brides get a first look of how they will appear on there wedding day. Britney as a working makeup artist of 8 years in the industry has made appearances on Tv shows such David Tutera “Unveiled” and the Disney Channel. She has catered to over to 300 brides in the duration of her career and hopes to cater to much more. Her passion and goal is to exceed the Brides expectations and make her Brides look and feel Beautiful on the most Important day of their life.

Filed Under: General, Vendor Hot Picks Tagged With: beauty, Beauty expert, Bridal company, bridal make up, bride, Make up, make up trends, rock me up, style, vendor hot pick, wedding day

South Carolina Farm Wedding by Matthew Druin Photography

July 18, 2014 3 Comments

Destination? A lovely farm in South Carolina. A location with beautiful mother nature surrounding their wedding day. I may be a city girl, but I have to admit, I do love myself a farm style wedding in the countryside. I am gushing over all the pretty details of the vast greenery and a couple who looks darn good in it. Matthew Druin Photography was there to capture all the gorgeous images from this destination Farm wedding. Enjoy a little bit of country loving!

From Matthew Druin Photography… On Rachel’s first day at Stanford, where she attended college, she almost crashed her bike into her future husband while he was talking to their professor. Alex played it off with a casual, hi, but Rachel knew he was secretly laughing at her. He must have found her graceful bike abilities attractive, because when they found out they were both in the same masters program, they started dating right away. Their whirlwind love continued and they spent a lot of time traveling, arguing about football, and jamming out to Kid Cudi until one day isolated deep in the mountains, Alex asked Rachel to be his wife. Rachel and Alex planned a beautiful destination wedding that perfectly fit their love affair for travel and nature. Snuggled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is one of my all time favorite venues, Chattooga Belle Farm. Days before and leading up to the big day, weather forecasters called for 100% chance of rain. For Rachel and Alex, that was not a problem. They embraced the rain for their outdoor wedding and came prepared with tons of umbrellas and boots. The rain and ominous clouds continued as Rachel and Alex began to get ready for their big day only doors down from one another at a semi-local hotel. After getting ready everyone made their way to the vineyard in preparation for the ceremony. As the guests began to arrive, Rachel got into her gorgeous dress with a slight tear of joy, and help from her family and bridesmaids. Alex and the groomsmen made their way to the alter and the ceremony started. As Alex came to a stop at the front of the ceremony, the rain stopped and the sun peeked a few rays through the dark sky. Rachel made her way to the front with her father to greet Alex. A few family and friends came forward to say their blessings and then the officiant began with his prayer. With an exchanging of rings, a few tears, and a passionate kiss, Rachel and Alex were pronounced husband and wife. Once the ceremony was over, we started right into portraits. Not being discouraged by the wet and occasionally muddy vineyard we took full advantage of the incredible scenery. We made our way around the farm through the tall grass filled fields and vineyards. The sun started to shine stronger and the sky created an amazing complement. Although we all came back slightly wet, it was fully worth it.

Alex and Rachel were introduced and had their first dance before everyone dug in to the tasty buffet. Since both Rachel and Alex enjoy great craft brewed beer, plenty was supplied. Since Rachel is originally from Atlanta, Sweetwater was the featured choice of beer.

Griff’s Room Band kicked off the reception and did an amazing job entertaining the guests while they enjoyed the warm sun, great conversations, and showed off some fancy dancing. Rachel and Alex made their exit into the vineyard with soft bubbles floating carelessly in the air. Vendors: Photography: Matthew Druin Photography Venue: Chattooga Belle Farm

Filed Under: General, Real Weddings Tagged With: bride, Chattooga Belle Farm, groom, real wedding, rustic, South Carolina, vintage, wedding, wedding day

Texas State Capitol Bridal Session from PhotoHouse Films

July 16, 2014 Leave a Comment

I am not sure how your Wedding Wednesday is looking like today, but ours is looking pretty darn amazing. It is all due to this charming bridal session set in the heart of Austin, Texas. You will want to clear your schedule and set some time aside to enjoy this pretty bridal session. The 19th century architecture building is not the only detail catching our eyes. This bride is gorgeous! The beautiful bride looks amazing in a setting like this one…At one of the nation’s most distinguished state capitols and wearing a stunning gown from Signature Bridal Salon. She is looking as lovely as can be. Of course, this bride’s beauty is captured by PhotoHouse Films, who does an incredible job in snapping all the pretty details. Yes, we are a big fans of brides and their bridal sessions, and this one has us head over heels in love. So take a little break, ( or a long one!), and browse the fabulous images of a bride and the Texas Capitol Building.

From PhotoHouse Films…

A stunning bridal portrait session at the Texas State Capitol with Margot Coogan.

Margot’s bridal portrait session at the Texas State Capitol was such a wonderful day and we had a blast spending the afternoon with her there! She looked absolutely stunning in her dress and we can’t wait for her to share all that beauty on her big day.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Austin, bridal, bridal session, bride, bride to be, Capitol of Texas, photography, Photohouse Films, Texas bride, wedding day

Whimsical and Romantic Wedding from Gage Blake Photography

July 11, 2014 Leave a Comment

I seriously love my job. I have to pinch myself because sometimes it does not seem real. All the pretty and gorgeous wedding details I get to view each and every day is beyond amazing. Today’s real wedding feature is no exception. This wedding has me obsessing all day long. I am in love with all the rustic and romantic details this wedding has to offer. From the beautiful ceremony wooden French doors to the hanging florals in a vast green space. So dreamy and oh so lovely. I can not get enough of this whimsical wedding. Did I mention there is a horse-drawn carriage for the bride’s grand entrance? Yep, and it gets even better from there. Go ahead, take a look at the stunning images captured by Gage Blake Photography.

From Gage Blake Photography…

I was so excited to photograph Ashley & Corey’s wedding at Bennetts Orchard. It was like a real dream come true wedding! The venue was absolutely gorgeous and the details for this wedding was amazing!

I asked the Bride and Groom to answer some questions about their Wedding day. Here is what they had to say:

What was the flavor of your cake? Our personal cake was white, but we had many others! We had several different flavors of cheesecake, cookies & cupcakes!

What was the most memorable moment of your Wedding day?

Bride: Walking down the aisle!

Groom: Ashley walking through the doors to come meet me down the aisle.

What was the Funniest memory from your wedding day?

Bride: Corey’s moves when he was taking off the garter.

Groom: Cutting & smashing the cake!

Special moments you will never forget from your Wedding Day?

Bride: Riding up to the ceremony in the carriage and walking through the doors & down the aisle to see my groom! Also, just spending the day with all of the important people in our lives!

Groom: Seeing Ashley, walking into the reception together and spinning my bride around!

What was your favorite detail you did for your wedding?

Bride: The whole ceremony- it was like a fairy tale!

Groom: The ceremony setting- the tree we chose to get married in front of, etc.

Vendors:

Photography: Gage Blake Photography

Venue: Bennetts Orchard

Bridal Gown: David’s Bridal

DJ/Entertainment: Decorative Sound

Florist: Beautiful Blooms by Jen

Videographer: Fordham Footage

Caterer: Scott’s Catering

Cake Vendor: Bakery Unlimited

Hair/Makeup Consultant: Jennifer Pello

Photo booth: Poupard Moonwalks

Filed Under: General, Real Weddings Tagged With: Bennetts Orchard, bride, DIY wedding, groom, real wedding, red barn, romantic, rustic, rustic wedding, wedding, wedding day, whimsical

Country Chic Wedding from Jessi Marri Photography

July 9, 2014 Leave a Comment

Excuse me while I gush over all the pretty details of this country chic wedding located in Anahuac, Texas. Oh my! This wedding is so gorgeous! I am in love with all the DIY details that the bride and her family created. You can tell that a lot of sweat, blood, and tears went into creating such a lovely wedding. I would not consider myself a country girl, but this wedding has me thinking of buying some cowboy boots of my own! Thanks to Jessi Marri Photography for capturing all the beautiful photos and making this wedding even more special. I can stare at these images all day. Yes, all day! Go ahead and take a look for yourself and you will see why I am so obsessed.

From the bride…

For months leading up to the wedding day we, or my mother and I, put in a lot of thought and work on cost saving ways to make the day the way we wanted it. My husband would listen to my thoughts and always just said whatever you want sweetheart! Through saving mason jars, wine bottles, and various things we were able to make all of the center pieces for the wedding. We were blessed to have an amazing group of family and friends to help us with many different key pieces. One of the bridesmaid’s mothers was an ex cake baker and made the wedding cake as a wedding gift. The favors were from my dad’s candy store, Lindale Candy Company. My mom did so much work on making different signs to display at the wedding, pictures to display, and other various things. My dad cut logs for the cake bases and made the giant F for the wedding.

Three days prior to the wedding, my best friend (maid of honor) and one of my bridesmaids showed up to help get last minute things into place. My mother showed up two days prior. We were lucky enough to be able to start setting up a couple of days prior because no one had rented out the lodge. Now after all of the work put in to the decorations and all of the different pieces it was time to put them all together. To save money we decided to do all of the decorating on our own. We worked all day and all night for two days to get everything ready. We also got a group of family and friends together to set up the chairs at the wedding location. One of my bridesmaids made all of the bows and tin can displays for the wedding site the day before the wedding. She also wrapped the burlap through the arch to make it fit to the décor. Without the help of my friends and family, this day would not have been possible.

So the wedding day, we all wake up around 7 am to eat breakfast and go get our nails done. I had spent the night at the lodge with all of my bridesmaids so that we could all be together. My maid of honor slept in a twin bed next to my twin bed. We spent hours talking that night and that morning about the day to come. Once we woke up, we started doing some last minute touches (putting table cloths on, center pieces in place, etc.) before heading out to get our nails done. After finishing up with our nails, we returned to the lodge where hair and makeup were so that we could get started on that. While the first two girls started with hair and makeup, the remaining girls started putting flowers out in the vases. The flowers were ordered bulk and we arranged them ourselves. The day flew by because we were all busy finishing up the last few things. After putting the flowers out at the reception we went to the wedding site to put flowers out there. Once that was done it was time for me to start getting my hair and makeup done. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the wedding ceremony location to meet the photographer and get everything going.

While walking down the aisle it was amazing to see all of the hard work we put in come to life. With everyone there smiling and all of the little touches looking amazing I knew that all of the hard work was totally worth it. Even when we arrived to the reception I felt like it was all even better than it had been right before leaving for the ceremony. It was like seeing everyone there enjoying the space made it more special and even more perfect. This day would not have been possible without the help of my amazing mother, father, my new in-laws, and all of my bridesmaids. We could not have had such a perfect day without all of their help.

Vendors:

Photographer: Jessi Marri Photography

Venue: Oak Island Lodge

Wedding Cake: Made by a family friend

Grooms Cake: Sweet Treats by Cynthia

Caterer: Ezer Catering

Filed Under: General, Real Weddings Tagged With: bridal, bride, bridesmaids, countryside wedding, family, groom, jessi marri photography, oak island lodge, texas wedding, wedding, wedding day

Hotel at the Lafayette Wedding from Heather Bellini Photography

July 7, 2014 2 Comments

I know it is pretty hard to say goodbye to a long weekend and hello to the week. Mondays can be a total drag, but when you have a gorgeous wedding like this one, Monday just became my favorite day of the week. I am in love with the teal and pink colors that this couple incorporated into their wedding day. It pairs nicely with the beautiful and rustic venue set in Buffalo, New York. But, can we talk about the bride’s dress for a second? Oh my! This gown is so romantic and oh so lovely. Did you see the back of the gown? I can not get over how pretty this dress is. The soft lace details and stunning veil to pair it, is a dream. Simply beautiful. I can go on and on about this wedding (and the wedding gown!), but I think its best if you browse the stunning images for yourself and see what I am obsessing over. I think your Monday is about to get really good. Enjoy!!

From Heather Bellini Photography…

The rustic, yet modern decor of the Hotel at the Lafayette, with its exposed brick walls, soft lighting and city atmosphere was all that was necessary to inspire the happy couple, as well as their photographers! The garden patio was the perfect place for the wedding party to gather for portraits. The teal and bright pink color palette, was the perfect compliment to the warm May weather. Our enthusiasm for this fun couple and their fabulous wedding day has only grown and we are so thrilled to share their photos. Here is a glimpse of their special day in Buffalo, NY.

Vendors:

Reception Venue: Hotel at the Lafayette

Photographer: Heather Bellini Photography

Dress Store: MA Carr

Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Marty’s Formal Wear

Hair Stylist: Spa at Falling Waters

Floral Designer: Maureen’s Bridal Shop

Cake Designer: Dessert Deli

Filed Under: General, Real Weddings Tagged With: bridal, bride, Hotel at the Lafayette, NY, pinks, teal wedding color, wedding, wedding colors, wedding day

Sneak Peek of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta” Season 7 Episode 4

June 27, 2014 Leave a Comment

Another summer weekend is upon us, and we could not be any happier. Happy about summer fun activities, but even happier that one of our favorite show’s episode is on tonight! That is right, we’ve got the sneak peek of TLC’s SAY YES TO THE DRESS: ATLANTA. We are picking up some popcorn and maybe a few other treats to enjoy while watching he show. Kicking off the weekend right!

If you loved SYTTD (SAY YES TO THE DRESS), then you will absolutely love this show as well. If you are a total SYTTD newbie, then let us tell you a little bit about this amazing show. The show all takes place at the gorgeous bridal salon, Bridals by Lori. The goes behind the scenes and follows a variety of particular and strong-willed southern brides and their entourages as they search for their perfect wedding dress. The show features Lori Allen, Monte Durham, and the team of experts as they find solutions for all the indecisive brides-to-be. At the end of each appointment, the bridal consultant will ask one very important question, “Are you saying Yes to the Dress?”. The answer to this question? You will have to tune in each week to find out. Get ready for a whole new batch of southern brides-to-be as search for their dream bridal gown.

On tonight’s episode:

To please her fiancé, bride, Hannah has bought two bridal gowns already. But she is not loving any of them, and is hoping to find a dress that reflects her bridal dream. Later, bride-to-be Daedrea’s mom tries to crushe her wedding gown dreams. Will each of these brides stand their ground and find a dress perfect for their big day?

“Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta” premieres tonight at 9/8c. So set your DVR’s, or watch it live tonight!

Filed Under: General, TV Shows Tagged With: Atlanta, bridal, bridal dress, bridal gown, bridal salon, bride, groom, Lori Allen, Say yes to the dress, southern bride, TLC, TV show, wedding day

Sneak Peek of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta” Season 7 Premiere

June 6, 2014 Leave a Comment

We are super excited today. One reason is due to the fact that the weekend is here, but another fabulous reason is that season seven premiere of TLC’s SAY YES TO THE DRESS: ATLANTA is premiering tonight! Yep, there are some new Southern brides heading to a bridal salon to find their perfect gown for their Southern wedding.

We are thrilled to be part of the seventh season of the show. If you loved SYTTD (SAY YES TO THE DRESS), then you will absolutely love this show as well. If you are a total SYTTD newbie, then let us tell you a little bit about this amazing show. The show all takes place at the gorgeous bridal salon, Bridals by Lori. The goes behind the scenes and follows a variety of particular and strong-willed southern brides and their entourages as they search for their perfect wedding dress. The show features Lori Allen, Monte Durham, and the team of experts as they find solutions for all the indecisive brides-to-be. At the end of each appointment, the bridal consultant will ask one very important question, “Are you saying Yes to the Dress?”. The answer to this question? You will have to tune in each week to find out. Get ready for a whole new batch of southern brides-to-be as search for their dream bridal gown.

On tonight’s Season premiere episode:

The season premiere kicks off with Bride Salina who is planning to get married at the local courthouse before her fiancé is deployed to Afghanistan. She is planning to wear street clothes and not a wedding gown. But her mom would really love to see her daughter walk down the aisle in a bridal dress. So, Salina makes a last minute pit stop at Bridals by Lori to find a dress! With the clock ticking, will Lori and consultant Robin find a dress that both Mom and Salina will fall in love with? Will Salina marry in a bridal gown at the courthouse? Meanwhile, former pageant queen tuned Army ROTC Officer Kelsey is caught between her blingy past and simple present, and with opposing friends in tow, will Kelsey be able to define her own style? Will these brides say yes to the dress? You will have to tune in tonight and find out!