Love – what a trip. Such a simple little phrase with so much meaning for this lovely couple and their Southampton soirée by Sweet Little Photographs. The couple used that sweet little line of text to drive the inspiration for their seaside chic celebration and to help tell their love story. And what story it is! This, my friends, is a wedding I could literally live in, and today I am going to do just that in the full gallery of images.
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
From the Bride…The inspiration for my wedding came from a phrase that I jotted down on paper during a brainstorming session and it stuck — “Love. What a Trip.” It summed up the adventurous travels that led us to each other, and the crazy circumstances under which we met. And so our European Seaside/Travel-Themed Wedding took shape. With the theme set, it was 100x easier to let the creativity flow and then the D.I.Y. list started to grow … and grow. I began with the wedding trailer — one of my favorite D.I.Y. experiences. I really wanted to tell the story of our fateful meeting, so I collected all the Flip videos I had shot of the two of us over the past year and edited it together in iMovie. Then came invitations — I used the air mail postcard theme from Minted.com and customized the colors and copy to make it unique. Next the decor — we hand-painted all of the signage for the event on driftwood and old boards that the winter storms had blown onto our family beach. Painting a menu board rather then printing menus saved a ton of money and gave guests that “Mom & Pop Restaurant” feel. We also rummaged through my family homes to find heirlooms including the lace tablecloths, vintage wood table, baskets, vases, candelabras and one spectacular cameo that was pinned onto my bouquet. And for the music there was only one choice for us — the music of the Gypsy Kings! For cocktails and after dinner I D.I.Y’d an IPOD playlist of our favorite house and lounge tracks. For our wedding favors I convinced my family to spend countless winter months combing the beach for heart-shaped rocks, 100 of which we turned into precious little magnets for each guess (a $40 project including magnets and glue).
Bringing in my husband’s Serbian culture and my love for the European lifestyle was also a big priority. I was adamant about having long Tuscan-style seating instead of classic round tables. Instead of using table numbers we used the Cyrillic lettering in the Serbian Alphabet to call out each table, decorated the gift table with Serbian books from my husband’s collection and made sure the playlist for cocktail hour included some of our favorite Serbian and Balkan music (especially Zvonko Bogdan). We also infused Serbian dishes into our Mediterranean menu which included Paella, Porchetta, Serbian Cevapi, Gibanica and Rakija for an after dinner drink. Driving off in a Vespa or vintage Fiat 500 was also big on my list. While renting a Fiat 500 was completely out of my budget, borrowing my friend’s Vespa was just right — and it even matched our colors palate! We closed out the night with a bonfire dance party, sparklers and some serious bongo playing!
And in the end it all paid off. We were both overcome — by emotion, beauty, love, friendship, and nature. We were completely overcome that the D.I.Y. vision that had kept us up at night was playing out right before our eyes. Many times throughout the evening, as the sun was setting, sparklers were twinkling, the swan was swimming by, my new European family was finally on U.S. soil, the breeze was blowing across our alfresco tables, gypsies were strumming, I cried tears of absolute joy and accomplishment. For anyone who thinks weddings aren’t for them — I was the same. But when you put all of your creativity into a day and truly make it your own there’s no feeling like it. I can’t wait to do it all over again in Serbia!
Wedding Photography: Sweet Little Photographs / Wedding Cinematography: Vintage Cinema / Florals: Flowers by Rori / Ceremony + Reception Location: Grandparent’s Home & Beach / Ceremony & Reception Music: Los Hermanos Cintron / Wedding Invitations: Minted / Bride’s Shoes: Luiza Barcelos / Wedding Dress: San Patrick / Veil: Sara Gabriel via Gabriella / Alterations: Sew Elegant / Bride’s Hair: Rebekah Corley of The Bridal Team / Groom’s Attire: Hugo Boss / Bride’s Make-up: LJ Makeup Artistry / Catering: Fresh Flavors Catering
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What a beautifully romantic wedding!
wow, this is seriously a dream. gorgeous.
Oh my gosh, GORGEOUS wedding and gorgeous couple! I had to scroll up to see if this was just an inspiration shoot, because it looks so timeless & lovely. Best wishes to the new couple!
This has got to be one of the sweetest weddings I've seen! I love how casually elegant the bride's hair is, her dress, the sweet interaction between her and the groom and the intimate feel of the whole affair.
Absolutely perfect! This wedding should be in the magazines as one of the best of the Long Island seaside events.
Gasp! This is breathtaking! I would LOVE to see the FLIP wedding trailer!! Is it online anywhere?
Thanks ladies, I adore thess photographies and the laid-back, relaxed vibe of this gorgeous shoot.
Thank you all for the beautiful comments. I'm reliving my wedding day through this blog post!
Cheryl - you can take a peek at the trailer on Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/19905756
That's the wedding dress I wanted and haven't been able to get off my mind!!!! I absolutely love. I tried it on and remember it being so, so light. Courtney, are you selling it?!
Hi Rosaleen :)
I might wear it again in Serbia so I'm not selling it -- but as wedding gowns go it was NOT over the top pricey even at full price! I was actually shocked that it wasn't more. I got it at RK Bridal in NYC if that helps. :)
Thanks, I'll have to go check it out!
Hey Courtney... we have the same gown! I loved seeing it on a real bride, thanks so much! I was wondering what type of bustle you had? It's barely noticeable, I can't even see it! Did you have it bustled the whole time? Haven't gone to my seamstress yet so would love to hear what you did with yours.
Gorgeous wedding :)
Hi Jane! Great minds think alike ;) You are going to love this dress!!
I learned that the skirt is actually a very difficult bustle to do so I invested the money in one seamstress after reading many blogs and forums -- her name is Esin at Sew Elegant and she's worth every penny. She created a bustle with nearly 20 bows to tie under the various layers and a tiny button to pull the middle up. Hope that helps!
Love the Hamptons. Played for Sheryl Tiegs on one occasion and Jimmy Dean on another. Years ago. The photos bring me back.
@Courtney - do you know the "name" of the bustle type? I know there are lots... I would love to be able to give my seamstress an idea when I see her! I was thinking of just the regular one-button bustle, where you pull it up in the back... but yours looks great, it's not even noticeable!
Beautiful wedding! My fiance loves your husband's suit - where did you get it? (i love your dress, too, but already have one of those :) ) thanks!
Great wedding, but Southampton is one word.
courtney! so great to see you here! i don't know if you remember me but we met 2 summers ago in NYC, i was with the "english friends", i was there on vacation, coming from padova, near Treviso.. do you remember? such a stunnig effect to see you here!! what a flashback! always shining and beautiful.. and sooo happy! i got married last autumn too, really glad to share this special day of yours here! the photos are gorgeous and you too as well! my best sunny wishes from Italy! ciao!!
COURTNEY!!! so great to see you here! i don't know if you remember me.. maybe not, but we met 2 summers ago in nyc, i was with your "english friends", there on vacation, coming from padova, near treviso where you lived for a while.. do you remember? you look so shining and beautiful, as always, to be honest the both of you! the photos are gorgeous, what a great party! i got married too last october and i am really happy to share this special day of yours here, style me pretty was such an inspiring source even for my wedding.. which was not on a beach.. unfortunately! my best wishes for your new life, sunny italian wishes! ciao!
Hi Courtney...my name is Anamaria and i used to work with your husband George. I have to tell you: the pictures are amazing!!!! But the most amaizing part is the wedding itself that these pictures are portraying...beyond gorgeous!!! And i have to ask you...was the whole wedding decor diy or was there some professional help involved as well? If so could you please tell me who? Congratulations ...wishing you all the best!!!