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From the bride… Our theme started out being “French Vintage,” although in reality, our wedding really ended up being an amalgamation of a lot of beautiful things we love. We kept everything quite neutral, adding splashes of colour through the garlands, flowers and china. I enjoyed the process of planning our wedding so much that I am now doing something I have thought about for many years and starting up my own event planning business to service Western Australia brides. “flights of fancy by kristy” will be a boutique event planning business with a focus on intimate, personal and unique weddings and private events in Western Australia. We will provide a range of services, from assistance with theme and budget to vendor recommendations and liaison, to day-of coordination and everything in between, tailoring packages to suit clients’ needs and budgets.  There are so many amazing vendors in WA, and I can’t wait to share my knowledge of those vendors with others!  I really enjoyed making our wedding unique and a true reflection of both of our personalities and tastes and I hope that through my business I can encourage and assist other couples to do the same.

I had a really hard time deciding whether or not to wear my glasses. I wear glasses all the time and don’t cope very well with contact lenses, but I did consider wearing them just for the ceremony and photos. I have always hated wearing glasses and just felt that a bride shouldn’t wear glasses! Daniel wanted me to wear them – he said that they were part of me and that it would freak him out if I came down the aisle without them! I spent a lot of time googling images of brides wearing glasses and reading discussion forums on the topic, which only confused me more! In the end, I am glad that I chose to wear them. I was comfortable and looked like me! I did buy some new ones for the occasion from Karen Millen.

The morning of the wedding was beautiful but about an hour before the ceremony was due to start it started pouring with rain. Our ceremony was all set up out in the open and had to be moved at the last minute so wasn’t exactly how it was meant to be, but it was still beautiful. After the ceremony, our guests enjoyed pre-dinner drinks and canapés while the bridal party went for photos. The plan was for us to all go down to the river and have a picnic under this beautiful big tree that I had spotted in some of Samm’s previous photo shoots. Unfortunately the wet weather prevented that from happening so instead we set up our picnic under the front verandah of the hotel! Those things aside, we had an incredible day and I think what was even more special was the week leading up to the wedding when I had my hens weekend away, Daniel had his bucks day, and we had family and friends visiting from interstate and overseas.  It was undoubtedly the best week of our lives, matched only by the week after that when we spent our honeymoon at a beautiful resort in the Maldives!

Wedding Photography: Samm Blake / Photobooth: Push the Button Photobooths / Celebrant: Danicia Dutry / Flowers + Dessert Buffet Styling: Fox & Rabbit / Cakes: Sherbet Bake Shop /  Church Pews, Typewriter, Photobooth Props, Vintage China + Venue Set-Up: her handpicked harvest / Votives, Menu Holders, Tealight Candle Holders, Keys + Garlands: BHLDN / Hessian/Burlap Bunting: Her Beautiful Life / Heart Garland: Little Retreats / China Teacups, Saucers + Cake Plates: Antiquitea / Menus, Drink Lists, Table Numbers, Various Signs + Place Cards: DIY by the Bride / Place Card Template: Eat Drink Chic / Wedding Invitations: Shayna Norwood of Steel Petal Press / Wedding Dress: Samantha Wynne / Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade / Earrings: Vintage / Pearl Necklace: Borrowed from the Bride’s Aunt / Bride’s Hair + Makeup: Museo Salon & Spa / Bride’s + Bridesmaids’ Hairpieces: Tessa Kim / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alannah Hill, Wheels & Dollbaby, Review + Nicolangela / Clutches: Custom by J. Carter Handmade / Groom’s + Groomsmen’s Suits: Politix / Groom’s Shirt: Jack London / Pocket Squares: Myer / Flower Girl Dress + Cardigan: Bardot Junior / Flower Girl Shoes: Angel and Ivory / Ring Bearer Attire: Industrie Kids / Engagement Ring: Tiffany & Co. / Wedding Bands: Ecali / Ring Dish: Paloma’s Nest / Ceremony + Cocktail Music: Trevor Jalla / Dinner Music: The Elle Deslandes Trio /  Vow Books: Lorgie & Me /  Ceremony Backdrop: Designs Kara Melwood

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Post tags: Alannah Hill, Angel and Ivory, Antiquitea, Australia, Bardot Junior, BHLDN, Black, Danicia Dutry, Eat Drink Chic, Ecali, Fox + Rabbit, Guilford, Her Beautiful Life, her handpicked harvest, Industrie Kids, J. Carter Handmade, Jack London, Kara Melwood, Kate Spade, Little Retreats, Lorgie + Me, Museo Salon & Spa, Myer, Nicolangela, Paloma's Nest, Perth, Pink, Politix, Push the Button Photobooths, Review, Samantha Wynne, Samm Blake, Shayna Norwood, Sherbet Bake Shop, Steel Petal Press, Tessa Kim, The Elle Deslandes Trio, Tiffany & Co., Trevor Jalla, Western Australia, Wheels & Dollbaby, White
Post categories: Australia Weddings, Vintage Chic, Western Australia

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From the bride… Our vision for the wedding was intimacy. It was most important to us to have a wedding about our marriage and not being overly flashy or over-the-top spending. We wanted everything to be quaint, sweet and the focused solely on our marriage in front of God and witnessed by family and closest friends. The officiant was the groom’s cousin, who is a pastor, and we chose the venue, L’Auberge de Sedona, because of its beautiful location by the creek. It was an absolute bonus that it snowed. We honestly thought that because of the long summer it would be sunny that weekend in December, but snow was a thousand times better!

My favorite part was how perfectly calming and intimate our ceremony was. It was amazing for us to feel so loved as we were placed in a beautiful snowy setting by a creek, surrounded by our guests. Benjamin said the first look was something he would never forget when he turned around and saw me. I won’t forget that when I saw him from the hotel room when he was shooting with Ryan first, it finally hit me — I’m getting married! I will never forget getting my makeup done and watching the snow fall all morning. What an incredible blessing to witness as I was getting ready. I also think the fact that our wedding was less about the wedding production but more about our marriage, so many of our guests told us after they had never been to a wedding like it!

What I enjoyed most about the planning was my venue team. Being a wedding photographer myself, it was a dream to work with my favorite people in the business, from my event designer, cookie designer, makeup artist, venue and, most importantly, the photographer that I had to have! I felt like I had the dream team and I couldn’t have asked for more. I’m so thankful that everyone was able to come together and work their amazing talents.I also loved that our ceremony was short, simple and sweet. I kept telling Benjamin I wanted to get married all over again. It was so much fun.

Wedding Photography: Ryan Ray Photography / Wedding Venue + Cake: L’Auberge de Sedona in Sedona, Arizona / Event Designer: la Ricki / Flowers: Bliss Extraordinary Floral / Hair + Makeup: Lizzy Marsh / Wedding Dress: Tadashi Shoji / Cream Belt: J.Crew / Black Belt: BHLDN / Earrings + Bracelets: Nadri / Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Jewelry: J.Crew / Groom’s Suit: Zegna / Tie: Calibrate / Shirt: Thomas Pink

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Post tags: Arizona, Badgley Mischka, BHLDN, Black, Bliss Extraordinary Floral, Calibrate, J. Crew, L'Auberge de Sedona, la Ricki, Lizzy Marsh, Nadri, Ryan Ray Photography, Sedona, Tadashi Shoji, Thomas Pink, White, Zegna
Post categories: The Blog

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From You, Me and a Photograph … Ana and Mihai got married in August 2011 in Kitchener, Ontario. They both love the French charm of Old Montreal so the place for their engagement session was easily decided. Ana is a big lover of everything Audrey Hepburn-related, so obviously she put on a little black dress, black gloves and pearls, plus a bird cage veil for extra chic-ness. We started our adventure in a blue laundromat, which instantly set the mood of the entire session to silly and romantic. We then strolled around Vieux Montreal with its excellent backdrop of old buildings, stopped at a French cafe, and rested our weary feet in front of a fountain in one of the city’s quaint little squares. Mihai is a fisherman, so the next day we set off towards this cute chalet near a lake. We spent the day rowing in a vintage red boat called Sinker Belle, listening to the local frog concerto and admiring the water lilies.

Photography: You, Me and a Photograph / Location: Montreal, Quebec

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Post tags: Black, Canada, Engagement Photos, engagement session, Me and a Photography, montreal, Navy, Ontario, Red, White, You
Post categories: Canada Weddings, engagement session, Ontario Weddings

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Because the wedding took place on an island and it was a destination wedding for everyone, it was important to the couple and their parents that all of the weekend’s events reflected a warm, intimate and hospitable atmosphere. The rehearsal dinner did that and more, and it really set the tone for the following day. The groom’s parents hosted a fabulous traditional lobster clambake, complete with fire pit and lobster bibs that said “Alice & Ben” above a red lobster. During cocktail hour, the guests wandered about the property, which includes lovely stone walls, grazing horses and an idyllic pond. For dinner, the guests were seated under a beautiful tent at nine long tables lined with gorgeous sunflowers and set with mason jar mugs, black-and-white checkered tablecloths and red napkins. A close friend of the groom’s brilliantly emceed a program of roughly 15 toasts and speeches. The night concluded with a fantastic slideshow created by a sister of the groom, and everyone departed having eaten well and laughed hard in a truly lovely setting.

Photography: Christian Oth Studio / Venue: The Captain R. Flanders House / Coordination: Julie Hatt / Catering: Lobster Tales / Flowers: Island Ambiance / Tent, Linens + Table Settings: Tilton Tents / Liquor: Edgartown Market / Invitations: Bryn Chernoff of Paperfinger / Lobster Bibs: Sand Scripts / MC: A Friend of the Groom / Slideshow: A Sister of the Groom

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Post tags: Black, Bryn Chernoff, Captain Flanders Inn, Christian Oth Studios, Edgartown Market, Island Ambiance, Julie Hatt, Lobster Tales, Paperfinger, Red, Rehearsal Dinner, Sand Scripts, Tilton Tents, White
Post categories: Casual Elegance, event, Massachusetts Weddings, Real Parties

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From the bride… From the moment we got engaged, my husband and I knew we were not looking for the traditional wedding. We wanted it to be unique, which decided a lot of things right off the bat. First of all, it meant paying for it ourselves. We wanted our wedding to be entirely “us,” which meant making all the decisions on our own and not having to worry about offending the people footing the bill. And as that was the case, the second thing it meant was DIY. It really worked out perfectly since I love craft projects and homemade things. I had SO much fun (favorites include the boutonnieres, my cake topper, and the little hors d’oeuvres cones I made) and I even got my fiance in on some of it, which made it extra fun!

We found the perfect setting at Birdsong Barn — a sort of ready-made atmosphere, complete with a lawn for playing games, loads of already-hung white Christmas lights, and plenty of charm. We picked a giant oak tree for the actual ceremony and planned a mixture of traditional and non-traditional elements. Our vows were classic, but our wedding party was not. Since we wanted to keep it very small, it felt strange to have ten of our friends standing up front when there were only about 50 people total! Instead, we had them be part of the ceremony by constructing the arch. Each of the bridesmaids and the parents added flowers to the mason jar arch before sitting on the front row. Everyone in the bridal party picked their own clothes with very general guidelines — girls had to wear purple and guys had to wear suspenders.

Another key was using our friends for everything possible! From our bluegrass band, Springer Mountain, to SeaLillie, the company who designed and made all my jewelry (including earrings made from the extra buttons from my wedding dress for all my bridesmaids), we made sure to support our friends as much as possible in the process. Fortunately, I have a lot of talented friends! We figured if we had to pay someone, why shouldn’t it be people we already know and love? Both of our families were amazing too. Almost all the decorations that we brought to the barn were pieces that my mom has had lying around forever — books published in the early 1800s, vases, pitchers and vintage mason jars that have been passed down in our family, etc… We wanted everything to mean something! My mom and sister and I made batch after batch of pickles and apple butter and jam for the favors, and Jared’s family was a huge help too!

Wedding Photography: Shea Christine Photography / Wedding Venue: Birdsong Barn in Titusville, Florida / Band: Springer Mountain / Jewelry: SeaLillie / Cake Topper + Boutonnieres: DIY by the Bride / Wedding Cake: A Family Friend / Wedding Dress: Justin Alexander via Robyn Lynne Bridal / Veil: Penelope Koleos Williams / Wedding Flowers: Whole Blossoms / Wedding Signs: DIY + Birdsong Barn

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Post tags: Birdsong Barn, Black, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Florida, Justin Alexander, Penelope Koleos Williams, Purple, Robyn Lynne Bridal, SeaLillie, Shea Christine Photography, Springer Mountain, Titusville, White, Whole Blossoms
Post categories: The Blog, Vintage Chic

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From Dragonflight Photography… This snowy shoot took place after the first snowfall of 2012 in Langley, British Columbia, which is just outside of Vancouver. Flowers, and table design were by A Perfect Proposal, and the stationery was by Dragonflight Photography & Design. The bride’s head piece was from La Vie en Rose, and her faux fur jacket was from Melanie Lyne Boutique. The bracelet was from Shine Jewels Fort Langley. The theme was “vintage meets modern snow.” 

Photography: Ashley Ferreira of Dragonflight Photography / Flowers + Event Design: A Perfect Proposal (aperfectproposalcanada@gmail.com) / Location: Campbell Valley Park in Langley, British Columbia / Invitations: Design by Dragonflight / Shoes: Uggs / Groom’s Attire: Guess / Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero / Bride’s Head Piece: La Vie en Rose / Bride’s Faux Fur Jacket: Melanie Lyne Boutique / Bracelet: Shine Jewels Fort Langley / Models: Dolita Synder + Walter Synder / Cupcakes: Costco Langley Bakery (1-800 463-3783) / Crystal Cupcake Holder + Jeweled Snowflakes: HomeSense

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Post tags: A Perfect Proposal, Ashley Ferreira, Black, British Columbia, Campbell Valley Park, Canada, Design by Dragonflight, Dolita Synder, Dragonflight Photography, Guess, Homesense, La Vie en Rose, Langley, Langley Bakery, Maggie Sottero, Melanie Lyne Boutique, Shine Jewels Fort Langley, Uggs, Walter Synder, White Silver, Winter Wedding
Post categories: British Columbia Weddings, Canada Weddings, Photo Shoot

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From the Bride… Being a wedding planner myself (I own Sweet Pea Studio in Chicago), it was really important to me to make sure my wedding was a reflection of me and my groom. From personal touches in the details to nods to our family and heritage, we really wanted to wedding to scream “Ian & Kristin.” To start, we had the exact same wedding venues as Ian’s grandparents did 60 years prior — same church, same reception. And I was really proud to be wearing “The Veil.” It was first purchased in 1920 in Belgium and given to Ian’s great grandmother by her husband-to-be. The veil, made of “Bruges lace,” was dipped in tea to get the ecru color. Since then, Ian’s grandmother, mother, sister, aunts and cousins have worn it on their wedding day. I was the 12th woman to proudly wear it down the aisle, and at each wedding, a “veil photo” is taken where everyone there who has worn it stands behind the bride, holding the veil. We had our rehearsal dinner at an Italian restaurant (my family is Italian), a bagpiper to pipe us out of the church (Ian is Scottish), and we had the Chicago Cubs Dixieland Band play during cocktail hour (my late great uncle was Phil Cavarretta, a famous Chicago Cubs baseball player back in the 1940s). Our wedding reception was held in the ballroom at the Woman’s Athletic Club on Michigan Ave, where Ian’s mother is a member. The building has landmark status in the city and has a gorgeous, 1920s feel to it.

When it came to bringing our personal style to life in a ballroom setting, it was a challenge to include what Ian likes too. I’m into ballet, pink, ruffles and flowers, and growing up I always just wanted my wedding to be like Shelby’s in “Steel Magnolias” (i.e., blush and bashful). Ian is into fishing, nature and animals … which really has nothing to do with pink. I wanted to somehow combine our styles into one cohesive look and feel so it wasn’t just about me. So, we mixed lots of outdoor textures with soft pink florals. The floral plan included pheasant feathers in one of the centerpiece designs, and all the boutonnieres were pheasant feathers and monkey tail ferns. Our tables were named after African animals (we honeymooned in South Africa), and the names were slid into mini tree stump holders from Etsy. Ian and his groomsmen wore camouflage socks, and he even changed into a camouflage bow tie after dinner, which was so Ian. My dress made me feel like the ballerina I used to be, especially with the pink tulle crinoline I wore underneath. We absolutely love gummy bears, so we put our own spin on the candy bar idea with a gummy bar. And for a nod to Chicago, the city we love and adore, we had Frango mints in our hotel welcome bags and served our favorite deep dish pizza (Lou Malnati’s, of course) as a late night snack.

One of my favorite elements was our DIY save-the-dates. I found these rustic, wooden pencils which just seemed so perfectly us (I’m also a writer). My sister spent hours putting them together with me, and while it was a lot of work, I was so happy with the result. The save-the-dates really inspired me and set the tone for the rest of the wedding! We have so many favorite memories of the day, but one of our favorites was just after the ceremony when we had our “royal” moment. The church has this little balcony that overlooks the courtyard, so rather than coming out the front of the church like most couples do, we came out on a balcony, kissed and waved, just like Will & Kate! Overall, our day was everything we wanted: it was all about us. We had the most amazing vendors and could not have pulled off this day without them!

Wedding Photography: Molly Grace of Vrai Photography / Wedding Planning: Sweet Pea Wedding Studio (The Bride’s Company) / Flowers: Avant Gardenia / Wedding Ceremony: St. Chrysostom’s Church in Chicago, Illinois / Wedding Reception: Woman’s Athletic Club in Chicago, Illinois / Wedding Cinematography: Optrix Weddings / Wedding Dress: Christos via Belle Vie Bridal Couture / Bride’s Pink Crinoline: Loca Loves Pirate / Bride’s Belt: Weddings 826 / Bride’s Shoes: Ivanka Trump / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale via Bella Bridesmaid / Jewelry: Left Bank Jewelry / Veil: Vintage Family Heirloom / Day-Of Coordination: An Event Less Ordinary / Cocktail Band: Chicago Cubs Dixieland Band / Reception Band: Final Say / Photo Booth: Red Eye Photo Booth / Wedding Invitations: Yellow Bird / Wedding Save-the-Dates: DIY / Hair: Blush Salon & Spa / Makeup: Primp / Late-Night Pizza: Lou Malnati’s / Tree Stumps Place Card Holders + Large Tree Stump with Wedding Date: This Fine Day

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Post tags: Amsale, An Event Less Ordinary, Avant Gardenia, Bella Bridesmaid, Belle Vie Bridal Couture, Black, Blush Salon & Spa, Chicago, Chicago Cubs Dixieland Band, Christos, Final Say, Illinois, Ivanka Trump, Left Bank Jewelry, Loca Loves Pirate, Lou Malnati's, Optrix Weddings, Pink, Primp, Red Eye Photo Booth, St. Chrysostom's Church, Sweet Pea Studio, This Fine Day, Vrai Photography, Weddings 826, White, Woman's Athletic Club, Yellow Bird
Post categories: Chicago Weddings, Illinois Weddings, Traditional Elegance

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From the bride… I scanned dozens of bridal magazines looking for inspiration but ended up finding my inspiration in a bit of an odd place — a dressing room! While I was bridesmaid dress shopping at J.Crew, one thing that really caught my eye was the room we were sitting in. It was was warm and traditional like our venue but also felt modern. I took photos of the dressing room and used the images as my inspiration. We didn’t follow the exact look but looked to the decor as guidance. The dressing room brought in crystal and gold for a modern feel. Similarly, we brought in black, white and pewter to complement the warmer tones of the venue.

Artie and I were married outside on a cliff overlooking the ocean. We lined the aisles with silver buckets of pink flowers and scattered white rose petals throughout. In the front, we added two large silver vases topped with wire spheres and light pink flowers woven in creating a unique and modern look. Cocktail hour also took place outside and we moved the ceremony flowers to our cocktail tables so to bring in a bit of color. We had custom gray napkins made with our names on them as well as wooden stir sticks with our initials. To make things even more personal, we had “Bride” and “Groom” specialty cocktails — mine was a spiked pink lemonade (with a purple flower as garnish) and his was a Dark and Stormy. As the sun set and guests entered the indoor reception, they were greeted by a more modern and elegant look. The room was lit with purple lighting and highlighted beautiful white floral centerpieces. We also used dusty millers to bring in silver into our floral arrangements. For our menus, table numbers and escort cards, we incorporated black and white by using black paper with white calligraphy. We also re-purposed the large silver wire spheres from the ceremony and placed them behind the sweetheart table. Following dinner, guests were surprised by a spread of desserts and candy. We tried to stick to our colors in the layout, using pink, black and white. As New Yorkers, we were excited to bring in some of our favorite desserts including Momofuku truffles and black and white cookies. Artie and I both have a big sweet tooth so we wanted to have items we loved and could share with everyone. We also love cupcakes and cookies so we had a huge display of various flavors. Design-wise, I wanted to keep the set up to look modern, so we found mirrors and lucite trays, which we thought would be an interesting touch.

Our goal was to throw a fun and beautiful celebration that truly represented us as a couple and most importantly, fit within our budget. Artie and I were paying for the wedding ourselves, and while Artie wanted nothing more than to give me the wedding of my dreams, we both agreed we wanted to start our life together on the right foot by making smart financial decisions. Most people we have spoken to have been surprised at how many ways we were able to save money by combining an element of DIY with help of professionals to create a more affordable version of what we were trying to achieve. A perfect example are our menus. They were round black menus with white script. Initially, I reached out to someone in the wedding industry to help me but when I received the pricing, I realized I would need to find another route. I went online and found a calligrapher who was willing to design a sample and then help me digitize the file. From there, I sent the file to an online printer, which was very affordable. The only problem was that they couldn’t do a round cut within my budget so I ordered a regular cut and then purchased a circle cutter. Sure, it cost me hours of sleep, but I actually loved the DIY projects, and they made the process that much more memorable. When else will I see my now-husband helping me with arts and crafts?

Wedding Photography: Kristin Spencer Photography / Wedding Venue: OceanCliff Hotel in Newport, Rhode Island / Wedding Cinematography: Newport Wedding Films / Wedding Flowers: Stoneblossom Floral & Event Design / Entertainment: Victor Events / Desserts: Momofuku Milk Bar, Cupcake Charlie + Fatulli’s  / Ceremony Music: Sukada Trio / Linens + China: Rentals Unlimited / Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew

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Post tags: Black, Cupcake Charlie's Fatulli's, J. Crew, Kristin Spencer Photography, Momofuku Milk Bar, Newport, Newport Wedding Films, OceanCliff Hotel, Pink, Priscilla of Boston, Rentals Unlimited, Rhode Island, Stoneblossom Floral and Event Design, Sudaka Trio, Victor Events, White
Post categories: Massachusetts Weddings, Traditional Elegance