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From the bride… I think the inspiration for our wedding actually stemmed from our photographers, The Nichols. Photography was one of the most important things to me, so after Darrell and I got engaged, I immediately started asking around. Someone sent me a link to The Nichols blog, and I instantly fell in love. THAT was what I wanted our wedding to be like — homey, authentic and happy. From there, we set out to find a venue, and stumbled upon the Hoffman Haus in Fredericksburg, Texas. It’s an adorable B&B — so sweet and comfortable. It felt like home, and I knew we had found the perfect place! One of the best things about the Hoffman Haus is that you take the entire property for the whole weekend, so we had the run of the place from Thursday night through Sunday morning. Our immediate family and the majority of our bridal party all got to stay on the property with us. It was exactly what we wanted — our families and all our friends coming together to celebrate with us all weekend. It was like a big house party! Before the rehearsal, everyone was hanging out in the garden, and Darrell looked at me and said, “This is perfect.”

After we found our venue, everything else kind of fell into place. With Style Me Pretty and Pinterest as my guide, we ended up buying or making most of the decor for our wedding (with lots of help from our families!). The ribbon backdrop in our ceremony space was one of my favorite things. It looked beautiful and vibrant blowing in the breeze, and it added wonderful movement and color to our ceremony space. Michelle Hodges at Sprout did an incredible job of tying everything together with gorgeous flowers. (She even managed to find me peonies in November!) Darrell and I got engaged in London last September, so we wanted to incorporate at least a bit of British flair. Working with Jason at Royal Fig Catering, we settled on a British-inspired cocktail hour and served Pimm’s cocktails and mini bangers-and-mash. Also on the topic of food, we decided to have an ice cream sundae bar in lieu of a groom’s cake. My mom made all the cookies and brownies and shopped for the toppings, and Royal Fig provided homemade ice cream — salted caramel and vanilla bean. Darrell and I often make brownies and ice cream for dessert on the weekend now because so it was special to us!

I loved the sense of calm and excitement that came over me when I finally reached Darrell at the end of the aisle (I barely kept it together walking down the aisle, but was totally fine when I got to the end!). Our ceremony was magical — very personal but also Christ-centered. I loved seeing everyone sitting down to dinner together talking and laughing and having fun. Our maid of honor and best man gave the sweetest speeches that were both heartfelt and funny. In lieu of a more traditional dance (which would have left me in tears), my dad and I busted out a choreographed dance to N*Sync. The whole weekend was absolutely perfect — the best day of our lives.

Wedding Photography: The Nichols / Wedding Venue: Hoffman Haus in Fredericksburg, Texas / Flowers: Sprout / Catering + Rentals: Royal Fig Catering / Wedding Day-of Coordinator: Aimee Villa of Lizze Belle Event Planning / Hair: Corinne Kimbro of Jackson Ruiz / Makeup: Deanna of Rae Cosmetics / Wedding Dress: Reem Acra via the Bridal Salon at Neiman Marcus / Groom’s Suit: Theory / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale / Shoes: Vera Wang Lavender / Wedding Invitations: Night Owl Paper Goods / DJ: Chris Hanson (DJ Rhythmic) / Wedding Cakes: The Peach Tree / Caramel Apples: Lone Star Candy Bar (830-990-9100) / Cake Stands: Sister’s Vintage Party / Ribbon Ceremony Backdrop: DIY

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Post tags: Aimee Villa, Amsale, Chris Hanson, Corinne Kimbro, DJ Rhythmic, Fredricksburg, Gray, Green, Hoffman Haus, Jackson Ruiz, Lizze Belle Event Planning, Lone Star Candy Bar, Neiman Marcus, Night Owl Paper Goods, Pink, Rae Cosmetics, Reem Acra, Royal Fig Catering, Sister's Vintage Party, Sprout, Texas, The Nichols, The Peach Tree, Theory, Vera Wang Lavender
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

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From the bride… Woody and I first met about 10 years ago. I had been visiting friends in Chicago and met Woody in person for the first time during that trip. (We had known each for few years beforehand through mutual friends.) While in college, I was heading to England for my study abroad year, and then 9/11 happened. Everything in the US (and in the world) came to a halt, including my trip to England. My flight was delayed for about a week. During that week, Woody asked me out, and what ensued was a 10-year long-distance relationship.

Woody flew up to San Francisco from Los Angeles on a rainy Friday December evening to surprise me with the help of my sister and good friend. I was running late for my sister’s birthday dinner (as usual), and Woody called a couple of times, insisting to remain on the line with me while I was getting ready. He asked me to go outside to the mail room to pick up a birthday package for my sister and on my way there, I saw someone standing outside in the rain with their back towards me. Confused as to why a person would be standing in this type of downpour, I walked over to them and to my surprise, it was Woody, soaking wet after standing in the rain for about 30 minutes. From there, he walked me up and then down the steps, both of us stumbling because of our nerves, and asked me to marry him.

During the few moments before our grand entrance, we had the chance to look down at the reception from above while the guests cheered on the wedding party’s entrance. We were on the opposite side and hidden from our guests’ view and stood on a balcony one floor up. This moment was the one time we had during the night to take everything in in a very touching and quiet setting. We will never forget the feeling it gave us.

Wedding Photography: Adrienne Gunde Photography / Wedding Venue: Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California / Event Planning: Fresh Events Company / Flowers: Ixora Floral Studio / Rentals: Luna Party Rentals / DJ: DJZ Entertainment / Wedding Dress: Matthew Christopher via Haute Bride / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bride’s Jewelry: Borrowed from Her Mother / Groom’s Suit: Ermenegildo Zegna / Groom’s Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo

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Post tags: Adrienne Gunde Photography, Badgley Mischka, California, DJZ Entertainment, Ermenegildo Zegna, Fresh Events Company, Gray, Haute Bride, Ixora Floral Studio, Lavender, Los Angeles, Luna Party Rentals, Matthew Christopher, Pink, Salvatore Ferragamo, Skirball Cultural Center
Post categories: California Weddings, Los Angeles Weddings

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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… When we got engaged in January, we knew we wanted to get married as soon as practicable. We loved Maine as a location, because although we’re currently living in DC, my roots are in New England, and J has spent every summer in Maine as well as having gone to college there. Most venues were already booked for the summer, and, as I spent the summer studying for and taking the bar exam, we figured a fall wedding was probably our only choice if I was going to maintain some semblance of sanity. We fell in love with both of our venues, our caterer and photographer on a couple of whirlwind weekend planning trips and booked them right away. Many of our decisions had this flavor: yes, we wanted everything to be festive and nice, but we didn’t have a specific vision for any particular element going into the planning, and it made it easier to make choices when there wasn’t a predetermined “just so” that we had to find.

But that’s not to say we didn’t feel invested in pouring energy and effort into the wedding, in part because I love to craft and, in part because we knew it would, in some cases, save us good money. J’s mom and grandma are both seasoned scavengers of tag sales and church rummages and did an amazing job collecting all the mugs, vases, votives, doilies and water pitchers used at the wedding. My sister designed the save-the-dates, invitations, and programs, and J’s sister painted the watercolor design that was on our invitations. We used Vistaprint and Zazzle for printing (a pretty affordable option, I might add) and printed the programs on my inkjet a few nights before the wedding. I focused my crafty energy on designing a rubber stamp for our programs, welcome bags, and thank you notes, and on embroidering the table numbers, although number 16 was stitched two nights before the wedding by a dear friend who took one look at my frazzled state as I ran around making playlists and arranging flowers and took pity on me. (The numbers are on their way to becoming a small quilt for our wall — after we finish the thank-you notes, that is.) We had a pipe dream of baking all the desserts ourselves, but I am so very glad that plan was abandoned early.  I love to bake and am surrounded by bakers, but churning out 20 pies two days before the wedding would have been a disaster. Instead, we made one of the passed appetizers ourselves, a turkey curry puff pastry, we baked two kinds of cookies (espresso chocolate shortbread and Viennese jam thumbprints), and my mother-in-law baked two cakes for the non-pie-lovers. So our baking yens were satisfied and we had delicious pie that magically appeared the day of the wedding. We also did our own flowers and DJ’ed our wedding on a laptop, both of which I will admit caused some stress — J had to finish editing the playlist right after we wrote our vows, in bed, the night before the wedding, because I had passed out in exhaustion — but we loved every song on that playlist and the flowers were beautiful! Last on the list of wedding items imbued with blood, sweat, and tears: the dress. No, I didn’t sew it myself! But I purchased it “new without tags” on eBay, and it unfortunately arrived smelling quite strongly of body odor. After two months of worrying, I decided to wash it in my bathtub– no way was I spending as much money dry cleaning a dress as I had buying it in the first place.  I found instructions that another bride had posted on Weddingbee, scrubbed it with cold water, Tide and a toothbrush, and voila! body odor gone. Best $200 (or whatever insane price I would have been charged) I ever saved.

I can’t recommend all our vendors highly enough — particularly our photographer, caterer, bakery, and jeweler. I almost wish we could do it again just to have an excuse to work with them all some more!

Wedding Photography: Becca Wood Photography / Ceremony: First Universalist Church in Yarmouth, Maine / Reception: The Barn on Walnut Hill in North Yarmouth, Maine / Flowers: DIY by The Couple, Their Friends + Wedding Party via Whole Foods / Event Planning: Sarah Crossman / Food: 111Maine / Wedding Dress: A Used Allure Gown via eBay / Seamstress: Angie Cavallaro / Shoes: Nordstrom / Wedding Bands: Custom by Digby & Iona, Friends of the Couple / Earrings: Borrowed from the Groom’s Mother / Felt Hair Flower: Katie Created / Pies: Two Fat Cats / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Various / Bridesmaids’ Bags: Zazzle / Groom’s suit: J.Crew / Hair + Makeup: Fabu Salon (207-775-3228) / Rentals: One Stop Party Shop

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Post tags: 111Maine, Allure, Angie Cavallaro, Becca Wood Photography, Digby & Iona, Ebay, Fabu Salon, First Universalist Church, J. Crew, Katie Created, Maine, Nordstrom, North Yarmouth, One Stop Party Shop, Pink, Purple, Sarah Crossman, The Barn on Walnut Hill, Two Fat Cats, Whole Foods, Yarmouth, Yellow, Zazzle
Post categories: Destination Weddings, Vintage Chic

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From the bride… Vy and I met the weekend before my freshman year at Georgia State University in Atlanta. We started a friendship together and then fell in love. After being a couple for a little over five-and-a-half years, Vy finally popped the question. The plan was to take me to Piedmont Park for an afternoon stroll with one of our pups. We found a nice spot under a tree where Vy said he had a gift for me and told me to close my eyes. When I opened them, he had a new digital camera, which I needed. He told me that there was a picture already on it because he had set it up and that I should take a look. When I hit the preview button, a photo appeared that said, “Will You Marry Me?” It was such a wonderful, creative surprise!

When planning our big day we knew that there was no other place we wanted to get married then the city we fell in love in: Atlanta. It was also the perfect place for our family and friends to travel to. When selecting a venue, we had a few guidelines — we wanted a place that was naturally beautiful, big enough for our guest list, had the facilities to host both our ceremony and reception, an outdoor space for cocktail hour, and we had to love it. When we found Summerour Studio, we knew it was perfect. It was a rustic, Tuscan villa on the outside but an expansive warehouse on the inside. I was one of the lucky brides who had a groom who was willing to help with planning the entire way. I couldn’t have planned our perfect day without all of Vy’s help. Even with a large guest list, we wanted the feeling of an intimate affair with close family and friends. We chose to have candles be the main design with few flowers. I wanted the day to be simple with romantic details, and I wanted to focus on the love that we shared and celebrate with everyone we hold dear to our hearts.

On our wedding day, it began to rain as I was putting on my wedding dress, but it stopped just in time for us to take pictures outside with the sun shining through the clouds. As our ceremony began, there was a steady rainfall and as I walked down the stairs to meet my future husband, the room got dark with the beating of the rain. The room glowed with the candles just enough to highlight the reason why we were all there, to celebrate the union between two people who loved each other. I could feel the love from my future husband and the happiness from everyone who was there. It was everything I wanted and more. We are eternally grateful and thankful for all our family, friends, and wonderful vendors who helped bring our vision to life. My sweet friend and one of my maids of honor, Andrea Gallina, who created and designed my invitation suite, programs, wedding tree guest book and  “here comes the bride” sign. She is truly an amazing artist. Bold American Event Design and Catering team delivered an intimately romantic layout and food that our guests continue to talk about. Brooke Drellos and Christy Gillam of Paperlily Photography, you captured our wedding day perfectly for us to relive forever. We love y’all!

Wedding Photography + Photobooth: Brooke Drellos + Christy Gillam of Paperlily Photography / Wedding Venue: Summerour Studio in Atlanta, Georgia / Wedding Flowers + Event Design: Michelle Leyden of Bold American Events / Catering: Bold American Catering / Wedding Dress: Enzoani via New Natalie’s Bridals / Going Away Dress: BCBG / Bride’s Shoes: Betsey Johnson + Steve Madden / Bridesmaids Dresses: Ivy & Aster via Bella Bridesmaid / Tuxes: Savvi Formalwear / Hair + Makeup: Ellen Park of Hi-Tech Hair Salon (678-530-0039) / DJ: Shane Holden of Pure Entertainment / Wedding Cake: Blanchard’s Bakery (404-366-0267) / Hotel Accommodations: TWELVE Atlantic Station / Koozies: Discount Favors / Sparklers: Sparkle / Invitations, Programs, Table Numbers, Guestbook + “Here Comes the Bride” Sign: Andrea Gallina, A Maid of Honor / Day-Of Coordinator: A Family Friend

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Post tags: Andrea Gallina, Atlanta, BCBG, Bella Bridesmaid, Betsey Johnson, Blanchard's Bakery, Bold American Catering, Bold American Events, Brooke Drellos, Christy Gillam, Discount Favors, Ellen Park, Enzoani, Georgia, Gray, Hi-Tech Hair Salon, Ivy & Aster, New Natalie's Bridals, Paperlily Photography, Pink, Pure Entertainment, Savvi Formalwear, Shane Holden, Sparkle, Steve Madden, Summerour Studio, TWELVE Atlantic Station
Post categories: Atlanta Weddings, Georgia Weddings

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From Jen of Jen Huang Photography… Lauren and Brandon’s wedding was held in the beautiful ballroom at the historic Pierre hotel in New York City. The whole night glittered with glam, from Lauren’s beautiful Bergdorf Goodman dress to her Manolo Blahnik shoes. Lauren’s understated elegance matched her down-to-earth, smiley personality wonderfully, and Brandon looked handsome next to her in his Paul Smith suit. Portraits were taken nearby in New York’s Central Park, which was full of autumn foliage. Guests mingled during a cocktail hour outside the Pierre’s ballroom and were escorted inside the stunning room for dinner. Rose-colored lights shone on gorgeously appointed tables dripping with romantic flowers. The only word to describe the night would be magnificent!

Wedding Photography: Jen Huang Photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: The Pierre in New York City, New York / Flowers: Designs by Sam Davis / Wedding Dress: Elizabeth Fillmore via Bergdorf Goodman / Bride’s Shoes: Manolo Blahnik / Bridesmaids’s Dresses: twobirds / Groom’s Suit: Paul Smith / Band: Charles St. Paul Band / Invites: Judy Palen Designs via Bloomingdale’s

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Post tags: Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdales, Charles St. Paul Band, Designs by Sam Davis, Elizabeth Fillmore, Gold, Jen Huang Photography, Judy Palen Designs, Manolo Blahnik, New York, New York City, Paul Smith, Pink, The Pierre, twobirds, White
Post categories: New York City Weddings, New York Weddings

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From the bride… When we first got engaged, hitting the blogs and creating my “vision” was clearly my first task. I’m very detail oriented (or OCD, as my husband says) and soon created a Powerpoint presentation, a Pinterest page and started the “Wedding” bookmark tab on my Macbook. But since then, I’ve learned two things: (1) my vision must really be our vision, and (2) despite any planning you do, whatever happens on that momentous day will be an exact reflection of the two of you … and it will be perfect. 

Our goal was to create an experience that was distinctively Californian as 80% of our guests were flying in for the event. We’re both from the Midwest (Chicago and Detroit), but we met in LA and fell in love in there.  A stunning ocean view coupled with the backdrop of the Malibu hills and canyons served as a perfect Southern Californian setting. Our charming little venue captured our fondness for wine country with vineyards and an olive orchard in the backyard. The farmhouse cottage where the ceremony was held topped the Malibu hills and married our enchanted-garden-meets-vintage-ranch vision seamlessly.  Although it was a sweltering day that had us practically melting, by the time the ceremony started, a cool breeze wafted through the ceremony space and I knew everything would be perfect.

Since this was mainly was a DIY event, I relied heavily on my friend/planner/visionary to execute my plans. Another dear friend designed our save the dates and yet another, the flowers. My mom sewed our burlap runners and wrote the most amazing and funny speech. Our photographers were outstanding. Justin picked the caterer (a work friend whose food rivaled 5-star restaurants), created the all-important drink menu and stocked the bar with his favorites.  He also handpicked every song outside of the dance section, so the music we love and live our lives to filled the day. Our dear friends played acoustic guitar and cello and sang our favorite songs during the procession, which ended with Big Star’s “I’m in Love with a Girl.” We wrote our own vows and cried and beamed through every word. As I slipped his grandfather’s ring on his finger, I looked out to the crowd and saw four generations of our family, sitting together in the shade and knew I would never forget this moment. Overall, I think we achieved the rustic California garden feel with little effort and minimal day-of stress. Since we both have insanely busy work lives, many of the ideas we originally brought to the table were cut from the show — but it simply didn’t matter. We were so thankful to have both of our families together at our sun-filled venue and to share our love and happiness with them that we didn’t notice the little things that fell through the cracks. And to hear from our guests, that it was the most beautiful wedding they had been to, with the best food and music, still makes us smile. After six years together, we thought getting married wouldn’t really change our day-to-day life, but it absolutely has. Marriage is truly utter bliss.

Wedding Photography: Erin Hearts Court / Wedding Venue: Rancho del Cielo in Malibu, California / Wedding Design + Coordination: Billy Burgess, Friend of the Couple (billy_burgess@sbcglobal.net) / Catering: Bruce’s Catering, Friend of the Groom (818-376-1288) / Wedding Invitations: Bella Figura / Wedding Dress: Legends by Romona Keveza via MaryLinn’s Bridal / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew / Shoes: Fendi / Hair: Mia Shin, Friend of Bride, of Anastasia Beverly Hills and B2V / Makeup: Vanessa Ceballos at Anastasia Beverly Hills / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew / Cake + Desserts: Magnolia Bakery / DJ: Paul Layton / Ceremony Music: Wendy Wang (Vocals and Guitar) + Gabe Noel (Cello), Friends of the Couple / Cake Toppers + Save and Date Cards: Christina Pierson, Friend of the Bride / Bouquets: Danielle Renee Thompson of Flowers Underground, Sister of a Friend of a the Couple

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Post tags: Al Fresco, Anastasia Beverly Hills, B2V, Bella Figura, Billy Burgess, Bruce's Gourmet Catering, California, Christina Pierson, Danielle Renee Thompson, Erin Heart's Court, Fendi, Flowers Underground, Gabe Noel, J. Crew, Legends by Romona Keveza, Magnolia Bakery, Malibu, MaryLinn's Bridal, Mia Shin, Outdoor, Paul Layton, Pink, Rancho del Cielo, Tan, Vanessa Ceballos, Wendy Wang, White
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

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From Kate of Kate Webber Photography… Kareen and Oskar shared three days of celebrations with guests traveling from literally all corners of the globe. Kareen is French-American and was raised in southern California. She met Oskar, her Swedish groom, at a wedding in the south of France while she was living in Paris and he was living in Monaco. They celebrated their nuptials at Legends Resort on the island of Moorea, Tahiti’s “twin sister” island, also known as the pineapple island. The bride’s mother grew up on Raiatea, part of the French Polynesian Society Islands. Kareen and her brothers have fond memories of swimming in the turquoise waters on their many visits to the area. Kareen and Oskar hosted three days of events for their guests, many of who traveled from all across the globe from USA, Sweden, Australia, Mexico and France, to name a few places.

To welcome guests on the first day, traditional food was prepared in a huge “Tahitian BBQ” pit and included pork, chicken, fish, traditional poi and a demonstration of bread fruit cooked over an open fire, peeled and dipped in coconut milk. Guests were seated at separate tables from their respective partners so as to allow a greater opportunity for everyone to mix and get to know each other a little better. The evening wrapped up with a colorful Polynesian dance performance and fire dance. On the second day, guests walked to a boat that took them out for a beach day. Before reaching the small “motu” (islet), they stopped and swam with large, graceful rays. Guests fed small fish to the rays and then the group was off to the motu for relaxing. Fresh coconuts, local music and a traditional meal of poisson cru were served to guests. Whether relaxing on the beach, swimming or snorkeling, the afternoon provided a mellow experience and allowed guests to take in the surroundings from a new angle.

The wedding was held on the third day. Legends Resort is a small resort of villas nestled into a mountainside and overlooking the beautiful blue expanse of waters below. Kareen and Oskar got ready separately and met on their villas veranda to head off and take portraits together prior to the ceremony with their photographer, Kate Webber. Kareen wore a traditional floral crown of fuchsia flowers with white and green accents. Oskar was perfectly dressed in a crisp white shirt, light blue pants and navy shoes that mirrored the clean vibrancy of the waters surrounding them and played off the green of the mountainside perfectly. A Tahitian priest married the couple in an intimate ceremony on one of the verandas of the villas. The bride and her father were led down the aisle by musicians. Just as the newlywed couple completed their vows and embraced, a rainbow crested out over the water and mountainside behind them! It was truly magical. The rest of the evening had an elegant, easy vibe as guests enjoyed champagne and mingled. The party moved down the hill to enjoy a five-course dinner at La Villa Des Sens, where again guests were paired at tables with new friends. Kareen and Oskar continued onto another more remote island in French Polynesia for the first leg of their honeymoon, then onto Japan and eventually they made their way back to Monaco as husband and wife!

Wedding Photography: Kate Webber Photography / Wedding Venue: Legends Resort in Papetoi, Moorea, French Polynesia

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Post tags: French Polynesia, Green, Kate Webber Photography, Legends Resort, Moorea, Papetoi, Pink, White
Post categories: Destination, Destination Weddings