[ Credits ]

Top | Melissa Biador via The Wedding Chicks | Martha Stewart Weddings | Lauren Kinsey via The Wedding Chicks | Kate Spade

Bottom | Liz V Photography via Mowielicious | Juicy Couture | Meg Perotti via Style Me Pretty | Carmen Marc Valvo

The groom Marin shares some details:

Most importantly, we wanted our wedding to be very relaxed, very comfortable, for ourselves as well as for our guests. That is why we chose comfort food, masterfully cooked by Argyle Catering in Argyle, MO, and a bright and colorful atmosphere.

We were inspired to make a thousand paper cranes of various colors as it is a traditional good luck charm in japanese tradition.

Because this was a french-american wedding, we wanted to bring a bit of “french touch” to the wedding, hence the choice of the juxtaposition of a homemade american coconut macaroon and a very French “macaron” baked by French chef Marc Felix in St Louis, MO.

Photography | Taisia Gordon

Venue | La Maison

Florist | River City Florist

Caterer | Argyle Catering Company

Macaron Favors | Chef Marc Felix

Dress | Blue by Enzoani

Party Dress | Lula Kate from Bella Bridesmaid

Jewelry | Lavender by Jurgita

Hair and Make Up | La Sienne

Photography | Shalynne Imaging

Designer | Save The Date Events

Florist | Fleur Decor

Cake | Intricate Icings Cake Design

Linens | Chair Covers and Linens

Rentals | Event Rents Denver and A Vintage Affair Rentals

Hair Stylist | Hair Design by Brandice

Makeup Artist | Natosha Cooke Makeup Artistry

Dress Store | Little White Dress Bridal Shop

Bridesmaid Dresses | Bella Bridesmaid

Jewelry | Love Twist

Invitations | One Cute Cookie

Some of you may be wondering where the Etsy Finds have gone the past few months. I know you all love seeing amazing handmade finds, so I am working on creating an awesome directory of the best handmade vendors out there! I want it to a ‘best of’ for handmade wedding shops, so you can easily find your favorites. I am hoping to launch in the next month or so, and will be able to share more details soon! Also, if you are a vendor who might be interested in being included, please email me so I can be sure to give you more information as soon as possible. I hope you all are as excited about this as I am!

I hope everyone has an amazing weekend!

The sweet bride Amy shares all the details:

When we envisioned our wedding day, we pictured all of our family and friends gathered together in a big back yard, just enjoying each other’s company, eating good food, and celebrating! We’re glad today to say that is exactly how it turned out. At first I had trouble finding an empty backyard big enough to hold all of our family and friends, but eventually we stumbled upon the Heritage Museum of O.C. for our venue. It was a perfect backyard to accommodate our vision for the day. We did everything possible to create a festive, fun, comfortable setting for our guests so they would enjoy themselves. Both ceremony and reception were outside, and it turned out to be a beautiful day!

I think Joel would agree with me, our favorite moment of the day was the ceremony. We handpicked the music to graciously set the tone for a very sacred moment as we committed our love to each other, with our friends and family as witnesses. We had live musicians (our dear friends) playing “The Thief’ by Brooke Fraser as I made that momentous walk to my soon-to-be husband. The pastor who married us was my Jr. High pastor, so the ceremony was a very personal and special time. Joel and I met in ’09 and got engaged in ’10, so it was fitting that we vowed our love on 09-10-11! It was a perfect day!

During the planning process, I thought about every single detail all the time. I enjoyed planning and seeing the results of a “DIY” wedding. With the HUGE help of family and friends, we had a blast! Some people looked at me like I was crazy when I told them about the bright color scheme, the idea that there would be games on the tables and croquet and bocce ball on the lawn. I didn’t let it bother me and would continue to tell them we were having TK Burgers served for dinner, root beer floats & an ice cream sundae bar for dessert, and that we weren’t hiring a florist! We were stoked to have D’avello Photography shooting our wedding – they were able to capture every moment and every detail I obsessed about! There were a few stressful times through the planning season, but we made it out alive. A dear friend of our family helped for the actual day of (and before) coordination and decorating. She was the only person I could trust to take all of the many visions and ideas in my head and make them come to life! Thanks, Cindy!!

Joel and I really enjoyed watching our friends and family hang out and have fun. We often would hear things about the wedding day flying by us and that it would just seem like a memory, so we were determined not to let that happen. Joel and I made it a point to soak in every second; it was evident when we completely devoured our amazing burgers and root beer floats! The only thing I regret is that we didn’t make it over to the Sweet and Salty bar before it was gobbled up.

Photography | D’Avello Photography

Venue | Heritage Museum of Orange County

Caterer | TK Burgers

Rentals | Signature Party Rentals

Flowers by Wedding Muse

The stunning bride Whitney shares the details:

When we were planning this day, the most important thing to us was to have our closest friends and family with us to celebrate an incredible event in our lives. It was already going to be a special day for us and we wanted it to be just as special for all those in attendance. We like to think of ourselves as being “in the business” since Reed is a Banquet Manager and I am a Catering Director. With our backgrounds and experiences, we were able to plan fairly easily together. We both have done so many weddings we knew exactly what we did (and did not) want!

When ever I think of the perfect wedding, I picture the wedding from “The Father of the Bride” with the classic colors, live band, white floral details, soft lighting and men in tuxedos. I have known for some time that I wanted the event to be all neutral in colors to highlight the elegance of the Biltmore Ballrooms. The classic architecture of the rooms was beautiful and striking on its own, so I wanted everything we chose to enhance the ambiance and the feeling of the night. The mercury glass vases and votives brought an “old world” touch and we tried to keep everything else very classic, like the traditional tuxedos with cummerbunds.

One of our favorite parts of the day were the vows. We chose to say traditional Christian Vows and we also wrote our own to say to one another during the ceremony. This way I felt we were able to keep tradition by saying what our parents had said to one another, but also make it our own. We cried through them all!

Another highlight of the day was our ringbearer, Brody. He is the son of my lifetime best friend and Matron of Honor, and clearly, he was the star of the show. He ran down the aisle, grabbing everyone’s attention for the processional of the Bride and announced “It’s Over!” when a song ended during the ceremony. You can see his amazing splits during the group photo time. He was on the dance floor for the entire reception and kept us laughing all night.

Photography | Melissa Tuck Photography

Venue | Biltmore Ballrooms

Coordinator | Lynn Huggins

Florals | Unique Floral Expressions

Cake | Abby Ryland

Caterer | Affairs to Remember

Reception Music | Platinum

Gown | Sweet Elegance Bridal

Groom and Groomsmen Attire | Men’s Wearhouse

Hair and Make Up | Brushworx

I love taking inspiration from gardens and nature, it has always influenced my designs personally and professionally. Peach is my favorite color to bring into weddings, it is soft and romantic and a happy medium for grooms who are frightened of pink.  After searching for the perfect complement I was inspired this bouquet that pulled in a dark purple currant color.  It reminds me of an English garden!

Top | A. Hana Design via Once Wed | Anne Marie Photography via Style Me Pretty | Shannen Norman via Style Me Pretty | Insight Creative via Style Me Pretty

Bottom | The Nichols Photography via 100 Layer Cake | Pinterest* | The Nichols Photography via 100 Layer Cake | Justin & Mary via Style Me Pretty

*I searched high and low to find the original source and photographer’s credit for this image, but came up empty handed. If anyone knows where credit goes to, please let me know and I will update. Thanks!

Wasn’t that gorgeous?

I hope everyone has an amazing weekend!