I love this cultural rich wedding sent over to us by Desi Baytan Photography! A lot of you parents out there might recognize the bride, Shayna, from The Fresh Beat Band on Nick Jr! How fun is that?! I am in love with all the luxe elements they used throughout the wedding held at the famed Beverly Hills Hilton. The amazing gold chairs, mirrors, and frames look stunning with the simple whites and lush greenery and her veil is to die for! The flower girl dresses are so cute, I love that they look like little fairies walking down the aisle! And the way that the greenery is delicately draped on the chuppah with that gorgeous chandelier above! The ballroom reception right after is also out of this world. It’s always inspiring to see a color scheme that isn’t used that often and they pulled it off beautifully! Thanks Desi for this unique find!

Be Prepared to Be Inspired…

Do you remember Christina and Isaiah from one of our favorite engagement shoots? Well today we have their wedding and it definitely does not disappoint! They had their ceremony under the most gorgeous trees and used simple and clean whites and ivories to create a romantic, almost regal feel.  Very Royal Wedding!  I love how the bridesmaids all wore different dresses yet when put together there was a seamlessness to it that looked amazing!  Christina of course looked absolutely gorgeous in her Melissa Sweet ruffled gown and seemed to fit perfectly with the vibe of the venue and decor which I feel is so important!  After the ceremony they moved under a big, beautiful fabric draped tent with crystal chandeliers that are to die for with simple white hydrangeas highlighting each table! You can read about Christina’s inspiration below and then take a look at their breathtaking wedding:

I saved a thumbnail of a dress back in 2009, not knowing the designer but loving everything about it. Almost 2 years later when I got engaged, I found out the designer of the dress (Melissa Sweet) and ended up buying it immediately. I didn’t have to even think about it! As far as colors, I knew I always wanted to just have shades of ivories and white (my favorite “color” since I was 12 years old). Having chandeliers was always part of my vision, and even though it was an outdoor wedding, I was happy to still be able to have them in the reception tent. Baking is my passion, so it was important for me to be able to have a variety of different cakes, and to at least put my touch on the wedding and make mini cupcakes for the favors/table numbers. Knowing I also wanted churros there, it made it easy for me to settle on having Mexican food. I planned my wedding in 10 months, stayed mostly in budget, ran into practically no problems, and was extremely happy with the outcome. In the end, all I really wanted were my friends, family, and then-fiance and I to have fun, and I think it was successful!

Be Prepared to Be Inspired…

This wedding, sent to us by Michele M. Waite Photography, is definitely one of a kind! The entire event feels like you have been transported to a quaint English garden with all the vibrant green ivy and soft pastel florals.  I love all the lush greenery and their venue, The Corson Building in Seattle, was the perfect setting to create a classic, unforgettable celebration. As much as I enjoy adding decor elements, I think the couple did an amazing job of letting the beauty of nature shine through and create an amazing base! Here’s what bride Amy had to say about the big day:

Our wedding was inspired by the year we lived in London, and by the beautiful experiences we shared touring throughout Europe together.  Our theme was about having a romantic, backyard garden, that served as a simple yet elegant backdrop to the real reason for the celebration… our commitment to each other and our forever.  We started the morning by sharing a private yoga practice together on our rooftop deck, which helped us to be present and grounded for one another during the big day.  We both truly had such a wonderful time, and feel blessed to have the partner and the wedding of our dreams.

Be Prepared to Be Inspired…

This wedding, sent to us by the photographer, John Schnack, is definitely an unforgettable celebration! I love all the personal touches that the bride and groom incorporated into the ceremony and reception and her Vera Wang dress is absolutely to die for! The barn is adorable from the outside but once they move inside for the ceremony it’s absolutely stunning! It has high ceilings and the decor added the perfect amount of rustic and antique elegance to an already amazing setting. Not only is the barn fabulous but I love that adorable silver Airstream trailer! Such a cute backdrop for some great portraits of this beautiful couple! Once you see all the images you’ll understand why this wedding was also featured on Martha Stewart…it’s insanely gorgeous!

Here’s what photographer John Schnack had to say about the day…

“There are not enough superlatives to describe Courtney and Chris’s destination wedding in Lake Almanor, California.  From the family-owned 150-year-old barn at which the ceremony and reception took place to the most intricate of details (antlers!), it was an honor for me to document the wedding of such a truly special couple.”

Be Prepared to Be Inspired…

As I’ve said many times… I love rehearsal dinners. I have such fond memories of mine, and it was probably my favorite part of the whole wedding experience. This rehearsal dinner was originally featured in Inside Weddings but I really wanted to share it with my readers. Coordinated by Beth Helmstetter, with calligraphy by Laura Hooper, you know this is going to be one elegant evening, and I love that they made custom tote favors! Take a look below at a STUNNING rehearsal dinner.

I am a big fan of intimate weddings. I love that a bride and groom only chooses to celebrate with a small group of their most important people in their lives. Laura and Haoqi’s wedding was such a sweet wedding, with the reception held at her parents backyard! I also love her overgrown bouquet and the amazing dessert table… and who doesn’t like confetti!

Here’s what photographer Rachel Thurston said about this wedding:

This was one of the most intimate and thought-filled weddings I have ever photographed. Only the closest friends and family were there to witness their exchange of vows. Although Haoqi spoke his vows like he had painstakingly scripted them months before…when the ceremony ended he opened up the notebook he was “reading” to show blank pages. I guess when you really believe the words you are saying you don’t need a cheat sheet. They are such a sweet couple. Kind and deliberate with their gestures and words with each other. They may both be attending Harvard but are really just kids at heart. Their playfulness and creativity showed by handcrafting games for their guests to play before dinner.

Take a look below to see more of this super fun wedding and thanks so much to Rachel Thurston for sending this over!

How lovely is this modern Smog Shoppe wedding sent to us by Stephanie Ann Photography?! The succulents and the modern style makes this wedding one cute event. I also LOVE the balsa wood flowers and the classic lace gown… this bride has it going on!  Here is what Stephanie Ann Photography had to say about this wedding:

Cyndi and Eric chose the Smog Shoppe for their venue because of it’s urban chic vibe which pretty much sums up their own personal style as well. So long as they added in the vintage flair to the finishing touches. Both Cyndi and Eric have a unique and fun style which incorporates an indie fashion with a little vintage edge. Most of the details of their wedding were made by them from the invites to the aisle decorations. Eric is in a band which played throughout their ceremony. It was simply amazing! The whole day from beginning to end was gorgeous, fun and meaningful, definitely making this one of my favorite weddings of the year.

 Thanks so much for sending it over to us!

Be Prepared to Be Inspired….

We love this South Dakota wedding sent to us by Kelli Hunt Photography! The soft pops of pink pairs with the lush green outdoor setting is the perfect balance of sweet and dreamy. I like that the couple brought in subtle vintage details with the bridesmaids in boots, the chalkboard sign, scabiosa pods and the mason jar lanterns! Here is what Kelli Hunt had to say about the details of the day:

Katie and Benny’s laid-back outdoor wedding perfectly fit their personalities. Every detail was either diy, hand-made, found, repurposed or recycled. The vintage pieces mixed with a great color palette really made this wedding one-of-a kind.

Be prepared to Be Inspired…

We just produced this gorgeous shoot for Matchbook Mag and I think it’s one of my favorite shoots I’ve ever worked on! We envisioned this as a housewarming party – a time for friends to come together, celebrate and enjoy a beautiful table and delicious food and desserts. Some of the details include hand-painted stationery mounted on glass, silver shimmered desserts, a Scotch bar, a perfume station and lots of sparkles to accent the color pallet of warm greys and whites. Dolce Designs created the gorgeous tablescape using both suede and real flowers and a custom runner. The Sterling Social girls helped pull everything together!

I am so so excited to share this wedding with you today, because it’s the wedding of my friends Krystal and Harris! In lieu of the traditional ceremony the couple decided to switch things up a bit… their guests stood surrounding them during the ceremony and their reception was cocktail style without a formal sit down dinner, followed by In-n-Out… delicious! There are so many amazing things about this wedding I don’t know where to begin – the floating chuppah made of driftwood with the glass succulent orbs, Krystal’s bouquet made of a single succulent (amaze!) and the green Jenny Yoo bridesmaid dress. Perfection. JL Designs did a BEAUTIFUL job designing the wedding,  Constance Curtis did an amazing job coordinating it all and Sarah Yates captured it perfectly! We were so excited to have submitted this wedding and had it featured in the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of The Knot Southern California!