Classic, Romantic & Rustic Florida Wedding
Friday, May 18, 2012 in Classic 2 comments by Kristine

This wedding from an ELD favorite, Kristen Weaver Photography, is the perfect way to end our week! With a couple who’s been inseparable since their first meeting eight years ago, a gorgeous setting, an even more gorgeous lace dress, and all the makings of a classic, romantic wedding, you’ll be skipping into your weekend with a full heart!

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

I would have to say my mom. She took care of all the less exciting items that I did not want to do so that I could concentrate on the “fun” details! Since we did not use a wedding planner we were a little nervous about making sure that all the necessary preparations were covered but my mom bought several bridal books which proved to be very helpful in all stages of the pre-wedding process. Even though my mom does not live in the same city, thanks to the internet and many phone calls, we were able to plan the perfect wedding.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Do your homework and do not be afraid to ask questions. Be sure to pick a good photographer. I chose Kristen Weaver. Thanks to her and her incredible photos, Matt and I will always have a beautiful album of pictures that remind us of every moment of our special day.

Did any of your vendors do anything special for you before, on, or after your wedding day that you would like to share?

Casa Feliz and its entire staff were amazing. The wedding was supposed to be an outdoor affair but at the last minute a light drizzle appeared. Effortlessly and without any disruption to the guests, our outdoor wedding quickly became an intimate indoor wedding with the main room ablaze with candle light and flowers.  The floral arrangements by Greenery Productions were beautiful and tied everything together; they brought tears to my eyes. People are still talking about the feast that Arthur’s Catering provided for the reception. From the delicious hors d’oeuvres to the various main dishes, there was something to please everyone. Imagine our surprise when at the end of the night we were handed a big box of food to enjoy for several days to come.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

Ummm…..everything. Looking back I would not change a thing.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Relax and enjoy every minute.  It all goes by so quickly.

Don’t you love Michelle’s description of the intimate setting awaiting them after they were forced to move inside? Proof that your back up plan may just end up being the perfect one. Thanks for sharing your day with us, Michelle. And a big thank you to Kristen Weaver Photography for showing off these lovely photos!

xo-Kristine

 

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Kristen Weaver Photography / Reception Venue: Casa Feliz / Flowers & Decor: Greenery Productions / Ceremony Musicians: Orlando Harpist / DJ: National Entertainment Group / Makeup Artist: LeJeune Precision Cosmetics / Bride’s Dress: David's Bridal
"Kristen Weaver Photography" is a preferred vendor in Every Last Vendor.
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2 comments

  • Jessica [Shimmer+Silk]:

    May 18, 2012 12:35 pm

    I love Kristin Weaver! And that venue is gorgeous!!

  • Miles:

    May 20, 2012 8:14 am

    The wedding venue has the classical romantic feel. Lovely! :) The wedding looks perfect, too. I love the gown's lace detail,her hairdo, and the men's shoes.
Orange & Gray Modern, Elegant Wedding
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 in Classic 10 comments by Lauren Grove

Happy Wedding Wednesday everyone! Well as you all know, a Wednesday around here means another fabulous wedding! This orange and gray wedding I have for you all today is modern, elegant, and full of gorgeous details! Antonia Christianson Events did an absolutely amazing job planning this gorgeous wedding, and Kristin Byrum Photography captured it all wonderfully! But you don’t have to take my word for it… the bride, Emily, is here to tell us all about her beautiful wedding!

 What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

As a graphic design major in college I started collecting copies of Martha Stewart Weddings for design inspiration (and of course to daydream for my future wedding) years before I met my husband. I pulled a lot of inspiration from those magazines and all of the incredible wedding blogs, but I found Real Simple Weddings helped me start the planning process. Hiring Antonia Christianson as my coordinator was the best decision I could have made, and finding out she is a sorority sister didn’t hurt either! As a super detail oriented bride I followed her checklist and timeline religiously!! I genuinely trusted her team and knew that every detail of our wedding would be flawless with her in charge. 

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Zach and I have very different personalities, I’m the serious one and he’s the goofy one. It was very important that we found vendors that meshed with our personalities. We chose each of our vendors because they were very honest with us, they truly cared about my vision and they were genuinely invested in making our day perfect.

Did any of your vendors do anything special for you before, on, or after your wedding day that you would like to share?

Our photographer was simply spectacular, from the first time we talked on the phone I knew that Kristin and I would be friends for life! When my contract arrived in the mail and I saw her detailed packaging I knew I had made the right choice! Shortly after our engagement session Kristin sent me my very first monogrammed wedding present that turned into my “wedding tote” for all of my paperwork and inspiration. Even though my monogram didn’t change it was incredibly exciting for me to know that the B was for my married name!!

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

It is incredibly hard for me to choose my ONE favorite thing about our wedding!! Everything was perfect!! If I had to choose one thing I would say my favorite thing was our private last dance. Having that last few minutes to just take it all in with my husband was something I will never forget.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

First, find someone you trust to coordinate your wedding day. You will be so thankful when the day arrives and you can just sit back and relax!! Second, splurge on your photographer! Long after the day is over and for generations to come your photos will tell the story of your wedding day. 

I must say, those are some EXCELLENT pieces of advice Emily! Thank you so much for sharing your wedding insight with us! And thank you to Antonia Christianson Events for planning this beautiful wedding and Kristin Byrum Photography for sharing the photographs with us!

I love the elegance and simplicity of the centerpieces… and those bouquets are GORGEOUS, aren’t they?! I absolutely LOVE the orange and gray together… what do you all think of it? Are any of you planning a wedding using orange or gray?

 

Vendors who made it all happen…

Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Antonia Christianson Events / Photographer: Kristin Byrum Photography / Flowers & Decor: Palette of Petals / DJ & Lighting: Brian King of Superlative Events / Catering: Cuisine and Company / Cake Baker: Patti Cakes, Inc. / Transportation: Venture Tours / Makeup Artist: Faces by Rebecca Wood / Hairstylist: Changes / Reception Venue: Chrysler Museum
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10 comments

  • Antonia Christianson:

    May 16, 2012 7:51 am

    It was an absolute Honor to share in the planning process of Emily's big day with her. She was an amazing client with gorgeous taste. Love Love Love. !!

  • Rachel:

    May 16, 2012 9:03 am

    I am so excited to see Emily and Zach's gorgeous wedding featured! This bride has amazing taste! Such beautiful pictures and details, congratulations to the happy couple!

  • Christie O. {Hindsight Bride}:

    May 16, 2012 9:09 am

    This is one of my all time favorite color palettes, especially for winter. I also love the turquoise pop of color of that vintage car.

  • Brian King:

    May 16, 2012 9:36 am

    Such a wonderful wedding to be a part of! Emily is one of those brides where you get inspired from her ideas and attention to details:)

  • Ruth @ My Love Wedding Ring:

    May 16, 2012 12:17 pm

    What a stunning wedding, and such beautifully clean clear photographs! And the little ring bowl is just the cutest!!

  • Sarah {A Paper Proposal}:

    May 16, 2012 2:51 pm

    gorgeous flowers! Love those bright orange pashminas on the bridesmaids, too!

  • Danielle:

    May 16, 2012 4:24 pm

    Can you please tell me where the cufflinks are from? TDF! :)

  • Sarah Addison (Details by Sarah Elizabeth):

    May 16, 2012 5:38 pm

    Oh my gosh! I love this! The bride's face when she's walking out for their first look is priceless. and that fur wrap- my goodness! the picture of them on the dance floor from above (with nobody else around) is so beautiful. what a lovely day!

  • Emily:

    May 17, 2012 9:11 am

    Thank you for all your sweet comments!! Ruth - Our amazing ring bearer bowl is from Paloma's Nest!! Danielle - The cufflinks are from "The Clay Collection" on ETSY!!!

  • Kristin Byrum:

    May 17, 2012 12:26 pm

    We adored working with Emily + zach and documenting their stunning wedding! They are the sweetest couple you can imagine, and it makes me so happy their gorgeous wedding was featured! Thank you for publishing... the feature looks awesome!
Classic Jacksonville Garden Wedding
Friday, May 11, 2012 in Classic 5 comments by Brit Stewart

[Editor's note: Hey friends! I'm hijacking Brit's post real quick to tell you something super fun about this wedding... the beautiful bride, Kim, is my best friend's best friend! So it's kind of like we're friends by proxy, right?! Either way, I'm quite excited to be able to share it with you all today! Alright, time for you to enjoy it! :)]

Man, if only we all had a garden like Kim and Michael had for their wedding in which to marry! It’s such an incredible backdrop for their ceremony, and made for the perfect First Look location. And, it absolutely helps that the sun was shining and the greens were so vibrant. Their wedding reminds me that although the perfect location makes the perfect backdrop, so does the couple and their unconditional love. And of course with that, your wedding photos will be full of so much life- much like these from (once like a spark) photography!

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

My mom was amazingly helpful in planning the wedding. She is very organized and detail-oriented like me so we were a great team. Even though there was a great deal of work to be done, we had a lot of fun in the process. I will miss those late night phone calls going over every detail. I couldn’t be happier with how the day turned out, and I really have my mom to thank!

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Other than a sense that our styles were similar, definitely personality. I was already in love with the photography I had seen from “Once Like a Spark,” but meeting with the photographer Carla Gates sealed the deal. I felt completely comfortable, it was like having coffee with a new friend.

Did any of your vendors do anything special for you before, on, or after your wedding day that you would like to share?

Our caterer, Mark Shine from Designed Events, was so accommodating. Our first impression of him was great. He really made our “menu tasting session” special – he accommodated 8 very-opinionated family members in the tasting and set up a beautiful table in an art gallery with a very nice ambiance and glasses of wine for the group. It’s those special touches that made all the difference.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

Our ceremony really represented us as a couple. I am Catholic and Mike is Jewish, and we decided to have an interfaith ceremony in the gardens of the Cummer Museum on the St. John’s River. Our ceremony was designed by us, and highlighted both cultural and religious backgrounds. We had both a priest and a rabbi officiate the ceremony and they were both open and supportive in making sure everything was personal and meaningful to us.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

1. I highly recommend doing a “First Look”– it’s a very romantic and personal moment between you and your husband and the pictures are to-die-for! I definitely cherish those moments from our wedding day, and I love having those amazing shots to look back on because you can see in both our faces how special it was.

2. Your wedding should be a reflection of both you and your husband, so make sure to include his style and taste in the making of the details. My husband loves sweets, so the biggest layer of our wedding cake was his favorite flavor – Black Forest cake. He also picked out a great play list for the band, which had all of the guests up dancing the whole night.

Their sunny wedding day has me wishing it wasn’t a rare, but rainy day, in Denver today! What wedding photos are you most looking forward to at your wedding?

xo,
Brit

 

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: (once like a spark) photography / Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Raya McArthur / Reception Venue: The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens / Flowers & Decor: Shea Hopely Flowers Inc. / Cake Baker: Edgewood Bakery / Band: the faze band / Ceremony Musicians: The String Group / Bride’s Dress: Romona Keveza
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5 comments

  • Christie O. {Hindsight Bride}:

    May 11, 2012 9:13 am

    Jacksonville is one of my favorite places in Florida. I love the combo of deep history and gorgeous beaches! Oh, and that cake! Ah-maaazing.

  • Meg:

    May 11, 2012 9:41 am

    Aww, look at my beautiful BFF featured on my other BFF's blog! I love it. <3 Also, these photos remind me just how tall I am... I'm towering over everyone!

  • Kim:

    May 11, 2012 11:15 am

    thank you for featuring our wedding! I spent a lot of time on "Every LAst Detail" during my WEdding planning, so it is so wonderful to be on here now. It was a perfect day and I have a lot of great people to thank for that!

  • Brit @ Landlocked Bride:

    May 11, 2012 12:31 pm

    I had so much fun posting this wedding. And, had a hard time narrowing down the photo - so. many. good. ones!

  • Ashley (once like a spark photography):

    May 14, 2012 11:18 am

    YAY! So excited to see Kim and Michael's Wedding on one of our favorite blogs! They had such a beautiful celebration, and we're so happy to have been a part of it!
Navy & Pink Vintage Vineyard Wedding
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 in Classic 4 comments by Lauren Grove

I have an absolutely GORGEOUS vineyard wedding for you all today by Aaron Watson Photography and Beehive Events! The combination of both rustic and vintage elements paired with a navy and pink color palette is so very beautiful- especially for the gorgeous vineyard where the wedding took place. Of course I can’t forget the fabulous florals all throughout the wedding… you all know I’m a sucker for great florals! :) And the lovely bride, Stephanie, is joining us to share some of the wedding insight she gained throughout her planning…

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

The planning process was all me, but Shawn Cosette at Beehive Events portrayed my vision flawlessly and beyond my expectations.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

I wanted to work with people that were not only willing to work hand in hand with me, but people that were not afraid to step outside the box.  I knew I wanted a chic vintage feel, but with some key touches that were a little unique.  Everyone was amazing at helping me create it!!!

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

I don’t know that any bride could have been happier with her wedding.  But a few things did stick out in my mind:

The venue.  Until you take a trip to Veritas Vineyards in Afton, VA, you will never know how truly breathtaking the view is.  What more could you ask for than all your friends and family witnessing the love you have for each other while taking in the scenery of the Shenandoah Valley!  Add in the unforgettable décor by Shawn Cosette and poof!  The dream you have always envisioned as a little girl has come true.

The ceremony.  Rev. Claire Goodman helped Leigh and I come up with a special wine ceremony during our vows.  Prior to our wedding Claire asked us to write a letter to each other (not read them) and fill a wine crate with two bottles of wine.  During the ceremony, we put our letters into the box and symbolically hammered it shut.  The reason for this was if our marriage ever endured serious hardships in the future, we promised to sit down together, drink the wine and read the letters that reminded us of how much we loved each other on our wedding day.  Well, we have almost made it through year one, and that crate has not been opened yet!

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

There were two pieces of advice given to Leigh and me before our big day that we have held close to our hearts and would love to pass on.  The first is to make sure you not only enjoy every minute of the planning, but on the day of your wedding-the two of you step back from the crowd for a minute and take in the fact that all the love in that room is for you.  Your wedding day can be a very overwhelming experience, and you always want to visually remember that one very special moment.

The second piece of advice was to always remember you are a team.  It is hard for Brides to realize sometimes that your special day also includes your husband!  But their opinion does count too, and in the future as long as you stay a team; sometimes against parents, sometimes against friends-you should be able to endure anything. 

Thank you to Stephanie for sharing her insight with us, and to Aaron Watson Photography for sharing his images so we can all be inspired! :)

 

I’m always a fan of the bolder color palettes like the pink and navy in this wedding… but I think the Mr & Mrs signs at the sweetheart table win my pick for favorite detail! You all know I love my Mr & Mrs signs! Although, I do love the bottles of win sealed up in a crate with letters too! ;) How about you all… what’s your favorite detail of this wedding? And what do you think of the colors, navy and pink? Will any of you be using those colors?

 

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Aaron Watson Photography / Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Beehive Events / Flowers & Decor: Beehive Events / Reception Venue: Veritas Vineyards & Winery / Cinematography: Exist N Motion / Ceremony Officiant: Sacred Ground Ceremonies / Cake Baker: Cakes Unlimited / DJ: Lenny Baker / Makeup Artist: Bella Boutique / Transportation: Albemarle VIntage Limousine / Bridal Salon: Alli’s Bridal / PR Rep: OFD Consulting LLC
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4 comments

  • Pakistani Salwar Kameez:

    May 9, 2012 9:46 am

    Gorgeous wedding. I enjoyed all your photo shoots, very colorful and pleasing to my eyes.

  • Aaron Watson:

    May 9, 2012 9:51 am

    We love Every last detail and Lauren! Thanks so much for featuring Stephanie & Leigh's wedding! Of all of the blogs we've been featured on, this is one of the best write ups i've ever seen! i love the q&A with stephanie and your commentary! Thanks again!

  • OFD Consulting:

    May 9, 2012 12:42 pm

    I just adored this wedding- thanks Lauren for the feature. I agree with Aaron- a fabulous write up!

  • Brit @ Landlocked Bride:

    May 9, 2012 11:05 pm

    Love the dark skies in the background - you often don't see that in wedding photos, but it's so beautiful.

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