Happy Monday everyone! Um wow, can you believe it’s April already?! I’m still in denial- it feels like March didn’t even happen! Any of you with me on that? I’m also curious to know how many of you are getting married this month, since April marks the start of wedding season for just about everywhere! Anyone? ;)

Well, this vintage travel-inspired wedding by Green Orchid Events and Whitney Darling Photography that I have for you today is an excellent example of what happens when you design a wedding to really reflect the couple. In this case, the bride and groom, Katie and Luke, absolutely loved traveling and even lived overseas for some time, and so it was natural that they have a travel-inspired wedding. From accessories to drinks, they were able to successfully incorporate travel in many aspects of the wedding. Katie was kind enough to stop by and share some of her insight about planning her wonderful travel-inspired wedding with us…

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

Green Orchid Events and my mother helped the MOST during the planning process. Also, the staff at Estancia was extremely helpful and accommodating with all my questions. The day of the wedding would have been impossible without Angelica and her team with Green Orchid Events. They made my day SO smooth! My mother was the artistic eye behind all the small details. We planned and created every last detail. My mother is so creative!

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

The most importance thing when deciding who to work with for our wedding was the connection we made! Of course, budget had to play in the decision, however, it was mostly the connection to be sure we had the same idea for our wedding.

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, Whitney, took a few polaroid pictures of us at our wedding. She said they were for the honeymoon so we could remember our wedding. We LOVED that and they are now a part of our home. Green Orchid Events decorated our honeymoon suite with little details from our wedding. The room looked gorgeous…we were so surprised! Jacque Spitzer, our videographer, created an amazing trailer and video for us. We still watch it all the time! Tammi, my makeup artist, gifted my some bridal lipgloss. It’s the small things that mean a lot!

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

The favorite thing about my wedding was seeing Luke so incredibly happy. The look on his face during the first look and the hugs throughout the evening from him was so telling that this man was going to love me forever. There’s no greater joy than knowing I get to share this life with him! There’s so much to love! Beach yoga in the morning with my bridesmaids, dancing with my Dad, sharing a Guinness toast with all our favorite people, and dancing our butt off with awesome music and laser lights is just a FEW of the highlights. Everything was just PERFECT.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

A. Pray. A lot.  B. Do a first look! This was such an intimate and special time for us. It also allowed us and our bridal party to enjoy the cocktail hour which means we could actually sit and eat our dinner instead of greeting guest. It was a win win! C. Make your wedding personal in every detail. D. Save money for an amazing honeymoon!

Oh, and that video trailer that Katie mentioned? It is indeed pretty awesome…

Luke + Katie Wedding Trailer from Jacques Spitzer on Vimeo.

 A big thank you to Katie for her excellent advice, and to Green Orchid Events and Whitney Darling Photography for sharing Katie and Luke’s amazing wedding! :)

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely LOVE the vintage travel theme! It was perfect too, since traveling is one the bride and groom’s favorite things to do! Oh, and did you see Katie’s hairpiece? She made it, and the coins in it are all from various places that they visited together. Love that! I also loved the “passport” escort cards! That is how a wedding should be- a total reflection of you and your fiance and your relationship.

So tell me- do any of you have anything that you’re planning on doing to reflect you and your fiance?

Vendors who made it all happen…