Sneak Peek: Kaelie & Drew

Hi all! I just wanted to pop by to let you know that regular posts will be back tomorrow, with a lovely engagement shoot by Simply Bloom. Don't miss it!

Real Wedding: Annie & Jonathan

Annie and Jonathan were married last August, joined by 200 guests at Oak Lodge in the Laurel Mountains of western Pennsylvania for three days of activities and celebrating. How amazing does that sound! Her best friend from high school, JoAnn Manolis, took all of the photos - "Having a close girlfriend at my side that entire weekend was an incredible blessing, like a fifth bridesmaid!"


From Annie: We are very fortunate that my father owns Oak Lodge, an 800-acre country retreat in the Laurel Mountains of western Pennsylvania. It's got a bunch of log cabins and converted barns where many of our friends stayed. Our friends and family are generally pretty high-energy and they embraced all the activities we had planned: karaoke, s'mores making, a swim and canoe picnic at the lake, John Deere "Gator" rides through the wooded trails, yoga class (led by Jonathan), pony rides, maple syrup making demonstrations, etc. We wanted everyone to feel included so we planned activities that people of all ages could enjoy. Oak Lodge is located on land that had been a Boy Scout camp that my grandfather and great uncles had attended in the 1920s and 30s, so it provided a wonderful connection to family members who were unable to be with us that weekend.




The groomsmen wore their own suits, paired with matching ties from Beau Ties. Annie fell in love with her tea-length Michelle Roth dress the moment she saw it in a bridal magazine, "A good six months before we were engaged, by the way," she says. "This detail didn't stop me from visiting the shop and trying it on. The day after Jonathan proposed, I called the shop, gave them my measurements, and ordered the dress!"


The bridesmaids chose from several colors and styles of J.Crew dresses.




Invitations and programs by Etsy vendor, Heatherjeany.


One of Annie's favorite parts of the wedding was that all of the music for the ceremony was provided by friends.




Bridesmaids made pom-poms out of yarn to decorate the getaway car, a 1967 cherry red Cadillac convertible, borrowed from a friend of Annie's mother.


Guests took Polaroids to include with their messages in the guest book.


Rather than buy new vases, the florist - T. Cumberland Floral (724-238-3644) - used various containers that had been collected at Oak Lodge over the years, from old teapots to pewter pitchers, adding to the casual, country vibe of the whole weekend. Jonathan's mother hand-made chocolate sunflowers for each place setting.




Guests went home with bottles of maple syrup produced by Oak Lodge.


All of the weekend's music was found through Entertainment Unlimited.





Thank you so much to JoAnn Manolis for sharing these photos with us, and of course congratulations to Annie and Jonathan! It was so fun to see your photos, and to hear all about your lovely wedding.

Real Wedding: Haley & Frank

As much as I love big weddings with lots of little details, I also love intimate nuptials that are simple and sweet - I think what most of us hope for is a meaningful celebration, whatever that looks like. Which is why I loved seeing this city hall wedding on Jen Huang's blog, and why I'm so glad she agreed to let me share it with you. Even better, Haley the bride shared a bit about the day and why she and Frank chose this for their wedding:

We chose City Hall because from the very beginning, we talked about doing something with just the two of us and then having a family and friends celebration. I'm sure you're familiar with this old story, but when we started telling friends, they were disappointed/hurt that we weren't including them in the ceremony so we scratched that and started planning a wedding in Lambertville, New Jersey for July 12. A few months ago, Frank and I were waiting for a subway on our way to a Franz Ferdinand concert in the city and he again brought up how he wanted the wedding to be just us and I agreed. After that, we easily decided on a secret wedding at New York's City Hall.

(Be sure to click on the images to make them bigger!}

Haley's shoes by Steve Madden. I, hilariously, tried to waterproof them the night before . . . they're suede. My feet were totally blue by the time we got home.


Umbrella by Totes. Dress by J.Crew. Short jacket from Anthropologie.


The day of the wedding arrived and it was POURING! It had called for rain, so Frank had gotten a big umbrella the day before. We took the PATH train from Newark (where we live) to the World Trade Center and hopped in a cab. Jen Huang met us at the information desk and we took some pictures before the ceremony. The ceremony itself was over in a flash, but it was really exciting and emotional and joyous and we wouldn't have wanted it any other way.


Frank's suit by Banana Republic. Tie by Paul Smith. Frank's going to wear the same tie at our July 12 wedding and he got other Paul Smith un-matching ties for his best buds - we're not doing a wedding party but he's giving his friends, my brother and his brother the ties and I asked a few close friends, my sister, Frank's sisters and my soon-to-be sister-in-laws to wear the blue or yellow dress of their choice.


Haley's custom ring by Joseph Schubach. Frank's titanium ring from Teno.






Our inspiration for the city hall wedding was really each other. In marriage it will be me and Frank, rain or shine, obviously! We always have a great, silly time together no matter where we are or what we're doing. We definitely don't take ourselves too seriously! And we're so excited for our July 12 wedding and to celebrate with friends and family.

Congratulations Haley and Frank - and congratulations on your July 12 wedding, too! It's so fun to see your wedding day, and I'm so glad you agreed to share it with us, and that Jen Huang shared her photos. Best wishes to you both!

Sponsored Post: Blanca Monros Gomez

If you've been looking for the perfect piece of jewelry to finish off your bridal look, or maybe as gifts for your bridesmaids, or even for your wedding band, then you must see the beautiful fine jewelry by Blanca Monros Gomez. I can't tell you how tough it was to choose just a few to share with you - I love them all!





Not only is each delicate piece made to order, one at a time, and by hand...they're also eco-friendly! Blanca carefully hand-crafts all of her fine jewelry by re-using as much material as possible, and by using recycled precious metals - all of the wedding bands are made exclusively with recycled gold. This is only a small sample of the jewelry by Blanca Monros Gomez - be sure to check out her website and Etsy shop for more. And if you don't see just what you want, shoot her an email and she'll work with you to create the perfect, customized piece.

Real Wedding: Hayley & Joshua

As a wedding photographer, today's bride Hayley wanted her wedding to be unique and unlike the other ones she's seen, and something full of candy and games! What could be more perfect for summer than a carnival-themed wedding? Not only is this wedding darling, with beautiful photos by Jessica Peterson, but it was also totally DIY! To keep costs down, and to keep everything more personal, family and friends pitched in to create Hayley and Joshua's summer carnival wedding...




Hayley's good friend Chelsey did her hair.


Hayley's cousin Traci did all of the flowers for the wedding. Inspired by a designer dress that was out of her budget, Hayley had a local seamstress create one for her using the original as a starting point.


One of Hayley's favorite parts of the day was when her dad surprised the couple at their ring ceremony with a box of monarch butterflies. With the help of friends and family, the bride made 80 pink and white tissue paper pom poms to decorate the venue.




The bridesmaids wore J.Crew dresses that were on sale for more than half off.


The reception took place at a private residence that didn't charge the couple to use it for their wedding.




Hayley made candy girl trays from trays she found at Target, then spray painted white and covered with German glass glitter. She drilled holes in the sides and threaded ribbon through to create an old-fashioned concession look.


Renting a machine to make cotton candy themselves, instead of purchasing the cotton candy already made, saved some money, as did buying kettle corn in bulk from a local company.


The bride designed the stickers that embellished bags at the candy buffet.


Hayley and her friends made a fabric bunting that hung on the tent behind the food. She used the same fabric for the pillows on the blankets spread across the lawn.












Hayley's dad made the darling fishing game, which was made even better by a bubble machine!



Congratulations Hayley and Joshua! Thank you so much for sharing your fabulously fun wedding with us! And thank you to Jessica Peterson for sending over these beautiful photos - I love how soft and sweet they are, and how well they captured this day.

Sunday Edition #44

by Annie McElwain

Real Wedding Saturday: Anli & Kenneth

Today's wedding, shot by the talented Karen Wise, is a fresh breath of spring air. The bride, Anli, was kind enough to share some of the details behind the day, We wanted to blend visual and cultural elements of my Chinese heritage, my love of nature and flowers, and Kenneth's hometown, into the celebration. We were going for a "Shanghai-1940s-era" meets "garden party" aesthetic, so naturally the Brooklyn Botanical Garden was a perfect venue. Also, the date of our wedding in early April influenced many of our decisions. We thought of our wedding date as another kind of spring, of new life and beginnings.






Dress by Pronovias. Flowers by Saipua.


The bridesmaids each wore a different dress from David's Bridal, and carried parasols from Asian Ideas.










From Anli: Though the weather was cold and ruled out an outdoor wedding, we were ready with a backup setup inside the Palm House. In some ways this was preferable because our vows were extensive and important for people to hear and thanks to a great sound system and more intimate setting, no one missed a word. We got so many compliments on the vows!








Everyone danced the night away to music from DJ Gaza. Don't you love all these great dancing action shots!?


Before the cake-cutting, Anli changed into a traditional Chinese chipao from Lai's Royal Tailoring and made a "grand entrance."


Kenneth arranged for he and Anli to be picked up in a classic 1958 Rolls Royce at the end of the night.

Congratulations Anli and Kenneth! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful wedding with us, and of course thank you to Karen Wise for sending over these beautiful photos! Guests told Anli and Kenneth that the wedding was beautiful, and the photos were even more stunning. See more of Karen's beautiful work on her site and her blog.