Feb
28
Jess and Ivan are fun, cheerful, vibrant people, so it is no surprise that they chose to celebrate their wedding with lots of colors- reds, yellows, greens, pinks, purples. And lots of textures- satin, silk, sparkly stones, dahlias, roses, orchids, bamboo… Plus they wanted to bring their own sense of style and history to their wedding day- an elegant downtown Boston location was the perfect backdrop with stunning views of the city, some special Chinese touches reflecting Ivan’s heritage, all mixed together with a few snippets from their relationship.
For her personal look, Jess chose graceful style. Her dress accentuated her height and included just enough bling to make her feel special.
The sparklies as seen through the veil.
The shoes to match.
The floral was a key component to their day. I love the vivid colors and fresh arrangement of her bouquet.
Ivan holding it- totally cute how it makes him smile.
And Ivan’s boutonniere was a perfect match. (Also note his very distinguished white bow-tie.)
The room decor complimented their personal flowers.
Some floral pieces included bamboo, a touch of the Asian influence on the day.
I absolutely adore couples who share a bit of their relationship with their guests by including personal touches. Ivan and Jess have a special song, "You are My Sunshine." Certainly not traditional, and definitively sweet. They danced for the first time as husband and wife to that song, and they had the title engraved on the inside of their wedding bands.
Bright, inviting food displays matched perfectly with the floral.
Spring rolls- another way to share a taste of their history.
Dave captured this photo of a piece of artwork on the walls of the Harvard Club. Since they couldn’t bring their beautiful beagle, Noodle, to their wedding, it was nice to have this guy there.
The Chinese tea ceremony was an important part of the day for both families.
As wedding favors, each guest received a pair of beautiful chopsticks.
The double happiness character was prominent throughout- from the invitation to the cake design.
Loved the way the Harvard Club served up the cake… several chocolate covered strawberries on the side. Yummy.
And one last treat from Jess and Ivan’s beautiful site- what an amazing view of downtown Boston at night!
The Professionals who brought it all together-
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Downtown Harvard Club
Catering: Harvard Club
Wedding cake: Konditor Meister
Floral: Nellie’s Wildflowers
Entertainment: Entertainment Specialists
Officiant: Justice of the Peace Helen Kerivan
If you want more from Jess and Ivan’s vibrant celebration, check out the Sneak Preview, the Scoop, and their Slideshow. You may also be interested in their Engagement Session.
Feb
24
When Marla and Shawn chose to have a destination wedding in California‘s stunning wine country rather than wed in their Texas hometown, they certainly gave up some control. But they still found several ways to infuse their wedding with their own style and some very important personal touches.
Some things, like the get-away car, they could chose from a distance. The elected to hire Bow Tie Limousines for a vintage auto, completing the classic and romantic tone of their wedding.
Having chosen to have their wedding at Hans Fahden winery, Marla and Shawn were able to give their guests a taste of their fabulous wedding. A bottle of wine was the perfect remembrance.
And it wouldn’t be a fabulous california wedding without amazing food. What a treat for all of their guests!
As a playful farewell, they chose to exit amidst bubbles and found these adorable champagne bottle bubbles.
One of the most special elements was Marla’s something old. The spoon holding their wedding rings in the photo below, and attached to Marla’s bouquet in the next image, is a family heirloom. It was actually a wedding gift given to her great-grandmother over 100 years ago.
The flower girl dresses were especially cute. Check out the black embroidery at the bottom.
Similar style was brought to the design on the cake.
Another special treat, the guest sign-in book. The guests participated in making this book even more special for Marla and Shawn by including their well wishes for the bride and groom within its pages.
Marla selected black magic roses and wine calla lilies for her bouquet and Shawn’s boutonniere. The merlot color scheme fit perfectly with the setting. She also included pheasant feathers, a reminder of her hometown.
One final detail to celebrate… Marla’s veil. I love the delicacy of it, so very feminine.
Despite the long distance planning, Marla and Shawn were able to put their stamp on their wedding and include so many personal touches.
Special thanks go out to all of the professionals who helped them in their efforts:
Wedding venue: Hans Fahden Vineyards, Calistoga
Caterer and Wedding Cake: Knickerbockers, St. Helena
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals, San Francisco
Florist: Claudia K Florist, St. Helena
Officiant: Harry Jackson
Limo: Bow Tie Limousine, Santa Rosa
Feb
16
Your wedding invitation is the first glimpse that your guests will get into the style, theme, vision you have for your wedding. It’s also a great opportunity to personalize their experience.
For our wedding, Dave and I actually created our own invitation (way too much work and we totally should have worked with someone else to make them), but we were really happy with the way they turned out despite (or perhaps because of) all our effort. They included our wedding branding (a double happines with the hebrew for "I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine") as well as a photo we had taken at our reception venue. It was very much our style and totally spoke to what our wedding would be- a marriage of two cultures as well as two people, set in a beautiful natural space.
At the most recent Baystate Bridal Show and the Great Bridal Expo, I had the opportunity to meet a few different stationers (Cordially Yours Invitations & Calligraphy, Emerald Invitations, and Goosefish Press) all of whom offered exquisite invitations. I love the creativity and unique qualities. Goosefish Press creates amazingly sophisticated one of a kind letter press invitations. Cordially Yours and Emerald Invitations offer a wide range of styles and colors to chose from.
They also offer other ideas such as programs and thank you cards.
And perhaps my favorite invitation of all- perfect for a Bachelorette Party!
Feb
08
As a bride, there are lots and lots of details to consider on your wedding day. One of the most important is your personal look. The first thought for most brides is the dress. And honestly I can’t blame you. We think about the dress from the moment we are indoctrinated into weddings. Really, truly. We see them when we are little girls and we see the princesses (aka brides) and we know that we want to be a lady like that one day. But another component, perhaps a bit more subtle, but with a huge impact is your hair and make-up.
As photographers, Dave and I have seen hair stylists and make-up artists who can make any bride feel like a super model on her most special day. I, for one, am not an easy person to deal with when it comes to my hair. Honestly it has plagued me since I was a child and I still have my moments when I would just prefer to cut it off. (Just to give you a sense of my obsession, I actually wrote a college admissions essay about my hair.) So finding the right person to tackle that project was very important to me. On the other hand, I am quite happy with my skin and rarely wear much make-up; plus having theater experience I am pretty knowledgable about how to apply my own make-up. So I had the two extremes going on.
When I went in for my trial, I had planned only on having the stylist do my hair. She did a phenomenal job; so I figured I might as well see what she could do with my make-up. I was blown away. In the end, I had her do both and was generally quite happy with the results.
I say all this because I understand how important it is to find the right person to take care of you and make you look your personal best. I happened to meet Jacki Norrie of Wedding Tresses a few weeks ago and I would absolutely trust her to take care of me on my wedding day. She is an artist. She understands face shapes and how to balance them, accentuating the positives and toning back features you may not like as much.
Jacki is the ultimate professional. Having worked from Newport to Cape Cod to Boston and beyond, she and her team make it their top priority to give you the look you want. They will guide you through the process, helping you find what works for you and will help you plan so that your getting ready time will be calm and pleasurable. As a member of the Boston Wedding Group and a blogger for Wedding Aces, you know you are in the hands of someone who has expertise, but is also continually learning and growing her craft. Ultimately, she wants you to be "exhilerated by your choice." And she will go the extra mile to ensure that you are. What could be better than that?!
Plus she would be a lot of fun to have around as you and your girls are getting ready.
Feb
04
The past two weekends were spent being inspired. We attended two bridal shows, the Baystate Bridal Show and the Great Brial Expo at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. There were so many amazing people at each that I just had to share a little bit of the fun.
First of all, the stories I heard from brides and grooms were absolutely wonderful. This is the biggest reason I enjoy the shows. It gives me a chance to meet so many wonderful people and get a taste of their romantic stories- like the gentleman who proposed on a gondola in Venice, Italy.
Or the young man who asked his fiance to marry him while they were taking a road trip to Chicago, on their way to see her best friend and then to see her family for Thanksgiving; it was like a proposal and engagement party all in one.
Or the gent who swept his love off to Disney World for a get away, planned a fabulous dinner at the Grand Floridian. At the end of the evening, he snuck her out for a private cruise on the lagoon where a special dessert awaited them. Beneath that evening’s fireworks, he popped the question.
Yes, it’s true. I am a total romantic and a complete sucker for these stories, both grand and intimate. Love it! And I got a quite a fix at the shows.
Also at the shows, I got to meet some amazing vendors. I spent a good deal of time with a few of them. Namely, the wedding cake bakers. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm. Not only do these artists create a sweetness from the heavens, they make their cakes absolutely beautiful. So while I can’t share the taste, I thought I would share a few of the more creative cakes.
A few of my favorites from Konditor Meister…
Feels like something you would find in France. Love the script on the sides of the cake.
Perhaps Russian inspired like a Fabergé egg.
From the sea.
Springtime cake.
Autumn cake- love the rich colors; very unique.
Asian influence with bamboo.
And a couple from Ivy’s Fine Cakes…
Very sparkly – crystals galore.
Feels like a surprise from Tiffany’s.
Congrats to all of the wonderful couples and many thanks to these two vendors for sharing samples of their amazing work.
Feb
01
We met so many great couples during the bridal shows. Your stories were romantic and inspiring. We hope to get to know many of you even better. If you would like to set up an appointment to visit with us at our studio, please email us and we will find a time that works for you.
And now, the winner of our free engagement session is…. Alex Wyrondek. Congrations, Alex. I will be sending you all the details in an email, but feel free to contact us if you have questions.
Happy wedding planning to you all!
Want to see more engagement sessions? Check them out on the blog here.
