What a beautifully constructed and spectacularly documented wedding day. Everything about Forrey Films’ wedding video of Heather and Josh’s Santa Clarita wedding is perfection. What a beautiful couple, and what a beautifully told love story. Enjoy!
Last week I posted about online wedding magazines and how grassroots publications and inspiration blogs like Our Sweet Love are revolutionising how brides determine the look and feel of their days. I also said I’d keep you posted about other issues I find.
Today I stumbled across handmade-loving Tickle the Imagination. While not specifically wedding related each issue, the inspiration for handmade in these issues is second to none. And when I saw that issue four was wedding themed, I squeaked!
With cute Valentine’s themed love notes, crafty tutorials, links to online inspiration, vendor listings and four real Aussie weddings to inspire, Tickle the Imagination is set to do just that. Enjoy!
For a few years now we’ve been inundated with video after video of crazy wedding dances. The type where couples walk down the aisle to boppy tunes. The type where couples have their traditional slow dance music change suddenly to “The Macarena”. The type where the couple have rehearsed moves with their wedding party. Even the type where professional dancers are hired to dress and serve as waiters until music pumps through the sound system and they suddenly rip open their velcroed formal pants and tops to reveal sparkly lame and fishnets.
So you’ll forgive me for being reluctant to feature anything resembling a dance video. All I can say is thank God for Everafter Productions! The cute wedding dance-off at Matt and Erin’s special day was captured for all to share. Taking an almost overused gimmick and turning into something more fun and engaging then being shot with a sense of romance…this video was worth sharing!
I’m something of a sponge when it comes to design and ideas. I don’t mind if it’s fashion, food, homes, weddings, events or even pets, if something is unique, pretty and tickles my fancy, I’ll feel inspired and happy. This is what Monday’s posts will be about…things I consider my “muse”; that little “genius” that sparks inside of us because we have seen something that spoke to our soul.
Today’s muse is a sweet story I caught on Houzz. Ryan and Michele, the stylish duo behind Reinspired Home, decided that the huge one-off fee to rent and deck out a reception venue big enough to fit the 100 guests for their wedding was a waste. Instead, they invested in a space that could be used again and again: a three bedroom home in Seattle.
With various bits and pieces (vintage plates, stunning chandeliers, mason jars) bought and collected on the cheap (thrift/second hand stores and online auction sites) Michele and Ryan were able to accumulate an impressive collection for their wedding and home. They were able to create a special day that perfectly fit their own personal tastes, ideas, inspirations, creativity and love for all things vintage. The amazing shots below were taken by Kristen Marie.
In mid December I featured a gorgeous wedding photographed by Jes Meacham of Ruth&Rose. Today we have another of Jes’ weddings to showcase; a totally unique and loved-up bohemian wedding that took place beneath a huge fig tree in Centennial Park, Sydney. Kegan, a musician, and Sabina, a graphic designer, met in 2008 at a live show but didn’t meet again until January 2010, after which they fell hard for each other, barely spending a day apart. After deciding to get married, they chose the auspicious 11.11.11 as their wedding date. It is clear that their Bohemian, French romanticism and gypsy style wedding was well executed. As the couple themselves told us “the wedding was full of turkish rugs, red wine, incense, music, jewellery, nature and laughter.” Writing their own vows, Kegan and Sabina also told us that they “shied away from tradition and society’s expectations for what a wedding “should” be”. Kudos go to them both for putting together a perfectly magical day that spoke truly to them.
This is a love story that will bring a smile to your heart. With a relationship that spans five decades, proving it can withstand the test of time, Ken and Barbie were married at Faraway Castle, in Plasticity. The bride bought her dress from The Fairy Godmother shop and her shoes from the Cinderella Store. The groom wore a suit from The Prince Charming Emporium…
..but in seriousness, these playful pics were styled and shot by French photographer Beatrice de Guigne. Although poking fun at a lot of wedding photography cliches, Beatrice was able to pull together a very sophisticated shoot proving her ability as a photographer. You can read more about the shoot at Beatrice’s blog.
I’m so lucky to be featuring a gorgeous wedding photographed by Jes Meacham of Ruth&Rose. With a keen eye for tiny details, Jes is able to capture those fleeting sideways glances and half smiles that would ordinarily be lost. This wedding was super sweet.
Javed and Stephanie met at a music festival in January, 2005. They became instant friends and bonded over their love of similar bands – DeathCabForCutie, FurtherSeemsForever etc. They didn’t actually start dating until 3 years later – Stephanie had been dating another guy for those 3 years and Javed had never told her but he had secretly had a crush on her that entire time. Once the other relationship ended, Javed and Stephanie started talking on the phone and getting to know each other. They did long distance for 6 months and then he moved from Cairns to Sydney. The rest is history!
Javed proposed at night on a beach called Catherine Hill Bay (about an hour and a half north of Sydney). He had set up a table and chairs, and brought candles and wine and had written a letter that he read out to her as they sat with the water lapping up around their feet. They didn’t have rings so they cut up a braided leather cord and made their own rings out of them. They were engaged for 3 months and were married at Catherine Hill Bay. They ordered a ring from Bario-Neal that replicated the leather plaited rings they had made and that became Stephanie’s wedding band.
Javed and Stephanie knew they wanted their wedding to be a relaxed, beautiful celebration that acknowledged their friends and family.
Javed wrote a song for Stephanie and played it as she walked down the aisle on the arms of her parents. They said their vows under an arch and signed the papers at an old school desk. The groomsmen wore handmade hearts filled with lavender (made by the bride) pinned to their shirts and Stephanie wore a circlet of flannel flowers around her head. The reception was in a magical marquee in the backyard of the family’s holiday house. A tree made from sticks and branches stood tall in the centre of the tent and was covered in fairy lights and candles in jars hung from its branches. Beneath the tree were long banquet tables littered with candles and doilies and vases full of flowers.
The meal was tapas so that the guests could share platters of food and feast together. At each place was a hand-made love heart pin filled with lavender that the couple asked their guests to pin on to their clothing and wear for the entire night in place of those who couldn’t be there. There wasn’t an MC as the couple wanted all of their friends and family to enjoy the evening without being stressed or anxious – the bride and groom announced things as they happened throughout the night and began the reception with a toast to the guests. The photobooth was one of the highlights of the night as was the wedding cake (made by bridesmaid Alanna) and the vases and jars filled with flowers all along the tables. The wedding had rented out most of the houses in the town and the bride and groom snuck away to a cottage 3 houses away from the reception at around midnight and left their guests to dance the night away. There was a brunch the next morning for anyone who stayed in the village that night and everyone sat around and held babies and ate pancakes in the sunshine.
Sound perfect, no?
I was always dubious about the wedding video. I think that many times good, cinematic wedding videography is hard to find. There needs to be an art to not only how a wedding is shot but also how it is edited. There needs to be care, precision and above all else an excellent eye for capturing the fleeting moments that build emotion on your big day.
So, imagine how excited I was when I came across Paper Cranes Productions, a team of filmmakers and videographers from Sydney. Every single member of the team is passionate about about telling the story of your wedding day visually through the language of film. And it shows.
I was granted access to all of their film ‘trailers’ and given the option of which I’d showcase here. It was hard to narrow my choices down because they are all so visually stunning and stirring. I can honestly say that I had teared up at some stage in each video (and they last less than five minutes!). But I chose Andy and San’s video because it has a particularly lovely spark of romance, a sense of fun and it is clear that the couple really put themselves into their day…have a look at the screencaps below to whet your appetite and then sit back and enjoy their beautiful video.
And now…the video. Get your tissues and ensure no-one is watching you!
Some good friend of ours were married on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland a few weekends ago. There are no official images to show yet but I thought I’d share with you some quick images I snapped myself. It was a very sweet day and on a budget these two people made the money work for them. Hard. A lot was DIY and a lot was generously gifted by family. My favourite part of the whole day was seeing my two friends standing beneath a white wooden canopy surrounded by lush greenery, holding hands and giggling; just two friends who couldn’t believe they were actually getting married.
The wedding ceremony and reception was held at Clio’s in Palmwoods. It was set amongst a beautifully lush landscape and really leant itself to a quaint outdoorsy type ceremony. The girls and bride walked along a flower petal aisle that led from the gravel car park, across a wooden bridge, beneath a white wooden arbour to the larger rotunda that the ceremony took place in.
The flowergirls and bridesmaid/matron of honour were Renee’s sisters. Clint’s “best woman” was his sister. I loved that it was so family oriented.
I love that Renee’s dress was so floaty. It was quite magical when it moved as she walked down the aisle with her father. The colour was the teeniest bit ivory and offset her tan and darker hair beautifully. The same colour was picked up in roses the girls carried.
If you excuse the poor photography (!), you get a sense of the ceremony here – standing facing one another in the rotunda. This was just after Renee arrived where Clint was standing and they looked at each other and giggled. It really was the sweetest.
After the ceremony finished, the happy couple walked back down the aisle and stopped before the bridge. Here they had family greet them to be the first to congratulate them. Once their mums, dads, siblings and extended family had wished them well they were greeted by the rest of the guests.
From here the couple mingled with guests for a little while before heading off to have their official photographs taken. Drinks were served and people made their way to the reception space (just a little way up from the ceremony) underneath a beautiful deck overlooking the greenery.
Each table was decorated in crisp whites, reflective glass and mirrors and splashes of pinks, blushes and creams. The central motif consisted of birdcages that housed pillar candles. I loved the simplicity of the scheme; cost effective but packed a punch. Smaller flowers in crystal vases coupled with tonnes of reflective surfaces and light catching beads meant that when the few candles were lit (and the paper lanterns above were lit up) the space looked magical.
Our name cards were in ornate white frames and I was excited when I realised that they were our favours. I now have four of them housing cute little pics on my desk at work.
We were humbled to have been invited to such an intimate gathering and wish Clint and Renee the very best for their life together.
I think we’re fortunate living in Australia because we have so many variations of landscape and location to choose from when planning a wedding celebration. There are beautiful beaches, fabulous countrysides, vibrant red earthed desserts and tropical paradises overflowing with greens and aquas. Oh and don’t forget the wineries, the cityscapes, the harbours and coastal restaurants! So I found it so beautiful that American couple Charlotte and Dave felt so mesmerised by what we take for granted that they flew with forty of their friends and family over here for an Australian destination wedding!
I love that they embraced a variation of Australian landscapes, added elements of travel to their decor (the Lonely Planet styled menu/place cards) as well as chose really beautiful locations for their ceremony and reception (Barchetta). It makes us wonder what we’re potentially missing out on or thinking is too everyday for our weddings that these particular Canadians were able to find value in from across the other side of the world!
Photography: Last Forty Percent | Originally Posted: Green Wedding Shoes
Our Sweet Love 