Sometimes the idea of running off, with a few choice friends mind you, getting married in an exotic location  sounds like THE perfect plan!  It seems that is exactly what our couple, Whitney Austin & Vaughn Gray had in mind!  Soft Latin flares with vibrant pops of intense warm colors create the stage for this destination wedding at Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita in Riviera Maya, Mexico.  Whitney’s view on her ideal wedding day?

“My ideal wedding would be elegant, beautiful, and classic, with the sun setting while slow beautiful moments are captured on film, like people’s emotions, Vaughn and I saying our vows, etc. I want the rest of my wedding to be fun, fun, fun! I want to laugh and be expressed, and just enjoy being with the people that I love. I want to enjoy getting married, and not have to worry about all the details!”

Vendor Love

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita
Floral Designer: Vanessa Jaimes Floral Design
Dress Designer: Pronovias
Photographer: del Sol Photography

For the record, I loooove New Orleans.   I started visiting New Orleans Bi-Yearly starting around 2004 and fell head over heels for the mystical city.  The city I know is  not the one filled of drunken people looking to shuck beads at willing flashers while downing every alcoholic beverage known to man.  I know a city that is filled with old American history, influenced by both the Brits & the French complete with a deep cultural mix of samplings from around the world.  The food is outstanding: I genuinely suggest you don’t eat for days before hand, no joke!  The joie de vivre & old world society run deeps & you find yourself in an other worldly place that is captivating no matter how many times you return.

When I received Lily Paez & Erik Gano wedding submission, naturally I bonded with their wedding the moment I saw it.  Not feeling the need for an over the top affair with tons of guests, Lily & Erik rounded up those close to their hearts, asking them to join them in a city that they  have  deep family ties to.  Together they were able to create a stunning lil wedding filled with peacock inspired jewel tones, statement jewelry, lovely mix matched men’s linen suits, along with stealing away for a intimate pedicab ride.  Their wedding is clearly one that was filled with radiant smiles, laughter from the belly, & the natural color and beauty that is New Orleans shining right through.  For anyone thinking you need the masses to make your wedding, think again!

Our Story:  On November 2, 2008, Erik & Lily met at Erik’s home.  Lily was out with Lori when she met a nice young man named Ashton.   That night the three became friends and decided to go to dinner.  While on the way to dinner Ashton told Lily “My friend lives near the restaurant.  We should pick him up”.  Not knowing what to expect, Lily went up to the front door to get the friend, and when the door opened, it was Erik.  Lily & Erik have been together ever since.  With the exception of one hurdle Erik & Lily have proven that true love reveals all, prevails all and accepts all.

“Our wedding was intimate with a “tiny detail” theme.  We focused on the small things that we would all remember.  All the ladies wore peacock hair pins, the maid of honor wore a green Swarovski pin and the other two ladies wore clear crystal pins.  I (bride) wore a peacock pin on my dress.  Green with hints of purple were our colors.  I wanted the ladies to make statements with their jewelry, so naturally we had pretty cool jewels.”

“All the men wore linen suits with bow ties.  They also had matching flasks with mustaches and their names hidden in their jacket pockets.  The wedding was filled with love, laughter and fun!”

Us:  We don’t really know what to say because we are sure you hear the same thing all the time.  We love the outdoors, great food, great music, our wonderful friends and all fun things involving the latter.  We suppose what we feel is most important is our love for each other and the happiness it has brought to our lives.  Erik and I are grateful for each other and our life together.  We are so very much in love, and we cherish every moment we have together.  Our journey together has been amazing as we have experienced the pain of losing each other briefly and gained the knowledge of knowing what a special gift love truly is.  We look forward to our future, a child and growing old together.  We are also grateful for our families and friends as they continue to support and walk with us on our journey.

“Erik and I first traveled to New Orleans when we were first dating.  We fell in love with each other there, and he has always had family ties to the city.  Erik’s grandparents still live in LaPlace, LA and his pseudo aunt and uncle live in the city.  Both of Erik’s parents studied in N.O. as well.  It was just the RIGHT place for us.”

“All of our friends made the gesture of a lifetime by flying to New Orleans and spending a weekend with us.  Lisa Sins (Erik’s pseudo aunt) helped out with Jazz Quarters (she is the owner) and also assisted with Arnaud’s.  Lisa went above and beyond for us on our special day.  We’ll never forget a single moment.”

Bride’s Favorite Moment:

“Marrying my one true love… AND the amazing people who were there to see it!”

Vendor Love

Ceremony Venue: Jazz Quarters Bed & Breakfast, New Orleans
Reception Venue: Arnaud’s Restaurant
Wedding Dress: Forever Yours
Bridesmaid Dress Designer: Miss Me MM Coutoure
Shoe Designer: Glint
Hair Stylist: Flawless Bride
Makeup Artist: Flawless Bride
Groom’s Suit Designer: J. Crew
Florist: Convention Plant Designs, Inc.
Caterer: Arnaud’s Restaurant
Baker: Arnaud’s Restaurant
Wedding/Event Planner: Lisa Sins
Photographer: Joie De Jour Photography

Smaller, more intimate weddings can be unbelievably lovely!  For a  lot of couples, there isnt always a need to have a ton of people around, just a few select guest is all you need and that is exactly what Jennifer Maddock & Carl Copley did for their Italian wedding!  Taking a cue from the 60′s, bridesmaids were styled in modern beehives, dressed in lovely pale blues.  Our bride has such a grand infectious smile and a laugh you can almost hear through the photos.  Perhaps my personal favorite part of this wedding is choice of transportation!

“Carl is half Italian and we both love Italy; the scenery, food and culture. Carl took me to Camogli and the Cinque Terre for my birthday and we had said that if we ever got married we would love for it to be there. One of our favourite memories was the romantic walk from Santa Margherita to Portofino; we dreamed of having photos taken against the backdrop of the vivid aqua blue sea. We loved the pastel coloured houses, the fairytale like buildings set into the coast and the magical romantic setting.”

“We chose pale blue and gold as our palette (inspired by the blue and gold chairs on the terrace at Ristorante Rosa). The groom wore a bespoke suit and the bride wore an embellished dress with veil. The bride and bridesmaids wore their hair in styles inspired by the beehive. The bridesmaids wore pale blue silk dresses with white enamel flowers around the neck and back – completed with their own sixties style sunglasses for the sunny terrace!”

“We fell in love with the Ape Calessino (Carl loves vespas and the Ape is made by Piaggio – the company who make vespa scooters) and the florist decorated this with fresh flowers.”

“Every single person who came to our wedding contributed and helped us in some way – and made it the dream day it was. We could not have had the wedding without the help and support Carl’s parents and my parents and their partners. They were incredible.”

*Note from SBW: Now you might be thinking to yourself, why did I include the photo of the guys jumping, its just ok, but nothing to special.  Well my friends, because girls rule!  Take a look at the ladies taking their turn below! I LOVE  it!!! They completely went for it!  This my friends, is how you do a jump shot!  Look at the height the bridesmaid on the left got!  So cute ladies!

“Carl proposed to me in Thailand as the sun set in an open air bar at the top of the Banyan Tree Hotel, Bangkok on 21 December 2009. We had been together for 6 years at this point and the proposal was a beautiful surprise. Carl had picked the perfect ring and kept the perfect secret. We then holidayed in Thailand to celebrate; calling our parents to announce the news on Christmas Day. We have now been together for almost 9 years and we are currently enjoying our first year of married life in Singapore.”

The Couple’s Favorite Parts of the Day:

“All of it! We loved getting ready, Carl’s song, the walk down the aisle, the service, tying the knot!, the trip to Portofino in the little Ape Calessino – being given a flower by a couple on a scooter driving along side us, photos in Camogli, the meal, the speeches, the first dance, the dancing…..we loved it!”

“We did not want a heavy theme but we both love the 60s (think Fellini’s La Dolce Vita period) so we wanted to create a flavour of the 1960s Italian Riviera. Santa Margherita very much has the feel of this age. We wanted to create an intimate celebration with our parents, siblings, bridesmaids and best men (we had 18 guests) overlooking the sea.”

“I made blue and gold place names that were presented in gold scallop shells in the restaurant. For our favours we gave guests tea towels that included the date and place of our wedding and ‘Insieme per Sempre . Vero Amore,’ Charbonnel & Walker pink truffles and traditional Italian favours – small bags of sugared almonds.”

“My husband put together a playlist. I walked up the aisle to one of our favourite pieces of music called ‘La Ritournelle’ by Sébastien Tellier. At the end of the ceremony we walked down the aisle to ‘Third Finger Left Hand’ by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas. At the reception we had Manomanouche – a gypsy jazz trio from Milan. My wedding present from Carl was a piece of music he composed for me which was played to me, my family and bridesmaids on the morning of the wedding by the best man before I got ready. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house!”

Vendor Love

Ceremony Venue: Villa Durazzo, Santa Margherita Ligure
Reception Venue: Ristorante Rosa
Caterer: Ristorante Rosa
Baker: Ristorante Rosa
Florist: Luca Rossetti Galleria d’arte e fiori
Wedding Dress Designer: Nicole Jackson for Berketex
Bridesmaid Dress Designer: Fenn Wright Manson (Sea beaded silk dress)
Shoe Designer: Harriet Wilde
Hair Stylist: Antonella at Vanni
Makeup Artist: Antonella at Vanni
Groom’s Suit Designer: Threadneedleman Tailors
Photographer: Julian Kanz Photography

Every now and again a gal just needs a lil southern charm.  One wonderful thing about the south, other then the wonderful personalities, is the grand old world mansions now turned event spaces.  These stunning homes of old provide a breathtaking backdrop and that is exactly why Carolyn Bayne & Matt Twomey choose to have their wedding at The Thomas Bennett House.   Hailing from Chicago, the couple opted instead to have their wedding in Charleston, South Carolina.  Taking cues from the lovely architecture of the Bennette House, Carolyn & Matt created an air of romantic elegance in their clear tent which allowed for the wondrous house to show through.  Sprinkle in 3 unbelievably precious flower girls clad in royal blue leotards, tulle skirts, & pastel ballet slippers & you have the perfect recipe for a late winter wedding!

 Vendor List

Wedding Dress & Sash: Lazaro

Event Planner:  Premier Events

Floral Designer: Tiger Lily

Musicians:  Julie Diamond Ensembles

Cake Designer:  Elaine’s Events

Event Venue:  Governor Thomas Bennett House

Photography: MCG Photography

For no particular reason that I can pin down, I found myself pining over the ever magical Hawaii this morning.  As life would have it, when I went onto my Twitter account this morning, under who to follow I saw Pacific Weddings.  Pacific loveliness, why yes thank you!

As I ventured over I was greeted by a great lil site that features weddings of all kinds all around the Pacific Rim from Cali to Fiji.  Naturally I gravitated toward Hawaii finding some wonderful wedding eye candy.  Hawaii makes for a pretty amazing backdrop you really have to admit!

 Even if your not a beachy tropical wedding person, there is plenty to peruse & some terrific ideas to sample from.  The real weddings gallery is divide up by region & features some wonderful weddings.  Inside Fresh Ideas you will find inspiration in the areas of everything from decor to beauty.  As their main focus is the Pacific, its really interesting to see the influences of each unique area & how brides interpret each to their own.

Head over to Pacific Weddings &  get inspired!  I know I am & now bugging hubby that much more about our Hawaii vacation!