I have had a big time love affair with the city of New Orleans for the better part of 8 years now.  After my first trip in 2005, I was immediately hooked returning at least once a year.  While the city certainly has a well earned reputation as a party town, that is only a fraction of the faces that New Orleans wears.  Believe it or not, New Orleans is an incredibly romantic town as well.  There is a phenomenal old world magic to it all, from the architecture {not just speaking of the quarter}, the people, the history, even the way the sun falls on New Orleans.  There is a magic to the city I rarely feel in other places and its very easy to see why Lynn Davidson & Michael Green choose it not only as their favorite city, but the very place that they got married!  A more intimate wedding environment was perfect for our couple, saying ‘I do’  in the garden courtyard at Place d’Armes surrounded by their closest friends & family.  After the ceremony, the couple joined a well loved New Orleans tradition, a second line jazz band which proudly announced to the quarter their love & happiness in only a way a music loving town could!  Celebration, drinks & nibbles were shared with friends at Pat O’Briens all the while every moment captured by wonderful New Orleans wedding photographer Heirloom Collective.  Not every wedding needs to be major in the form of giant guest list, tons of decor, and so on.  Celebrate the love and have one hell of a good time, THAT’S what a wedding is meant to be!

SBW Ps- How brilliant is the idea of using a crotchet hook to help button all those beautiful studs that often run down gowns?!  Take note my future brides!

SBW Pps- I am sorry, but how incredibly cute {albeit maybe a lil wrong, hehe} is the shot of the lil man, draped in Mardi Gras beads, sippin from his bottle!?  I mean, seriously!!!

Novella of the Bride…

We met in Boston at a Kentucky Derby party. Michael jokes that he knew I was the girl for him when I laughed at his “as much use as tits on a bull” joke. I loved the fact that our first discussion was an argument over the number of laps the horses run in the Derby–and I won! After that – we pretty much became inseparable. Our favorite spot in Boston quickly became Fenway Park, watching the Red Sox play. Fast forward a few years, we moved to California for a change of scenery. On a trip back to Boston, Michael snuck me onto the field at Fenway to propose….an unbelievable feat that most Red Sox fans will never get to experience!

Picking the location for the wedding was easy – our favorite city – New Orleans. We wanted the wedding to be about us, in a place that we love.  And what better excuse do we need to visit in the future? After that, the pieces just fell into place…a gorgeous courtyard for the ceremony, our favorite bar for the reception, and an AMAZING second line. It was the perfect New Orleans wedding that we both wanted–a truly unforgettable day.

Vendor Love

Ceremony Venue: Place d’Armes| Reception Venue: Pat O’Briens | Makeup Artist: Flawless Bride | Officiant: Fig Street Weddings| Band: Kinfolk Brass Band | Floral Designer: Chloe Ann Designs | Cake Designer: Cake Design By Meg | Props: NOLA Umbrellas | Event Planner: All About Events | Cinema and Video: Jacob Media Project | Photographer: Heirloom Collective

When planning weddings couple’s are faced with the task of sorting out the identity, the theme/feel, of their wedding day.  Anna Johnson & Chris Daugherty were no exception to the rule, they simply thought up a better mouse trap, sampling special elements from each of the vibes that they so enjoy.  The Signature at West Neck  was the first step, providing the perfect elegant and upscale environment  not to mention the golf flavor which Chris so loves!  Then came the picture perfect baby blue seersucker suits that the men wore, along with some proper BBQ food for the guests.  Toss in a few choice nautical elements and you have the makings for the perfect day, and the truest expression of Anna & Chris.  Vibrant hot pink along with calming blues really paved the way for this beautiful spring day wedding and while I personally am a heel girl, I am looooving Anna’s Sperry Top-Sider wedding shoes!  These two are so very clearly smitten with one another, and Amanda Hedgepeth Photography did a gorgeous job featuring that love front & center!

Novella of the Bride…

Anna, a country girl from Northern Pennsylvania and graduate of Penn State University, is an avid crafter, reader, and budding photographer.  She will graduate this year with an MBA from Old Dominion University.  Chris, a native of Virginia Beach who loves all things hockey, surfing, hunting, and golf, attended prep school at Kent’s Hill School in Maine and has a degree in Finance from Lake Forrest College.  Sometimes the one you’re looking for is right there in front of your face… or in the cube next door!  It might have taken us a few years to realize it but the friendship that developed in the meantime was worth the wait.  We can both honestly say… we married our best friend.

Our goal for the wedding was to create an overall feel that was a little bit back yard barbecue  a little bit antebellum manor, and a little bit nautical.  Our outdoor wedding and tented ceremony at The Signature at West Neck combined with lots of seersucker, Sperrys, and stripes gave us just that.  The Signature was Chris’ suggestion.  It’s the only venue we looked at.   It was the perfect combination of my ideas for a “southern manor meets back yard pig picking” and his affinity for the game of golf.  One look at the club house and I couldn’t picture getting married anywhere else.  And they even had pulled pork sliders as a menu option!

We also wanted to make sure to honor our families in the details.  The bridal party was full of family and my (Anna) cousin officiated over the ceremony.  We displayed our parents’ wedding portraits.  I wore my mother’s wedding gown, shortened and sleeves removed, for our rehearsal dinner and my wedding band had been my great-grandmother’s.  Oh, and my dad walked me down the aisle in the exact same suit he wore when he married my mom; it was his idea.

The Signature was Chris’ suggestion.  It’s the only venue we looked at.   It was the perfect combination of my ideas for a “southern manor meets back yard pig picking” and his affinity for the game of golf.  One look at the club house and I couldn’t picture getting married anywhere else.  And they even had pulled pork sliders as a menu option!

Planning a wedding is hard work!  Especially when your family is spread far and wide.  All six of my bridesmaids, including my two MOH sisters, and my mother spent countless hours on the phone, supporting me every step of the way.  My sister Karen was a lifesaver, always there to lend an ear or a shoulder, hunting down blue mason jars, scrubbing labels off Starbucks bottles, tying countless bows, picking up the Krispy Kreme donuts we packaged as favors the morning of the wedding, and so much more.  Amanda Hedgepeth, our amazing photographer and one of the first vendors we hired, was with us from the beginning, capturing it all.  After two e-sessions, two bridal sessions, engagement party, rehearsal dinner, and finally wedding, she became more friend than just awesome photog that she is.  I can’t imagine the last year without her enthusiasm and support.  She was practically my seventh bridesmaid!!

Bride’s Favorite Moment: “When Chris and I looked at each other, toward the end of our ceremony, and we both realized at the same moment that after thirteen long months of planning and hard work and anticipation, we had done it; we were finally married.”

Vendor Love

Venue: The Signature at West Neck  | Wedding Dress: Galina for David’s Bridal | Shoe Designer: Sperry | Hair Stylist: Chez Madeleine  | Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew  | Groom’s Suit: Jos. A. Bank  | Invitation Designer: Wedding Paper Divas  | Transportation: Exotic Style Limousines, Inc, LPR Limos | Music: DJ CANROCK with East Coast Entertainment  | Rentals: Distinctive Event Rentals  | Florist: Fluttering Flowers by Debra Pence  | Caterer: The Signature at West Neck  | Dessert Bar: Sweet Temptations Dessert Café  | Cake: Bonnie Borek {Family Friend} | Photographer: Amanda Hedgepeth Photography

Lake love is good love I say!  I have always had a big fondness for lake houses, summer’s spent with friends running through the grass, jumping off rickety docks, campfires of hot dogs & marshmallows as the sun went down, all the while snuggled up with your lake love honey.  Ariel LeMoine & Collin Kennedy, avid outdoor lovers, are opting to celebrate their big day in the picturesque mountains in North Eastern Washington.  They wanted their engagement session to reflect the yummy feel that is the stunning pacific northwest so they  headed out to Rattlesnake Lake.  Armed with a few clever outfit options, a warm flannel blanket and of course a canoe, our sweet couple tapped into that old Americana come Ralph Lauren feel!  Their session with Washington wedding photographer Brittany of Blue Rose Photography smacks of sweet iconic summer lake love in all the right places.  Ariel & Collin’s casual coolness is refreshing & this session is making me ever so eager for some much needed summer lake time!

Vendor Love

Venue: Rattlesnake Lake
Photographer: Blue Rose Photography

Simple, Classic, & Love Filled.  These are 3 stellar ways to describe Stefanie Metka & Alan El-Darazi beautiful outdoor engagement session with Illinois wedding photographer, Blue Mason Photography.  In effort to keep the focus on the love and admiration that Stefanie & Alan share, simple backdrops & set ups were chosen allowing their love to be the focal point.  While the sweet feelings that each bring out in the other were clearly on display, so was the ever adorable Puppy Z {Zizou}!  This light hearted lil man brought so much spunk and down right cuteness to the entire session I cant take it!  How sweet is the pic of just him wrapped in the blanket or the shot with Stefanie & Alan’s back & Z gleefully jumping about, LOVE!!  Stefanie, Alan, & Puppy Z make quite the trio & I absolutely love the Americana feel from start to finish!

*All Images By Blue Mason Photography

Lovely Brides, this gorgeous trend of not dressing your ladies like identical twins has got me all in a major swoon and I can’t get enough of it!  Our completely adorable couple, Kaitlin Kelley & Ted Olson, opted for a romantic traditional country club fete at the Las Posas Country Club.  Kaitlin gave her gals leeway, allowing them to select short navy dresses that suited them, allowing them not only to buy something that they would wear gain, but to express themselves as well.  I can’t get enough of the mix of fabrics from the short and long sleeved lace to the simple satins!  While the feel for the day was indeed classic & traditional, its pretty evident our couple, along  with their wedding party couldn’t help but embrace a laid back mega fun feel.  Figlewicz Photography did an amazing job capturing the sweet emotions & full face smiles not to mention all the lovely little details like wood box planter centerpieces and my personal favorite, simple brown beer bottle table numbers!  Overall the feel to the day was light bright & dreamy!

Vendor Love

Venue: Las Posas Country Club
Dress Boutique: Camarillo Bridal
Hair Stylist: Jacklyn Oram Hair
Makeup Artist: Bliss Makeup Artistry
Floral Designer: Kelley Floral
DJ: Kyle Taylor DJ Productions
Bakery: Siblings Bakery
Photographer: Figlewicz Photography