100 Layer Cake

2 Aug

Real wedding: Erica + Abrahm

categories Details + Decor, Neat Venues, Pretty Paper, Real Weddings

Oooooh. This is a good one, ladies (and perhaps a few gents?)! And by good, we mean delicious in detail and location. And there’s a burro. We rarely get tired of the unexpected theme animal. More people should include them in their wedding plans.

Erica and Abrahm were married in the unbearably romantic city of San Miguel de Allende, home of to loads of artists and travelers seeking authentic Mexico, on Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year. How perfect!

They had guests fly in from LA, SF, NY, DC and as far away as Australia and India for a weekend of love and cobblestone streets, good tequila, and probably really delicious salsa. Almost everyone was a first time visitor to SMdA, which made it really fun for Erica and Abrahm to arrange all sorts of fun activities for their guests to experience.

Pretty pretty invites by our friend Viola of Chewing the Cud.

That bouquet is amazing, isn’t it? Just when we thought we were tiring of the succulent trend. We take it back. When it’s wrapped in twine and that beautifully textured, we’ll take it any day.

One of the surprises they planned for their guests was a procession through the streets of town… with the sweetest little burro in the lead. Don’t you love him? Other surprises (MAN, we wish we could have been at this wedding): mariachi band, the FLASHDANCE!, late night fireworks, and a midnight taco truck. They seriously went all out.

Erica is a designer, so she made all the paper pieces for the reception herself. Again, really nice E!

Such a beautiful celebration you two! You included the perfect amount of detail in your vision and your venue selection was pretty spot on. Thanks so much for sharing and congratulations!

Photography: Stephanie Williams
Venue: Casa Chorro
Planner: Penzi/Guadalupe Alvarez
Dress: Monique Lhullier
Shoes: Kate Spade
Grooms suit: Victor & Rolf
Shoes: Ferragamo
DJ: The Flashdance (Holla!)
Invites: Chewing the Cud

26 comments

2 Aug

Vendor Spotlight: Southernmost House

categories Neat Venues, Sponsored Post, Vendor Spotlight

Here’s a fun idea for those of you thinking about a destination wedding. The Florida Keys! They are practically a tropical island getaway, but don’t require your guests to worry about passports and international travel.

Southernmost House is a gorgeous late 19th century Victorian hotel at the very very tip of Key West (hence the name). It’s played host to Kings, Presidents, Pulitzer Prize winners, jazz legends, actresses, inventors, and aviators. It was a stately home, a speakeasy during prohibition, a glamorous café and night club and now a historic hotel and venue imbued with the stories of it’s legendary guests. It’s full of charm and sits between Duval Street and the ocean and promises to be the perfect spot for a warm weekend of wedding festivities.

Or perhaps file this away as a great honeymoon idea? We’d definitely spend a week laying by their pool if opportunity presented!

6 comments

30 Jul

Pretty inspiration from Emersonmade

categories Details + Decor, Inspiration Binder, Wedding Wardrobe

You all know about Emersonmade, clearly. Their gorgeous flower creations are legendary around the blogs. We were snooping around their site the other day, ogling their gorgeous new (ish) pieces for the home. Aren’t they such great inspiration for simple, handmade wedding decors? Not to mention their sweet bouquets, ring pillows, shoe clips, corsages, bouts, lapel pins, etc etc etc. They make everything! And it’s all scrumptious.

Could look at their site all day long. They are such a great resource for sweet little details. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have all of your flowers for your wedding made by them?

(We’re not even going to mention their new clothing line. See, here we are, not mentioning it. Sooo cute. You can pre-order it now. Perhaps along with a lovely corsage for your fall cardigan?)

Happy weekending!

10 comments

28 Jul

Real wedding: Kelly + Joseph part 2

categories Ceremony & Reception, DIY Wedding, Real Weddings

Ready for Part 2 of the incredible Kelly & Joseph’s wedding series? After throwing a completely spectacular event on the Mayan Riveria, the couple headed to Portland to have a casual and intimate but equally gorgeous wedding at a private cabin in the woods.

This wedding was all Kelly and Joseph – everything was vintage, they had a million photographer friends taking photos (including the wonderful Leah Verwey), picnic blankets, kazoos, karaoke and more. This had to be one of the most laid-back and fun weddings ever!

To get to the ceremony site near Mt Hood, guests (and their dogs) were first lead on a magical trek through the woods. How precious is the shot of them walking across the wooden beam?

This wedding had a ton of color, starting with Kelly’s lovely bouquet. It was perfectly imperfect, with a ton of fun-factor elements.

Check out all the multitude of glassware – all vintage, of course. So gorgeous and easy to put together.

Donuts trumped the traditional wedding cake for this shindig, an ideal choice if you ask us.

What a perfect end to their epic saga, right? Actually, Kelly just told us she traveled to Illinois after this for yet another reception! You crazy kids – go have some fun now and enjoy your newlywed status.

To see more from these two, don’t forget to check out the before & after shots from their Mexican wedding.

Custom Convertible Dress: Sarah Seven
Bolero (only in some photos at the Mayan Ruins): Toccata on Etsy
Necklace: Arleigh at Frank Jewellery by Design
Shoes: Biviel
Joseph’s outfit: All thrift-store finds
Veil, Poms, Ringbook, Guestbook, Flags, Rock and Succulent Centerpieces, Cake-Topper, Corsages: all made by the bride with help by friends and family (amazing!)

23 comments

28 Jul

Real wedding: Kelly + Joseph part 1

categories Ceremony & Reception, DIY Wedding, Neat Venues, Real Weddings

Yesterday, we gave a little sneak peek at the before and after shots of Kelly and Joseph’s wedding. Most couples only have the pleasure of creating one day of their dreams, but these two decided one wasn’t enough – so they had a ceremony in Mexico, and then one back in Portland to seal the deal.

First we’re gonna look at their Mexican wedding ON the actual Mayan Ruins, and later, we’ll show you Portland.

Kelly is a super crafter (and a photographer), so with the help of friends and family, she included some incredible little crafty details and touches like fabric corsages for the guests, rock garden centerpieces (with rocks Kelly has collected since she was six years old), a handmade cake topper and more poms than anyone would know what to do with.

During the ceremony, family members stood in a circle blessing the couple by telling stories of love and marriage. The couple also had a collaged book of love that held their rings and a single feather, which they released into the ocean following the ceremony.