Arch | You May French Kiss The Bride

May 2014

Stephanie + Joe

Colorful Destination Wedding in Mexico

Stephanie and Joe had a destination wedding in Mexico. I really liked the colorful arch out of paper flowers they installed in the backyard of the house the where staying at, but most of all, I love how much fun these two are—and I have to say I hadn’t seen that much pictures of a bride with a beer in her hand since my own wedding… oops! They didn’t spend months thinking about every little detail of their day; actually, they went to a local bakery and a flower shop three days before their wedding… The bakery made a fake cake which had its little effect during the party! They also had the wonderful idea to hire some great photographers to capture this super special day of their life, Erin and Ben for the Chrisman Studios.

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The wedding took place in a small and quiet town in Mexico, La Manzanilla on April 13, 2013. Dear friends of the couple offered their house “Casa Golondrinas“, where the ceremony was held out in the open air as the sun was setting. A eight piece band of mariachis was playing as the guests arrived. From the bride:

We met in a way that neither of us would have thought possible…. We met online thanks to one of my clients who was not comfortable with me being single and created an online page for me. Joe was new to San Francisco after living in Australia for three years and one of his Aussie mates made him pay a month of match.com as a way to meet girls, and or perhaps be able to meet new people. I was not interested at all in dating, I was happy single but my client said “Stephanie, I invested in this, its been two months and you haven’t done anything…” wow, what could I do? I started going into the site, did meet a nice french guy with whom no romance happened but became a good friend (in fact he was invited to the wedding, couldn’t come) and then I saw Joe and the rest is a happily ever after…

We can’t really explain why Mexico other than we have friends with a lovely house there that we had never seen or been to. But it sounded perfect. Why? Joe’s parents had never left the USA it was a way to have them experience something that might have seemed really scary to them and to show that the world is full of wonders. My parents have a different story, very much world travelers their entire life… The point I am trying to make is that Mexico was perfect because it would give my dad a push to travel again as I hate my dad’s getting old. Joe and I loved getting married there it was really nice not only for us but for all the guest as everyone was forced into a vacation. If I could recommend to all brides and grooms I would most certainly advise a destination wedding, it is so special and a huge memory for everyone involved.

Name one thing you regret…

I think there were things that were a bit funny. The flowers were a bit off from what we wanted. They arrived late, so as far as we knew there were no flower… it was a delight to see them as we arrived to the restaurant we rented on the beach. Joe and I really wanted an intimate wedding but in the end we think we would have loved it more if it were a bit larger – we had fifty guests. As I write this I can also say that with fifty guest it was really nice to have time to hug and talk to everyone who came.

… And one thing you’re really happy about/ proud of.

My mom and I made paper flowers for months, a few every time I went to visit her. I think it was the best decoration of all, each flower we opened in Mexico was a reminder of many ideas and anticipation of the actual wedding. Just about everyone in the family both mine and Joe’s had a chance to open a flower as well as my two best friends (my childhood friends) had their hands on them. My two best friends Moema and Bia helped to decorate the “Casa Golondrina” with these colorful and vibrant paper flowers.

ONE very important detail I left is the Chrisman’s!!! Our wedding day was so special with Ben and Erin not just the day but the entire weekend. They are not only professional but kind, warm, and not some awful photographer who is rude and intrusive – I find it awful when I go to weddings and at every moment they are interrupting a momen). beside a destination wedding I would say put the most MONEY/TIME in the photographers, they will capture moments that are truly priceless. That is an advice I have told everyone I know who is getting married. Actually my advise is always gotta have the Chrisman’s.

Feb 2014

Laura + Morgan

Balloon Love Letters and an Outdoor Ceremony in the Middle of the City

It may look like an obvious choice when thinking about it (and well, after seeing someone do it!), but I’ve never seen a couple getting married in the middle of the city, simply in a town square. Finding the right place to hold the ceremony can become quite a headache, but sometimes the solution is just right under your feet! I’m also a huge fan of these balloons love letters, aren’t you? Photography by Sandra Palm.

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The wedding took place in Tallinn, Estonia, on July 09, 2013. Here’s the story of how these two met.

I like the story of how we met. I am from Estonia and he is from Sweden. We met in Estonia in a nightclub. He came up to me in the club and I wasn’t interested at the time. We chatted and I left. And that was it. No numbers exchanged or anything. 7 months later he happened to be in Estonia again and we just happened to be in the same nightclub again. He came up to me, again, but he didn’t remember we had already met… I obviously did. His face was priceless when after his “Hello” and introduction I got to say… “Yeah I know. We have met!” We had a great laugh about it and exchanged emails after that.

Name one thing you regret…

Its impossible to answer this as it was the most awesome day ever. I only regret it couldn’t last longer than a day!

… And one thing you’re really happy about/ proud of.

I am the most happy that our friends travelled from all around the world to be with us.

The word of the photographer.

I think that the couple had an awesome attitude towards their wedding day. They were so relaxed, totally enjoying the day. Photographing people clearly amazingly in love, showing their love for each other and enjoying themselves every minute of the day, is just a total bliss as a photographer! The wedding was modern, stylish and relaxed.

Dec 2013

Jessica + Mark

Pop Colors, Balloons, Crepe Paper Flowers and Pom Poms for the Ceremony Exit

Jessica and Mark had a playful, colorful and fun wedding, full of DIY details and personal touches. They used crepe paper flowers and birds to create a nice ceremony setting, and their guests were throwing paper pom poms at them for the ceremony exit – what a great idea! I’m usually not a big fan of tents, but I have to say they did an amazing job decorating the place and the tables! And… there’s even a campfire! Well, I think you got it, I’m really excited to show you this wedding! Photography by Rhema Images Photography.

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The wedding took place at the bride’s parents home in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, on September 14, almost exactly three years after the couple’s first date.

Our first date was Sept 15th, 2010. We clicked instantly and were together from that day forward. Almost exactly three years later Mark and I were exchanging vows. I knew for sure we would marry and evidently everyone else did too. My mother began working on favors, centerpieces and even invitation ideas a year before mark actually proposed. Lucky she did because it took almost a year and a half to handcraft every aspect of this colorful and whimsical celebration. Two other things added to the magic of the wedding. It was an outdoor ceremony and the weather was overcast the entire day. Miraculously right before I started to walk down the isle, the sun appeared. And exiting the ceremony had its own magic, for the guests threw pom poms instead of rice, filling the sky with colorful balls. We wanted the feeling at our wedding to be exactly like our relationship, easy going, spontaneous, colorful and sweet. Our wedding was just that.

Name one thing you regret…

This is an interesting question because we feel like the one thing we regret could also be what ended up making our wedding such a blast for all of our guests. We had many activities going on outside of the wedding tent, games, a beautiful photo booth, and a cozy fire surrounded by haystacks. No one felt they were restricted to any one area. This was a lot of fun but it made it difficult to get everyone under the wedding tent for events such as cake cutting and bouquet/garter toss. What we were missing was someone who could be in charge of organizing the events of the night a little more smoothly, a coordinator of sorts. Everyone was so busy having fun, certain details were neglected.

… And one thing you’re really happy about/ proud of.

Our wedding was definitely a visual masterpiece, all heart and handcrafted by the people who love us. We couldn’t have been prouder of how everything looked from the arbor, centerpieces, chandeliers, hundreds of crepe paper flowers and amazing homemade wedding cake! The fact that everyone had a part in creating this made it unforgettably beautiful. Mark and I added to this by writing our own vows to one another and performing a choreographed first dance for our guests. We had a blast taking dance lessons the week before our wedding and we still hear comments on how fun our dance was.