07
Oct 2014

Patricia + Michael

NYC Bookstore Wedding

There are so many things to say about this wedding, the first one being: this couple GOT MARRIED IN A BOOKSTORE! And usually, I wouldn’t add anything else because this personally already would make me wanna check the whole thing out. But the thing is, there is more. First, the bookstore they got married at isn’t just any bookstore, it’s a “non-profit bookstore that donates all their proceeds to fighting AIDS and homelessness” (New-Yorkers, you know where you’ll go next weekend). Second, this couple is so cool that getting married in a bookstore wasn’t enough; they had pizza for lunch after their first look, in other words, all “brided up” and “groomed up”! And finally—on a more personal achievement point of view—they found their photographers via this blog which means I have both the best readers ever and the best photographers, YAY!! Photography & Videography by Amanda & Nate aka the Howards, the couple behind The Shalom Imaginative, that just moved to Los Angeles, California.

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The wedding took place on May 23rd at 7:00 p.m at the Housing Works Bookstore in NYC. From the couple:
The locations that were captured in the photos all have a special meaning to us. Washington Square Park is a place we often visit in the summer to relax, people watch and read. East Village was the first neighborhood we lived in when we moved to New York. The stoop were we sat and had coffee is at our first apartment. Pho/Bun is a favorite dish of ours. Once when we were celebrating my (Patricia’s) birthday at bar in Greenwich with friends, Mike was so kind to leave the party and grab Joe’s Pizza for everyone. It hit the spot, the party continued to the late night and Joe’s has been one of our favorites every since. And of course the Brooklyn Bridge, not only is it iconic but it also symbolizes a transformation – to leave behind the familiar and start a new journey together.

 

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Name one thing you regret…

Why didn’t we get married sooner! :D

 

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… And one thing that makes you proud.
The days leading up to the wedding and right after were such a whirlwind. We are so happy Nate and Amanda (The Shalom Imaginative) were with us to capture all the moments of the weekend. From events like casually roaming the city and enjoying tea with the family to the first look and wedding ceremony, they were there documenting our story. Now that some time has passed, we often look back at the photos and film and we feel the love, energy and excitement of our wedding day all over again.
Not only were we able to spend time with our family and close friends during this special day but we were also able to support Housing Works Bookstore’s mission. They are a non-profit bookstore that donates all their proceeds to fighting AIDS and homelessness.

 

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And to prolong the dream, you can have a look at the video of the day below, or at the photographers’ blog post here.

22
Aug 2014

Lacey + Logan

An Elopement in San Diego with a Nearly 9 Months Pregnant Bride

I think I don’t show enough elopements here. What a great way to get to the essence of what getting married means, have less to worry about and spend energy only caring about the main aspects of the day. And I guess, it also has its financial advantages for those of you on a budget. Lacey tells us more about their decision and experience below, and who knows, maybe their story will inspire you too! Lacey is, by the way, an extremely beautiful bride; she calls her bouquet and head piece “amazing”, and I can only agree – amongst the most beautiful I’ve seen! Photography by Yes, Dear. Studio.

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Lacey and Logan’s elopement took place in San Diego, at Sunset Cliffs, facing the Ocean. Here’s the story, from the bride, of how they dropped the idea of having the usual wedding (the one with guests) and decided to elope instead.

What made my wedding day so special was the ease and simplicity. It was everything I ever wanted not to mention, drama free! Whenever we talked about our wedding it was, “Well we can’t do it there… so and so won’t be able to make it, or we can’t do it then because this is happening…” I realized those excuses had nothing to do with Logan and I and how silly it all was. We were expecting our beautiful baby boy and just decided to have a special day between the two of us before life as we knew it forever changed. I was in love with the idea! I had a month to put together my dream wedding. I had always envisioned a green wedding with absolutely no flowers and I achieved that with my amazing bouquet and head piece made of ferns, eucalyptus, ruscus, luecadendron, kale, and Mexican babies breath. The pins on my belt belonged from my grandmother and I added to them with vintage pins found at thrift stores. Our ceremony was held at Sunset Cliffs which is also were Logan and I had an incredible first date exploring caves and examining sea life. 

 

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Name one thing you regret…

My biggest fear with eloping was that I would regret something, so I made sure to do everything I felt was important personally. The only thing is that I would have loved to have a different dress.
It was a timing issue, the one I had my heart set on I was not able to find in a store and I was too nervous to order online because I was worried about fitting properly… I should’ve just had it made, it was a simple design, but I didn’t think of that till too late.

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

My number one concern for eloping was documenting and capturing the day perfectly and Yes, Dear. Studio exceeded my expectations!

 

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The word of the photographers.

While nearly nine months pregnant with their first child, Lacey & Logan decided to elope rather than waste any more time on the details of a big wedding . They chose the most beautiful location, Sunset Cliffs in San Diego,  to say “I do”. They had an intimate ceremony as the sun was setting, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was a moment full of sincerity and love. It was an amazing honor for us to experience something so pure and beautiful. These two have so much love for each other and their baby boy, Hutch. We spent nearly five hours capturing their special day in their favorite spots around San Diego, completely free from stress or pressure.

25
Apr 2014

Carolyn + David

Delicate Wedding in the Californian Vineyards

Marius Barbulescu is a great photographer from Romania. I already had the pleasure to display a picture of his for our last themed post on unusual and unexpected situations, and today, I can show you a bit more of his work through the series of pictures he took at this beautiful wedding in the Californian vineyards. You should read the story of how one of their luggage got stolen during the trip, the one containing all the contracts and the bride’s accessories!… I don’t know how I would have reacted! Carolyn and David still had a perfect day, and I just love those pictures by the swimming pool of what seemed like a very peaceful moment that day.

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The wedding took place in Santa Rosa, CA, USA on October 26, 2014. Here’s a fun (I guess!) story about that wedding from the bride.

We actually were well into planning a small wedding in Paris, France when it all just fell apart and we had to start over.  So, we went back to the drawing board, exploring options and decided to take a trip to Sonoma County to look at venue options.  While there we fell in love with the area, the atmosphere and the wine, all of which reminded us so much of Burgundy.  All together, though, this meant that we ended up planning two weddings in two countries over 18 months. Also, we did not have terribly good luck while traveling…one of our suitcases was stolen from the baggage claim after landing in San Francisco.  Of course that bag was the most important one, containing everything from medications to a folder of contracts with vendors to table place cards and, naturally, all of Carolyn’s bridal accessories!

 

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Name one thing you regret…

We regret that David’s sister and her husband were unable to join us as she was pregnant at the time and travel was not possible. Our niece Quinn was born the day after our wedding took place.  They were both missed a great deal but by the time we returned home our family had grown!

 

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

We are so happy to have had many of our close friends and family with us for such a long-awaited and memorable event in our lives. We are proud to have overcome many hurdles in life and throughout the wedding planning process and ended up in the perfect location to celebrate our wedding, marriage and the start of our lives together as husband and wife.

 

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The word of the photographer.

Writing about this is not easy. My trip to the States still feels like a dream I woke up to suddenly. 8 days there feel like 60 intense seconds of my life. I can barely gather my memories in one place. This is such a long and personal story I will share only with my friends and family, all I’ll say is that absolutely nothing feels like a coincidence for me now. The people I met, the places I’ve seen, all my adventures… my journey was life changing. And all happened because Carolyn and David trusted me. And finding out that Carolyn is also a photographer (and a very talented one, trust me!) and listening about their “out of this world” love story made me feel even more excited about their wedding.
Right from the very first moment I met them, I felt like home. All their family and friends welcomed me in a way I could not believe was possible. I was so immersed into what was happening in front of me and absolutely nothing stood between me and my camera. It was my chance to do my best without any restrictions from anything else but myself and my own limitations. That’s a one in a million situation and I never thought of the outcome until I’ve started editing my pictures. I’m not proud, just genuinely grateful, happy and lucky I was among them at their beautiful, soulful and intimate wedding. Words are just not enough to express what I felt back then (and even now).
Carolyn and David, I will never be able to thank you enough for everything. Watching you pictures (and especially the slideshow) brings me back there like nothing else. I do hope you feel the same. That would be “our perfect circle”. You are amazing! :)

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You May French Kiss the Bride is a creativity-stimulating website for crazy-in-a-good-way photographers and couples. We are Joana and Marcio and we think you’re the best. Be in love. Be yourself—and let it spill over the web!

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