USA | You May French Kiss The Bride

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.

More photos on the photographers’ blog!

Oct 2013

Beth + Tyler

Simple Countryside Wedding in the Middle of Nowhere

Not much to pin today for those detail lovers, but quite a lot to think about! This couple (they happen to be photographers themselves) questioned every wedding tradition, separated the things that made sense or meant something to them from the others, so they would end up with a wedding that really correspond to them! They had their wedding in the middle of nowhere (which I love – please stop with municipal halls), I also love that there’s very few details and just the surrounding nature! Photography by Levi Tijerina.

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The wedding took place at 10,000 feet outside of an aspen grove in the heart of the rocky mountains of Colorado on June 22, 2013. An 1.5 away from any civilization with no cell service! This is a little anecdote about the wedding, that I think every bride and groom to be should read!

Tyler and I aimed for authenticity. Weddings today seem to come with certain expectations- a check list of what to do and don’t do- but I feel like we’re often disconnected from the point of it all. We tried to look at every piece of the wedding and ask “What is the point of this? & how can we do it to ensure that that purpose shines through?” In other words, we wanted to reclaim what a wedding can be. Like the bouquet toss and cake cutting…I didn’t feel a need to have it, so we didn’t. When thinking about our ceremony- the purpose was to have all of our friends and family join into our commitment to one another, so we had them form a circle around us. These little changes were subtle at times, but it allowed us to reconnect to the magic and spiritual nature of the day.

Name one thing you regret…

I regret not having more time with friends and family. It felt like such a rush from the time that everyone arrived. I wish I would have planned a little more time to just go hike with my brothers or go out for coffee with my friends from out of state.

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

I can’t personally be proud of this, but my bridesmaids surprised me with a tent in the middle of the aspen grove for me to put my dress on in. It was incredible! Nature is such a powerful aspect in my life, so to get ready for my wedding day in the middle of the grove was truly surreal.

The word of the photographer.

Beth and I have been friends since I first moved to Colorado–she’s a fellow photographer in the community and reached out to me early on. When she asked me to photograph he wedding, I was pretty surprised, and honored, and when she told me about the wedding her and Tyler was planning, I was very excited to be on board. Their wedding was entirely ‘them’ and fit them perfectly. All of their favorite people, celebrating in the Mountains in the middle of nowhere. It doesn’t’ get better than that. Much thanks to my friend Drew Willingham for jointing me for this wedding.

Oct 2013

Jessie + Dale

Cowboy Wedding in the Mountains

It’s been a while since I last posted a cowboy wedding! And I am happy to share this one with you: not only is it a beautiful wedding with an outdoor ceremony, but it also takes place in the middle of the mountains (the bride & groom’s wish) in a wonderful setting! These two got married at the exact same place the groom’s parents got married, how sweet is it? Photography by Alyssa Wilcox.

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The wedding took place on July 13th, 2013, at the reese Ranch in Stanley, Idaho, USA. From the bride:

The ranch is a few miles from the headwaters of the Salmon river and buried in the heart of the Sawtooth mountains. We were blessed to share the same wedding ceremony place that Dale’s parents were married some moons ago almost on the day. The goal of the wedding was to reflect who we are and what we love. We’re simple folk, we love: God, one another, our family & friends, flying and the Sawtooth Mountains. It was important for us to keep the mountains as our main décor and only complement as needed.

Name one thing you regret…

Not following my photographers direction and making a list of everyone we wanted pics with / of.

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

Spending the week prior to the wedding getting ready and enjoying the mountains with our immediate families. The feeling of 2 families becoming one and genuinely loving one another is incredibly awesome. – No drama. We have some of the best friends in the world who stood up and supported us as our wedding party. We went white river rafting a few days before and – Stanley could be considered a destination wedding, it is not an easy place to get to. We had people come from all over the United States and Europe there to celebrate. Having everyone there was the best gift we could ask for.