Virginia & James

October 20

Monroe, Georgia

~~~~~~~~
Q&A with the Bride

What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

The venue felt incredibly warm and intimate. We live out of state, but wanted to have our wedding in Georgia so that my grandparents would be able to attend. When we visited the location, the wood, brick, and lighting gave it a romantic and intimate feel, which is what I was looking for. Although Monroe is a bit out of the way in what was already a “destination wedding”, we felt the venue was worth it. We got a lot of feedback from guests that the venue, combined with the personal touches and toasts of the wedding, all lent an intimate and warm atmosphere, where guests truly felt they held a special part of our lives.

Which details from your wedding were your favorites?

Emily from Stella Harper Events took on a lot of the design elements. I love the DIY feel, but had none of the resources of talent, time, or proximity to the locale, so Emily was a lifesaver. She created an adorable banner that hung across the mantlepiece on which family photographs, mostly from weddings, were displayed. She made an identical, tiny banner for our wedding cake, all using unique fabrics that fit our wedding colors. She also found different vintage containers that also fit in our color scheme, and worked with Stems Atlanta to create unique, adorable flower centerpieces with them. Finally, I really loved that my bridesmaids all wore different blue dresses. It’s cheesy, but they were all different but beautiful, just like them.

Give us the one moment in your wedding day you can’t stop thinking about.

When James looked at me and said his vows, everything else went away, sped up, and slowed down at the same time. 

Katie & Dan

May 18

Toronto, Canada

~~~~~~~~

Q & A with the Bride:

What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

We always loved frequenting this café, and when we were searching for a venue, the funky atmosphere of Balzac’s came straight to mind. We love its eclectic art and its Victorian Industrial charm.

Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

Absolutely loved the flower arrangements and bouquets with their vintage garden vibe. The donought cake – loved having “coffee and doughnuts” since we were in a café. Combining our two passions of photography and videography into one multimedia presentation that traced our history and life together along with including in it all of our guests at the wedding.

If you could offer one piece of advice for other couples planning their wedding, what would it be?

Try to enjoy the planning as much as you can. You don’t realize how special that part is until it’s over. On the day of, forget everything and bask in the moment. It’s hard to take it all in, so consider investing in a videographer so you can relive the day when it’s all over. 

Give us the one moment in your wedding day you can’t stop thinking about.

Seeing each other for the first time before the ceremony and having the nerves instantly melt away.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

We’re so excited for today’s nationwide release of The Great Gatsby movie. This film was a game-changer for the wedding industry before it even hit theaters, so we can only imagine what its impact will be now that it’s showing on a screen near you. Planning a 1920s-inspired fete and want to dress the part? We took a look at stills from the Gatsby film and found wedding dresses that matched some of the gorgeous ensembles worn by the lead actresses. Our 1920s-inspired round-up also includes the chance to win free tickets to see the film (the contest runs until 5 p.m. today).

Are you planning a Great Gatsby-inspired wedding? Tell us about it in the comments!

Samantha & Brian

September 12

York Harbor, Maine 

~~~~~~~~

Q & A with the Bride:

1. What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

We really wanted a location that had two things: a view of the ocean, and a venue with a lot of character.  We wanted it to be an older building with dark wood, unique charm and a feeling like it could be someone’s home.  We wanted our guests traveling from outside of New England to have a true feeling of what it might be like to spend an evening along the Maine coastline.  The York Harbor Reading Room had everything we were looking for and a wonderful team that is known for putting on a wonderful wedding.

2. Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

One of my favorite details of our wedding was our cake topper.  It was special to me, and a great addition to our vintage-inspired, romantic wedding.  Our cake topper was first used at my grandparents wedding back in 1956.  It’s just a simple bride and groom figurine, but it holds sentimental value that is priceless.  Another detail from my wedding that I really loved was our flowers.  We chose an excellent florist, who did an incredible job with all things floral:  bouquets, centerpieces, ceremony decor.   We wanted clean, romantic, beach-washed floral details for our wedding, and the flowers were an excellent way to decorate and help create the vintage feeling.  Lastly.  I really had fun creating all of our wedding stationary.  Again, we wanted a vintage feel for every piece: the save-the-date, invitation and thank you card.   We were able to tie our wedding theme into each piece, and we were really happy how they turned out.

3. Give us the one moment from your wedding you can’t stop thinking about.

On the days leading up to our wedding, everyone kept telling us to just take five minutes out of the reception and enjoy the day. I was prepared for the day to move quickly and was so nervous about the weather, about being on time, about making sure everyone was enjoying themselves.  My bridesmaid and best friend Jen kept reminding me to enjoy! It was my wedding day!  There were a few minutes where my new husband and I took some time to walk on the beach between the ceremony and reception.  It was just us, and we really were able to spend some time together before the dinner and reception.  We’ll always have those memories, and I am so happy that we took the time out of our day for that.

Jackie & JJ

March 16

Charleston, South Carolina

~~~~~~~~

Q & A with the Bride:

What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

It’s hard to pick just one! It was the perfect size and feel for the small family wedding we wanted, and the location in Charleston allowed all our guests to explore during the weekend. Also, everyone who worked there was so helpful and friendly.

Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

Cake pulls in cupcakes  for the single girls, my grandfather’s pocket watch on my bouquet, and the surprise magnum of champagne engraved with our names and the date.

If you could offer one piece of advice for other couples planning their wedding, what would it be?

Plan what makes you happy, but don’t worry if things don’t go exactly the way you planned.  The “problems” make the best stories!

Give us the one moment in your wedding day you can’t stop thinking about.

The one thing we can’t stop thinking about is the beautiful song one of our family friends played for us at the reception. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room!