Colorful August Tented Wedding

Next up in our Summer Series is Maggie and Kevin’s colorful, fun tented backyard wedding on the water. Maggie contacted me in early June and they were hoping to get married in mid-August. We had just two months to plan EVERYTHING and I was very excited to get started.  We met right away in Kevin’s parents’ house and thought “This could work!”. Just kidding! It was a stunning property and right on the water.  Since we did not have much time to waste, I got working immediately to reach out to some of my favorite people and luckily everyone was available for the date.  Our first meeting was with Sperry Tents to make sure that the tents for dinner and dancing would fit. We figured out a plan to have lighting over the pool, a circular tent for dancing and a large tent for the dinner and drinks. The flow was perfect and really utilized the space nicely. My next call was to Christina Lilly Photography and so glad she was there to capture all of the pretty on a day where the sky matched our color palette.

Maggie and Kevin decided on a bright & colorful day that really highlighted the season and capitalized on the wildflowers that are so abundant in August. We knew that Anne and Blade Floral would be the perfect fit.  Anne and I were both excited to tackle a wedding that wasn’t afraid of color! Don’t miss Maggie’s vintage dress- stunning!

Maggie loved the look of indigo and we hand-dyed runners and round linens to bring the vision to life. I love the indigo against the water and the sky and how each one was unique.

Their ceremony was intimate and officiated by their good friend. I love how personal each couple can make their ceremony. After all, that is what the day is about. Anne created carnation garlands as vibrant as a rainbow and of course we knew that this spectacular tree had to be in the background.

The dinner was very important to Maggie and Kevin. Maggie, being of Greek heritage, knew that she wanted to make sure her guests were well fed. Those Greeks know hospitality and she wanted to create a unique menu that catered to meat eaters and vegans alike. Cue Cardinal. They did an amazing job and the food was spectacular and seasonal. Since the menu was so important, so needed to be the tables they dined upon. We used farm tables for the head table, and rounds for the guests with assorted amber goblets, sunny menus from Gubba Gumma, agate table numbers, calligraphy by Mary Kate Moon, candles galore and vibrant centerpieces by Blade.

Since this is the Summer Series after all, I will end with these quintessential summer portraits by Christina Lilly. Maggie and Kevin wanted the morning of their wedding to be relaxed and fun so they opted for no bridal party and to get ready together complete with room service and ocean views. Christina has such an eye! She always gets the most artistic photos.

Thank you Maggie & Kevin for trusting me to bring your vision to life in just a few short months. It was truly a pleasure to work with you! I wish you a lifetime of blue skies,

Vendor Credits: Photography Christina Lilly Photography //Floral Blade Floral & Design //Calligraphy MaryKate Moon // DJ Sounds to Go// Catering Cardinal //Tent and Lighting Sperry Tents NJ // Specialty Rentals Dovetail Vintage Rentals// Standard Rentals Party Rental Ltd.// Paper Goods  Gubba Gumma

 

An Intimate Palm Springs Inspired Wedding

Inspired by the bright, poppy colors and endless summer days of Palm Springs, we dreamt up a color palette as beautiful as a sunset on the West coast. And yes you may recognize this couple from their stunningly romantic wedding & engagement session here and here even though they are gorgeous, they are a real life couple that I had the privilege of being a part of several events leading up to their May wedding. Luckily, Love & Light Photographs was on board as well to capture all of the sweet moments.

Nicole, Mike and I were in the planning process of their “black tie almost 300 people” wedding when they decided to also have a small intimate & traditional church ceremony with just their immediate family. When they asked me to be a part of this as well, of course I said yes!

We started brainstorming how to make this day stand apart from their soft, ethereal wedding the following weekend. A bright and colorful palette filled with coral charm peonies, flamingos and a white-on-white snakeskin linen fit the bill. We had fun to say the least! Mary Kate Moon set the stage with this bright watercolor beauty of an invitation suite. The cactus stamps we found were just so perfect- I love when that happens!

Their wedding dinner was held at Angelica’s in Sea Bright. Originally the plan was to host the dinner outside, but the weather didn’t cooperate but in my opinion was sweet to be nestled inside by the glow of candlelight.

One of my favorite little details were these wooden laser cut place cards from Ever Laser. I always recommend that for a head table at a wedding or a small dinner party to assign seating to take the guess work out of where to sit and encourage great conversation.

We also had some fun with a few details like the custom napkins and fun flamingo cake topper. The cake topper on a cake from The Vintage Cake was created by Ann Wood. You can shop the cake topper here.

Jessa of Love & Light always does an amazing job of scouting the best location for portraits. She spotted this bright teal door with striped awning and we knew we had to shoot the newlyweds here. These two are so in love and I felt so lucky to get to know them & witness their true partnership during this wedding planning journey.

For anyone wondering what it was like to have two ceremonies. I can guarantee you that it made it even that more special. From the bride Nicole, “Having two ceremonies is something we couldn’t be happier about.  They were both incredibly different and special in their own way.  The church was so intimate and romantic.  It was a day for us to spend such a sacred moment with our closest family members.  The large ceremony was just breathtaking and it truly felt like a wedding.  I wouldn’t change a thing!”  Not to mention, it goes by so fast so why not do it twice!

Vendor Credits: Photography Love & Light Photographs //Design and Florals Gilded Lily Events //Paper Goods MaryKate Moon // Cake The Vintage Cake //Place Cards Ever Laser Venue// Anjelica’s // Cake Topper Ann Wood // Bride’s Dress Anthropologie // Groom’s Suit Tommy Hilfiger // Vintage Stamps Gubba Gumma