Real Weddings:

Renee and Robert’s New Orleans Wedding

photography by Arte De Vie

Renee and Robert wanted would absolutely marry in the spring, but this meant a short engagement. To plan their perfect New Orleans wedding—quickly—the couple enlisted the help of Grey Collective member Blue Gardenia Weddings and Events who worked overtime to produce the wedding of Renee’s dreams. The celebration included a ceremony at Rogers Chapel Tulane Campus followed by a luxe reception at the historic Hotel Nopsi. Bee’s Wedding and Event Designs filled the day with lush florals and greens at every turn—arrangements, suspended installations, climbing vines—you name it, they did it and the result is spectacular. Classic stationery and paper design by Scriptura with cakes by Pure Cake and it’s all captured to perfect by Grey Collective member Arte De Vie.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

Renee: Belinda, my wedding planner, made it special. She planned absolutely everything and it turned out perfectly. First, the whole wedding was planned in about four months!! We knew we wanted to get married in the spring and did not want to wait another year for all of the celebrations to take place. Belinda and the Blue Gardenia team worked overtime to find the perfect location and creative team to make it all happen – even in this short planning timeframe! Also, the ceremony was in an out-of-the-way, unexpected location – a small 1970s style chapel on Tulane University campus, which just happened to be where the bride’s parents were married! The reception was at the historic NOPSI Hotel – the staff at the NOPSI worked closely with us to create a menu that truly reflected our tastes and featured items that were special to us – including recreating our favorite after dinner drink – Carajillo, a coffee & liquor cocktail – which they passed around to all guests in time for toasts!

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Renee: Truthfully, the entire day was perfection and I would recommend every girl to hire a planner like Belinda to do everything for them so they can just sit back and enjoy the day! Belinda made sure my whole day was perfectly managed from start to finish —without me even feeling like I was being managed! She’s a wedding fairy godmother. Not only that: My wedding was FUN. Something I wasn’t really thinking it could be. (Weddings always seems like they were going to be stressful for the bride!) Seriously, I just had fun the whole day – and somewhere along the way got to marry the love of my life!!

There were so many special details throughout the day from the champagne upon guest arrival at the reception to an incredible four course meal beautifully prepared by the NOPSI Hotel…but, probably the most special was walking down the aisle in the small chapel where my parents were married long ago (it definitely was a design challenge, but Bee’s Wedding and Event Floral Designs absolutely transformed it with a stunning garden wall of trailing vines and florals – it was my complete vision come to life! Also, my brother performed our ceremony and having him be such a large part of the wedding ceremony was beyond special and emotional!!

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Renee: Rob and I met through mutual friends, actually while we were both in Miami on vacations! After the trip ended, he picked my name off of the weekend’s Miami group-text, and messaged me saying that he was “down in Houston for business and could he take me to dinner?” The rest is history!

Photography: Arte De Vie // Event Design/Coordination: Blue Gardenia Weddings and Events // Florist: Bee’s Wedding and Event Designs // Wedding invitations, Wedding Day Paper Goods: Scriptura // Ceremony Venue: Rogers Chapel Tulane Campus // Reception Venue & Catering: Hotel Nopsi // Hair/Makeup: Tina with Verde Beauty // Videographer: Studio Vieux Carre // Lighting, candle décor, lounge furniture: Firefly Ambiance // Cakes: Monique with Pure Cake // Tables and Chairs: True Value Rental // Linen: La Tavola Fine Linen // Wedding Rings: Zadok // Gown: BHLDN // Brides Jewelry: her something borrowed! // Bridesmaids: BHLDN // DJ/Band: Nola Dukes // 2nd Line Band: Kinfolk Brass Band // Ceremony musicians: New Orleans Finest Musicians // Photo Booth: Muse Photo Booth

Real Weddings:

Emma and Brad’s wedding at Camp Lucy

featuring Krystle Akin

Mauve, blush and dusty pink make up the dreamiest palette in Emma and Brad’s wedding day at Camp Lucy. The couple enlisted the help of event designer Stefanie Miles who collected a group of all-star vendors to execute the beautiful day. Florist Bows and Arrows brought the beauty of the pink palette to life with arrangements overflowing with dahlias, roses and peonies and a receptions dripping in greenery. Literally you guys—spectacular greens are dripping from the rafters of the nineteenth century French Colonial chapel. There’s romance and joy all over this Texas wedding and we’re thrilled to share it with you in these stunning images by Krystle Akin.

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from the bride: Despite being in the same freshman orientation class, dorm and even several business classes, Brad and I didn’t meet until the summer before our junior year on a study abroad trip to London. Three years later, Brad proposed in Cabo San Lucas at our favorite restaurant that’s carved into a series of cliffs overlooking the ocean.

As Brad and I started planning our wedding, we knew that we wanted it to be personal and unique to us as a couple. Our family has always been extremely important to us so we wanted to include them in as many ways as possible. During the ceremony, my uncle played guitar while my cousin sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as I walked down the aisle with my mom and dad. My aunt read a verse from Corinthians 1 and my 90-year old grandmother attached a pin that has been worn by every woman in the family at their wedding onto my dress. We even asked all the family members who have been married to send us a photo from their cake cutting for us to place around the cake.

Our wedding weekend was not perfect but it was absolutely perfect for us! We allowed ourselves to go with the flow and accept that things wouldn’t go exactly as planned. We decided to spend time with each other and the entire wedding party before the ceremony even started to calm our nerves and even sneaked in a kiss after getting caught up in the emotions of reading our vows to one another. It was not only an amazing day but also an amazing weekend spent with life-long friends and family.

Emma and Brad’s Sneak Peek | Austin, TX from The McKellars on Vimeo.

Photography: Krystle Akin // Planner: Stefanie Miles // Floral: Bows and Arrows // Invites: Inkling Calligraphy // Venue: Camp Lucy // Videography: The McKellars // Dress: Willowby by Waters // Shoes: Badgley Mischka // Rentals: Whim Hospitality

Inspiration Shoots and Boards:

Monet Inspired Wedding Inspiration

featuring Cat's Lens Photography

Inspired by Claude Monet,Blooming Wed and a team of incredible creatives set out to create a design that epitomized the mood of the impressionist painter’s Houses of Parliament. In his response to the poetry of dusk and mist, Monet used the colors grey and dusty blue, conveying the peacefulness of the late afternoon in London. The team used the same palette to elicit a similarly calm and serene sensibility. Purple, pink, orange and yellow hues of the sunset add an element of vibrancy to the painting and to the floral design by Elevn Fleur, artful food and drinks by Betty Zlatchin Catering. Airy calligraphy by JK Design is showcased in a textural stationery suite and Knead and Nourish created a scene-stealing, painterly cake. The overall mood is incredibly dreamy and Cat’s Lens Photography captured it all in these lovely images.

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Event Planning & Design: Blooming Wed // Photographer: Cat’s Lens Photography // Floral Design: Elevn Fleur // Calligraphy: JK Design // Bridal Dress: Wild Bride // MUA: Joyce Zhou Designs // Catering: Betty Zlatchin Catering // Cake: Knead and Nourish // Rental: Standard Party Rentals // Models: Madison Dupart & Luis Minguel Yupanqui

Real Weddings:

Marissa and Mason’s wedding at Mixon Farms

featuring Everence Photography

Marissa and Mason’s wedding day at The Pavilion at Mixon Farms is overflowing with vibrant, happy details. The bride and groom— self-described as “very bubbly and happy people”—wanted the wedding to be a reflection of their personalities. Planner Swanky Soiree Events helped the couple infuse joyous vibes throughout celebration at the orange grove—from the big, bold florals by Oh Darling Events to fresh orange favors and the result is delightful. Lucky for us, the couple enlisted the skills of Everence Photography to capture all the moments of their big day in these lovely images.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

There were so many things that felt so special and unique during our big day. The little details were very important to us. We wanted our personalities and favorite things to be incorporated to our special day. Since we were getting married at an orange grove out of season, it only felt fitting to incorporate the oranges in our décor! They were the perfect addition and we even used them as our party favors with customized thank you tags pinned to them at each table setting. Not to mention – they smelled amazing.

The florals were a huge part of the day. The groom and I are very bubbly and happy people. We wanted the flowers to be bright and vibrant, just like our personalities. Plus, once I got my eyes on coral peonies and hot pink ranunculus, I fell in love and wanted them everywhere on the big day! Our florist then took creative control to create all the florals that were at the wedding. It was better than I could have ever imagined. I wanted to ensure all the little details came together. Every piece of décor was though out. Down to our pink glasses we had for the bridal party and the fun unique ones for our guests, to our bar sign that was on a copper tray! I made our signature drink match our theme with a pink margarita on the rocks with a copper straw. We had colored sugar and salts that matched our colors that our guests could choose from and it was such a fun detail! The groom also loves Corona, so the groom and all the groomsman wore Corona socks on our big day.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

We found my gown at Something Blue Bridal, a beautiful boutique in our town. I tried on about 15 dresses, which were all gorgeous, but I just did not feel like I had found “the one.” We almost gave up thinking today was not the day I would find my dress. I decided to skim the rack one more time, and one dress caught my eye. It was not anything I envisioned myself in, but I figured there was no harm in trying just one more. The moment I put it on and saw myself in the dressing room, I started to tear up and could not stop smiling. I walked out to my bridesmaids, mom and grandma, and instantly everyone cried and loved it. We knew in that moment I had found the dress!

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

Both of our fathers passed away before our big day, so incorporating the most important men in our life into our wedding was at the top of the list. My maid of honor gifted me a charm that could be tied to my bouquet with my father’s photo and the quote “With you every step of the way”. It was one of my favorite details of the entire wedding. To incorporate the groom’s father, I found the last birthday card he had given to the groom, and had the message transferred to a handkerchief that the groom could carry with him the entire day. To incorporate our copper theme, and as a nod to our special day, I picked out a copper wedding band, so every time I look at it, it takes me back to all the details, and the day I married the most amazing man. We had custom signage made by a local calligraphist who incorporated our copper theme into the lettering, and we painted our easels copper. It was so subtle but so perfect. We also had custom napkins made that were handed out during cocktail hour and throughout the night. We also line danced at our wedding as a cute nod to how we met!

What was the most memorable part of the day?

The most memorable part of the day for the groom and I was our last dance. As all our guests were lining up for our sparkler send off, we had one last slow dance with no one around. We were able to talk about our big day, all our favorite moments, and really soak in everything we just experienced. It was the sweetest thing full of love and we cherish that moment so much. We recommend every bride and groom to do it!

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We grew up in the same town with mutual friends and saw each other around for a few years but never really spoke until one special Saturday night. We both loved to line dance, and we were at our local country bar line dancing one night! That’s the first night the groom approached me and asked me to dance – from that moment on we were smitten and inseparable. Now here we are 4 years later, married!

Photography: Everence Photography // Planner: Swanky Soiree Events // Florals: Oh Darling Events // Venue: The Pavilion at Mixon Farms // Hair & Makeup: Krystal Hall // Makeup: Amy Shaw Makeup Artist // Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero // Tuxes: Something Blue Bridal Boutique // Videography: Brandon Paul Photography & Films // Cake: Cakes by Ron // DJ: TLS Entertainment // Goblets/Rentals: The Copper Acorn // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box

Inspiration Shoots and Boards:

Retro Barn inspiration in Coral and Plum

featuring Allison Jeffers Photography

The Barn at Swallows Eve in Fredericksburg, Texas set the scene for this light-hearted and lively inspiration shoot. Florist and stylist Taylor Cumbie Design saw the new barn venue as “a beautiful, natural canvas” with its dusty grays and earthy neutral tones of the landscape—perfect for introducing a lush, saturated palette of juicy corals and deep plums. The florals are, of course, fabulous and Southern Unique Events pulled together additional fun details like a retro food truck and vintage car. We’re loving the happy look and it’s all captured here by Allison Jeffers Photography.