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Real Weddings:

Alice and Duncan’s Wedding at The Orchard at Sunshine Hill

featuring Mist of Morning Photography

Alice and Duncan met in Seattle, just months after Alice moved to the U.S. from her native Ireland. The couple set out to create a wedding day that celebrated both the Pacific Northwest, as well as Irish wedding traditions. The Orchard at Sunshine Hill set the scene—”open, elegant and the ceremony site had a full view of Mt. Rainier – a Washington State staple, in the background.” And—get this—the groom’s mother planted ALL the florals the fall prior to the wedding, so when the big day arrived the following June they had an abundance of local blooms for Doghouse Flowers Heidal to create the stunning arrangements. We’re loving the bright orchard vibes for fall and lucky for us Mist of Morning Photography was on hand to capture it all in these sunny photographs.

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What made your wedding special & unique? Were there any touches that you added to make the day personal?

A: Duncan and I definitely had a vision for our day. We knew that we would have a lot of out of town guests there, and so we really wanted to give it a strong PNW feel. We wanted a barn wedding, but when we stumbled across ‘The Orchard at Sunshine Hill’ whilst looking at another venue in the area, we fell in love. It was open, elegant and the ceremony site had a full view of Mt. Rainier – a Washington State staple, in the background. Duncan’s Mom Stacy and her best friend Margaret (Doghouse Flowers Heidal) planted up all of the flowers the summer the year before, so that they were ready for us to use in June. And so all the flowers (and there were a lot of them!) were hand grown, just for us. I also made the mistake of thinking that sign making looked fun… I spent approximately 30 seconds on YouTube finding out how to stencil our own signs, and off I went! Duncan’s sister Lilli helped out, but in all we both must have spent about 50 hours making signs for anything that could possibly need instruction. The table signs, the seating chart, the bar menu, the unplugged ceremony. The list goes on and on!

D: Alice is from Ireland, and I am from Seattle, so it was very important that we included elements from both in our wedding: having an outdoor, American style “barn wedding”; choosing an Irish inspired tweed three-piece suit for the men; and including lots of beautiful PNW greenery in floral arrangements. We even transported everyone to the venue in a yellow school bus and had s’mores at the end of the night (which all of the Irish LOVED).

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

A: I am a huge thrift-store shopper. I love a bargain. I also didn’t have a clue what sort of a dress I wanted, so when I went in to a bridal gown shop with my parents to try them on, I was almost disappointed. We had an hour appointment, I tried on about 8 gowns, most of which I immediately knew were wrong, and they all cost a small fortune. Over a rosé-soaked lunch, I mentioned a store that I had heard of called ‘Brides for a Cause’. It was a store where all the proceeds went to charity, and people/stores donated their used/sample/excess dresses. My mother was hooked. We sent my father off sightseeing and we jumped in an Uber. It was a Thursday afternoon so we had the store basically to ourselves. Which was fantastic, because I stood half naked in the changing room whilst my Mother pulled dresses on and off of me. I must have tried on at least 40 dresses that day, but I loved it, because I was able to give every style a try, knowing that cost wouldn’t be a barrier – nothing that I tried on was more than about $800.

We put a few dresses on hold and came back the following morning to do it all again. When I put on my ceremony gown, we just knew. The chest area didn’t fit, but everything else hugged me perfectly. I wanted something that wouldn’t crumple when I walked – so the lace overlay was perfect. And I was surprised that I actually loved the flared skirt. It was my wedding day, and I wanted to feel like a princess. And at $2500 down to $450 for and unworn sample dress, we were SOLD. Funnily, the night before I had also tried on an incredible ‘party gown’, a backless number that Mum said wasn’t ‘suitable for a serious ceremony’. But once we found my dress, she said of course I had to have that one too – so that I could change in to it for the party! ($750 down to $150, again, a sample).

The alterations were interesting – unfortunately my ‘party gown’ took 11 fittings to get to fall correctly! But I wouldn’t change any of the decisions I made. I was so glad to be able to slip into something more breathable for the reception. Trish Jens from PA Jens Custom Sewing was my seamstress and I would recommend her in a heartbeat.

What was the most memorable part of the day? 

A: The entire day was just magical and so I have a hard time picking out a memorable part. I tried hard to stand back and appreciate every part as it happened. From a prosecco-fueled morning getting ready with my girls, to the car down with my MOH Ruth and my parents, to the INCREDIBLY nerve wracking first look and excitedly greeting the bridal party as they arrived… I could go on and on. If I HAVE to choose though, one memory that feels as real today as it was then, was standing in the bridal cabin with the bridal party as the guests arrived and were seated. We had Sigur Ros playing as we walked down the aisle, and I got to watch as our bridal party headed out one at a time to the ceremony, leaving just my Mum and me alone. I couldn’t stop crying! But as my music started to play, Mum turned to me and said, ‘he’s the right man Alice, and I’m so, so happy for you both’. She was right – and that memory of walking down the aisle to my future husband, surrounded by all of my favorite people in the world will stay with me forever.

D: Right after the ceremony the entire wedding procession ended in the bridal suite. Everyone cleared out and Alice and I were alone. We were both a little too overwhelmed to do anything yet, so we spent a couple of minutes just holding each other. It was a beautiful way to start off our marriage; just her and me focusing on us first before getting distracted by anything else.

Tell us how you met & became engaged.

A: Duncan and I are both pretty active gym-goers, and so it figures as much that that is where we met. I had moved to Seattle from Ireland in September 2016 and wanted to find a social gym that would allow me to make friends in a city where I knew no one. I met Duncan within a few weeks (he was hard to miss – he was the beautiful, strong, shirtless man making lots of noise and throwing weights around) but since he worked out in the morning and I went in the afternoons, we rarely crossed paths. We got talking one day after I had been around for a few months and I found out that he was a. single and b. so much cooler than I thought… I started going to the gym in the morning and the rest is history!

We got engaged by the Ballard locks in Seattle. We’d discussed marriage a lot and so I knew that it was on the cards, but the actual proposal was a complete surprise. A passerby obviously realized what was happening before I did and stopped to take a picture of Duncan down on one knee. They came up to us afterwards and passed on the picture. It’s incredible to have a memento of it.

D: Our “Sunday Strolls” are probably my favorite part about the weekend. Most Sundays, after we have taken care of errands or social obligations on Saturday, Alice and I like to walk around different parts of Seattle, exploring neighborhoods, browsing shops, or discovering cool little cafes. So when it came time to propose, a Sunday Stroll was the obvious choice. That sunny, Spring afternoon watching the boats pass through the locks was the absolute perfect day – even though my heart was beating 200 bmp for about 90 minutes leading up to the proposal.

Photography: Mist of Morning Photography // Florist: Doghouse Flowers Heidal // Venue: The Orchard at Sunshine Hill // Ceremony Dress: Adriana Alier from Brides for a Cause // Hair & makeup: Bridal Beauty Agency // Reception dress: Brides for a Cause // Heels: ASOS // Jewelry: Anne Klein // Suit: Jennis & Warmann // Shoes: Cole Haan // Rings: Brilliant Earth // Catering: EZ Foods Olympia // Cupcakes: Truffles Cakery // DJ: Chris Blackburn

 

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Real Weddings:

New England Fall Wedding

featuring Emily Delamater

Hurricane Willa was the surprise character in this gorgeous fall wedding planned by Glass Planning, but not even extreme weather could spoil this stunning soiree. The bride and groom knew there were weather-related risks to planning a New-England wedding in the fall, but a tropical storm raged trough the day moving the entire event inside.  Luckily, the historic Glen Manor House, is a vision of beauty inside-and-out, and the couple celebrated with their closest friends and family in the cozy, intimate candle-lit setting while thunder and lightning lit up the sky outdoors. Floral, tabletop design and chuppah by Greenlion Design with invitations by Underwood Letterpress and it’s all captured beautifully in these photographs by the amazing Emily Delamater.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

I should probably say Hurricane Willa! Planning an outdoor wedding in late October in New England necessarily involves certain weather-related risks, but we didn’t expect the weather to be quite so bad. A tropical storm-turned hurricane hurtled up the coast in the days before our wedding, which left us with a 100% chance of rain on our wedding day. And rain it did — in addition to having to move our outdoor ceremony inside, we also had to rearrange where at least 50 guests sat for dinner due to an unexpected leak in a roof at the venue. Despite the chaos, all of our guests told us that the hurricane made the wedding incredibly intimate and unique. And I have to agree — exchanging vows and dancing the night away while a hurricane raged on outside was super fun. It was amazing to hear the thunder and see the lightning while we were cozy inside our own candlelit wonderland.

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

My gown was designed by an emerging Israeli designer, Lihi Hod, and I found it at a boutique in San Francisco during the designer’s trunk show. Although I had originally gone to try on another one of her dresses, I knew the minute I tried this one on that it would be special. I also had the incredible fortune of trying the dress on in front of Lihi herself, who was there for the trunk show. She loved the dress on me almost more than I loved it on myself! Watching her reaction to the dress on me was so fun, and gave me the conviction I needed to choose it.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

Since we are both very much into music, we had a lot of fun deciding what music we would walk down the aisle to, and what music we would leave the ceremony to. Rather than choosing a traditional wedding march, we walked down the aisle to songs by Odesza and Rhye, and we left the ceremony to a song by Duke Dumont. I had several guests tell me that they loved how the non-traditional music added a unique and personal touch to the ceremony.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Since we got married on my birthday, we decided to host an entirely separate birthday-themed afterparty at the hotel we had rented out for the weekend in downtown Newport. The staff of the hotel was wonderful, and so accommodating. They didn’t even blink when I told them I wanted to hire a DJ to play 90s hiphop music from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., and have a vendor bring in 1200 balloons to create a balloon ceiling. The DJ and the balloons turned out even better than I imagined, and the afterparty was easily my favorite part of the day. After a day of weather-related chaos, it was the first moment we were finally able to relax and celebrate being married.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We had actually known one another for close to 10 years before we started dating. M went to high school with a friend of mine, so we had gotten to know each other casually over the years. About three years ago, we reconnected at our mutual friend’s wedding and began dating immediately. Although we had known each other for close to a decade, we were surprised to learn that we lived just a few blocks away from one another in San Francisco, and that we shared many of the same hobbies (music; backcountry skiing). We were pretty much inseparable from the start, and got engaged after about two years of dating.

Photographer: Emily Delamater // Planner: Elizabeth Lutz, Glass Planning // Floral / Tabletop Design / Chuppah: Greenlion Design // Invitations: Underwood Letterpress // Venue: Glen Manor House // Video: Stop Go Love // Bride’s Dress: Lihi Hod // Bride’s Shoes: Alexandre Birman // Makeup: Jennie Kay // Decor (outdoor porch draping): Ormonde Productions // Bridesmaids’ dresses: BHLDN // Groom’s tuxedo: Ralph Lauren // Groom’s shoes: Brooks Brothers // Catering: Blackstone Catering // Band and Uplighting: Wilson Stevens Eye 2 Eye // Dress / Tuxedo steaming: Bridal Finery

 

Real Weddings:

Krstyn and Nabeel wedding at Hoffan Haus

featuring Lucille Photo

Krstyn and Nabeel’s beautiful, intimate wedding took place at Hoffan Haus, a Fredericksburg, Texas bed & breakfast in the very same courtyard where they became engaged!  Taylor Bible Weddings planned and designed the event which showcased a stunning palette of berry and blue. The florals are showstopping (and also created by the planner) in a vibrant array of pinks and deep reds that pop against the deep french blue of Nabeel’s three-piece tuxedo. You can see all the beautiful details and joy of their day in these lovely film images by Lucille Photo.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

We were married at our favorite bed & breakfast in Fredericksburg, Tx – The Hoffman Haus in the very courtyard of our proposal!

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

I found my dress designed by Amy Kuschel at Unbridaled in the Sawyer Silos in Houston Heights. I knew I wanted something less traditional and heard great things about the shop which has stores in Austin in Houston. It was the third dress I tried on and instantly fell in love with the simple design and beautiful lace overlay.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

My husband is from London and I grew up in Texas. Introducing him to some of the great “Texas staples” has been one of my favorite things since we met, even though he doesn’t always agree on their greatness (how can you not LOOOOVE Tex-Mex??). But Whataburger is something he instantly understood – so having a Whataburger popup as our midnight snack along with sweet swag for everyone was certainly a personal touch that everyone loved!

What was the most memorable part of the day?

We had a really memorable day and our photographer Lucy Strove captured all of the laughter and joy in a  perfect way. My favorites would be the first look because it was just us before things kicked into high gear and our dual rap session during the reception that really got the crowd going! A HUGE thanks to my planner Taylor Bible for convincing my DJ (Aaron Ward) to play the uncensored version of Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow”…I’m not sure that happens at a lot of weddings!

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We met during Labor Day weekend 2016 after a pool party in Midtown (Houston). My girlfriends and I met his friends there and they invited us to another bar which we accepted. Somehow he was not a part of the initial meetings but as I was talking (loudly) to my girlfriends on the sidewalk and he came across the street to ask me my name (in his very lovely English accent) and we hit it off immediately. After almost 2 years of dating he took me on a trip to Fredericksburg and found the most beautiful bed & breakfast and booked a wine tour (score!). Right before the wine tour Saturday morning he walked me under the trees into the courtyard of the Hoffman Haus and asked me to marry him! I said YES and the rest is history!

 

Photography: Lucille Photo // Planning + Coordination: Taylor Bible Weddings // Floral Design: Taylor Bible Weddings // Invitations: Basic Invite // Venue: Hoffan Haus // Dress Designer: Amy Kuschel // Dress Boutique: Unbridaled // Hair and Makeup: All Dolled Up ATX // Catering, Cake, and Bartending: My Own Chef // DJ: DJ Aaron Ward // Bridesmaid dresses: Vera Wang // Rentals: Class A Rentals // Rings: Ben Bridge Jewelers

 

Real Weddings:

Jocelyne and Thomas’s Baltimore Wedding Day

featuring Alice Che Photography

When we first laid eyes on Jocelyne and Thomas’s wedding, it was hard to pull away from the show-stopping ruby-red, pink, blush and white florals—they are STUNNING. But, it’s the groom’s description of their vision—how they got to Blossom & Vine‘s florals, and all the details of their day—that has us smitten. The day at Patapsco Female Institute, or as Thomas refers to it “the Greek revival style ruins of a Civil-War-era-girls’-finishing-school-turned-Gilded-Age-summer-hotel-turned-World-War-I-veteran’s-hospital that felt a little like a forgotten wing of Hogwarts tucked away on a wooded hilltop in central Maryland” was planned by Blue Canary Events and introduced with gorgeous invitations by Shore Calligraphy. Read as Thomas explains how the couple created a special day that was truly “them,” with rain, and love and cheer and beautiful images by Alice Che Photography.

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From the groom: We initially talked about having a vintage, organic, outdoor, springtime wedding. And I suppose if you wanted, you could probably find pieces of each of those descriptors reflected in various elements of our actual wedding. (I say “probably” because if I were being totally honest, I’d admit that I still don’t know quite what all those words mean–and certainly not strung together like that.) But the truth is, as we wound our way through our sixteen-month-long engagement, the wedding-planning-by-checklist-of-abstract-adjectives approach gradually gave way to a simpler directive: the wedding–every detail of it–should feel like us.

And there could not have been more appropriate way for us to plan our wedding. One of the most important lessons Jocelyne and I have taught each other is that, when you’ve found your person, preconceived notions of what a relationship should look like go out the window. Even if you had long thought that your ideal partner would be an NPR-listening, hybrid-pickup-driving vegetarian, you may just discover that your soulmate checks none of those boxes (being, instead, a political moderate who enjoys munching mediocre chicken fingers while taking in a Nats game)–and that the life the two of you will build together is something new for both of you. So that’s what we did. From the venue–the Greek revival style ruins of a Civil-War-era-girls’-finishing-school-turned-Gilded-Age-summer-hotel-turned-World-War-I-veteran’s-hospital that felt a little like a forgotten wing of Hogwarts tucked away on a wooded hilltop in central Maryland; to the favors–a hundred of our favorite books, from all stages of our lives; to the officiant–Thomas’s boss and good friend from the best job (and, perhaps, year) of his life; every aspect was uniquely, weirdly us. Jocelyne’s lifelong obsession with dinosaurs meant that, of course, she’d process to the Jurassic Park Theme Song. (And our collective obsession–that none of our family seemed to share–with an odd, internet mashup of Shut Up And Dance With Me and Video Killed The Radio Star meant that a string quartet arrangement of the former 2 would serve as our recessional.)

Thomas’s love of fruit led to a smattering of fresh, ruby-red strawberries amongst the otherwise white and blush and candy-apple red floral arrangements (as well as a tier of white cake with blackberry buttercream and passion fruit curd in a cake that was otherwise designed to, as Jocelyne said, “be as chocolatey as possible without literally being brown”). And songs that our parents introduced us to as young children turned into the backing tracks for our mother-son (Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay) and father-daughter (Doo-Wah-Diddy) dances. (The unbridled enthusiasm of the latter–which Jocelyne’s dad had been choreographing for months–can’t be adequately described here. Suffice it to say, whatever you’re imagining, it was better.) Even Jocelyne’s dress had our fingerprints on it, as she rejected the idea of an off-the-rack purchase, and instead opted for a custom-made combination of halves of two different dresses by Eve of Milady.

And now, that’s really the defining thing that has stuck with us: that whatever it was that we built, it really felt like us. One of my favorite pictures from the wedding (of the literally thousand-plus pictures that our amazing friend-slash-photographer Alice sent us) is of the two of us standing just outside one of the venue’s stone window frames, looking in at our friends and family on the dance floor, warmly lit by the light of about a thousand candles. There are precious few opportunities on your wedding day to pause and reflect, but (thanks to Alice’s foresight) we were lucky enough to have the chance to step back and take in the full view of that enchanted evening that we had created together.

Photography: Alice Che Photography // Planner: Blue Canary Events // Second Photographer: Inloveness Photography // Florals: Blossom & Vine// Calligraphy: Shore Calligraphy // Venue: Patapsco Female Institute // Dress Designer: Eve of Milady // Wedding Dress Boutique: Elegance by Roya // Hair: Ashley Taylor // Makeup: Tymia Yvette // Cake: Fluffy Thoughts Bakery
// Catering: Main Event Caterers // Rentals: Something Vintage Rentals // Band: The Finns by Sam Hill Entertainment

Real Weddings:

Emily and Emerson’s Charleston Wedding

featuring Brooke Boyd Photo + Film

Emily and Emerson’s Charleston nuptials at Lowndes Grove incorporated many of the typical southern wedding design details including a plantation courtyard ceremony, florals by and topiaries by Out of the Garden, letterpress and (rainbow) wax seal  invitations by Alaina Polander and romantic white gowns and veils. However, the LGBT couple felt confident in their freedom to “throw tradition to the wind” in much of their personalized details. The “curated vibe—to relax and celebrate” of the day planned by our friends Ooh! Events included the couple getting ready together with all of their bridesmen and bridesmaids, a rendition of the Pulse Orlando Lin Manuel Miranda speech during the ceremony (not a dry eye in the house) and ditching all typical reception activities and instead dancing from start-to-finish. Emily and Emerson had a joint goal of staying “calm and present” during the day and they did it with joy, style and huge smiles as seen in these images captured by Brooke Boyd Photo + Film.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

From Emily: Being an LGBT couple we felt like we had a lot of freedom to throw tradition to the wind. While most of our wedding was as much of a cliché southern wedding as you can get, there were a lot of really personal details. We started  the day by doing yoga together and meditating guided by a friend. After yoga and meditating, we were able to spend the morning getting ready together with our closest friends. Getting ready together relieved all pressure; so many people love the suspense of seeing your wife walk down the aisle, but we wanted everything to be as calm and fun as possible. I think that made our wedding so unique. The entire day had a curated vibe – which was to relax and celebrate. We didn’t want anything to feel stuffy or posed and tried really hard to stay calm and be present. I would also argue the most unique part about our wedding was the amount of dancing – we skipped the activities once the reception started and instead never left the dance floor. We had two people do the worm, one person break dance, my sister did a split, and someone slid through another’s legs. WILD.

Tell us about the gowns and where/how you found them!

Emerson and I started off by going to New York with our best friends. We looked separately all day and neither of us found the dress, but we both agreed it was too hard not to share with the other. A month later, I went to Wedding Belles in New Orleans with my mom and sister and tried on the Jenny Yoo Riley I had seen in New York. Just like that, I was done! I loved so many dresses, but this one just fit the day best. Emerson on the other hand tried on dresses about four more times, when she finally tried on a Sarah Seven dress at Lovely Bride in DC and knew it was the one. It was perfectly simple with just enough modern edge to feel like her.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

  1. Emerson picked out every single song that was played that day. To her, music creates the atmosphere, so she went through and chose from the prelude to the exit (and yes the afterparty). My favorite pick from her was the DJ set kicking off with “I Kissed a Girl and I Liked it” by Katy Perry.
  2. We also picked every word spoken in the ceremony with our priest. Without question the best part of the wedding (and I highly recommend everyone use this in the future) was when my friend read Lin Manuel Miranda’s speech following the Pulse Orlando shooting. It’s safe to say there wasn’t a dry eye when she got to the “and love, is love, is love, is love, is love” part.
  3. We didn’t do a traditional wedding party; Emerson has two brothers and I have two sisters so they are the only people who stood. We did ask our best girls/guys to dress within the color palette and get ready with us. We were worried it was going to be cold, so each girl laid a fur stole at their chair and exited in it.
  4. Emerson’s brother and “Man of Honor” gave the best speech I ever heard. It began with “I’ve been knowing Emerson since the early 90s” and the highlight was “I never dreamed I’d be a bridesman one day, but I can’t tell you how happy I am to be one today.”

 

What was the most memorable part of the day?

There was one moment before the ceremony started when my veil kept pulling my hair and I started getting really nervous. Emerson could sense I was nervous and pulled me into a room and said “forget it, don’t wear the veil” and gave me a big kiss. At that moment, all fears were pushed away because I knew I had picked the perfect person to spend the rest of my life with.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Emerson and I met the summer of 2014, when I had just graduated college and was about to move to DC. After our first date, we didn’t spend a single day apart that summer. So much so that Emerson volunteered to make the 17 hour drive with me to DC. Even though we had no intention of being in a long distance relationship, we were inseparable. Mine and Emerson’s lives fit perfectly together. We had the same values, same drive, and liked to leave parties at the same time. She is the perfect complement to all of my weaknesses and makes me a better person on a daily basis. Through the last five years together, we’ve moved seven times, had two college graduations, and embarked on brand new jobs in brand new cities. We’ve been through ups and downs, weddings, funerals, a home renovation and so much more, but through it all, Emerson made me grateful for every day. Knowing this I finally decided it was time to seal the deal so I snuck around with Susie Satzman and designed her dream ring. Over her birthday, we spent a week at home in New Orleans at my parents’ camp. One morning while we were watching the sunrise over coffee and blueberry cake donuts, I decided that was the moment. I began acting super weird and insisted she put on cute pajamas (because I wanted a good picture) and she replied “What? No. Weirdo” it was 5:30 am. Our dog had hurt his paw and she kept trying to pay attention to him and I was trying to get her to pay attention to me! Finally I started my speech and she asks “are you proposing?” and I was like “oh my gosh no” as I pulled out the ring! At this point, Emerson is thoroughly confused, laughing, and crying. Regardless, SHE SAID YES and we celebrated that night at the place her parents got engaged.

Coordination/Rentals: Ooh! Events // Photographer + Videographer: Brooke Boyd Photo + Film // Floral: Out of the Garden // Invite Suite: Alaina Polander // Venue/Catering/Bar/Cake: Lowndes Grove // Emily’s dress: Jenny Yoo, from Wedding Belles Nola // Emerson’s dress: Sarah Seven Belmont dress, from Lovely Bride // Hair: Slate Bridal Hair + Make Up // Make Up: Marisa Warren, Sarah Early, Slate Bridal Hair + Make Up // Yoga Instructor: Isabel Groedel // Ceremony Music: Bespoke Strings // Band: Tyler Kitchen + The Right Pieces // Guests Transportation: ACW Limo // Getaway Transportation: Lowcountry Valet