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Real Weddings:

Kate and Mike’s Cabo Wedding

Photography by Sara Richardson

Flora Farms‘s elegant— yet relaxed—vibe was the perfect location for Kate and Mike’s (destined) destination wedding in Cabo. They couple had known for years they’d be celebrating their nuptials in Cabo, and with the help of Ximena Perez Marentes of Amy Abbott Events, their day was a vision of vibrance and textural details perfectly fit for the locale they love. Sara Richardson captured all the sun-kissed joy and gorgeous details including flowers by Florenta and stationery by Bells & Whistles.

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Tell us about your wedding:

We have been coming to Cabo as a family over the past 20 years and it has always been a second home to me. From birthdays to graduations, I’ve made countless memories in Mexico. When Mike and I had our first vacation here together back in 2012 we knew if we were ever to choose a destination wedding it would have to be Cabo.  And we knew we wanted a one-of-a-kind venue that truly embraced both of our very different styles ad wanted to share it with the people we loved the most.

With its elegant, yet relaxed vibe there was no other place we could have imagined choosing other than Flora Farms.

Owning a food marketing agency, and being a foodie myself, my one & only priority was having the best food and Flora’s menu is unmatched. Over 100 people came from all over to celebrate with us.

We started the weekend with a welcome cruise around Cabo followed by a cocktail party at the rooftop at El Ciurelo at the Westin, our home away from home. Every year we see the same people (staff) and they are now like second family.

Our rehearsal dinner was an absolute dream. My vision for a casual chic beach party was beyond my expectations thanks to Ximena from Amy Abbott Events who had to bring multiple vendors together to make this night happen. As the rehearsal dinner was on the side of the Club Regina cliffs, it really took an army to pull off as each of them had to bring tables, chairs and a 3 story teepee down flights and flights of stairs into a beach alcove.

Mike and I live in Philadelphia and met at work in 2011 where he proposed on the steps of our office building 7 years later.

I know they say that there are always a few things that go wrong on your wedding day but we had quite a few stressful events. We had family delayed due to storms happening in the U.S, which lost some of our bags along the way including my brothers’ suits, and my rehearsal dinner and afterparty dress! On the day of our wedding, our photographer was sick and had to cancel. Sara and Ramon came to the rescue and we’re so happy they did. Immediately meeting them, there was a sense of ease about both of them that made the entire day flow so much more smooth. They captured everything about our day so perfectly and we are so grateful it was them behind the camera.

If it wasn’t for Ximena, we would have never pulled off the weekend of festivities that we did.

How did you meet, and how long did you date before getting engaged?

We met at work in 2011. We were working at my parents advertising agency at the time. We had to be very secretive about it as I was “the boss’s daughter” Eventually the secret came out and we were engaged 7 years later.

Favorite Moments:

When it came time for my dad’s speech, I knew he would command the attention of the entire room. Being so close, I remember getting extremely emotional. Our wedding guests are still hashtagging the speech #KateChangedMe

With an event this special, who needed a cake! So instead of a traditional cake cutting, we opted for a pinata shaped like wedding cake. Blindfolded and taking turns with Mike to break it open together, while the cameras rolled, and all of our friends and family watched was the most exhilarating part of the night. Once we finally broke it open, Mike scooped me up as guests dived after the treats that exploded around us. It was the highlight of the reception.

Mike and I were married in a private ceremony with close friends and family on the main line in the chapel of my alma mater, Villanova University a week earlier. So when it came time for our Cabo ceremony, we had Mike’s two sisters officiate making it much less nerve wracking, light-hearted, and fun since we were already official. I remember them totally messing up the “official” pronouncing of us as husband and wife and the entire crowd was dying with laughter.

Photography: Sara Richardson // Planning: Ximena Perez Marentes of Amy Abbott Events //  Flowers: Florenta // Stationery: Bells & Whistles // Invitations: Momental Designs // Venue: Flora Farms // Videography: Arocapro // Hair and makeup: Blanc Bridal Salon // Wedding Dress: Naeem Kahn // Shoes: Stuart Weitzman & Chanel // Groom´s Attire: Armani // Logo Design: Think Traffic // Rentals: Let it Be; Baja Boutique Rental Company // DJ: Alex DJ Cabo Events // Live Band: The Shamans // Piñata: Serendipity

 

 

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Real Weddings:

Annie and Mauricio wedding at The San Francisco Ferry Building

photographed by Meg Smith

Native San Franciscans, Annie and Mauricio, celebrated their love and their hometown with a fabulous affair at the The San Francisco Ferry Building. Seriously guys—magical from beginning to end which finished out with a late night dance party under the gorgeous historic architectural features of the iconic landmark. The Black Tie event was planned by First Pick Planning with florals by Michael Daigian Design, and Pretty Please Bakeshop cake, Mariachi Estelar band and it’s all captured in these breathtaking images by Meg Smith.

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What made the wedding special and unique? 

Being both born and raised in San Francisco we wanted a wedding that spoke to the city that we love, and get out of your average ballroom. We chose the San Francisco Ferry Building because it’s quintessential San Francisco (having been in the city since the 1800’s) and has a magical feel to it with the high glass domed ceilings and the mosaic tile floors complete with a California state seal. As a bonus, it’s also one of the only venues in SF that allows you to host events until 1am and we love a good late night dance party!

To honor such a beautiful space we felt that Black Tie dress was the only way to go. We kept the decor elegant and romantic with lots of white flowers, rich green foliage and hundreds of white candles to compliment the beauty of the building.

Even though we are both from San Francisco we were raised with different traditions. Mauricio’s parents are from Nicaragua and El Salvador and Annie’s family is Armenian. We wanted our wedding to celebrate both cultures as well as things special to Mauricio and I as a couple.

As a nod to Mauricio’s Latin culture we had an 11 piece mariachi band, an oversized papel picado art installation and table numbers, pink Himalayan sea salt shot glass as seating cards and gifts, sipping tequila and lots of reggaeton music and dancing.

As a nod to Annie’s Armenian heritage we performed an Armenian crowning tradition in our ceremony, served a Mediterranean menu starring the best lamb we’ve ever had, layers of almond and apricot preserve in our wedding cake and got the entire crowd involved in some Armenian circle dancing.

For some smaller personal touches we sewed buttons from my mother, grandmother and great grandmother’s wedding dresses into the ribbon of my bouquet. Mauricio and I also sipped on the tequila we bought in Tequila, Mexico days after we got engaged, the bottle had been engraved with “Riveras 2018” and we waited until our wedding day to open it.

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

After going to 8 different wedding gown stores, I was beginning to lose hope of finding one that I really loved. After venturing out to Walnut Creek, I lucked upon an Alon Livné White Trunk Show at Le Soie Bridal. The second I put his first dress on I was obsessed, and I was able to work with Alon Livné White to custom-make the dress adding a few features so it was absolute perfection. The lace and beaded detailing were exquisite and beyond having several layers of fabric it was so light and comfortable. I wish I could wear it every day.

 

What was the most memorable part of the day? 

It’s nearly impossible to pick just one as the most memorable part. One that we both like to reminisce on is the feeling we had when we first saw our reception space. After our ceremony, we had cocktail hour outside in front of the ferry building during sunset, then our 11 piece Mariachi band played and led us, followed by our guests, back up the grand staircase and into the reception mezzanine. Seeing how it had all come together left both Mauricio and I speechless. You spend so much time planning, but you never really know how it will turn out. Everything had come together perfectly, actually, way better than we possibly imagined it would. I can only describe the feeling as pure magic. The papel picado, the candles, the flowers, the music, it was a moment I treasure deeply. And Meg being the most incredible photographer she is, captured a photo of the reactions on our faces that was one of our favorite photos of the day, as the emotions just pour through the picture.

 

 

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

How we met: We both were born and raised in San Francisco. In 2016, I introduced one of my brother’s high school friends, Tim, to one of my best friends, Lauren.  Tim and Lauren became a couple and during a summer weekend up in Tahoe, they introduced me and Mauricio who is Tim’s best friend. Tim and Lauren were married almost a year before us, and we live within 10 minutes of each other.

How we became engaged: My family has spent Christmas down in Mexico for the past 15+ years so in December 2017 we decided to bring both families together and had Mauricio’s parents down in Puerto Vallarta with us. On Christmas Eve, after spending the best day out on the water on my favorite boat cruise – swimming, dancing, eating and drinking – and catching the end of a Niners game on TV, the two of us went to sit on the beach to watch the sunset and Mauricio proposed. I was not expecting it as I was all sandy and salty but it was perfect. Then we got to spend Christmas day celebrating with our families.

Annie + Mauricio | Ferry Building SF Wedding from Kyle Henry on Vimeo.

Photographer: Meg Smith // Planner: First Pick Planning // Florist: Michael Daigian Design // Venue: The San Francisco Ferry Building // Wedding Dress: Alon Livné White // Cake: Pretty Please Bakeshop // Catering: Paula LeDuc // Mariachi Band: Mariachi Estelar // Videographer: Hitmaker Films  // Tux: Tom Ford

 

Real Weddings:

Amanda and Anthony’s NYC Wedding

Photography by Kylee Yee

Amanda and Anthony, with the help of Carrie Sartor of Sartor Events, drew upon the view of the NYC skyline at their wedding venue, The William Vale, for all of their design inspiration. The couple met and fell in love in the city of New York so it was fitting that the iconic NYC skyline was their inspiration. Customized details had a clean, minimalist and modern feel—from the architectural bow on Amanda’s Amsale gown to the graphic floral arrangements by Rachel Cho Floral. Glowing rays of sunshine were the final touch and photographer Kylee Yee was on hand to capture it all in these gorgeous images.

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

As Amanda was marrying into the ‘Bow’ family she thought it was fitting to wear a bow on her dress, choosing to adorn a modern yet classic Amsale design with a statement bow on the back.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal? 

We had a small but sweet Chinese Tea Ceremony to honor our parents, and our Chinese heritage.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Our fur baby Bella stole the show during the ceremony.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Our first date was at the Big Apple Circus near Columbus Circle. The most memorable “date” was when I was running the Brooklyn Half marathon, and Anthony purposely traveled to every 3 mile checkpoint to wave at me and provide me with emotional encouragement. He basically ran around the city that day to get to each checkpoint as well. As for the proposal, it was my birthday, and I had lamented how Anthony didn’t seem to plan anything. I had to suggest where to go for my own birthday dinner! Turns out Anthony actually hid the ring underneath my sleeping pillow the night before my birthday, and I never found it.  Until the morning 3 days later, Anthony told me he couldn’t find his phone, and he asked me check under my pillow. I retrieved his phone, but I still didn’t find the ring. A few minutes later, Anthony said he lost his phone again, and asked me to check under the pillow again — and I finally found the ring!  That’s when he proposed to me afterwards!

Photography: Kylee Yee // Wedding Planner: Carrie Sartor of Sartor Events // Florals: Rachel Cho Floral // Venue: The William Vale // Videography: Shutter and Sound  // Hair: Andy Tseng // Makeup: Anny Chow Bridal Artistry // Bridal Gown: Amsale // Bridesmaid Dresses: BHLDN // Groom’s Tuxedo: Enzo Custom

 

Real Weddings:

Seri and Toan’s wedding at Montage Kapalua

photography by Wendy Laurel

Seri and Toan met in college and dated for 12 years before they married in Maui. “We’ve gone through every milestone in our lives together and were so happy to finally be able to share our love with everyone,” says Seri. They enlisted Maui’s Angels to help them plan their gorgeous day at Montage Kapalua filled with tropical florals by Mandy Grace, stationery by Anna Claire Calligraphy and signage by Miss B. Calligraphy. They also had Wendy Laurel behind the lens capturing their vibrant, island party in the way only Wendy can and we know you’ll love the photos as much as we do!

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What made the wedding special and unique?

Our wedding was an intimate affair with our most cherished family and friends sharing the special day with us.

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

My beautiful ball gown dress was designed by Stella York. It was one of the two dresses I tried on in my search for the perfect dress at a cute little boutique called Lang’s bridal. I’ve always wanted to feel like a princess for my special day and it definitely made me feel so! I also had the added touch of a cathedral veil to tie the look together.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

We wanted our guests to have some fun entertainment and loved the idea of having a cute photo-bus to entertain our guests.

What was the mostmemorable part of the day?

The best part of the day was when we finally had the chance to enjoy a few moments of the beautiful backdrop of Maui together. We held each other and just breathed in each other’s air and couldn’t believe we were finally there enjoying that moment together.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We met in college and have been on our journey together for over 12 years.  We’ve gone through every milestone in our lives together and were so happy to finally be able to share our love with everyone.

Seriphone + Toan | Montage Kapalua from All Time Media II on Vimeo.

Wedding Planning & Design: Maui’s Angels // Photography: Wendy Laurel // Flowers: Mandy Grace // Stationery: Anna Claire Calligraphy // Venue, Catering & Bar Services: Montage Kapalua // Gown Designer: Stella York // Hair & Make-up: Meili Autumn Beauty // Signage: Miss B. Calligraphy // Video: All Time Media // Musician: Brian Santana // Linens: La Tavola // Place Settings: Set Maui // Rentals: Inspiration Events Hawaii // Officiate: Tino Rosete // Photobooth: Bamboo Shootz

 

Real Weddings:

Anastasia and Michele Italian Villa Wedding

featuring Daria Lorman Photography

Villa Rusconi Clerici in Verbania, Italy offered a breathtaking backdrop on Lake Maggiore for Anastasia and Michele’s elopement. Edelweiss Weddings designed the day with a lemon yellow theme that carried through the florals and tablescape by Della Bella Fiori. We’re definitely loving the gorgeous views captured beautifully by Daria Lorman Photography along will all of the other cheery details.

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What made the wedding special and unique?

The venue the couple have chosen together with their planner Diana. Villa Rusconi Clerici is located in the small town of Pallanza on Lake Maggiore. Walking along its embankment, for a moment it may seem to you that you are on the French Riviera, and sea waves are beating on the shore. The villa was built in the late 1800s. It is impossible not to notice it from the water. Bright yellow color and stucco windows of this villa stand out among others. It is surrounded by a luxurious garden, has enviable and rare specimens of flowers of various kinds, such as rhododendron, azaleas, camellias, magnolias and others, some of which were planted for more than 200 years, even before the construction of the villa itself. This place is an endless source of inspiration for artists and poets, and for all beauty lovers. From the bride: “On this day, everything came together so that it is impossible to highlight some special part of the celebration, leaving others behind. Everything was beautiful, starting from a clear sunny morning, after a long rainy week.”

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

I tried a lot of dresses, but still couldn’t choose just one. I had a dilemma between two completely different styles: sophisticated and luxury mermaid and more romantic dresses. So I got both of my favorites from two different designers in two boutiques. First, I felt in love with that beautiful sparkling lace dress from Honeymoon Sposa Italia, which was shining in the sun. I felt like this was my dream dress. And for the dancing part of the day I went with a light and airy organza dress from Cristian Spose, which was very comfortable but still exquisite as I didn’t want anything too simple either.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

We built our concept around such a simple element as lemon. On such a hot June day, which was June 12, 2019, a glass of cold lemonade came to everyone’s taste and was very welcomed. And it added that Italian touch to everything.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Our ceremony was the most memorable part of the day and a couple of minutes right before it when we were both standing a couple of meters from each other and impatient to finally see each other. We also had lots of fun when trying to get those cute Pinterest photos with Baloo, the villa’s dog. Daria did her best trying to make the dog sit still and pose with us, while Baloo was clearly more interested in getting snacks.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

That day I had a big event planned at a restaurant, which I was supposed to attend in the company of my two friends. I definitely did not plan to meet my destiny – my future husband. He was in our big company at that restaurant. Nothing special, the usual acquaintance. Everyone was getting to know each other there, talking. The evening has passed. That evening we did not even talk a lot.

Some time later Michele started calling me, chatting on the phone. Later we saw each other a few more times at various events. Then he invited me on a date. I refused, and he had planned a trip to his homeland, Italy, for work, for a whole month. He flew away. He kept calling me the whole month, despite my refusal to go on that date. Apparently he decided not to give up! When he returned, he called me on a date again, this time I agreed.

After 1.5 years, he proposed to me. Now we are husband and wife. And three years ago, on one happy summer day, we first saw each other in that restaurant and I could not even imagine that I was sitting there and talking with my future husband.

Photography: Daria Lorman Photography // Planner & Organization: Edelweiss Weddings // Flowers & Décor: Della Bella Fiori // Stationery: Edelweiss Card Design // Venue: Villa Rusconi Clerici // Muah & Styling: Anna Poliakova // Wedding Dress #1: Honeymoon Sposa // Wedding Dress #2: Cristian Spose // Headpiece & Earrings: Della Bella Gioielli // Cake: LallabyCakes