Category Archives: Real Weddings

{Real Weddings} Chris & Autumn’s SmogShoppe Nuptials

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a lovely father’s day weekend.  Austin’s first concert-going experience was a raving success, and his proud papa enjoyed a relaxing dad’s day, barbequing with friends and family and then enjoying a quiet evening at home… watching the final round of the Open.  It’s around these times that I wish I lived closer to my own dad, but I’m thankful that at least we’re able to get together as frequently as we do.

I’m excited to share an extra special treat this Monday, straight from one of my favorite photographers and one of very favorite venues… the SmogShoppe.

If you don’t know about the Shoppe, it really did begin as a smog-check center in the 80s, and has been transformed into a 100% solar-powered haven for desert plants, vertical gardens and straight up gorgeous vintage furnishings. In fact, it’s one of the most sustainably designed urban spaces in the United States… and it throws a rockin’ good party.

If you’re planning a wedding in LA, I highly suggest you check it out.

Chris and Autumn are the perfect fit for this super cool venue.  Orchids, clay tile favors, and a ton of personal touches made their day that much more special.  And rather than light a unity candle, these two music lovers chose to sing… striking their first notes together in harmony.

Thank you so much to 39 East for sharing!

Photographer: 39 East Photography / Reception Venue: SmogShoppe

1 Comment | Posted on: June 18, 2012 | Category: Real Weddings

{Real Weddings} Nelson & Michelle’s New York Nuptials

Nelson and Michelle chose to split their wedding into two days.  The first, a Korean tea ceremony, and the second, a traditional New York celebration.  The wedding took place at Battery Gardens, surrounded by beautiful blooms, a gorgeous green and white palette, and one of the cutest cakes I’ve ever seen.

Photographer: 1314 STUDIO / Reception Venue: Battery Gardens

1 Comment | Posted on: May 30, 2012 | Category: Real Weddings

{Real Weddings} Steve & Lindsey’s Pinwheel Party

Steve and Lindsey were married at the edge of White Rock Lake in Dallas, at one of the coolest venues I’ve seen in a while, The Filter Building.  They had a small ceremony, surrounded by their dearest of friends and family, and used pinwheels as their inspiration!  The result is crazy fun and colorful, with a little industrial edge.  Just my kind of party.

Photographer: RAE Portraits / Reception Venue: The Filter Building

1 Comment | Posted on: May 16, 2012 | Category: Real Weddings

{Real Weddings} Cassie & Troy’s Gorgeous Garden Love

I just love Cassie and Troy’s classic, perfect garden wedding.  Set among the towering trees in Lodi, with just the perfect pop of pink, it’s as pretty as can be.

Photographer: Joleen Willis Photography / Dress Designer: Miosa Couture / Event Venue: Wine & Roses

1 Comment | Posted on: May 15, 2012 | Category: Real Weddings

{Real Weddings} Jeff & Leah’s Ontario Occasion

Jeff & Leah were living in Australia during their engagement and pulled off planning this simple and gorgeous affair from afar.  From those gorgeous flowers to the perogies (lovingly handmade by Leah’s grandma!) that served as a midnight snack… every detail was just perfect.

Photographer: Sandra Regier / Caterer: Gusto Catering Company / Event Designer: Julia Weddings / Floral Designer: Les Fleurs Floral Boutique / Reception Venue: Victoria Park Pavilion / Veils and Headpieces: Taylors Bridals / Bakery: The Cake Box

1 Comment | Posted on: May 8, 2012 | Category: Real Weddings

{Real Weddings} Taylar & Neal’s BC Bash

Taylar and Neal were married on a sunny November day in Langley, BC, in an intimate affair at Murrayville Hall.  The wedding was filled with handmade touches, including paper flowers the bride made from old sheet music, and the bride and groom chose to take a lot of their shots at the gorgeous and so perfectly vintage Princess & The Pea Bed and Breakfast.

Photographer: Danielle Dobson Photo / Reception Venue: Murrayville Hall / Accommodation: Princess & The Pea Bed and Breakfast

1 Comment | Posted on: May 3, 2012 | Category: Real Weddings

{Real Weddings} Kara & Anthony’s Lone Star Soirée

This Austin, Texas celebration is both classic and fun.  Kara and Anthony planned the perfect traditional celebration with their own bit of southern flair.

Photographer: SMS Photography / Caterer: Austin Country Club / Event Planner: BZ events / Floral Designer: Merveille Flowers, Events LLC / Reception Venue: Austin Country Club / Cake Designer: Michelle’s Patisserie / Lighting: Ilios Lighting / Linens and Coverings: Marquee Rentals / Makeup Artist: Face Kandy

1 Comment | Posted on: April 24, 2012 | Category: Real Weddings

{Real Weddings} Katie & Brett’s Handmade Celebration

I love this bride and groom’s description of their wedding even more than I love each and every handmade detail.  Their words and wedding are the perfect representation of everything I’ve been feeling lately.  I’m so happy they sent this my way!

We wanted our wedding to feel like home. A place for our guests to kick off their shoes and celebrate the love we have for each other. Everything was hand made, home baked, and even borrowed from our families homes. Every single part of our wedding was a generous gift of time, skill and love from all of our favorite people. What we wanted most from our day was to have a great time with each other. To dance, eat, and drink with the people we love most. And to leave hand in hand. We did just that. It was a great way to kick off a life time of fun with our best friend. We hope you enjoy the photos from the Big Day as much as we do.

Photographer: Faithfully Focused Photography / Floral Designer: Details of the Day / Dress Store: J. Crew, Anthropologie / Other: Urban Outfitters / Shoes: Vans Shoes / Tuxedo and Mens Attire: The Tie Bar

5 Comments | Posted on: April 3, 2012 | Category: Real Weddings

{Real Weddings} Brittany & Casey’s Movie Theater Merriment


Brittany and Casey’s beautiful wedding is full of personal details and meaningful DIY touches. The bride even took the time to fold a thousand paper cranes for their ceremony backdrop (seriously, this girl is amazing).

Read on for all the lovely details from the bride herself…

We love seeing great movies together and loved the idea of getting married in a movie theater. It had a great feel with the art work and it was located in the Heights, where we first moved in together. We tried to play off the movie theme with the decorations and made this into a total DIY wedding! I bought and made my own flower jars for the tables. I made my bridal bouquet when I had found I couldn’t get the peonies I had ordered in time.


On etsy people sell bouquets made out of antique brooches. I decided to make one by going to forever 21 and buying bracelets and taking them apart, rings, pins,etc. I also found a cute fingerprint guestbooks on etsy. With the movie theme, I decided to go with the Up (movie) house with the fingers being the balloons. I bought a frame at Michael’s and I drew the house myself on paper with fine tip markers and got finger paint and picture holder stands from Michael’s.


The biggest project? I folded a thousand paper cranes for our ceremony backdrop. I had heard of the idea before and absolutely fell in love with it. I bought a huge stack of 12″ by 12″ paper from Michael’s and cut each page into four 6″ by 6″ squares and folded each into a crane, and then strung them together using beads, fishing string and a needle… It took several months! My awesome friends hung them on the alter before the wedding. The art inside this place was incredible and was a total compliment to our theme and creative personalities.


Thanks for sharing, Brittany!

Photographer: Mustard Seed Photography / Hair Stylist: Visible Changes / Caterer: Coode Co. BBQ / Floral Designer: Fannin Flowers / Invitation Designer: Wedding Paper Divas / Dress Designer: Mori Lee / Cake Designer: Who Made the Cake / Shoes: Kenneth Cole / Transportation: Monarch Limousines / Jewelry: Tiffany & Co., Mikimoto / Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Al’s Formal Wear / Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal / Veils and headpieces: Nordstroms / Event Venue: Heights Theatre Venue & Art Gallery

0 Comments | Posted on: March 28, 2012 | Category: Real Weddings

{Real Weddings} Chuck & Ginger’s Sweet Southern Charm

This one is really special.  I’m not sure if it’s the rustic DIY detail, the impossibly perfect, sweet Tennessee venue… or just that horse (I love that horse).  This one takes my breath away.

I had to reach out to the bride to hear more…

How did you choose your venue… did it have any special significance?
We didn’t want the typical wedding venue.  We wanted something unique and country.  My husband was from the north so we wanted to show his friends and family a southern good time when they came down, so we wanted the theme to be country chic. We finally found a venue that fit that theme.

What other special details did you incorporate into your day?
We made the last minute decision to walk down the aisle in cowboy boots which was a nice special detail I don’t regret.  My matron of honor wrote us a poem of our love story that we had displayed at our wedding.

What was your favorite part of the day?
I think my favorite part of the day was taking pictures with Chuck… spending a couple of hours before the wedding just goofing off and being ourselves really calmed our nerves down for the actual ceremony.

Any advice for other brides?
Get a good photographer. The day goes by so fast and all you’ll have left is the pictures so spend the extra research time and money in getting a good photographer

I couldn’t agree more! Thank you so much, Ginger, for taking the time to answer my questions, and to your fabulous photographer for sharing these shots.

Photographer: Matt Phoenix Photography / Reception Venue and Ceremony Location: Front Porch Farms

4 Comments | Posted on: February 21, 2012 | Category: Real Weddings

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