by morgan | Mar 6, 2022 | Wedding
The world may have stopped in 2020 and separated us from each other, but it’s also pushed people to rediscover what truly matters in this life. Love in the time of Covid-19 is really tough but Farah and Malcolm’s lovely and unique Peace Arch Park micro wedding proves that true love conquers all, even a pandemic.
The couple didn’t let the uncertainty keep them from moving forward with their wedding plans and life together, so they decided to get creative instead. It wasn’t an easy feat and was nothing short of miraculous but with the help of their wedding planner City Fête Events, they managed to successfully bring together their families from two sides of a border to celebrate their big day with them.
If you and your partner are experiencing pandemic-related wedding challenges, keep scrolling until the end—this is definitely the inspo you need to see. So get your tissues ready, their touching story and the beautifully captured moments by Felipe Callado might just move you to tears.
The Couple:
Farah + Malcolm
The Wedding:
Peace Arch Park, United States and Canada border
Peace Arch Park Micro Wedding—Together At The Border
The venue that held our ceremony is what we are most proud of. It sits on the border of the United States and Canada, and it has been a beacon of hope for families separated by the border closure during the pandemic. We’re both very family-oriented, so it was important that our family could attend the ceremony. The Canadian-American border has been closed since the start of the pandemic. We didn’t know how long it would take for the world to go back to normal and we didn’t want to put our life together on hold until then. So we decided to get creative instead. Prior to choosing Peace Arch Park, we scouted several options along the border and even considered the middle of the road, where a ditch separated the two countries. Luckily, we found out that there was a unique treaty allowing Canadians to enter the U.S. side of the Peace Arch Park by foot, despite the border being closed. This wedding was a true labor of love for everyone involved. Getting married at the border will always remind us that, together, we can overcome any obstacle that comes our way.
The Groom’s Favorite Memory Of Their Peace Arch Park Micro Wedding
My most memorable part of the day was seeing Farah walk down the aisle, surrounded by our family and friends. She looked beautiful. I couldn’t stop smiling as I thought about our time together and what our future might hold. For me, it felt like the entire wedding came together at that moment.
Moving Forward Beyond The Pandemic
We chose to get married at the border because we didn’t want to live through the uncertainty of waiting for the world to change in order to move our life forward. We decided that no matter what, we would get married on June 20 at the park. We applied for a special permit from the park to host the ceremony, but the Park was not issuing permits at the time. If we didn’t have a permit in time, we would have proceeded with the ceremony with only our immediate families and our officiant. Luckily, the restrictions began to lift and we were issued a permit, which allowed us to include more of our family and friends on our special day from both countries.
Overcoming Challenges With Creative Solutions
Be open-minded about what a wedding could be for you, and use it as an opportunity to liberate your creativity. We encountered many hurdles planning this international ceremony while the border was closed. We had to be very creative about our options and always had a Plan B—and C and D and E, in case things changed. As our ceremony neared, some COVID restrictions eased up. This allowed us to do more, but it also meant we had to quickly shift details that had already been planned. As capacity restrictions were lifted, we were allowed to double our guest count! We were so happy we could have more loved ones attend, and our planner was crucial in helping us make these updates.
The Bride’s Favorite Memory Of The Day
Due to the pandemic, we did not have a traditional reception or first dance. However, our photographer Felipe Callado suggested a private first dance in a nearby gazebo. This was a wonderful time for us to just be together and enjoy each others’ company. We also took photographs at the border and under the Peace Arch. Spending time at the official border marker made us appreciate the creativity and perseverance that went into making this day possible.
Celebrating Cultural Diversity
We wanted to find a way to infuse our cultures into the wedding weekend, so our families hosted a small casual picnic at the park the day before the wedding, where we performed pre-wedding rituals. We had a close family friend, Hunaid, officiate our wedding, and he was able to personalize the ceremony by interweaving stories about us and our families.
With the help of our planner, City Fête, we DIY’d all our decorations, except for the flowers on the arbor. To bring the whimsical theme to life, we found lanterns to line the aisle with and had to get special permission from the park to use shepherd hooks to give them height. We filled the lanterns with florals for some pops of color. We also decorated two large lanterns to place underneath the arbor for pictures and added a bubble machine to run as the guests arrived and for the recessional. Since there wasn’t a formal reception, we had a light lunch to serve our guests and decorated the park benches with chargers and mason jar centerpieces. We made the dessert table and wedding cake cutting a central focus for lunch and decorated it with lanterns, flowers, cake, cupcakes and desserts from both of our cultures as well.
Working With Photographer And Filmmaker Felipe Callado
Felipe Callado and his team were awesome. They made the best use of all the time that we had with them. Moreover, they used their experience to help us navigate situations we didn’t think to discuss—like deciding how much cake to smear on each other’s faces during the cake cutting. They were easy to work with and we loved how they captured our big day!
Congratulations to Farah and Malcolm for successfully pulling off their inspiring Peace Arch Park micro wedding. We’re so grateful that Felipe Callado and his team were there to capture the couple’s deep love and commitment for each other and their families. They proved that even in these uncertain times, it’s always great to have something to look forward to.
Just like Farah and Malcolm, getting married during the pandemic might be challenging and may end up looking different than originally planned, but it’s not impossible. Whether it happens on a smaller scale or it’s a huge celebration, working with a wedding planner is a good way to stay ahead of surprises.
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by morgan | Mar 3, 2022 | Wedding
Beautiful and Intentional Outdoor Vermont Wedding
If you’ve found yourself planning a wedding in the midst of the pandemic, you know how stressful it can be to bounce back and forth between guest lists and restrictions in your area—all while keeping your guests’ safety and your celebration in mind. With the help of their wedding planner, Katie and Carson managed to pull their outdoor Vermont wedding together with a gorgeous moody style.
The scenic and naturally beautiful venue is owned by the family so it was an easy solution that provided the perfect foliage to compliment their incredible decor and florals.
Don’t get us started on the vibes brought into their outdoor reception tent or we’ll never shut up about the perfect balance of elegant boho and stylish industrial chic. Keep scrolling for the images captured by Peach Plum Pear Photo to see what we mean!
The Couple:
Katie and Carson
The Wedding:
Leicester, Vermont, United States
How They Choose Their Outdoor Vermont Wedding Venue
I grew up going up to Vermont in the winters to ski and knew that I loved that area during the chillier months. My family owns a property that was originally a Catholic boy’s camp in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The property is everything you could imagine for a wedding venue—scenic and naturally beautiful, enchanting, and the perfect size for our guest count. We also thought it would be a great place to host guests during the pandemic, and that people would feel safe with the Vermont COVID restrictions and the ample outdoor space.
Proud of their Wedding
I’m so proud of creating the wedding of my dreams even during these crazy times. Looking back, we wouldn’t change a thing—even if times were different. Carson and I knew that the process would be challenging. We knew that we’d have to make adjustments and sacrifices for the health and safety of all of our guests. Our wedding was spectacular because we were able to focus on making each element a beautiful reflection of us. Ultimately, our lower guest count and intimate setting helped us achieve exactly what we envisioned.
Beautifully Memorable Moments With Katie’s Son
Aside from exchanging our own personal vows, the most memorable and beautiful moment was Katie’s preteen son, Cole, and her brother playing guitar and bass for the guests before and during the wedding ceremony. Carson and I wanted Cole to be involved and to feel like this was a special day for us and him as well. Cole and Ben practiced for weeks leading up to the wedding and learned three songs that we requested for them to play at the ceremony. They did a beautiful job playing “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish, “Everybody” by Mac Miller, and “D’yer Mak’er” by Led Zeppelin. Cole also stood with Carson during the ceremony and presented him with the rings. It was so special to have him be such a big part of our day.
Wedding Planning Advice
The most important piece of advice we can share is to find a wedding planner and event designer that you know and like. Then put your trust in them. Let them lead you in the right direction, sit back, and enjoy the process. You’ll never be able to control it all so accept that and be fluid in terms of what could come up and what could change.
Congratulations to Katie and Carson on their gorgeous and intentional outdoor Vermont wedding! Special thanks to Peach Plum Pear Photo for sharing their day with us. If you’re feeling inspired to curate your own intentional day in your property, get started with our backyard wedding guide that will walk you through everything you need to know—and some tips to set your nuptials apart.
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by riley | Feb 13, 2022 | Wedding
When a couple has a clear wedding vision and doesn’t lose sight of the true meaning of their big day, that’s when the magic happens. A beautiful outdoor venue with lush manicured gardens, the perfect weather, thoughtful and personalized details, great food, and a loving atmosphere—Emily and Kim’s Stone Acres Farm wedding was beyond what they had ever hoped it would be.
From the DIY table centerpieces and decor to the touching ceremony to the sweet wedding portraits—the couple added their own spin to make their special day uniquely them. They also chose to let their individual personality shine through their bridal style and they both looked stunning!
If you love romantic portraits and gorgeous garden views, you’re sure to swoon over these images captured by Junebug member Elizabeth Grant from this beautiful outdoor wedding at Stone Acres Farm.
The Couple:
Emily and Kim
The Wedding:
Stone Acres Farm, Stonington, Connecticut
Bringing Their Vision To Life Through Their Stone Acres Farm Wedding
We picked a venue that spoke to us. With its romantic outdoor views and the beautiful florals by Rooted Flowers, many of our guests commented on how they could really feel the love between us. We also loved how awesome our wedding vendors were, how well they worked together, and how they brought our vision to life.
The Most Memorable Part Of The Day
For Emily, the most memorable part of the day was saying my written vows to Kimberly in front of all our family and friends. For Kim, the most memorable part was walking down through the garden towards Emily and then staring into her eyes as we read our vows. The clouds opened up and the sun literally started to shine on us as soon as she said my name. It was absolutely perfect.
A Personalized Ceremony
We actually put together the whole ceremony ourselves. Our Justice of the Peace gave us examples of different ceremony styles. We picked parts from each of them that we liked and pieced them together to make it our own. We also wrote our own vows, which we highly recommend!
DIY Wedding Decor
We made the centerpieces and table numbers for the reception ourselves. For the centerpieces, we used different sized hurricane vases, added a candle, and a small amount of white rocks to each. The table numbers were glass frames where we used clear shellac to add on pressed ferns and greens. The numbers themselves were made with a Cricut. Our seating chart was also DIY, which was two windows hinged together. We added the pressed greens with the shellac and hand-wrote the names of the guests at each table.
Working with Junebug Member Elizabeth Grant Photography
Hiring Elizabeth Grant to capture our special day was one of the best decisions we made. We felt completely at ease knowing she was our photographer. As soon as she showed up, she became Kim’s rock, not only acting as our photographer, but serving in many different roles without skipping a beat. She was fun and made people feel comfortable, in fact, all our guests raved about her and her assistant afterward.
Congratulations to Emily and Kim on their beautiful outdoor Stone Acres Farm wedding. Big thanks to Elizabeth Grant for capturing all the powerful emotions of the day. The love in the photos is palpable. To see more of Elizabeth’s work, check out her profile in our directory of wedding photographers from around the world!
Just like this wedding, the venue plays a large role in setting the look, feel, and tone of your celebration. Once you have the venue locked down, the process of personalizing your big day becomes a little bit easier. Check out our LGBTQ planning guide to help you create a wedding that authentically reflects your love story.
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by riley | Feb 10, 2022 | Wedding
Bright Pop Art meets fun disco with cozy Western touches—this was the playful vision Luke and Molly wanted for their Mae’s Ridge wedding. The couple, with the help of their planner Bianca Nichole and floral designer Bricolage Curated Florals, transformed the barn with their imaginative style and filled it with everything that they loved.
Disco balls are synonymous with a good time and they were used perfectly throughout the ceremony and reception as aisle markers, centerpieces, and a cake topper! The color-blocked tables also featured bright monochromatic centerpieces which balanced with the vibrant backdrop and overhead installations to create an artistic feel. And the cute custom koozies with drawings of their rescue dogs and mini donkeys—adorable!
This unique wedding had so much fun and color, that collided in the most perfect way. We can’t wait for you to scroll through the amazing photos captured by Diana Ascarrunz.
The Couple:
Molly and Luke
The Wedding:
Mae’s Ridge, Dripping Springs, Texas
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Proud Of How Their Mae’s Ridge Wedding Came Together
It truly felt like the Western Disco wedding I had hoped for. I loved how unique the whole day felt. It was really important to us to only do the things we wanted to—no bouquet toss, no wedding party, and our first dance was shared with all our guests. Most importantly—it felt like us! I’m most proud of the way everything came together.
Staying True To Their Wedding Vision
It’s okay to want a nontraditional wedding. I’m so happy we nixed the traditions that we weren’t interested in and went full force into our vision. Because of this, everyone had an absolute blast!
Adorable Wedding Favors
We had two sets of koozies as wedding favors for our guests. I had them personalized with our names and drawings. On one set I had our two rescue dogs, and on the other set I had our two mini donkeys. We thought it would be a nice souvenir—everyone needs a koozie!
There were a few very memorable moments from our day! I loved our ceremony—our officiant did such an amazing job, it was short, sweet, and hilarious. Our first dance was amazing. I am pretty shy, and the idea of having all those eyes on me while we danced made me feel sick. Rob Baird, the lead vocalist of our band and a good friend of ours, invited all of our guests to join us for our first dance. At first, the guests hesitated, but once they realized we were serious, the dance floor filled up! As we danced around, we got to see the smiling faces of all our guests. It was so magical to share such a special moment with our loved ones.
Congratulations to Luke and Molly on their bright, western, and disco Mae’s Ridge wedding. Big thanks to Diana Ascarrunz for capturing the unique and romantic wedding vibe.
A blank-canvas venue, like Mae’s Ridge, offers endless opportunities for you and your partner to express your styles. Whether you decide to keep the wedding theme classic and timeless or go all out with a bright and bold theme, putting your own creative spin is a fun way to allow guests to fully immerse themselves in your thoughtfully crafted wedding day.
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by riley | Feb 6, 2022 | Wedding
Having a micro wedding with your absolute closest friends and family will mean you have more time to spend with each one of them. It’s also the perfect opportunity to get a little creative with the wedding portraits. That’s how Morgan and Matthew knew that an outdoor Las Vegas micro wedding was right for them. They didn’t want their day to be a blur—they wanted to savor every moment completely focused on each other and to celebrate it with just a select few guests.
Las Vegas is an epic wedding spot and a fantasy getaway city. To set the tone for their big day, the couple chose the Neon Museum. They knew it was a fun and quirky venue and it had the intimate vibe that they wanted for their wedding day.
Spectacular views of Red Rock and The Strip, a unique and iconic venue, and a wild romance—this Las Vegas micro wedding may exactly be what you need to spark inspiration for your own big day! Keep scrolling to see all of the playfully romantic images captured by Brittany Loeffelholz.
The Couple:
Morgan and Matthew
The Wedding:
Neon Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada
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The Perfect Las Vegas Micro Wedding
We chose the Neon Museum because it had a Vegas feel with the old neon signs and it was still very intimate. We wanted a space that was unique and outdoor. We didn’t want to feel stuffy inside of a little white chapel and didn’t want all the commotion of the Vegas strip. We had the Gallery all to ourselves and it ended up being the perfect location.
The Most Memorable Part Of The Day
The whole day was magical! Standing up in front of all of our loved ones was by far my favorite part. It was the start of our future together and I’ll forever hold those moments dear to my heart. It felt like we were the only ones in the room just looking into each other’s eyes. Walking up to him just gave me the biggest rush of happiness.
Wedding Planning Advice From The Newlyweds
Our best advice is to be true to who you are. We did a mix of traditional and non-traditional things for our wedding. We took some advice from others but we stuck true to what we wanted. Don’t get too caught up with staying on schedule or worrying about what you have to do next. Make sure to enjoy the day and soak up all the little moments with you and your spouse. The most important thing to remember is at the end of the day all that matters is you get to marry your person!
Working With Brittany Loeffelholz Photography
Our photographer Brittany was an absolute dream to work with. She really took the time to listen to our vision. She helped pick out all of our locations, planned for everything, and helped us stay on time. I never had to worry about getting to our next location. I thought I would feel awkward and not know how to pose, but Brittany made us feel so comfortable. It’s like we’ve known her for years. She helped direct us so we looked like pros out there. She’s honestly the best hype girl I’ve ever met. Brittany made us feel our absolute best.
Congratulations to Morgan and Matthew on their outdoor Las Vegas micro wedding. From playful and fun to dramatic and romantic, Brittany Loeffelholz beautifully captured all the unforgettable moments!
Your wedding should be about celebrating your love story and not worrying about endless logistics. By keeping your guest list small and working with the right wedding pros, you’ll have more time to focus on wedding moments that truly matter to you and your partner.
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