by riley | Jan 20, 2022 | Wedding
Your wedding day is one of the most memorable days of your life, so make it a multi-day party with your loved ones! That’s what Anne and Ahmad did for their glam Egyptian oasis wedding at Adrere Amellal. After preparing for their special day with excursions and a decadent dinner, the couple said “I do” in a small ceremony followed by a dance party under the stars and a firework show.
With the help of planner Dina Iskander, the outdoor reception space was dressed up in an abundance of greenery and pampas grass, giving it a glitzy yet earthy aesthetic. It paired beautifully with the venue’s palm trees and desert facade. But it’s not just the decor we’re drooling over. Anne–an haute custom gown designer–created her own mermaid wedding gown, with beautiful intricate beading. Oh, and she also designed her rehearsal dress and her bridesmaids’ dresses too?
If you’re planning your own over-the-top destination wedding and you’re looking for some inspo, you’re not going to want to miss these gorgeous photos captured by Eslam Saleh.
The Couple:
Anne and Ahmad
The Wedding:
Adrere Amellal, Siwa Oasis, Egypt
A Glimpse Into The Glam Oasis Wedding Weekend Festivities
The wedding took place over two days in the Siwa Oasis, a remote city in the western desert of Egypt. The pre-wedding day included a 4×4 caravan excursion into the Great Sand Sea, natural cold and hot springs, sandboarding, and traditional Siwan tea at sunset. The pre-wedding dinner and the wedding took place at the Adrere Amellal Eco-Lodge.
Sustainable And Elegant Wedding Vibes
Adrere Amellal is a wholly sustainable resort comprising 40 unique, hand-built rooms. All the furniture and crafts in the hotel pay tribute to nature and talented local artisanship. With no electricity, the rooms are softly lit with a dozen beeswax candles and the starry desert sky. All meals were prepared using local ingredients in the traditional Amazigi Berber manner. Anne, an haute couture custom gown designer, created her own wedding gown, her pre-wedding gown, and all her bridesmaids’ dresses.
Congratulations again to Anne and Ahmad on their glam oasis wedding! Big thank you to Eslam Saleh for photographing their special day. If you’re in the beginning stages of wedding planning and these desert “I do’s” left you feeling inspired, check out these unconventional wedding venues for unique couples!
by kailey | Jan 16, 2022 | Wedding
If you’re trying to decide between a forest, ocean, or beach elopement you should pick all three just like this couple. Chris and David wanted an adventurous elopement that was made up of special moments and stunning scenery. Making Big Sur, California the perfect “I do” location—a picture-perfect backdrop without distracting from the main event, their love.
Photographer Heather K Purdy captured every powerful moment, from exchanging “I do’s” amongst the rugged California coastline to celebrating with a champagne shower on the beach. Though these moments took center stage, they still used fashion and soft floral boutonnieres by Cassia Foret as a way to add personality in a subtle and show-stopping way.
If you’re searching for simple personality-filled elopement inspiration, look no further. This jaw-dropping beach elopement is the perfect place to start pulling your inspiration from.
The Couple:
Chris and David
The Wedding:
Big Sur, California
The Power Of Eloping
We wanted to make sure that we made it about David and I. We ended up choosing to elope because our wedding planning was becoming about everyone else. We wanted to prioritize our love and we wouldn’t change a thing.
Little Moments That Made For A Memorable Beach Elopement
One of the most memorable moments was walking along the beach and spotting a random butterfly made of shells. David and I both have very important late relatives whom we associate with butterflies. It was very special and neither of us said a word when we came across it; we just looked at one another and knew.
Plans Changed Due To COVID
We were supposed to get married in Amsterdam spring of 2020. We had to cancel all of our plans due to the pandemic and decided to just wait till things felt right. We had always wanted to drive the Pacific Coastal Highway in California and Big Sur has always seemed like a dream. It all just fell into place and was more amazing than we could ever have imagined.
Heather K Purdy is incredible. We actually met the day before our wedding and she invited us to lunch the day after. So, we basically saw her everyday that we were in Big Sur and still keep in touch. I’m a photographer myself, and working with Heather could not have been more amazing. I released all control and she made our moments even more memorable.
Congratulations to Chris and David on their simple Big Sur beach elopement. And big thanks to photographer Heather K Purdy for preserving these precious, intimate moments that adventurous wedding planning couples can draw elopement inspiration from.
We’re here to remind you that choosing an elopement-styled ceremony doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a beautiful wedding day. There are endless ways to incorporate your personality like Chris and David. After finalizing a budget and selecting a destination, find a wedding photographer you can trust to capture your love story.
by Chris Wolfgang | Jan 9, 2022 | Wedding
Photos by Ryan Arnst
Offbeat partners: Krystal & Ian
Date and location of wedding: Curtiss Mansion in Miami Springs, FL — 02/02/2020
Our offbeat wedding at a glance: Our wedding was a Moonrise Kingdom-themed epic night in which we celebrated everything and everyone we love. Ian and I became friends when we were 12 years old and many years later, decided to give dating a shot (best decision ever!). One of our favorite movies, Moonrise Kingdom, seemed like the perfect choice for our wedding theme.
He’s my absolute best friend and even though we are much older than 12 now, we are still very much kids at heart (I’m obsessed with Wes Anderson). I also LOVE vintage with a passion and when I’m not acting or writing songs, I’m dressing in vintage and recreating my favorite film shots on IG!
I incorporated vintage items since Moonrise takes place during my favorite era: the 60s! I had vintage luggage and camping gear at every table, a vintage dress and veil, and even an epic 60s vintage reception jumpsuit (comfort is everything)!
Ian and I were both born in Miami. My family is from Cuba and Ian is half Cuban and half American. We did a special Cuban Cafecito with Tata (my grandmother) ceremony as our “Unity Ceremony”… more about that later!
One of our best friends, Tim (who I started a theatre company with) officiated, and my friend Jeanine sang… while My Tio (who brought music into my life) and his daughter played Sea of Love as our entrance song.
One of the most magical moments was walking out of our ceremony to the main Moonrise Kingdom theme song while giant, handmade, colorful pom-poms (in place of a rice toss) soared into the air as the sunset!
Tell us about the ceremony:
My first love was music, so my greatest music teacher, my Tio, played Sea Of Love along with my little cousin Sarah and friend Jeanine as we walked down the aisle. We arranged our own flowers in the color palette: pink roses, Crespidias, Tulips, and tiny baby pineapples! Keeping the Child-like theme, my bridesmaids had little baskets with rose petals. They tossed them as they walked, so they could be flower girls along with THE flower girl, our hilariously cute niece Ellie.
Tim, one of our best friends, officiated. (Script attached below). We let him take the lead and just asked him not to say “You may now kiss the bride” at the end, as it didn’t feel right for us. He was incredible. Readings: Since I love Mr Rogers, My Tia read The lyrics to Mr. Roger’s “It’s you I like”. Ian and I love sci-fi but Ian’s favorite is Star Trek, so his father read a beautiful TNG quote.
Favorite moment: The Unity Ceremony. I chose to create my own and honor my Cuban heritage and culture. Tata, My grandmother and matriarch of our family, made us cafecito. She poured it for us in the vintage cups that she’s had since she came to this country and gave it to us “Para hacer la vida más dulce.” To make life sweeter. I had lived with her and my mother my whole life. I didn’t know I wouldn’t be able to see her for nearly a year after that due to the pandemic. The Cafecito and the moment were delicious and bittersweet.
Can we talk about the wedding pompoms?
With the occasional help from loved ones poking fun at me but happy to help, I handmade 600 giant yarn pompoms in our color scheme for the sole purpose of them being thrown at us after our ceremony.
I put 4 or so in canvas pouches with a logo my talented graphic designer friend Kim Daley designed for us (Of course, with a Wes Anderson quote). “Songs From Friday Afternoons, Op. 7: “Cuckoo!”” from the Moonrise Kingdom soundtrack played and ALL OF OUR LOVED ONES THREW POM POMS AS THE SUNSET! Magic. Pure magic.
After the wedding, I repurposed the wedding day pompoms as pompom wreathes! I gave one to Ian’s family, one to mine, and one for us!
Excerpt from Tim’s Script:
In the critically acclaimed and audience beloved 2012 Wes Anderson film, “Moonrise Kingdom” the 12yo lead characters, Suzy and Sam, share a scene on the beach that I think will help guide us today. Sam asks Suzy: So, what do you want to be when you grow up? Suzy replies: i don’t know…I want to go on adventures I think…not get stuck in one place. How about you? “Go on adventures too, not get stuck too.”We have gathered here today to celebrate the union of Krystal Valdes and Ian Moore. Marriage is miraculous and challenging and inspiring and beautiful and today we get to celebrate Ian and Krystal’s embarking on this new adventure together. Marriage is an adventure, but not just one where you travel the world and visit new places and try new things and meet new people and find a passion and change the word together. It’s also an adventure into intimacy and honesty. The scene goes on and Sam confesses Suzy “It’s possible I may wet the bed, by the way, later I mean.” “Ok.” “I wish i didn’t have to mention it, but just in case i don’t want to make you be offended.” “Of course I won’t.” Is there anything we humans crave more than having someone look us in the eyes and say “I accept you.” And not just when we’re crushing it in life or when we’re looking really great or succeeding in all the different ways we are societally pressured to measure success. But when we’re at our worst. When we’ve shared that dark secret or deep regret. When we wet the bed. The “I accept you” on the back end of those moments is what love is. It’s what marriage is about. It’s the for better or worse, sickness and health, richer and poorer..What today means. This ceremony. Your vows. The rings. All the things…Is that you commit to the “i love you and the i love you too” when you disagree, when you hurt each other, when you’re confronted with your own selfishness because of each other. You commit to helping each other become better versions of yourself. You commit to saying “i accept you”, even under the most challenging times. I asked Krystal and Ian what the best adventure they’ve been on together. Both said: Europe. Walked to Stonehenge from the cottage they were staying at. Had to walk through a bunch of farms. Ian insisted they go the wrong way. They ended up on a highway and a 3k walk became a 7 mile hike. Once they got to stone henge it started raining so they had to sneak onto a tour buss to avoid the rain and make it back to their cottage. The best adventures are the ones when you’re with someone you love and everything goes wrong.
Tell us about the reception:
At the reception, we all walked out to “Wouldn’t it be nice” by The Beach Boys! We had disposable film cameras at every table which looked like vintage 60s, Moonrise Kingdom era Brownie cameras with a life aquatic quote in the back. Two words: amazing candids! It was so fun to see our wedding reception fiesta through the perspective of the people at each individual table.
We found all sorts of pictures from nice family photos and pictures of kids dancing to my grandmother breaking it down and some of our friends literally making toilet paper hats in the bathroom.
We had classic Wes Anderson character hats such as red beanies for The Life Aquatic and, of course, the Sam ad Suzie hats from Moonrise Kingdom that floated around the party as we danced all night. I chose not to do a bouquet/garter toss, as the concept seemed a little problematic too me and, instead, replaced the time slot with strictly my absolute favorite Cuban songs. It was lovely to see so many different people dance to them.
For our first dance, we used The Moon Song from the film “Her” because it was one of the first things we bonded over when we first started dating. As the Bride and father dance, we danced to OUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE SONG: What’s up by 4 Non Blondes and although it initially started as a sensible dance, it resulted in an epic latino karaoke rendition of the tune with everyone giggling and belting their hearts out! Later into the night, I changed into a vintage 60s jumpsuit and sneakers!
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
The most important lesson I learned: The trick to making the process easier is prioritizing pure joy over flashy expensive stuff that stresses you out at the end of the day. From a family of immigrants, I couldn’t afford to have a giant flashy wedding. I had to sit and prioritize. Is it more important to have 10 more loved ones attend or to have the light pink table napkins? Is it more important to have a venue that means a lot to us because of where we met, a DJ friend that we love, and more time to celebrate together or 5 food options for everyone and ridiculously expensive tables that look nice but are only enjoyed for 3 hours?
The limitations of the budget forced me to think creatively, which, as an actor and musician, is one of my favorite things to do! My loved ones make me happy. Music makes me happy. Wes Anderson makes me happy. So those are the “themes” I leaned into and prioritized as I planned. Soon enough, I found myself happily making giant colorful pompoms everywhere I went!
Also, having our rehearsal dinner at our favorite local diner, owned by the people that own our first date spot! and focussing on music selections, readings, and ceremonies that made me smile! Having a housewarming party as our afterparty! and in a soft panic, trying to hilariously learn the art of arranging flowers with my girls! After our wedding, we immediately went into the pandemic and I’m so grateful that we had a modest budget with clear priorities and goals. It was pure happiness.
Vendors
Photographer: @ryanarnst
Dress, veil, table decorations, ceremony decorations: Vintage, thrifted.
Wedding dress ceremony topper: Anthropologie, thrifted on Poshmark
Afterparty 60s jumper : @sweetcarolinesvintage
Shoes: Unique Vintage
Flowers: Purchased wholesale, DIY arrangements.
Venue: @curtissmansion
DJ: @uplightmiami
Caterer: Maggie from miamiparty-rentals.com
Pom-pom supplies, along with most other craft supplies needed: Michaels
Gallery
Click to view slideshow.
by riley | Jan 6, 2022 | Wedding
When two nature lovers tie the knot, you know the day is going to be full of incredible views and outdoor activities. Jessica and Jeff’s Colorado mountain top wedding was that and then some. After falling in love with Telluride, the two knew they wanted to have a nontraditional summer camp style affair that celebrated their love for one another and the centennial state.
After welcoming 90 of their closest friends and family members at a cowboy-themed welcome party–complete with a saloon and cowboy hats–the pair said “I do” in a colorful and chic ceremony. With the help of planner and Junebug member K2 Event Co and florist Remi & Gold, the ski resort was transformed into a floral wonderland. The location was perfect for the summer.
As if that wasn’t enough, their reception was complete with a barn, dancing under the night sky, hot chocolate chip cookies instead of a wedding cake, and a mini firework exit. We’re so thankful that Jason & Daris were there to capture every whimsical detail. Get those Pinterest boards ready because you are not going to want to forget this one.
The Couple:
Jessica and Jeff
The Wedding:
Telluride Ski Resort, Telluride, Colorado
Three Different Bridal Looks
I wore a bohemian bridal look for the cowboy-themed welcome party. I took inspiration from a western bridal photoshoot created by Quigley Goode of ‘Officially Quigley’. I fashioned my mother’s 39-year-old wedding dress and turned it into the coolest fitted jumpsuit for our rehearsal dinner. It was so special to wear part of my mom’s gown! And my wedding dress was the most fun, incredible dress I have ever worn. It is a modern Berta gown custom-made in Israel. It had a nine month production time and when I received it I still loved it every bit as much as when I first ordered it.
A Three Day Wedding Celebration
We wanted our wedding to feel like a retreat for our guests–three days of activities so that we had plenty of quality time with everyone, plus themed events to help everyone totally let loose and engage with each other. We also had all of our guests stay in the same hotel so that we could have breakfast together to enjoy each other’s company every moment. It truly felt like a beautiful, playful, all-planned-out summer camp!
An Unexpected Health Scare Before The Big Day
My dad was unexpectedly in the hospital one week before the wedding–across the country, too. It looked like he might not be able to make it to the wedding in person, which would have been heartbreaking. Family members were trying to console me with the idea of doing a second ceremony later with him rather than postponing. I just couldn’t imagine not having him there, so it was extra special to walk down the aisle beside him after that health scare.
A Cowboy Themed Welcome Party & Elegant Wedding
Telluride has a great western and cowboy energy so we chose to capitalize on that with an authentic cowboy chic welcome party at the Last Dollar Saloon. With the photobooth, cowboy hats, bolo ties, saloon-style bar, and my bohemian bridal look, our dream was achieved. For the wedding day, the vibe was much different–with the most delicate and whimsical florals sprinkled in front of the grand, breathtaking mountain views. We had all of the guests ride the ski gondola up to our mountain-top ceremony. Jeff and I love to ski together and I always wanted to have our guests ride up in the gondola for our ceremony. To me, there is no view more spiritual than the mountains. It was just breathtaking!
Skipping Traditions At The Mountain Top Wedding
I am proud that Jeff and I did not spend any time on traditional things that we felt were unnecessary for us. We did warm chocolate chip cookies instead of a cake, so we didn’t need to take time to make a production of cutting the cake. We didn’t do any floral on the tables, wedding favors, or an awkward garter-belt event. We each picked our ‘splurge’ items with our wedding budget in mind and then tried to keep everything else minimal.
Congratulations again to Jessica and Jeff on their Colorado mountain top wedding! We’re so thankful that Junebug member K2 Event Co helped the newlyweds plan their special day. And a big thank you to Jason & Daris for capturing every well-executed detail
