A Very Majestic Affair

With a dress fit for a queen, dramatic gold frames hanging from above, and lusciousness pouring out of every seem of the room; from all the candlelight, the roses, scrumptious cream and white linens, crystal and silvers galore....this wedding is truly "show-stopping" in a majestic, "commanding respect" kind of way. Natalie & Tod look absolutely Grand!!

The photographer Marcus Bell did a fantastic job capturing this "grand" essence of the this wedding. My favorite detail....the 3 huge frames hanging behind the bridal table...so dramatic!!

See more about Natalie & Tod's wedding here on Polk a Dot Bride....and check out more of Marcus Bell's work from Studio Impressions

Flower alternatives: Flores del sol

stumbled upon this beautiful blog flores del sol...ugh so lovely! and very inspiration worthy. Check out her creations using dried moss and plants. It is such a different look. Apparently she has an etsy shop but it is on hiatus for while. I think these would make good alternatives to centerpieces and they will definitely be total eye catchers!!

She has other lovely inspirations using succulents and other materials like feathers, reeds, etc. My Favs are the yellow pom pom reeds.

Etsy Registry: Lace Porcelain Bowl

Can someone please start an Etsy Wedding Registry?! I mean...really!! I think it would be in people's best interest.

I would definitely put one of these lovely porcelain lace bowls on my registry over any piece of crystal any day!! with a price tag of $250...its a bit out of my range but you cant deny that these are gorgeous pieces.

find them on etsy by: isabelleabramson

On a more practical note though...if you are in the process of doing your registry; a little advice from our end. Have fun with it!! Don't get suckered into the "norm" items like china, silverware, crystal, a blender....unless you actually need them or can see yourself using them within the first three months of being married. Or you can put a different spin on things. Some people don't feel right putting really expensive things on their registry and asking people to buy it for them...i certainly didn't. So instead we chose to go with things we needed....Our guideline: will we use it at least once in three months? if yes, then we decided we needed it. For example with plates, we didn't put fine china, we put a nice everyday lenox set (mid price range) and decided to dress it up with nice place mats and cloth napkins from crate n' barrel to dress things up....that way we can use for fancy Christmas dinners or more casual cocktail gathering....and we were pretty sure that we were not going to be hosting anything that required nice china (however i do have a vintage pale pink china tea set but that was given to me out of personal fancy).

We put a lot of appliances because that is what we needed and we also put decor items that we knew we could use in the new home as well as more eco friendly items like cooking utensils, sheets/ towels.

But If you go to places like Amazon.com, you can literally put anything, from perfume, to sports equipment, house goods, patio stuff....and you can really really "go to town" with your registry.

The last thing you want is a bunch of boxes in your storage area full of things that people gave you and you have no space for or don't use.

Wedding Trend: Weddings Aussie (& NZ) style

Ok I know its not really a wedding "trend" per say but I have been really "diggin" the weddings that our Australians have been putting on. I mean everything about them is just effortlessly chill, original, fresh, elegant and dreamy. I don't know what it is...maybe its just what happens when you are south of the equator...who knows?!...all I know is that I Love it!!

In my blog readings since last Friday, I've stumbled upon these wonderful Aussie and NZ weddings....with a token engagement session which is absolutely A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!

Tina+Tim {Toowoomba Australia}

love love her dress and headpiece!!

impeccable photography by Darren of CK Metro in Australia

Check out the Green Wedding Shoes blog for more details


Amy+Jeremy {Matilda Bay, Australia}

You need to check out the rest of the photos at photographer: Natasja Kremers blog

The shots of that Oscar De La Renta Gown are insane. Its like she's floating on some frothy cloud.

Samara+ Nick Engagement photos {Toowoomba, Australia}

This is probably THE coolest E-session I have seen to-date...seriously....I want to "be" them....that's how cool it is. Loving the train shots.

This is nod numero dos for photog Darren @ CKMetro...and for Toowoomba, Australia. I guess that place has got it going on down there =)

Yolandee+husband {Te Awanga area, New Zealand}

And we cant forget about our New Zealanders. They too know how to make us wedding photo fanatics go crazy. I just love the dreamy look of these photos....and the small church is just picturesque.

Thanks Style Me Pretty for sharing!!

For more details find more New Zeland gorgeousness here

From Yolandee, the beautiful Bride:
The most important decision of all is the venue! If you get this right, everything else will fall into place. Besides the fact that The Old Church is one of the most beautiful places we’ve found in all our travels, they also take care of so much more than just offering a beautiful setting. The service is excellent yet personal, the food is amazing, the atmosphere is romantic, rustic and warm with a huge range of possibilities there to suite any couple and occasion. I stayed in the villa next door to The Old Church the night before and got ready there on the day. This was the most beautiful place for photos. For the next day we booked this beautiful homestead called Cape Estate, a 1000 acre farm outside the coastal village of Te Awanga, a short drive from the Old Church. Our parents, the wedding party and our friends who came from San Francisco stayed here. It’s private and tranquil with the most breathtaking views. Our wedding was on a Friday and on the Saturday many of our guests come to the house for second get together. We played tennis and games with the kids, had a bbq and lounged about around the huge open fireplace all night whilst sampling the beautiful local wine. It was the perfect way to get our friends and family to meet each other and the best way to have your wedding celebrations.

Sneak Peak: Jinjie + James

Today's post is a behind the scenes sneak peak at Jinjie & James' 8.28.10 wedding.

We had a blast coordinating their event at St. Joseph's Basilica and the San Jose Museum of Art.

The day definitely had its challenges starting with the sprinkler system turning on in the "getting ready" room for the bride and bridesmaids and flooding the room. However the night went well and you wouldn't be even be able to tell from the Bride and Groom's faces. The bride handled the situation with patience and poise...it was amazing!!

J +J wanted to host a chic and modern event so their choice of the San Jose Museum of Art was a great choice. their colors were silver/gun metal gray with pops of fuchsia.....and of course you cant forget the bling.

Utilizing a whole lot of the museum, J+J used the museum lobby for cocktail hour , the grand entrance down the big stair case, and for partying the night away. The Cafe housed the bar and the photobooth as well as the buffet food tables. The main Wendell ballroom was where the guests wined and dined and where the family shared a slide show and did a family vow, sand ceremony.

The details were for major importance for my bride so we had to make sure everything was perfect for her and hubby =). She had so many wonderful ideas and details she wanted to incorporate. From a custom made money box, puzzle piece name cards on industrial steel, a crystal curtain back drop, to their very own art installation incorporated into the decor, it was all thought out and we were very determined to get it right for J+J.

Personally, my favorite was the family vows, sand ceremony. It was very touching. Both Jinjie and James, entered their new life together with their own kids and they wanted to make sure that their new family unit got off to a wonderful start. The new husband and wife recited vows to each other's kids...which was very profound and moving...and then they asked the kids to respond to their own vows as well. Then they each poured their own vase of sand into a larger one and each kid received a family medallion. It really was my favorite part of the whole evening.

This was probably the coolest thing ever. Their guest book was a puzzle. One of the groomsmen and his wife had to section off a part of the puzzle to each table and each person at that table got a piece of that section. for set up. We had to place each piece with each person's escort card. Both the puzzle piece and escort card had a magnet attached to them. We then assembled them on the corrugated piece of steel (pictured above) and as people came into the reception, they grabbed their name and puzzle piece. Before dinner. Guests were asked to combine their pieces with those at their table and when they got excused for dinner they came up to this table and placed their section in the designated spot (the groomsman where there to assist them) and each person signed the piece of steel. It made for a pretty awesome guestbook and keepsake for the couple.

We hope you enjoyed the sneak peak...stay tuned for the pro photos from Beth Dekker. She is a pretty awesome photographer.

Sparkler exit