Happy Weekend!

I'm off to two weddings this very busy weekend...

For now, enjoy this sneak peak of a wedding photo shoot I did with Larissa Cleveland. I'll be sharing the rest next week!

Destination Wednesday: Northern California

Bear Flag Farm is one of the most stunning, unique locations in the Bay Area. It's about an hour outside of San Francisco and has the biggest lavendar field I've ever seen in my entire life. The entire farm is organic and lovingly maintained by the owner, Tina, who helps coordinate the weddings at the site.

So many amazing opportunities at this location. Even though they host a fair number of parties, it feels more like a Tuscan countryside farm than a wedding factory, especially since the owners live on property.

What Type Are You?

I loved this interactive test to find out what font type your personality is. Mine is dot matrix. Totally not what I envision as my personal style, but I kind of like it for that reason.

What type are you? Find out here

Good Questions...

How the heck are we supposed to walk down the aisle?

Okay here's the rules... and below, how you can break them...

Christian Ceremony

The priest, groom, and best man enter through a side door and wait at the altar. Groomsmen can enter through the side door as well or escort bridesmaids down the aisle.
Important family members are walked down the aisle (grandparents, parents) sometimes escorted by groom or groomsmen
Bridesmaids walk down the aisle starting with the one who will stand farthest from the bride and ending with the maid of honor.
The ring bearer
The flower girl(s) (or the ring bearer and flower girls can walk together)
The bride and her father, or other close family member.

Jewish Ceremony

The Rabbi and/or cantor
Grandparents of the bride, who are then seated in the first row
Grandparents of the groom, who are then seated in the first row
Groomsmen, walking in pairs
Best man
The groom, escorted by his parents
Bridesmaids
Maid or Matron of Honor
Ring bearer and/or flower girl
The bride, escorted by her parents

Gay Wedding:

You can follow one of the traditional processions above and place one person as the "groom" and one person as the "bride" or...

brides or grooms walk down the aisle together
brides or grooms accompanied by parents, one walks first, the other walks second

Unique ways to enter a wedding ceremony:

Officiant, groom and groomsmen process down the aisle in a line together instead of entering from the side (this has a nice image and works well if you are getting married outside where there is no "side door" to enter from)

Bride and groom walk down the aisle together holding hands

Bride and groom stand in a field and wait for the wedding guests to assemble around them

Recessional:

Bride and Groom together
Everyone else backwards from the way they walked in

Photo credits:
Raquel Reis
Amy and Stuart

Happy Weekend

A few shots from my new favorite cooking blog, Sprouted Kitchen

Bridesmaid Gifts

A real statement piece of jewelry can really turn a simple bridesmaid dress into a chic, stylish outfit. Anthropologie has so many amazing necklaces to choose from to fit any palette or dress. A great purchase for your bridesmaid's thank you gift.

Destination Wedensdays: Cape Town

Cape Town is home to a Mediterranean climate, great surf, mountains, outdoor cafes, and world-class vineyards and restaurants. Pretty remote for an American wedding, but breathtaking and exciting for those who can make it.

The Ellerman House in Cape Town is the spot I would pick. It has all the charm of a British mansion and all the modern amenities of a Miami resort. They can only host small weddings of 20-30 guests, but that sounds like the perfect number to me, what an adventure!

Treasure Hunt from Jordan Ferney

I have a wedding client right now with the most amazing proposal story. He put together a treasure hunt that spanned the country and lasted over a year leading up to the moment when he got down on one knee. They want to incorporate this theme into their wedding and I've been searching for unique ideas having to do with treasure hunts.

I almost passed out when I saw this post from Jordan Ferney at Oh Happy Day! A treasure hunt combined with my love of mini coopers and San Francisco - get out!

Original post here.

Wedding Ceremony Parasols

Parasols are a great way to create some shade for your guests at a hot and sunny wedding ceremony or cocktail hour.

We've seen the natural rice paper parasols at quite a few weddings, but how about a fun twist on the old favorite?

Pamela's Parasols makes lots of unique styles including parasols that are monogrammed, embellished, and have veils attached:


In addition they make the only "green" parasol made from recycled materials that I know of and also have some inspirational recycled umbrellas with butterflies attached and one made out of discarded bridal magazines. Could also be a fun DIY project! Or how about instead of a bouquet made of bows from your showers, make a parasol for the bride to be.

Happy Weekend

Have a wonderful weekend!Photo by Gia Canali Photography

Whitney Museum of American Art Event

I wanted to share these inspired photos from the Whitney Museum of American Art event this past Fall. Van Wyck created the Garden of Eden event design and Alice & Chris photographed. Enjoy!

Destination Wednesdays: South of France

World-class art, beautiful azure seas, historical architecture, beaches, hiking, museums, flowers... the South of France is an idyllic location to have a wedding.

The Chateau Saint Martin in the small, historical town of Vence offers the perfect setting. Not too large, not too small, it can accommodate as many as 100 guests for a destination wedding and has a two-Michelin-starred chef to give your guests the meal of a lifetime