Mary and Clay really wanted to have a wedding affair that was purely “on their terms”, and though it may seem unimportant, Banksy the street artist served as their inspiration for the soiree. They always knew that they want to make their own invites so the couple found this Balloon Girl which is a popular Bansky design and used it on their cards. They even went as far as using the balloon concept all throughout the wedding as red balloon were seen all over the place and it perfectly matched Mary’s red colored lipstick. Her wedding dress for the day was a Japanese gown which was handmade by her mother.

From Mary… We often hear them say that wedding planning would be stressful especially for the both of us, but the whole experience felt like it brought me and Clay closer together and enriched our trust for each other in manner that we haven’t got before. I simply loved it!

Well said, Mary. Huge thanks to Christine for sharing us these photos and congratulations to the newlyweds!

Our choice of music – Processional: “Which Way Your Heart Will Go” by Mason Jennings (Bridal party) and “Cupid” by Otis Redding, Recessional: “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure, First Dance: “Only You” by Yazoo

Our most memorable part of the wedding – Clay and I are not used to being the center of attention so walking on the aisle, sharing our vows in front of many people, and the whole build up from the morning really help me feel the jitters! I can recall looking only at Clay as I take my walk towards him. I wanted the entire moment to feel like it was just me and him, but everything happened very fast and were off running outside to have our wedding photos and I felt was being happy and that’s what mattered to us! And when it was all over, I was with him and we felt relaxed. It was really the most memorable part of our day.

Clay and I wanted to incorporate a personal feel to the whole wedding so we made efforts to make handmade items and add on personal stuff as much as we can. We included the things that we loved as a couple like these san bitter bottles and added lavenders to use them as name place cards. The welcome gifts we gave for the guests were the peanuts from my husband’s hometown and maple syrup from my place of birth.

Wedding advice – Try to know which are the things that meant a lot to both of you. We were particular with the food, photographer, and the venue so we didn’t mind spending money for all of them. We also liked being involved in the wedding projects so we had a DIY photo booth and used recycled perrier and wine bottles as vases for the flowers so we ended up not spending a lot on the decorations.

Also take time to recall even the smallest things and ask yourself whether you’re caught up in the hype of the planning or you’re getting the things that you want.

Venue: Smog Shoppe / Floral: Saint Germain Flowers / Wedding dress: The Green Guide / Shoes: Vera Wang lavender / Hair: Melissa Christine / Groom’s Suit: Ralph Lauren black label suit / Invitations: Cards and Pockets / Catering: Loteria! Grill

As we begin the day by admiring this beauty that Christine Duncan has created, on this is certain and that was noticing the bride’s LOVE affair with flowers. The wedding of this couple is a real depiction of them. And when Sunny admitted that she took her inspiration from an illustration in “A Flower Wedding” book from Walter Crane, we immediately said to ourselves, “Now we know where she got this!” And it would also be a nice to draw your inspiration from this too. She was so passionate about her idea that she applied every bit of details as if she tore that page from the book and brought it to life. The beauty of this fete exudes all over and you will also be amazed on all the lovely floral display as well as the fun pictures you can see on this post. Click here so that you will be able to see the picture gallery of their wedding.

Sunny’s wedding bouquet is made of the following blooms: ranunculus, Icelandic poppy in peachy pink hues, Juliette, agusta lousie, soft pink peony, helios, white wax flower, white scabiosa, gardenia, and Jasmine.

Such an adorable pose for the bride! This one will surely be timeless!

From Gordon… We had a string quartet for our wedding ceremony and they played songs from the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac. I had this idea that when Sunny was about to make her entrance, all our guests would all stand up to their feet right at the opening notes of the “The Wedding March”, then the band would immediately switch the song into the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun”. It seemed like the perfect way to announce her arrival and it’s kind of funky as well.

Bell’Ochio is my favorite shop in San Fran and it’s filled with lots of vintage ribbons. One day, I happen to pass by it and I can’t help myself staring at the ribbons when Gordon told me that I should make one of my own instead. So for 1 and 1/2 year I started collecting ribbons from all the travels destination that we have gone to and my friend Whitney Arrington made a sign to tell the guest adorn themselves with these ribbons and it became a hit!

Don’t you just love looking at this head table for the couple? Sweet!

I’m sure all the guests felt like they we were all dining inside a secret garden with all of these lovely decorations surrounding them! The whole venue was really transformed with this awesome display of flowers and greens and it also help it giving of a cozy feel to the entire occasion.

And having these small fireworks on the wedding cake surely is a brilliant idea rather than having the usual candles. Such a fun way to celebrate their special day…

The couple had a fun wedding indeed and there are so many pictures to be inspired of in our gallery so be sure to check them out.

Venue: Redwood Grove and Old Barn, The Santa Lucia Preserve / Event Coordinator: Colette Cuccia / Makeup: Amy Amaral / Florist: Kim England / Cake: Parker Lusseau / Cake balls: Momofuku / Catering: Chef Carlton Lepine /  Wedding Dress: Vivaldi Boutique / Bridesmaid dresses: The green guide / Shoes: Valentino / Engagement ring: Sunny S. Bond / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew Ludlow Shawl-Collar Tuxedo

Good day to all of you my lovelies! Today is yet another day to share a sweet wedding story as we start the week full of real weddings, engagement affairs, and the like. And such a pleasant time to be inspired with this soiree as well. This event was photographed by C Duncan’s Photography and she shared to us this Carmel wedding that we surely would like to see. Get a glimpse of Joya and Austin’s laid back and exquisite wedding fete with a hint of that distinct California-cool vibe and see all the genuine smiles in every picture. Click here to jump forward to the picture gallery.

These Charlotte Olympia blue satin heels that Joya wore on her wedding looked sizzling hot! And I mean capital H-O-T! And the bangles looked stunningly gorgeous as well!

From Joya… When Justin and I entered the Holly Farm for the first time, we instantly knew that this place could very provide us the eclectic vibe, the dynamic space, the intimate and communal feel, and the respect for nature that we all want to have at our wedding. We want a venue where everyone can relax while having fun at the same time and the Holly Farm was the ideal place that we can think of. Aside from that, we admire the place because of their awareness in taking care of the environment. They are proud to be eco-friendly and you can see this on every corner of the location. And this fits well because Austin and I are nature lovers as well. We also have this passion for driving across the California coast on the way to the Big Sur. California surely had a place in both of our hearts and we wanted to share that love in an open area with all of our friends and loved ones. We wanted to celebrate in such a way that all of us are having a good time while respecting the nature of the area as well.

The song “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine was played right after Joya and Austin were pronounced as husband and wife. It was such a unique song to be played and they picked this song as it truly reflected who they are as a couple.

These 2 really looked like their having a real good time, don’t they?

 

Joya and Austin made all their escort cards for the wedding. They collected rocks off the coast of Ocean Beach in San Francisco where they both live and wrote each of the names by hand. They couple really did what they can to incorporate a few of their personal touches to their wedding and that’s what made their day even more special to everybody.

What can I say, Joya and Austin really pulled it off by having this magnificent Carmel wedding! I hope that you will all be inspired with their special day. Congratulations to this fine couple and I wish that their love will flourish even more as they share they married life together.

Venue: Holly Farm / Hair & Makeup: SF Bridal Makeup / Florist: Big Sur Flowers / Cake: Edith Meyer / Catering: La Crème / Invitation designer: Elum / Guitarist: John Sherry / DJ: Antonio Diaz / Calligrapher: Mo Seder / Bride’s Dress: Amy Kushel / Shoes: Charlotte Olympia / Engagement & Wedding Rings: Brilliant Earth / Groom’s Suit: Z Zegna / Shoes: Hudson / Bridesmaids Dresses: Jim Hjelm / Groomsmen’s Suits: Vera Wang

Sam and Dave have been backpacking for 3 months and went to Europe for a 6 week trip. They said that this was sort of a make or break trip, but still they were able to make it! They have been to 11 countries all over the world and found Switzerland as their most favorite. So when they finally decided to elope, they already had this place in mind as their romantic destination.

Here’s what Christine Duncan has to say about their trip: The couple really wanted to do this even if their family was not that ecstatic about the idea. And since they don’t have any of their friends and loved to stand witnesses for the day, they both decided to have me make a film about their special day so that they would be able to share this to everybody when they returned home.

Indeed it was a great idea to get everyone involved by sharing this wedding film to them! Thank you Christ for providing us these stunning photographs of Sam and Dave’s romantic elopement and congratulations to both of them!

 

Each member of our family wrote us a note so that we may be able to read this at our wedding day. These pieces of paper help them to be with us in spirit and oh my, it was such lovely thing that they all did this for us! I knew that my mom would make me cry at this day even if she’s not there.

Our most memorable part of the wedding – Our favorite part has to be the entire day itself! We just loved every single moment of it – getting ready for the ceremony together, finding us a witness, getting into the train, our vows, the coffee shop, our romantic dinner in a far-off restaurant somewhere in the Alps, our champagne courtesy of our server (on the house), our first dance with no music outside, resting on the bench while keeping each other warm, counting all the falling stars (there were 5 all in all), walking home together, and telling all our friends and family about the day that was through Skype.

And don’t forget to check out their wedding video courtesy of Christine Duncan Photography.

Wedding advice – Elopements can fun and romantic because you both and your own while sharing each other’s commitment. And though it can be sweet, always find time to inform all your friends and family about it and don’t forget to update them about what happened during your day together. We were able to inform everybody ahead of time. So even if they were not around to share our special day with us, they all made beautiful messages to us to show their happiness and support. And after the wedding, we immediately went in front of the computer to share with them our wonderful day. I just couldn’t stop myself sharing all the details of the day and seeing them all happy for us makes it even more worthwhile.

Photography:  Christine Duncan Photography

A wedding celebration with 150 guests? Sounds like a REAL big ‘partay’ right? But think of doubling the number of visitors plus a bit of unexpected downpour and your special day will be just as the same as Danielle and Linus’ California barn wedding. A little rain wouldn’t be a problem if you have a plan B and that’s exactly what they did. Instead of having the ceremony on the open area, Danielle and Linus decided to move the ceremony inside the chandelier-lit barn where their reception was supposed to be held. So they opened the door of the barn and let the rain served as their backdrop for the wedding. The couple really embraced the weather elegantly and proceed to their vintage inspired wedding inside one of the oldest barns in Oxnard along with their 250 family, friends, and guests. Whether it’s sunny or rainy day, the party never stops!

Danielle wore a navy glitter heeled shoes from Kate Spade and she looked absolutely amazing! Wow, Kate really knows how to make stylish shoes!

The colors of purple and pink from their bouquets (which are actually made from peonies, hydrangeas, snapdragons, dahlias, and carnations) fits perfectly with all of the bridesmaid’s dresses.

We had a various mix of tunes for the wedding. We played a lot of tracks from Andrew Loyd from the prelude part of our ceremony as we want to capture that drama and the feel of romance in the entire moment. We also picked some songs from the Phantom of the Opera play as well as some movie soundtracks from Moulin Rouge and Les Mis. The wedding ceremony started with a song from Sigur Ros then the tune of Ray LaMontagne was played as all the bridesmaids came in and I had Claire de Lune to accompany me with my walk on the aisle. We also played Phil Wickham for the communion part and “She’s Got the Money” by Matt Kearney for our recessional. As for my father-daughter dance, we had Brown Eye Girl. The tossing of bouquet part was also fun as we had a song from Nicole Kidman entitled Sparkling Diamonds which she sang at the movie Moulin Rouge. And for the garter toss, we played “I Want to Rock Right Now” by Black Eyed Peas as the background music for that part. Though we chose different kinds of music for the wedding, we were still happy with our decision because the songs dictated the mood of the moment and it even makes our celebration more interesting.

The wedding video was masterfully created by Duncan and you can really enjoy watching this video because of its cinematic quality so don’t forget to check this out!

The night ended as all the 250 guests lighted the way of the couple with these glittering sparklers. It was such a perfect way to send off Danielle and Linus after a day of cold and rain. Best wishes to both of you and hope that your love for each other will grow more as a married couple!

Flowers: BB Blossom / Venue: The Graf Barn / Catering: Naturally Good Catering / Bride’s Dress: David’s Bridal, the Vera Wang white collection / Shoes: Kate Spade / Hairpiece: J.Crew / Groom’s suit: J.Crew / Tie: Zara / Shirt: Banana Republic / Shoes: Herring Shoes / Bridesmaids dresses: The White Dress / Groomsmen: J. Crew