Something Turquoise {daily bridal inspiration}

“Anne and Justin traveled from Arlington, Virginia to have a destination wedding at the beautiful Lowndes Grove Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina. Their wedding was coordinated by Chelsye Harp with Intrigue Design and Events, and was beautifully arranged down to every last detail. Anne included family heirlooms and as a special touch by using a sleeve from her mothers wedding dress to wrap around her flowers. We loved the details of the sweetheart couch and personalized hot chocolate cups. Shannon was their photographer and she did a wonderful job capturing their romantic and elegant wedding… Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Ellery!” -Riverland Studios

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“WOW, now that is a tough question! :) I have so many amazing memories from our special day, but the moment that I first saw Justin my heart just melted! He was so handsome, and seeing his smiling face put me instantly at ease…

..I used the sleeve of my mothers wedding dress as the wrap for my bouquet for my “something old”.  My dress represented my “something new,” and underneath my sash was the word “love” embroidered in blue.

…We had a lot of DIY elements in our wedding, but the most memorable undertaking was the lace wrapped mason jars. My girlfriend Lexi and I used Mod Podge (love that stuff) to affix lace to the mason jars, and then spray painted the tops gold. I think they turned out lovely, but it took SO much longer than we expected!!! Which reminds me, I need to take her out for a glass of wine! :)

…Try to not get caught up in all of little things that need to be done on the week of your big day. Set a day that you are going to stop working on your list, and stick to it! I know, that’s easier said than done! But if you can manage to step back and acknowledge all that you were able to accomplish, you can actually enjoy that special time with your friends and loved ones! After all, at the end of the day, what really matters is that you marry your sweetheart!” – Anne, the bride

Photography: Riverland Studios // Event Planner: Intrigue Design & Events // Dress: Robert Bullock – Birnbaum and Bullock // Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas // Floral: Violet Charleston // Musicians: Classical Charleston // Reception & Location Venue: Lowndes Grove Plantation // Wedding Cake: D’lish Cakes  // Favors: Chocolate Chocolate // DJ: Creative Sound Weddings // Makeup: Moore Makeup // Transportation: Absolutely Charleston

“We had been anxiously awaiting Lindsay & Evan’s sweet middle-of-the-week elopement from the minute we met them. We loved the intimacy that they craved for their big day. Once we arrived at Random Acts of Sweetness (a sweet local cupcake boutique), we seriously felt like kids in a candy store! It was like frosting on the cake (pun intended). We finished off the day by photographing their vow exchange and first kiss at New Castle Commons where they finally became Husband & Wife with the beautiful ocean in the background. It was a lovely day!”  – Mon Petit Studio

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“It’s hard to pick just one! It was probably when Evan decided to pick me up just after our first kiss. It was quite an undertaking considering I was a giant pile of taffeta and tulle, but he still did it – and we didn’t fall into the ocean!

…Originally we planned on having a large wedding – actually, it was pretty much completely planned, and I was about to send out the save-the-dates. Quite a bit of family drama happened that caused the original wedding to be cancelled. At that point I was pretty done with wedding planning (I had already planned an entire event!), so we decided to elope on the anniversary of our first date. We kept a few details from the original wedding (Photographers, wedding dress), but everything else was exactly opposite of what I had originally planned (including a big snowstorm the day before our wedding). Although it was so different, it was absolutely perfect for us. We never really wanted a large wedding to begin with, so we were both pretty relieved to have the chance to have a relatively relaxed wedding day with only our closest family. We are still planning to have a party to celebrate with our friends and families sometime in the near future, but we’re planning on keeping that very low-key as well!

…Try not to stress out too much, it’s really only one day that hardly matters in the scheme of things. Do what feels right to you, and only compromise if you’re truly okay with the final decision. It’s your (and your fiance’s) wedding, not your mother’s, aunt’s, cousin’s, or anyone else’s, treat it as such. Also, reading the blog A Practical Wedding got me through my wedding planning process without going entirely insane, even when I thought it was imminent.” – Lindsay, the bride

photographers: Chris & Stella Poore, Mon Petit Studio // cupcakes: Random Acts of Sweetness // dress: WTOO by Watters // shoes: Modcloth // veil: Twigs & Honey // groom’s attire: Banana Republic Factory // flowers: Purchased at Cymbidium Floral, arranged by Bride // ceremony venue: Great Island Common, Newcastle, NH

“My brain is exploding from the preciousness that is Victor + Kaitlin.” – Sarah Kathleen

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How absolutely amazing are these personalized bridesmaids parasols! Beautiful and useful on a gorgeous sunny day… but also such great bridesmaid gifts! Guess what – this crafty little bride personalized these herself using black acrylic paint!

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“My favorite part of the day was…. everything! I can’t choose! I am a creative person by nature, but definitely not a planner. So all of our details were based off of just what I thought would look good at the time. I just loved seeing all of our friends and family come out and support us, and seeing all of our DIY projects in action!

…We pretty much DIY’d everything with the help of our amazing friends and family! The paper flowers for our altar archway, all of the flowers (bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, aisle decor), our photobooth, the seating cards, invitations, programs and our dessert table decor (paper flowers, paper mache logs with wood rounds placed on top). DIY’ing all of these projects seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was definitely a daunting task! We would not have been able to do any of it without the help of our friends and family.

My advice to other brides would be to BE HAPPY! Nothing wedding related is worth stressing out over. In the end, it’s about you and your partner and celebrating the love!!! Honestly, our mottos while wedding planning were “whatever is easiest”, “meh”, and “who cares anymore! Don’t stress out! Just go with the flow and have a good time!” – Kaitlin, the bride

photography: Sarah Kathleen Photography // venue: Santa Margarita Ranch // Catering: Phil’s Catering // DJ: Entertainment Now // Cake + Cupcakes: Splash Cafe // Wedding Dress: Designed by the bride and handmade by a seamstress in LA // Hair + Makeup: Loan Huynh of Apples and Blush // Grooms Suit + Groomsmen’s Vests: Men’s Warehouse // Bridesmaid Dresses: Forever 21, Goodwill, and H&M

“This beautiful wedding took place on the bride’s grandfathers sprawling rustic ranch in remote Oklahoma. With vintage furniture pieces, custom cowgirl boots, and mercury glass accents, this was an exquisite affair! – Simply Bliss Photography

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I am obsessed with her dress! It absolutely fits her like a glove and she looks magnificent in it. Don’t skimp on alterations! It’s 150% worth the time and money to have your dress fit correctly.

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“My favorite memory? That is so hard! I think it would have to be having my closest friends and family members all there to support me and my husband at such a special place, our old family farm. You don’t realize how special your wedding day feels until you are there in the moment!

I made my own bars out of whiskey barrels and plywood wrapped in burlap, I made the program fans, I made all the signs myself, as well as the almond baggies on the tables. I really loved how it all turned out, but man was it all a lot of work! During the making – I was cursing myself for taking it all on, but looking back it was so worth it!

Do whatever you have to so that you enjoy it! I really hated the planning process, I told everyone I would have rather eloped! But now I kind of miss he whole planning process and my husband and I joke that we are “wedding sick”, like home sick… and want to go back and do it all over again because it really was so much fun!” – Margot, the bride

Photographer:  Simply Bliss Photography // Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid // Band: Contemporay Productions/GalaxyRed // Event Planner: Details by Paige // Equipment Rentals: Eventures Party Rentals // Caterer: Party Serve // Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Pinstripes Clothing // Officiant: Rons Weddings // Cake Designer: Shelby Lynn’s Cake Shoppe // Hair Stylist: Studio 28 Salon // Dress Store: The Gown Gallery, Paloma Blanca // Floral Designer: The Thicket // Musicians:Tulsa Bagpipes // venue: private family ranch

“These two lovebirds started their day off with a romantic first look. Tucked in on either side of a rustic barn in the center of Calgary they held hands and anticipated the moment where they would see each other for the first time. Cameron could not stop telling Jessica how beautiful she looks and she scrunched her shoulders up with love and joy! …from the wedding party attire, to the gorgeous bouquet with 100 year old lace – right down to every last inch of the reception, Kismet & Clover outdid themselves styling this wedding! It was such a beautiful day. – Monica of Red Bloom Photography

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I absolutely love her choice of bridesmaids dresses! They all look so darlingly different and it feels like each girl is comfortable in her dress – which is important! You want your besties to feel their best!

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“My favorite wedding day memory was after our first look, when Cameron and I traveled to the ceremony together. It was just me and him – in the car, glowing and beaming at one another, feeling so confident and excited about the great day that was about to unfold. It was our time for just the two of us to really connect without distractions. I’m so very glad for that time together…

..Every detail and decoration was DIY. There’s just so many to list! It made for lots of crafting afternoons with my gal pals and mother-in-law. I had such a specific look I was trying to achieve, so I knew DIY-ing was the way to go. It was totally rewarding! From antique shopping for unique pieces, to assembling frame chalkboards, sewing pennants, collecting mason jars and gluing on lace/burlap, I could go on and on! The best part was that the entire wedding reflected us in every way, heart and soul :)

…My advice to brides in the planning process it to allow yourself plenty of time to get things done so you’re not feeling too much pressure. Look for bargains and go to garage sales! Don’t try to take on too much on your own – your friends are there to help, and trust me, they’ll love being involved!” – Jessica, the bride

photographer: Red Bloom Photography // second photographer: ENV Photography // event design and decor: Kismet & Clover (which the bride owns!) // florist: Dahlia Floral Design // invitations: Oko No Ki Design // hair: Jill Keech Hair // hair accessories: Suki // cake: Posh Panda Desserts // venue: Calgary Polo Club // caterer: Sorrenti’s Catering