A small, beautiful church, a happy couple, and their closest family and friends… as far as I’m concerned, the gorgeous simplicity of this Nashville wedding is as good as it gets.
Photographer: Alicia Looney Photography / Venue: West End Church of Christ
Stefanie and Paulo’s intimate backyard barbeque was as simple and as beautiful as they come. The bride, a wedding photographer herself, and the groom, a musician, took on much of the work themselves, and supplied a ton of fun props for friends to play with throughout the night… which made for some pretty great shots.
Of course, those awesome shots are made all the more awesome by the fact that the wedding was shot in film.
You know what a sucker I am for film.
The wedding was shot by Kristina Belkina, and shared with A Thousand Threads by second shooter Kirill Bordon, whose work is featured here.
Thank you, Kirill, for sharing these beautiful shots!
Photographer: Kirill Bordon Photography / Event Venue: Bowen Island / Flowers: Flowers from a Country Garden
And speaking of bucking tradition… today I have, hands down, one of the prettiest elopements I’ve ever seen.
No. Contest.
Here’s the whole story, courtesy of Kelsey and Josh’s fantastic photographer, Alea…
What a great story. I posted on my Facebook page that if anyone wanted to elope, I had a great idea for shooting it. Little did I know that my dear friends Josh and Kelsey were on the cusp of eloping themselves, and they allowed me to be a part of the process.
Their wedding was so fun and unlike any wedding I had ever been to because it was so “fly by the seat of your pants.” There were no concrete plans (in a great way!), and it was just so intimate. Their vows just blew me away with how special and personal they were to each of them. There were so many inside jokes and things that were meaningful to them — I loved how they didn’t stick with tradition.
They like to make furniture, so Josh made the altar they stood at and the table they ate at. They also handmade plates for their guests for the dinner they would have by the fire. It was southwest-themed, so the couple, who live in Texas, traveled to Phoenix for the affair, near where Josh’s dad, the officiant, lived.
It was really a treat to be able to be there with them. I wish every wedding could be so intimate and focused on love and the couple.
What do you think? Would you consider an elopement? Especially if it was as pretty as this?!
Mark and I actually considered it very seriously, but ultimately decided that we wanted to celebrate with more of our family and friends.
Photographer: Alea Lovely Fine Art Photographer / Location: Lake Pleasant Campground / Hair Stylist: Carla Calderon / Floral Designer: Victorian Gardens / Dress Designer: Ann Taylor / Makeup Artist: Makeup By Jen B.
Oh my gosh I am so excited to share today’s gorgeous wedding with you all. There are so many adorable elements in this Osoyoos, BC affair, submitted via Two Bright Lights.
Old logs, feathers, candy… pie!! (you know my serious love of pie)
And I just love all the things the couple did themselves. Just wait until your see the unbelievable job Erin did DIYing her own bouquets! Such an inspiration. The couple’s love of all things natural, vintage, and so so pretty is showcased so well by the amazing work of their photographer, Element Photography.
From the photographer:
Erin + Graham tied the knot on undoubtedly the hottest day of the summer! Their beautiful day started at Erin’s parents home where the girls gathered to dress and put on the final touches. Her parents’ home is charming and decorated with vintage treasures in every nook and cranny! Erin looked smashing in her ruffled gown and was oh so excited to get started with the day. But not as excited as Graham who showed up 30 min early for the first look… ooops! Erin walked down the driveway to meet her man and could hardly hold in the giggles as she snuck up on him. Sweet! Both of them smiling from ear to ear and exchanging compliments we snapped away as they enjoyed a very emotional moment together before their big day! Their wedding day was everything they could have asked for. The setting for the wedding ceremony was the Chobotar ranch in Osoyoos, BC. The warm, warm summer sun shone down on Erin + Graham as they exchanged vows and everyone cheered them on as they walked down the aisle as husband and wife. Erin is a creative, a planner and a tad bit OCD (she claims!). Her venue decorating was meticulous and she nailed every last detail. Most importantly the concept of the design reflected the couple, their relationship and their favorite things. Working with a tight budget Erin was resourceful and drew on their love of the outdoors and its natural beauty to decorate. Moss, old logs, stones, pinecones, feathers, wooden flowers – she even hand crafted the bouquets and boutonnieres herself! Right down to the antlers on the table – which doubled as noise makers to get the newlyweds to kiss – a shout out to their love of hunting. All the vintage finds were from her home decor or her mom’s, perfect!
Venue: Chobotar Ranch / Photographer: Element Photography / Caterer: Parties and Pies / Event Planner: Peace of Mind “day of” Wedding Coordinator / Makeup Artist: Christine Fritz / Bridesmaid Gifts: Oatmeal Lace Design
Oh I love this wedding! It is so casual and beautiful at the same time, and everyone is involved… even that super adorbs mr. dog down there!
There was definitely a time in my life when I would have said hands off to the (ahem) vertically challenged lot… but I think I’ve evolved past that point. While I still wouldn’t say no to an amazing babysitter to keep the little ones entertained… weddings are really about family. Why else are you going to all the trouble of having such a big party, if not to show your family how much you love and care about them? That you want them to be a part of your special day. Chances are, there are a couple of little ones out there that you love and care about too?
… I promise their moms will be super reasonable and make sure they don’t spill grape juice on your dress (right?).
Photography: Andrew Morrell Photography / Event Designer: Sarah Goodwin of Daisies & Pearls / Venue: Wolfe’s Neck Farm
After Arkansas, I started to compile a list (it may have gotten a little out of control).
For a while we seriously considered going overseas — or at least as far as Hawaii. It could be a small ceremony, just a few of our closest friends and family… or even just us. The idea of a romantic little ceremony really appealed to us, so I started thinking about places that were sentimental. Where have we been? Where did we want to go?
The Eolo Hotel sits about 30 minutes outside of El Calafate on the way to Perito Moreno Glacier and looks incredible. We’ve always wanted to go to Patagonia, but on the other hand, it’s Patagonia. The likelihood of many of our friends and family making it all the way out to the Eolo was pretty slim.
So… Greece?
When I was a little girl I always said I would get married in Greece, and for some reason, I’ve always envisioned my wedding to Mark on the top of a mountain. Mark combined the two (and threw in a gorgeous lake for good measure) when he discovered Drakolimni Lake in northwestern Greece. Again, it looks like a dream… it might also be a 5 hour hike from the nearest town.
Okay, so it’s possible that the two of us tend to gravitate toward the middle of nowhere. This wasn’t really a realistic option.
… but it’s gorgeous, right?!
I considered the south of France based on sheer beauty…
Photo Credit: Andrea & Marcus
… and Hawaii, for a million reasons.
Photo Credit: Sarah Rhoads
But ultimately, the big far-away trip just wouldn’t have allowed us to celebrate with the people we love, and the planning could have become a nightmare. It was unlikely, because of budget, that we would have been able to visit the place where we planned to marry and would have had to rely on pictures and word of mouth for almost everything… and I’m not saying that would have driven me crazy, but… yes, I would have had a meltdown.
So in the end, we decided to narrow the geography of our list. And by narrow, I mean the continental United States.
Okay, no… not really. Because Arkansas had already come into consideration we knew that we wanted to be a little closer to one of our homes, so we at least had to narrow this thing down to one of the coasts.
A Thousand Threads 