We have a special treat for you today! Emily Katharine Photography wrote to us about a styled shoot Ever After Vintage Weddings put together. As soon as we set eyes on all of the gorgeous photos we just knew we had to share it with our readers!

Cassandra at Ever After Vintage Weddings always dreamed off a soft pink and blue wedding, so Emily and Cassandra went ahead and put together a mood board with the idea of an intimate forest elopement. Three weeks later, Pantone released their colors of the year (which seemed to compliment the shoot perfectly!) and well, the rest was history.

Here’s what Emily had to say about this beautiful shoot!

We picked out a beautiful floral invitation suite from Wedding Paper Divas – complete with silver foiling and pearl shimmer in the paper. Add in some beautiful liners and a complementing RSVP card and we had a gorgeous set of stationery. Amanda from Bugaboo Bear Designs provided her gorgeous design skills to calligraphy the addresses on the envelopes. 

The bride, Jessica, wore a pale blue gown by Catherine Deane. There were so many delicate details in this gown – including a stitched floral pattern and buttons lining the side. Complimented by Nicole Miller earrings teardrop earrings, she looked stunning. Indira from Lillian Rose Beauty did Jessica’s hair and makeup. Jessica had an elegant bridal look with her soft makeup and glamorous waves. Chris, her groom, wore a light gray suit from Banana Republic. A pink ranunculus boutonniere was pinned to his lapel. 

Inna Olimpiyuk Events created the lush, organic, and timeless florals for the event. From the overflowing ceremony doors, to the ribbon tied bouquet – everything was perfect. The garden roses, the hellebores, the ranunculus, and all of the greenery went together so flawlessly. The soft florals looked like a dream.

The intimate ceremony took place in the woods under the wooden doors that were custom made by Cassandra and her husband. These doors were gorgeous and made of solid wood. Pure beauties.

From there, our couple made their way over to their dinner location. The table was set with vintage china with gold accents. The table was covered with a sequin pink table cloth and a gorgeous garland. Brass candlesticks framed them, as they cheered to their future while seated on the blue sattee.

Finally, dessert was enjoyed by all! Sweet Tooth Cakery whipped up some adorable smaller cakes for the intimate elopement. Each was a little different and adorned with some loose flowers.

Vendors:

Invitation Suite: Wedding Paper Divas

Dress/earrings: Rent the Runway

Dress Designer: Catherine Deane

Design/Styling: Ever After Vintage Weddings

Florals: Inna Olimpiyuk Events

Hair and Makeup: Lillian Rose Beauty

Cakes: Sweet Tooth Cakery

Calligraphy: Bugaboo Bear Designs

Photography: Emily Katharine Photography

Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab

We have such a lovely celebration of nature today with a styled shoot in an apple orchard. The shoot, by  Brooke Ellen Photography and Alison Marie Photography, was styled and photographed at Lost Acres Orchard in lovely Granby, CT.

From vintage furniture and romantic and feminine florals to a delicious and rustic naked cake, these photos might just inspire you to run away from it all! This is what Brooke Ellen Photography and Alison Marie Photography had to say about the styled shoot:

Lost Acres Orchard in Granby, CT was the perfect fit for our vision … Flowers by Rebecca arranged some gorgeous flowers and bouquets for us. Rebecca’s work is always amazing, so we knew we had to get her on board for this shoot. We filled her in on the look we were trying to achieve & she worked her magic, and it turned out to be perfection. Our Casablanca blush dress & hair piece were provided by the team over at Stylish Impressions Bridal Boutique in Farmington, CT. We can’t thank them enough for letting us borrow such a beautiful gown. It fit our model bride like a glove. The lace detail and cap sleeves were just the right touches we were looking for. Kim & Andrea over at It is What it is Vintage in Agawam, MA helped us with our vintage furniture. We spent a morning with Kim (who was so helpful and offered up so many ideas) over at their shop picking out pieces & details. If you love vintage pieces, they are your girls! Will from Jackson & Connor helped to style our model groom. He brought multiple shirts, pants and lots of accessories so that we could see some different looks. Our groom was looking pretty dapper once Will was done. The one and only Pam from Kiss and Makeup did makeup for us and Amber from Hair by Amber gave our bride some romantic locks. Both ladies did such an amazing job making our already beautiful bride look absolutely stunning. We had some great vendors help us out with the smaller details for this shoot as well. The cake was provided by Lauren from Starla Mae’s Bowtique & Confections and the invitations were from Hadley Designs. The delicious pie, macarons & dried apple slices were all provided by the Farm Kitchen at Lost Acres. Last but not least, a big thank you to Laura and Ryan for being our model couple.

Vendors:

Photography: Brooke Ellen Photography and Alison Marie Photography

Venue: Lost Acres Orchard

Florals: Flowers by Rebecca

Bridal Attire: Stylish Impressions Bridal Boutique

Furniture: It Is What it Is Vintage

Groom’s Attire: Jackson & Connor

Makeup: Kiss and Makeup

Hair: Hair by Amber

Cake: Starla Mae’s

Invitations: Hadley Designs

Desserts: The Farm Kitchen at Lost Acres

Models: Laura and Ryan

When it comes to thinking about your bridal beauty look, there are so many styles out there to choose from. Instead of looking towards contemporary trends or whether up-dos and dark lips are fashionable at the moment, get inspired by vintage beauty. Looking to the past can reinvent your bridal look and will give you a refreshing change from your everyday style. If you’re not hiring a hair and make up artist, don’t be discouraged. There are many vintage hair and make up tutorials online, if you want to recreate some of these looks yourself.

1920s

In the age of the flapper, beauty was extreme and women started to experiment with their hair and make up. A bow-shaped dark lip with lashings of mascara and blusher will give you the look. If you’re not a fan of heavy make up, only play up certain features such as the strong lip and keep the rest natural.

The bob haircut reigned supreme during this time. If you don’t fancy going for the chop, you can easily fake one with the help of bobby pins and hairspray. Waves will give your hair the desired look and can be achieved by pin curling or using tongs.

1930s

Women were starting to look to Hollywood for inspiration during this time. The glamour of the thirties was more refined and restrained than it was in the twenties, and had a slighter softer look. Thinly plucked eyebrows were very popular. You don’t have to go this far, but shaping your brows to frame your face is the base of this look.

Lighter tones of blusher and eyeshadow were used and darker lips in a natural shape were preferred. Finger waves will have you looking like a starlet. For those with longer hair a chic updo with a headpiece is another option.

1940s

The look of the forties was feminine as well as practical. With many women aiding in the war effort, loose hair was a hazard. Many of them came up with a variety of styles to protect their hair. For an up-do, victory rolls are a lovely idea and add a vintage touch to any style of dress that you choose to wear.

Loose waves are also reminiscent of this time and are a glamorous option for longer hair. Light reds and pinks were popular lip colors and were paired with subtle eyeshadow and liner.

1950s

The post-war period had an emphasis on glamour. Red lipstick was popular but so were shades of pink and the number of women who wore lipstick regularly was increasing. Neutral shades of eyeshadow were worn, and of course the winged liner. This look is instantly recognizable and easy to recreate with only a few products.

Smooth up-dos with plenty of volume and pin curls will work well in achieving this mid-century style. Hair was worn slightly shorter in this decade and a wet set using rollers or pin curls the night before your wedding will give you the desired look and save time the next day!

1960s

Beehives and babydolls were two of the most popular styles of this decade. You can modernize a bouffant hairstyle by wearing half of the hair down or by wearing it slightly messy. A high bun is also another option.

Long eyelashes and liner are staples in achieving the sixties look. Use false lashes for extra volume and create a heavy cat-eye shaped liner. Don’t forget to use mascara on your lower lashes too. Lining your lower lash line with a white pencil also adds to the look. Then you can also use a soft pink or nude lip gloss or lipstick to finish.

1970s

Beauty during this decade was quite diverse, going from Studio 54 glamour to natural and bohemian looks. For the softer option, tousled and beachy waves with a floral crown will look great with barely-there make up. This will be perfect for an outdoor or beach wedding and has a stunning effect for such a simple style.

To go for the ultra-glam, you need big hair. Voluminous waves were still loose during this time, but with the helping aids of hairspray and backcombing it has a bold yet soft look. A light smoky eye was as popular as bright shades of eyeshadow in the seventies. So go with whatever look you prefer, although you may lean more towards a metallic smoky eye than a mix of blue and purple!

Photo one:  chicvintagebrides.com Photo two: weddingchicks.com ; Photo three: decoweddings.com ; Photo four: popsugar.com ; Photo five: greylikesweddings.com ; Photo six: www.weddingchicks.com ; Photo seven: hair and make up by steph ; Photo eight: mywedding.com ; Photo nine: ruffled.com; Photo ten: moncheribridals.com

Etsy is filled with amazing and beautifully handmade creations to help make your wedding day feel special and original. Among the endless pages of wedding decor and accessories, we found some sweet ring bearer pillows and boxes that we adore!

Let’s start off with this amazing large chiffon flower ring pillow by louloudimeli. The soft colors manage to keep the overall look tame, despite the over-sized flower.

WildRoseAndSparrow did an amazing job replicating a small birds nest for your wedding rings.

Book lovers will adore this book ring box by BookRooks.

This page-turning ring box by FernandPineCo is so cute!

Big flower ring pillows are so sweet! We love this creation by IselleBridalStudio.

For a more understated option, this lace pillow by LePetitMariage gives off the perfect vintage vibe.

Personalized wedding decor always has a spot in our hearts, so we couldn’t help but include this modern initialed and dated ring pillow by DecoratedRoom.

IselleBridalStudio is back at it with another beautiful design. This sweet and dainty pillow is perfect for the elegant bride.

No need to carve your initials on a tree, this wooden ring box by braggingbags will make a much better keepsake .

Another sweet and personal ring box is this design by HappyWeddingArt. We love the nature-inspired moss cushion.

Burlap is always a great choice for country-chic wedding decorations, so why not have a burlap ring pillow by happiestcreations too!

These His & Hers ring boxes by EndGrainWoodShoppe are perfect for a rustic wedding. Between the engraved dates, the moss, and the natural look, we can’t pick what part we love most.

*This post contains affiliate links.

A courthouse wedding ceremony doesn’t have to be bare bones boring, especially when the courthouse in question is as beautiful as the Santa Barbara Courthouse – and the couple is as stylish as Dove and Matt.

Dove knew that the Santa Barbara Courthouse was where she wanted to get married when Matt took her on a date to this location four months into their relationship. Nine years after that fateful day, the couple chose this spot to exchange their vows in front of 11 of their closest family members. To make their nuptials extra special, the couple selected their own readings, and incorporated a wine box ceremony, where their family wrote letters to the couple and sealed them into a special wine box to be opened and read on their first anniversary. They also included several Jewish traditions that were meaningful to the bride. To finish off their perfect day, the couple had a relaxed family dinner complete with Dove’s dream of a Champagne tower, and a gorgeous sunset over the ocean.

Special thanks to Ryanne Bee for sharing all the dreamy photos with us today.

Dove, 29  & Matt, 30

Location: Santa Barbara, California

Wedding Date: September 19, 2015

Number of Guests: 11 guests – parents, siblings and my grandparents.

Wedding Cost: Less than $10,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Santa Barbara Courthouse Tower

Wedding Reception Location: Dinner at The Bacara Resort Ocean House Restaurant

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

I told Matty that I wanted him to want to marry me on our wedding day. Luckily I have enough self awareness to know that I would have been a basket case with a 200+ person party, so we opted to go small after he told me “we can serve drinks in plastic cups” and I cried…That was the end of that! I love meaningful details and special touches and I really wanted to be able to execute all of those things without a wedding planner. We wanted to elope, but then we told people that was our plan, and after some thoughtful conversations, we decided it might be nice to have our very closest family there too. We’re so glad we we did – I can’t imagine my mom not being there to zip up my wedding dress!

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

Knowing that we were hurting the feelings of friends and family was hard, but ultimately everyone was super supportive and just extremely happy for us. Luckily I had been saying I wanted to elope for years, so no one was shocked when we said we were keeping it extremely small. I think the hardest thing was trying to navigate “traditional” wedding etiquette. We didn’t have a formal shower or formal engagement party, but we still made a registry in case anyone asked.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

We had difficulty deciding where to “draw the line”, but once we agreed, we had to stick to our guns! After we made the call, everyone was really understanding and supportive. Most people told me we were “doing the right thing” or they “wish they had done something so small”. At the end of the day, we knew we couldn’t afford the type of wedding that I would have tried to plan, so that kept us on track.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

Our friends were so wonderful – we both still had bachelor and bachelorette weekends because our friends were so kind and happy to celebrate. Most of our issues were internal struggles – and I have no advice on how to handle that!

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

At the ceremony we picked all of our own readings, but poor Matty was facing the direct sunlight so he kept whispering “Should we skip this part?”. Of course I said “No! I waited 9 years to marry you! I want to hear every word!”. They were the kind of whispers you can only have with a super intimate group. We also had a wine box ceremony where his sister picked out a great bottle of wine and everyone wrote us letters that we jammed into a special wine box to read on our first anniversary. In Jewish tradition, Matty also broke the glass at the end. It was special and important to me to tie in a few Jewish traditions.

What were the highlights of the reception?

All I ever wanted was a Champagne tower – if there were 2 people there or 200, I would have made that happen! It was just so nice to sit and have a relaxing dinner with our family. We had the reception at a restaurant at the hotel and the other guests cheered for us; one said “I didn’t know we were being invited to a wedding today!”. The sunset was beautiful over the ocean, it was the perfect temperature, and the space was just filled with a lovely lovey glow – just perfection.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

We were so happy to be able to spend time together that morning. We walked on the beach, got breakfast together, ate ice cream and then left each other to get ready. Spending time alone together in one of our favorite places was so romantic and something not many couples get to do on their wedding weekend. I was running late to the ceremony, but I was probably the most relaxed and blissful I’ve ever been in my life, even with Matty’s sister almost stealing someone’s car to get me to the Clock Tower on time! Of course with a room full of people waiting for you, running late is never an option!

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Make a budget for yourself, even if you’re only having a small group. We didn’t do anything over the top, but it’s so easy to justify ANYTHING for a wedding and things can easily get out of hand with even 13 people. Think outside the box! Get OFF Pinterest!!!

Vendors:

Officiant: Barbara Rose Sherman

Photographer: Ryanne Bee Photography

Florist: Hogue & Co

Ceremony: Santa Barbara Courthouse

Dinner Reception: Ocean House at The Bacara

Dress: Vera Wang White, David’s Bridal

Veil: Something Borrowed…

Jewelry: The Elegant Bead

Shoes: Aerin

Clutch: Kate Spade New York

Suit: Jack Spade