With a beautiful suite overlooking the Eiffel Tower, Ellie and Robert’s intimate wedding was enchanting, luxurious and unforgettable.

“In traditional-style weddings, many people get busy entertaining their friends and family and are constantly worrying about little details throughout the day,” says the bride. “By keeping it small, we were able to relax, enjoy ourselves and create lasting memories.”

Kudos to photographer Brant Smith for capturing this wedding so beautifully. It makes us want to run away to Paris!

Ellie, 31 & Robert, 37

Location: Paris, France

Wedding Date: July 21, 2017

Number of Guests: 9

Wedding Ceremony Location: On the terrace of our suite at the Shangri-La, overlooking the Eiffel Tower

Wedding Reception Location: L’Abeille restaurant in the Shangri-La, “rehearsal” family dinner was at Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower the previous evening

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We wanted to make the wedding about us. Instead of using our resources to plan a large ceremony, we were able to have a dream destination wedding without compromising details either of us wanted. Before we decided on the intimate wedding, we were both stressed about every aspect of wedding planning, between finding a venue, paring down the guest list and figuring out our budget. Neither of us are the “plan ahead type” and the idea of burdening ourselves with details such as floral arrangements, seating charts, lighting etc etc. gave us anxiety. After we finalized our decision to keep it to only our immediate families, everything seemed to fall into place for us.

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

It was pretty smooth sailing once we decided to keep the wedding small.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

Once we decided to do an intimate wedding, we picked a tiny venue that could only accommodate our immediate families; so it was easy to stick to our plan.

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

All of our friends and family were extremely supportive and excited for us once we told them about our intimate wedding and the reasons why we wanted to do it that way.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

In the beginning, we were tempted to just elope; but then decided we couldn’t have the most important day of our lives without the most important people in our lives. The highlights for me were walking down the aisle on my proud father’s arm and catching glimpses of my mother shedding a happy tear or two throughout the ceremony. We decided to write our own vows and Robert and I loved hearing each other’s for the first time, in front of our families. But for both of us, the real highlight of our day was actually prior to the ceremony. We opted to do a “first look” photo shoot and hired a vintage car to drive us around Paris. Both our driver, Cedric and our photographer, Brant, were extremely knowledgeable about Paris and its landmarks, and it was the most fun and romantic way to tour the city, while capturing the most amazing photos to remember our special day.

What were the highlights of the reception?

We are both big foodies and love French cuisine, so naturally we picked the 2 Michelin star restaurant right in our own hotel to host our reception. The menu was absolutely amazing and we loved that everyone in the wedding party were all able to sit at the same table and to share speeches, stories and laughs.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

The best part was being able to spend every minute of the with my husband! In traditional-style weddings, many people get busy entertaining their friends and family and are constantly worrying about little details throughout the day. By keeping it small, we were able to relax, enjoy ourselves and create lasting memories. Our photographer Brant, and the event manager at Shangri-la, Olesya, were extremely helpful in helping the day go smoothly and stress-free. We couldn’t h

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

Just do it! You won’t regret it!

Vendors:

Venue and Planning: Shangri-La (hair and makeup artists contracted by the hotel, as well as the florist)

Photographer: Brant Smith

Officiant: Jerome, myfrenchofficiant.com

Dress: Anna-be Bridal Boutique

Dress designer: Monique Lhuillier

Veil: Sara Gabriel

Tux: Suit Supply Las Vegas

If the winter blahs are getting you down, maybe it’s time for you and your sweetheart to head to Cancun for a serious dose of sunshine – and wedding planning!

Palace Resorts is offering a free two-night stay at Moon Palace Cancun for couples planning a destination wedding at the resort. The ‘Preview Paradise’ stay includes a *$500 wedding credit, VIP airport transfer, complimentary room upgrade as well as food and cake tastings. During your visit, you will have the opportunity to tour the venue and meet with wedding planners, eliminating the risks associated with planning a destination wedding from afar. Experiencing the venue firsthand will give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing exactly what to expect on your wedding day.

Why choose Palace Resorts Moon Palace for your wedding day?  The luxurious Moon Palace venue is set among 55-acres of lush tropical foliage, and bordered by sandy shoreline for long, romantic walks with the love of your life. Unwind in one of the seven sparkling pools or relax in your private spa, before heading out to all-inclusive dining at one of the buffet style or à la carte restaurants. You and your guests will never get bored with myriad activities on site, including cycling, basketball, beach volleyball, mini-golf and a 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.

Book your destination wedding with Apple Vacations, and your all-inclusive vacay will include round trip airfare, hotel accommodations, round trip airport transfers and the services of an in-resort Apple representative.

Millions of couples have trusted Apple Vacations to help them plan their destination weddings – why not be the next? To book your Paradise Preview go to AppleVacations.com.

*Terms and Conditions apply to this credit. This is only applicable to couples that book within 15 days of a Preview Paradise stay.

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Guys love bath and body products too, although they aren’t always quick to admit it. After all, everyone needs lip balm in the harsh winter months, and natural, high quality shaving products make morning routines more enjoyable!  These coffee bath and body products from Etsy will be much appreciated by your groomsmen! Take the gift to the next level and add these products to a gift box along with a bag of roasted coffee beans!

Made in Canada with only the finest natural ingredients, this lip balm from LONEWOODS is sure to please!

Keep the hipster’s beard in tip top shape with this coffee beard oil from GreatLakesGrooming.

This beard balm from GreatLakesGrooming will leave his beard “soft, nourished and lustrous”.

For only $4, you can give him the gift of revitalized skin with this “dude scrub” from SimplyPolishedYYC.

These marvelous coffee soaps from Backwoodssoapcandles would be a great addition to a grooming gift set!

Make sure he knows this is soap! These coffee soap bars from SkinFoodByAB look good enough to eat, and could easily be mistaken for fudge!  

Another bar that smells good enough to eat… These soaps from flambette are caramel and coffee scented!

*Espresso* your thanks for your groomsmen attending your wedding with these decadent java soap bars from SweetHarvestFarms.

Buttery and very fragrant, we love this “daily grind” lip balm from RedBarnBotanicalsLLC.

Made from a blend of nine different oils, you won’t find any other product like this Americano oil from adfloreo.

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Winter elopements aren’t just for tropical destinations! Today, we’re featured an elopement styled shoot from Colorado.

Here’s what photographer Melissa Malouff, owner of Salty Spruce Studio, had to say about the shoot:

There is nothing more beautiful than amazing mountains, or just being out in nature with your closest friends and family on your wedding day, especially in the mountains of Colorado.  Milston Well Farm is a little farm in Longmont Colorado, and it’s a venue that offers weddings, but also have a cute little cottage that they rent on airbnb … They have a silo, goats and chickens on the farm.

My couples are always very outdoorsy, adventurous and love being fearless. They are the couples that keep a list of 14ers (aka Colorado mountain peaks that exceed 14,000 feet) that they’ve climbed, and a bucket list of the places that they want to travel to. This shoot is meant to speak to them and make them see that it doesn’t take much planning, other than finding a cool place, to say “I do”.

Thanks so much to Melissa and all the talented vendors who created this inspiring elopement shoot!

Vendors:

Photographer: Salty Spruce Studio

Venue: Milston Well Farm

Cakes: Astonishing Cakes

Invitations: LBC Design Co (invites) 

Florals: Emma Lea Floral

Videography: Kelsey Luciano Productions

Vintage Rentals: Plank and Pearl (rentals)

Who doesn’t love the idea of saying their vows in an enchanted forest?  From secluded ceremonies deep in the California Redwoods to otherworldly elopements, these 10 weddings will have you pining for a forest wedding!

With its stunning details and location in the legendary California Redwoods, Sarah and Alex’s li’l wedding has it all! From an incredible earth-toned bouquet to a one-of-a-kind spiritual ceremony, their wedding photos (photographed by the incredibly talented Paige Nelson Photography) will make you truly appreciate the profound beauty of a Redwood forest wedding.

Caroline and Jocelyn’s woodland wedding at Deetjen’s Big Sur Innn,  photographed by Rad + In Love ,was unique and heartfelt. Caroline could not say enough about the location: “The unparalleled natural beauty which surrounded us created the perfect environment for everyone to “get their heads right” about the commitment Jocelyn and I were making to each other and to the people around us.”

A couple of uninvited ceremony guests in the form of a bear cub and its mama bear, and one spontaneously chosen – not to mention stunning ceremony site are just a couple of the highlights from Julia and Jeff’s wedding in Sequoia National Park, photographed by Helena and Laurent Photography.

Cecilia and Craig’s California Redwood Forest Wedding, photographed by Viera Photographics, will make you truly appreciate the magnitude of the California Redwoods. This wedding proves that, when your wedding is in a beautiful forest, rain on your wedding day is a gift! The bride shares her view of getting married in this ancient forest: “The redwoods were truly magical. There is a profound silence that I have never heard before and the sheer size of the trees is completely humbling. There is also something symbolic about getting married underneath trees that are thousands of years old. It is basically Nature’s own version of a temple and the most spiritual place I can imagine, and, therefore, the perfect place for exchanging our eternal vows.”

Melissa and Dan’s Little Wedding in the Woods, captured by Leslie West Photography, was absolutely magical. Their big day was filled with highly personalized, meaningful details. They rented two charming  cottages for the weekend for their families to enjoy, and they spent their wedding weekend “lounging around in PJs sipping coffee and wine amongst a beautiful, lush landscape.” Sounds pretty utopic to us!

For Stephanie and Myles, an elopement in Washington at Olympic National Park was the perfect fit. Not only did it allow the couple to truly be present with one another – it saved them tens of thousands of dollars. Tyler Ray Photography captured this stunning elopement, and truly did justice to the incredible wedding.

From floral bow ties to a beautiful fairytale-esque swing to a twinkle-light filled reception, you won’t believe Emilee and Thomas’ 75-Guest Utah Park Wedding, which was captured by photographer Haley Nord, was only $7,000!

Limekiln State Park along the Big Sur California coast was the perfect location for Jessica and Paul to tie the knot with 18 of their dearest friends and family at their sides. Paige Nelson Photography captured their big day stunningly!

For Andrea and Gabriel, the 1/4 mile hike to get to their ceremony location was worth every step! “During the ceremony, the location felt almost surreal. Big Sur is absolutely gorgeous so we felt really lucky to be there together, and with our family,” explains the bride. Geoff Rivers Photography captured this little wedding perfectly!

With only four people at their side (including their amazing photographer, Ashley from Photography Anthology )– not to mention their dog, Kelsey and Ian exchanged vows amidst the picturesque fall splendor of Roy H. Park Preserve in Ithaca, NY.