Southern Weddings

Have you ever seen a tent – or reception set-up, for that matter – this awesome?  The open-air tent is both rustic and romantic, with a subtle hint of West Coast drama to boot.  Awesome!  And check out that incredible orchid-covered confection from Belle Loreve.  I’ve always loved orchids, but maybe never this much!  Triple thanks again to Mark Brooke for this California stunner.

Describe your wedding cake: It was an organic vanilla cake with raspberry filling, lemon frosting and purple orchid embellishments.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The STRESS of having a full-time job and also planning the wedding. It was like having two full-time jobs.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Being so nervous once the music started and my Dad walked me down the aisle, but becomming completely calm once I saw Chris waiting for me.

Congratulations, Heather + Chris!  Love and best wishes from the SW girls.

Written with love by Lara Casey

Okay, it’s confession time.  We know Heather + Chris’ wedding took place in California, which means it’s supposed to be a details feature.  Which means we’re supposed to focus on… details.  Obviously.  But we hope you’ll forgive us once you see the couple’s portraits, taken by the super talented Mark Brooke Photographers.  Aren’t they lovely?  The light is just perfect, and including a post of just portraits allows us to focus on Heather’s gorgeous Francesca Pitera dress, which is technically a detail, so… I guess we’re okay!  Enjoy, and hurry back for the AMAZING reception photos soon.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I searched aimlessly through magazines, and soon realized I kept ripping out dresses by one designer, Francesca Pitera. I was sent an invitation to a one-day trunk show in Costa Mesa, and made reservations to go with my mom, Pam, and our close family friend, Renata. We got there and I tried on about 16 dresses, and narrowed it down to 2. I chose the dress I wore because I not only looked like a bride, I FELT like a bride.
Describe your wedding flowers: Beautiful!! Joni put SO much dedication and time into the flowers. I chose flowers in shades of purple and green. The arrangements ended up looking exotic and organic, yet still elegant.

Written with love by Lara Casey

We can always count on Mark Brooke to make our day a bit brighter, and he definitely doesn’t disappoint with Heather + Chris’ California nuptials at the Bella Loreve.  There are so many things we love about this weeding: the jaw-dropping beauty of the Tuscan villa where the couple exchanged their vows, the dramatic purple bridesmaid dresses from Alfred Angelo and equally stunning arrangements from Hearts Bloom… the list goes on.  In fact, we like this autumnal West Coast wedding so much we had to make it a three-part post.  Enjoy!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  Chris and I grew up together. He was childhood friends with my older brother, Shawn, so we met when I was 7 and he was 9. We didn’t hang out much growing up, and ended up losing complete touch after he graduated high school. But, thanks to modern technology, I found him on Facebook.  About 6 months later, we started dating, and 6 months after that we – he proposed!
Describe the proposal. He took me to Mazatlan for New Years 2009. We had been there a couple of days already, but on New Year’s Eve, we decided to have dinner on our hotel balcony overlooking the ocean to catch the fireworks. Once they started, I jumped up and leant over the railing to watch. I turned around to look for him, and he was behind me on his knee with a ring in hand. I ended up screaming and got on my knees too and hugged him, almost tipping him over. He laughed and asked “So is that a yes?”  I was in such shock I forgot to even answer, and started screaming “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” I couldn’t stop staring at my ring the rest of the trip. We waited a day to call our families, although mine already knew because he had asked my Dad before we left. It was amazing.

Written with love by Lara Casey