We seem to be on a roll this week with delightful Australian weddings . Today we have an intimate wedding from the ever-so-talented Jonas Peterson. This beauty was held at Coorabella, an incredible property near Byron Bay, Australia. It’s complete with hedges of jasmin and gardenias and a giant teepee over 12 feet high.

You are going to love the flower garland strands hanging off the tree at the ceremony site, the unique and stylish family style table and of course the bride’s J’Aton gown. Be sure to visit the full gallery to see more of this intimate Australian wedding.

From The Bride On Her Wedding Fashion:

The table was one big long table that hosted 60 guests like the Last Supper. The flowers in different sized cylindrical vases with berries and white and green flowers – I wanted them in abundance.

The table setting was the menu, with place setting card and a white napkin tied with natural string with a gardenia on each.

What They Ate:

Bangalow sweet pork medallions wrapped in prosciutto stuffed with herbs + pistachios served with caramelized pears + Jerusalem artichoke puree

Main Course: Local Barcoo beef filet mignon, garlic confit potato mash with red wine jus served with Dutch carrots and brocolini Or Pacific Ocean Seafood Plate: Pan seared blue eye trevalla with dill beur blanc, sea scallop on gingered sweet potato, king prawn with daikon + watercress salad

The house had disco balls, Moroccan day beds, Statues of Jesus, original ceilings, Deer heads mounted, every corner had something interesting to look at. Gio cleared out the lounge room to make way for a dance floor. The had a disco ball in the center of room.

Photographer: Jonas Peterson
Event Designer: Maria Birch
Venue: Coorabella
Caterer: Seaweed Cuisine
Coordinator: Maria Birch
Dress Designer: J’Aton
Flowers: Estelle Montlouis
Groom’s Attire: Harrolds
Jewelry: Canturi
Officiant: Michelle Shannon
Shoe Designer: Cosmopolitan Shoes

Purple seems to be the rising star around here, it has graced our pages regularly in every shade imaginable. Honoring this love affair with the regal hue, we have  Natalie and Eric’s DIY purple rustic wedding held at the Twin Oaks House and Gardens in San Diego, California.

This secluded venue features artistic and poetic gardens inspired by love, imagination and tranquility. Obviously the couple wanted to capture all those things in their wedding decor and details, spending tons of time creating the centerpieces and DIY touches. Captured by San Diego wedding photographer Priscila Valentina Photography. You can see more in the full gallery by clicking here.

From Natalie:

We fell in love as coworkers at Starbucks. After two years of dating Eric popped the question and within a few days we were investigating venues. Immediately after seeing Twin Oaks House and Gardens we were sold. Eric and I felt that a woodsy/garden vibe seemed to capture our personalities well, and we tried to portray that in our decor as well as other elements in the wedding. Being the fourth sibling in my family to get married, we had a lot of support and experience to help us out.

As you know we adore a good chalk board sign. Natalie made this super cute one that says, ” If I was a flower growing wild and free. All I’d want is for you to be my sweet honey bee.” Underneath they listed the bridal party what a great alternative to a traditional wedding programs. Incredibly cute!

In lue of a candle or sand ceremony we opted for what is called “God’s Knot” which was a fun project for my mom and me to create, and now resides in our home as a meaningful decorative piece.

We spent a lot of time creating the centerpieces ourselves as well as the rest of the flowers for the wedding. My good friend and bridesmaid, Erin Alexander, created the incredible silk floral arrangement that is hung over the gazebo. Though the venue was beautiful by itself, we were able to add DIY touches here and there such as the chalkboard signs, which helped us save on our budget. We were also able to get creative with our guestbook, using a suitcase for notes in the place of your average book.

The venue’s staff was amazing, especially Megan, our Day-Of Coordinator who made everything run so smoothly. Our DJ, Paul Peterson, was a blast and perfectly captured the classic rock/folk vibe we sought. Last but not least, the amazing photographer duo from Priscila Valentina Photography captured our day better than we ever could have imagined. They were so accommodating, showing up early, and staying late so that we could get the most photos possible of the day.

Advice To Other Brides:
My advice to other brides who are wanting a DIY feel is to plan your projects well ahead of time so as not to become too overwhelmed. Most importantly, make sure to stay true to your vision no matter what opinions others may have. Remember, it is your wedding, have fun with it!

Photographer: Priscila Valentina Photography
Venue & Coordinator: Twin Oaks House and Gardens
DJ: Paul Peterson
Dress Designer: Maggie Sottero
Groom’s Attire: Alfani Red
Ties: The Tie Bar
Makeup: Mary Santos | Hair: Suzette Kerr | Veil or Hair Accessories: Handmade by Bride’s Mom | Flowers: Bride’s Friends and Family

There’s really nothing quite as romantic as a beautiful Sonoma Wedding. Filled with wineries and fabulous places to get married like The Viansa Winery. A breathtaking Sonoma wedding venue – with amazing architecture, a great barrel room, and of course beautiful vineyards. You really cannot go wrong.

That is exactly what Catherine and Mike thought when they chose to hold their wedding there. Captured by  Northern California wedding photographers, Tinywater Photography, we know you will enjoy this lovely event. To see more wedding details and pretty photos of Viansa Winery, visit the full wedding gallery.

We love when the bridal party wears Twist Wrap Dresses. They look good on all body types and can be worn so many different ways. Looks like Catherine’s bridesmaids are wearing the  Twist Wrap Dress in African Violet.

So much fun for the groom and his men to incorporate their individual style into their wedding look and feel. Mike and his groomsman wore superhero shirts underneath their suits. A super cute hidden surprise.

Instead of a guest book. the couple had two Manzanita branches where each guest could sign and hang their wishes and contact information and bright orange tangerines displayed each escort card. We are huge fans of using fruit (especially if you can eat it) as escort cards.

Photographer: Tinywater Photography
Venue: Viansa Winery
Cake: Stella Pastry
Caterer: Sage Catering
Cinematography: Sandra Garcia
Coordinator: Laura Johnson, Viansa Winery
DJ: Ted Hicks, Perfect Event DJ
Musicians: Luke Cleland & Stuart West
Flowers: Jennifer Sharifi (Friend)
Officiant: Hoss Hamidi (Friend)
Hair & Make-up: Kimmy Kuramoto & Christine Shayesteh

Full disclosure: we love a rustic wedding with gingham details. Before our next wedding we actually have never seen one, but we know now we are in love.

Invites, flower girl dresses, the bows in bridesmaid bouquets, groomsman shirts and wedding decor all had a hint of the square stuff. Way cute. All beautifully captured by Northern California wedding photographer Heather Elizabeth Photography. To see more of this wedding you can click here.

From The Bride:

After attending a couple of fabulous weddings, James and I felt that even though the celebration was over, we didn’t want it to be. We decided to find a venue that would allow us to spend more time with our family and friends before and after the wedding. It all goes by so fast and The Holly Farm was a dream come true. Not only are the grounds and homes on the property beautiful and magical, but the family who owns this enchanting place and the staff who put impeccable care into everything are amazingly welcoming and generous. We were lucky that we didn’t have to put a ton of effort and creativity into decorating the space, because it is already breath-taking. This gave us the opportunity to spend more time (and money) on the other hand-made details we wanted to create for our special day.

One idea that came to me instantly was to incorporate buttons into our theme from the invitations, to the favors, to the delicious cake. I’m not an instinctively crafty person, but making button bumble bees was easier than I imagined. Still time consuming; I used yellow and black buttons hot glued together, black jewelry wire twisted into antenna, and tulle fabric cut in the shape of wings threaded through the button holes. It was only fitting to have jars of honey to give away as favors – not just because of the bee idea, but like our love, honey is sweet and has an infinite shelf-life.

We both collaborated our ideas into the wedding invitations and carried on the gingham print design throughout the theme as well. Although it took an intense amount of internet surfing, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to find the navy blue and white gingham flower girl dresses that tied in with the design of the groomsmen’s shirts and the navy blue of the bridesmaids dresses. We had five flower girls of various ages and I wanted to make sure they felt pretty, but comfortable and I love the fact that if they wanted to, they could wear the dress again.

Heather Elizabeth Photography captured every detail beautifully for us to relive the moments and memories forever. I love that you can see the lace detail in my Lea-Ann Belter gown and how the natural light was used to enhance many of the images. Planning from afar didn’t give us the chance to see how everything would go together until the day of the wedding. But, I think we were successful in displaying our vision and most importantly, we enjoyed every second of it!”

Venue: The Holly Farm
Caterer: Grapes of Wrath Catering
DJ: Music Moment DJ
Flowers: Big Sur Flowers
Officiant: Ken Robins
Bridal Gown: The White Flower by Lea-Ann Belter
Hair & Makeup: Kim Larson Bridal

Melissa and Aydin’s wedding day was a graceful and elegant Southern affair held at The Clifton Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia. Their wedding day was peppered with moments that were special to them. Because of their love of word play, guests were entertained during cocktail hour with mad libs and invited to use conversation cards during the dinner.

The event was designed and executed by A Dominick Events, with floral design and styling was performed by Beehive Events. You can see more of this Charlottesville vineyard inspired wedding by clicking here.  All captured perfectly by Elisa B Photography.

Photographer: Elisa B Photography
Event Designer: A Dominick Events
Venue, Cake & Catere: Clifton Inn
Makeup & Hair: Elan
Hair: Elan
DJ: Rick Haggard Entertainment
Dress Designer: Junko Yoshioka
Flowers: Beehive Events
Lighting: Skyline Tent Company
Shoe Designer: Stuart Weitzman

A simple Charlottesville Garden Wedding never looked so pretty. Rachel and Patrick were married at the Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of James Monroe, fifth president of the United States,  located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Captured by the ever so talented Katie Stoops Photography.

The entire wedding is simple and sweet, but done perfectly. All the details tied together perfectly from the bridesmaid’s purple lace necklaces that cohesively blended with the groomsman’s purple seersucker shirts. The To The Banner and Branches design that was used for the invites and programs was so perfect. To see more of this Charlottesville garden wedding be sure to click here.

A picturesque historic house and gardens, Ash Lawn-Highland offers unique locations for both wedding ceremonies and receptions. They accommodate informal and formal, daytime and evening wedding. Each party is provided optimal privacy and flexibility–to plan their wedding occasions as if James Monroe’s home were their own. Looks gorgeous.. doesn’t it?

Photographer: Katie Stoops Photography
Makeup: Moxie Hair Lounge
Hair: Moxie Hair Lounge
Cake: Albermarle Baking Company
Caterer: Champagne Tastes
Coordinator: Weddings by Windy
Dress Designer: Vineyard by Priscilla of Boston
Flowers: Flower Girls
Groom’s Attire: J Crew
Jewelry: Bridesmaids were given custom purple lace necklaces by White Owl
Officiant: Claire Goodman
Shoe Designer: Seychelles
Stationery: Minted
Veil or Hair Accessories: Mother’s veil, Hair accessory & beaded sash: Feather & Frills

Citing inspiration from the season’s latest color trend, our next wedding is surely to inspire all you spring brides. This elegant pastel wedding was held in South Africa, just outside Nelspruit in the low veld, near the Kruger National Park Gate.

We are head over heels for the soft and flowy bridesmaid dresses, the flower sash on the bride and all the pastel wedding florals. What do you love most?  All beautifully captured by South African wedding photographer Rensche Marie Photography. There really are so many more beautiful photographs in the full wedding gallery. Click here to see them all.

From The Bride:

My inspiration – Initially when my fiancé and I discussed our wedding “theme” we decided that we did not want to be boxed in by a specific theme, color style or rhythm. We wanted the wedding to shine timeless charm with a slight edge to it. Our wedding stationery was inspired by the Magnolia venue (floral wallpaper) and the colours we decided to work with were dove grey and turquoise with a touch of pink.

Since we got married in early October it made sense to focus on a spring floral table set-up complimented by a lot of candle light. The venue allowed for an open plan lay-out  with some of our guests seated on the patio overlooking the beautiful view of the Lowveld.  My mother, sister and aunt stumbled on the bridesmaids dresses shopping one morning and after sending me a picture we knew that nothing else would have looked better than these fabulous airy floral dresses from Forever New.  We had the absolute best florist and after meeting with her and advising on the look of the bridesmaids dresses she immediately understood what we were trying to create on our day,  she sourced the absolute best and most beautiful flowers available during season.

To fit into the timeless charm  I wanted my wedding dress to be classic, comfortable but still show people who I am, we had a traditional church wedding and I knew that my back would be towards our guests the  moment I reached the altar and wanted to make use of the opportunity to display the floral detail on the back of my dress. We used the same floral brooches from the dress in my hair, which complimented the “floral” theme beautifully…

Our wedding day was out of this world with the best weather we could ever have wished for, the food and wine was delicious the band kept guests on their feet until the early hours of the morning and my brand new  hubby and I partied until the very last guest left. It was a dream come true. Of course it helped to have such reliable suppliers and close family and friends helping us with all arrangements, allowing for such a stress free wedding day.

Photographer: Rensche Marie Photography
Getting ready venue: Caster Bridge Hollow
Catering & Venue: Magnolia Restuarante
Band: Havanna
Cake of Cheeses: Magnolia
Flowers: Jorika van Huyssteen | Dress: Belinda Viljoen | Hair:  Cecile De Jong | Make-up: Mireille Pieters | Bridesmaid dresses: Forever New | Grooms attire: Woolworths | Cake: Family favour

Kelly and Mike’s wedding was held at the gorgeous Mt. Woodson Castle. Combining vintage and rustic elegance in a perfectly unique way. The ceremony was held in front of the castle and set the tone for the rest of the evening.

From the gorgeous bridesmaids in the floor length purple gowns to the groomsmen in bow ties, to the adorable DIY “Here Comes the Bride” sign, every detail was in unison thanks to San Diego event designer and planner Couture Events. See more purple vintage wedding ideas captured by Dana Grant Photography in the full wedding gallery.

How cute is this lemonade stand? Guests enjoyed purple lemonade and could take their lemonade jars to the bar to personalize them with their own choice of shots or soda. The mason jars also doubled as favors for the guests. Take note of the cute lids with the couples thumbprints as hearts. Way cute!

After the ceremony, guests stepped foot inside of the castle to begin cocktail hour. They were greeted by escort cards tied onto vintage keys and strung across the entrance to create an adorable DIY cocktail welcome display representative of the couple complete with nicknacks, flowers in vintage bottles, pictures of the couple and family, and their moss initials.

Photography: Dana Grant Photography
Venue & Catering: Mt. Woodson Castle
Catering: Personal Touch Dining
Florals: Heather Bartlett
Photobooth: Classy Event Group
DJ: Jeremy Smith

At first our next couple was set on a destination wedding, but as soon as they saw the Monastery in Toro Canyon – it was love at first sight. This unique property in Montecito had everything they could have ever wanted: modern architecture, gorgeous landscaping and a breathtaking view.

With a small guest list and cocktail party feel, they were able to spend time with each and every guest and enjoy the atmosphere without it flying by in a blink of an eye. Enjoy more of this Montecito garden wedding in the full wedding gallery and read more from the bride by clicking here. Beautifully captured by one of our Hand-Picked wedding vendors Patrick Moyer.

Patrick Moyer is one of our exclusive The Hand-Picked Vendors. Hand-Picked Vendors are at the top of their game and provide excellent services! These vendors are chosen because of their commitment to excellence, stylish and fresh ideas, and their overall fresh approach to weddings. To learn more about how our Hand-Picked Vendors are chosen please click here. To learn more about Patrick and his amazing work click here.

Venue: The Monastery in Toro Canyon
Cake: Christine Dahl Pastries
Caterer: BEACON Catering & Events
DJ: Danny D Swing Band
Dress Designer: Va Lena Valentina
Flowers: Blue Magnolia Events
Groom’s Attire: Jonathan Behr Bespoke
Shoe Designer: Jimmy Choo
Stationery: Minted

Have you chosen your wedding colors yet? Is purple on the top of your list? If so, you might want to take a peek at the bridesmaid dresses in this purple and green classic wedding. Made by BHLDN and actually on sale right now for $120. A timeless elegant number that you can bet will be worn again.

We also guarantee you are also going to love the organic birch wood centerpieces used at the reception. Filled with kale, succulents and bullet allium and placed on a freshly cut piece of bark with moss. It just goes to show you can be woodsy and classic all in the same moment. Photographed by  Claudia Kay Photo and designed by Lovebird Style. You can see more of this purple wedding in the full gallery by clicking here.

Photographer: Claudia Kay Photo
Event Designer: Lovebird Style
Venue: The Metal Museum
Cake: Muddy’s Bakeshop
Caterer: Gus’s Fried Chicken
Coordinator: Lovebird Style
Flowers: Kevin Griffin
Lighting: Nashville Event Lighting
Band: the downtown band
Bridesmaid Dresses: B H L D N
Rentals: mahaffey tent and party rentals
Invitation Design: Red Ribbon Fox Design

Elisabeth & James created an intimate, romantic affair in Big Sur to celebrate their nuptials. The day was all about close friends & family–about 45 people attended. Along with daytime hikes and evening parties, family & friends helped assemble floral arrangements, bouquets and boutonnières at a rental Elisabeth & James found through an employee at the Big Sur Bakery. The personal involvement of guests made everything more meaningful. Elisabeth’s first teenage job was working for a florist so she created her own bouquet. Elisabeth is also an artist and created the couple’s invitation with a hand-carved whale stamp which she painted with gouache. Enjoy the rest of this Intimate Big Sur Wedding captured by Kate Harrison. Be sure to see more prettiness in the full wedding gallery.

Elisabeth & James each drove a Karmann Ghia at one point in their lives: it was James’ first car and Elisabeth drove one years ago in San Francisco. After they placed a hopeful ad on craigslist, a new owner of a white Karmann Ghia responded and loaned her car to them for a few hours! They were giddy.

Kate Harrison is one of our exclusive The Hand-Picked Vendors. Hand-Picked Vendors are at the top of their game and provide excellent services! These vendors are chosen because of their commitment to excellence, stylish and fresh ideas, and their overall fresh approach to weddings. To learn more about how our Hand-Picked Vendors are chosen please click here.

Photographer: Kate Harrison
Venue: Ventana Inn & Big Sur Bakery
Makeup & Hair: bride
Cake: Big Sur Bakery
Caterer: Big Sur Bakery
Dress Designer: Monique Lhuillier
Groom’s Attire: The Common
Lighting: Chic Event Rentals
Officiant: Ken Robins
Shoe Designer: Coclico
Vintage Rentals: One True Love Vintage Rentals
Stationery & Flowers: bride

Our next feature was actually a 30th birthday celebration for event designer Lindsey Hartsough for Magnolia Event Design. The ideas were so spectacular and could easily be carried over for a wedding. Lindsey goes on to share how her day was put together and of course give you some fabulous Circus Wedding Ideas. That are glitzy, glamorous and of whole lot of fun.

The ever so fabulous Linda Chaja captured this fun day. You can see so many more photos in the full gallery by clicking here. Let us know what you think about this circus extravaganza.

From Lindsey:

Circus to me evokes fun, childhood, fantasy, beauty and all things wonderful. Being an event designer I find that food is the easiest way to convey a theme to your guests and luckily for me the thought of “Circus/Carnival Food” makes me giddy!  I am a girl who loves to go to carnivals, cicus’ and fairs to experience all the tasty treats that aren’t easy to come by.  I taste a lot of “fancy” food for my clients, but there is nothing like a corn dog, churro, popcorn, cotton candy or a caramel apple.  Because my guests are used to fancy food I thought it would be fun for them to go back to childhood and enjoy lots of tasty treats.  I worked with the chef to “fabulize” the  foods a bit, but really didn’t want to take away from the traditional mindset that these foods convey.

So, what is a birthday without a cake?  To me funfetti cake is childhood all baked up!  There is something unexpected and fun about cutting into a formal cake and finding every cover of the rainbow inside. Jessica created her Salted Caramel Apples and Beet Sugar dyed Truffles. Okay, you may think you have tried a Caramel Apple before, but you haven’t! These little puppies make my mouth water just writing about them. As the birthday girl I would have hoped my friends would have left me one, but NO! Those babies were devoured before I had a chance to grab one for myself… how rude!

A “Lindsey” event isn’t an event without an Open Air Photo Booth… we created a custom backdrop for the booth and was sparkly and super fun. Nick designed the perfect custom layout to match the event perfectly! Who knew that in Nick’s bag of tricks was a professional grade cotton candy maker machine thing? Nick has that little sugar goddess available for rent and let me tell you first hand how much fun it is to have cotton candy at your party… real FUN!

As you see there are a ton of custom cocktails at the party. Lindsey greeted guest with a custom cocktail.

I really love floral tasting drinks and feel in love with Parfait Amour, which is a violet liqueur on one of my trips to Vancouver.   I worked with Josh at Blush to create the perfect signature cocktail for my event.  I wanted something with a violet hue and that had a floral taste.   

Lindsey’s Luscious Lavender Sparkler
1 part Pinky vodka (This  vodka is hand blended with violets, rose petals and ten other botanicals),
1 part rose champagne
and a dash of Parfait Amour.
We garnished with fresh mini edible flowers

The idea of carnival food at a wedding at first makes you think ummmm no…but, we love the idea of jazzing it up a bit and making carnival food fancy. Sounds like an episode of Top Chef. What do you think? Would you opt for carnival food at a wedding?

Mossin the super duper fabulous chef at Blush created a custom menu for me and the guests raved about the flavors and treats. We had carnival treats- churros, corndogs, French fries, mac and cheese, burgers,

Desert Table Deserts: Jessica Foster Confections

Photographer: Linda Chaja
Event Designer: Lindsey Hartsough for Magnolia Event Design
Venue: Blush Restaurant and Lounge
Makeup: Luna Bella- Hair and Makeup
Cake: Siblings Bakery- Birthday Cake
Flowers: NLC Productions
Lighting: Bella Vista Designs- Lighting and fabric
Stationery: Lazaro Press
Photo Booth: Open Air Photo Booth
Linens: La Tavola Linens