Whitney + Adam both lived in France so they wanted to pull some inspiration for their wedding in Idaho from their love of France. They had their favorite French pastries (such as mille feuilles, fruit tarts, madelines, and macaroons), French dipped roast beef sandwiches, and gave the guests sea-salt French caramels as take home gifts. Their wedding ceremony was a private religious ceremony in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. After the ceremony, they spent some time with their lovely photographer Jaclyn Davis taking photos, then they were off to their reception at Whitney’s parents home.

They wanted the reception to feel like a French garden party and they did such a lovely job! The majority of the decorations were gathered from Whitney’s mother’s home, her grandparents basement and antique stores. The most important thing though to them was that it was a celebration! Whitney’s parents spent months preparing their backyard: gardening, pruning and creating a dance floor in the middle of the yard, complete with a sky ceiling of lights. Congrats to Whitney + Adam on your gorgeous wedding and beautiful life together!

Our wedding day was absolutely perfect! The night before our wedding, we wrote each other letters and read them together the next morning, right before the ceremony. This was so special and definitely helped calm any of our nerves and reminded us why we were getting married in the first place. For those planning weddings, my advice is to not stress about every little detail. Try and delegate to people in your family or friends that are willing to help. My mother was amazing during the whole planning process and took the reins when I was burnt out. You will be stressed no matter what during the planning phase, but try to never lose focus on why you are getting married. Remember that your wedding is only one day of your marriage and you should try and make you and the groom as comfortable and happy as you can be.

vendors:
photography: Jaclyn Davis Photography // floral: Lemon Blossom Designs // headpiece: Which Goose // tent + tables: Signature Party Rental // wedding dress:David’s Bridal // Groom’s Suit: Studio Suits // Cake: Sugar Bakers

Today’s story is just the sweetest! James proposed to his girlfriend Amanda over the past Christmas break when he and Amanda were back in British Columbia visiting family. But here’s the kicker, they were married four days later — and Amanda had no idea she was getting married that day.

Here’s the scoop on the day from their lovely photographer, Jamie Delaine:

I got a call from Amanda’s mother the day before asking if I was up for the challenge of shooting a surprise wedding of one of my old friends. Umm, yep! Sure was. So, James + Amanda had talked in the past about eloping — so marriage quite quickly after engagement wasn’t something that intimidated them. James had this brilliant idea of getting married on Christmas eve afternoon, with only Amanda’s immediate family present — and keeping it a surprise from his bride the whole time. Amanda + James were told by Amanda’s mom that she had booked an engagement session with me on Christmas eve day for a gift. Amanda was thrilled & we talked on the phone on December 23rd to plan where to meet.

I suggested Milner Chapel as a great meeting point; easy to find and a few spots around there I wanted to walk to. Amanda + James were thinking a formal-ish theme; Amanda had bought a great new dress and heels for the season and wanted to wear them. Perfect. We set up a time and the next day, I pulled into the parking lot. Amanda’s mom was with her to help carry things for the shoot, etc. Also, Amanda’s mom had told the couple that Amanda’s family would be coming for a few quick family photos [while everyone was dressed up] before their church Christmas eve service following the session. So when Amanda’s brother and sister-in-law and grandma arrived, she didn’t suspect anything. We spent a half hour taking photos, then we set up “family photos” on the church steps.

It was cold and windy outside, so the family went inside to warm up until i “needed” them for some more poses. Next thing, Amanda’s brother said he’d love one of just the two of them. James decides to go “check on the family” inside the chapel. Amanda and her brother and I are the only ones standing outside of the chapel. We take a few photos and I say, we should go join the family and bring ‘em back out. We three walk into the church, and James is standing at the end of the aisle, with an officiant standing right beside him. Amanda’s family is seated and her brother hands amanda a bouquet, and the music starts, and down the aisle they walk…

Amanda was blown away; immediately tearing up and when James met her at the end of the aisle he asked, will you marry me? Today? And she said, yes, of course i will. James had written out wedding vows for himself and then a copy for amanda [in case she was too flustered to speak!] — but the cutest part of the day, Amanda started reading the pre-written vows and stopped. James, I don’t need these, and she grabbed both his hands and winged it. Beautifully. Ah, it was such a fun day…

Thanks so much to Jamie Delaine Photography for sharing their sweet story with us today! The chapel is Milner Chapel in British Columbia, Canada and her lovely dress is by BCBG Max Azria. Congrats again to Amanda + James!! Such a perfect surprise wedding!!

Continuing with our trend of outdoor rustic weddings this week, we have Sarah + Tommy’s sweet mountaintop wedding. Sarah + Tommy’s wedding was quite unique, they decided that they wouldn’t follow traditional wedding guidelines. They were married on top of a mountain and had their guests standing around them during the ceremony. Tommy is the lead singer/guitarist for Holy Water Buffalo, so music was extremely important to the couple and Tommy even surprised Sarah by singing a song he wrote for her during the ceremony – how romantic is that?! At the reception, there was no first dance, no formal toasts, no seating charts, they just enjoyed celebrating their love with their family + friends. Thanks so much to Sunny Brynn Jolley with Sunnydays Photography for sharing her lovely photos with us today!

Most memorable moment of your wedding day?
It’s difficult to pick the most memorable moment, but I’d have to say walking up the “aisle” (in my case a barely-there path of rocks and dirt), looking at Tommy, arm-in-arm with my dad. Each step closer seemed so intense…so magical, I felt my love for Tommy grow tenfold at that moment. I didn’t even notice anyone else around me. My emotions were uncontainable… I was trying to hold back tears and couldn’t stop smiling. Definitely a feeling I will never forget.

Since Tommy is a musician, music was a very large and important part of our wedding. During the ceremony Tommy surprised me by playing a song he had written for me specifically for the wedding. It was incredibly beautiful and moving. Having music consistently throughout every part of our wedding was something we were very conscious of while planning the wedding. Our friend Grant played the acoustic guitar as guests were arriving to the ceremony and when I walked down the aisle. He continued to play when Tommy and I first walked away as husband and wife. During dinner and mingling time we had an ipod playing a playlist Tommy created. Tommy is the lead singer/guitarist for Holy Water Buffalo and we thought it would be a great idea if his band played at our reception. They put on an amazing show and had all the guests dancing and moving – the music really brought everyone together, especially since the groom was front and center on stage. We had a few other musician friends perform as well.

Any advice for those planning now?
Have FUN with the planning (how often do you get to plan the best event of your life?!) It’s not worth getting stressed out or worked up about anything. The important thing is being married to the love of your life. Everything else is just the icing on the cake, it’s not the heart and soul. I made this a goal going into planning and I never once was stressed. Another bit of advice: DIY. It was very fun, not to mention less expensive, to make all the decorations by hand. My bridesmaids and the groomsmen helped me and I think that the labor of love added the perfect touch to the wedding.

vendors:
photography: Sunny Brynn Jolley with Sunnydays Photography // venue: Red Ledges in Heber City, Utah // floral design + hairpieces:  Joshua Knight with Five Penny Floral // wedding dress: Atelier Aimee hand beaded in Italy, found at Alta Moda Bridal in Salt Lake City; the shawl is from Turkey that I found on Etsy // shoes: vintage western boots // bridesmaid dresses: a mixture of Modcloth, eBay, TopShop and Copper Etiquette // hair + makeup: my friend Emily Conklin // groom suit: the embroidered western shirt is from Cavenders. The black jeans are from Levi’s. The Suitcoat is from Mr. Mac. To finish it off, he wore Ariat boots // catering: Red Ledges created a custom menu for us – it even included “Holy Water Buffalo Chili”// music: Holy Water Buffalo

There is something so romantic about the rain, right? I absolutely love that this adorable couple didn’t let rain on the day of their engagement photos stop them. I think it really just adds to the magic of the day + makes for an ultra romantic afternoon in the rain. Thanks so much to Rylee Hitchner for sending over these gorgeous photos and congrats to Joanna + Robbie on their engagement!

I also love that these photos really show all you need for amazing engagement photos is a great photographer + a couple in love. Right?!

Photos by Rylee Hitchner – Rylee is located in Tuscaloosa Alabama and available for travel worldwide. Be sure to check out her blog for more of her lovely work!

Monique + Craig decided to have a fly fishing themed wedding in the Drakensberg in South Africa. They chose to have a 4pm service, going up the mountain on horses, coming down the mountain on a tractor and a reception arrival by boat. Such a unique + totally them wedding. Monique, Craig and all their guests just exude happiness. A truly perfect wedding day for a couple matched by the stars! And special thanks to Jacki Bruniquel for the gorgeous photos! Jacki is located in South Africa for all you South African readers – be sure to check out more of her work, she is super talented as you’ll see from these photos! :)

What an entrance, right?!

Such a fun idea for a boat ride before the reception! :)

All the flowers were put together by the mother of the bride with help of the bridesmaids + family.

Big congrats to Monique + Craig and thanks again to Jacki for sending this wedding my way!

vendors:
photography: Jacki Bruniquel // second shooter: Natasha Schoeman // venue: Sani Valley Lodge // wedding coordination: Angela Blythe // brides dress: San Patrick – De La Vida // brides veil: De La Vida // groom’s suit: Burger Brothers – Beyes Naude and Woolworths // groomsmen hats, suits, braces: Burger Brothers – Beyes Naude // dj: Paul Tavares // cake: Porterble Pantry – Mrs Rosebud Norton // videographer: Oliver’s Twist // wedding dance: Miss Texeira – Arthur Murray Studios

Ah, the super fun registry - so many options! I know the one big thing we needed – well, I wanted at least :) – were some nice dishes. I love cooking and was excited to get rid of the non-matching, hand me down plates and get some beautiful dishes! When looking for beautiful plates, Mikasa has so many great options + are available at fine retailers all over the country. And the best part is we partnered with them to give away an 8 piece place setting to one lucky reader this week! I’ve selected my four favorite patterns from their collection that you’ll have a chance to win from…

The four patterns are: Modern Butterfly, Italian Countryside, Parchment + Love Story – hopefully something for everyone! And if you are looking for great tips for entertaining and styling your dinnerware, be sure to check out Mikasa’s The Great Dinner Party - lots of great tips for parties in their Table Tips section. :)

Giveaway Details: To be entered in the random drawing to win an 8 piece place setting from the above four patterns, you’ll need to visit Mikasa’s Facebook page and LIKE the page. Then leave a comment here on this post with which pattern is your favorite and why. I’ll pick a random winner on Monday Feb. 6th 2012 at 2pm PST. Best of luck!