Green Wedding Shoes Wedding Blog | Wedding Trends for Stylish + Creative Brides

If you’ve been reading Green Wedding Shoes for awhile, you know that we love music and especially good music at your wedding. We’re always on the lookout for the newest twists on weddings and this idea from Scratch Weddings is just too rad! Courtesy of Scratch Weddings, couples can have a “scratch off,” which will find the couple having a fun DJ battle in front of their wedding guests! How fun for couples that love music!

To get the word out, we are throwing a workshop here in LA where couples that love music can join us to learn the basics of scratching. Super fun, right?! The Scratch Academy also has classes in NY, LA and Miami for those interested but not able to make the party, so be sure to check out their site for the details.

The workshop (more like a party!) will take place the evening of Thursday, Feb 16th at their academy here in LA (westside).

Scratch DJ Academy was co-developed by Jam Master Jay of Run DMC and is the world’s first and leading DJ and music production learning center. They offer 15 course options for music enthusiasts with skill levels from beginner all the way up to professional DJ!  They use a copy righted curriculum and celebrity DJ instructors working with state of the art equipment to train their students. Students can sign up for group classes or private lessons and are always welcome to come in for free supervised or open studio practice sessions.

February 16th Event Details

• Parking - We’ll have a valet to manage the cars, so attendees don’t have to worry about getting a parking space
• Keepsake - Each couple will also be creating a unique piece of art with a record! Can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with :)
• Participants - We’ll be there spinning and have space for 38 couples (engaged, married or just dating) to join us.  The 38 couples will be selected via random drawing.
• Free Wedding DJ - Remember, we will be giving one lucky couple a FREE DJ for their wedding reception – such a great prize! Plus, you will be able to scratch at your wedding. :)
• Rules
• Winners will be selected via random drawing
• Winners will receive an invite for two people to attend the Scratch Wedding Workshop on Thursday, February 16th
• Winners are responsible for transportation to and from the Scratch Wedding Workshop
• All entries must be received by 5:00 PM PST on Friday January 27th, 2012
• Winners will be selected and notified on or around Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Winners of the Grand Prize for the Free Wedding DJ will be selected from the group of  Scratch Wedding Workshop attendees at the conclusion of the workshop.
• The Free Wedding DJ Grand Prize is comprised of regular set up and 5 (five) hours of performance.  If additional set up and/or performance is required, an additional fee will be charged.
• To be eligible for the Grand Prize, couples must:
• Be engaged and have  a wedding date scheduled to take place during the 2012 calendar year
• Your wedding must take place in one of these states: CA, CT, DE, FL, MD,  NJ, NY, IL, DC
• Be selected to attend the Scratch Weddings Workshop
• Be present at the Scratch Weddings Workshop at the time the winner is selected

Enter Now - If this sounds like the event for you (and you can be in LA on Thursday, Feb 16th), please enter here:

all photos by Youngrens Photography

Happy Friday – and the first week of 2012! Nothing like the start of a brand new year to get you all excited and inspired!! We have so many amazing weddings and DIYs lined up for January, I can’t even wait to share them all with you lovelies! And I also wanted to say welcome to all those newly engaged couples who are starting their wedding planning – such an exciting time + we are happy you found our site! :) Ok, now for some of my faves from this past week…

• Totally obsessed with this wild orchid bouquet designed by Amy Osaba and photographed by Jose Villa – and speaking of Jose, did you see we shared some photos from Jose’s recent wedding the other week! So lovely…

• Isn’t this vintage beaded bow super glam?

• A teal blue ruffled dress??!! Love it and the styling by Jill La Fleur is gorgeous as well as photos by Simply Bloom (see the entire shoot here)

If you missed it, last week I shared some of my favorites from 2011. Such fun posts to put together as we had so many amazing weddings + inspiration shoots that we shared here on GWS this past year…tough to pick my favorites! :) But here they are…

• Favorite Engagement Sessions from 2011 (great ideas for your own engagement photos!)

• My Favorite Wedding Inspiration from Movies + Music of 2011

• My Favorite Wedding DIY Details of 2011

• My Favorite Wedding Fashion Moments from 2011

• Top 10 Tips to Throw a DIY Wedding (great advice for all you newly engaged!)

And since it’s Friday, I love ending the week with a sweet video. Today’s video is pretty amazing! It’s not a proposal or wedding though, it’s an adorable couple that has been married for a few years now :) Spencer is a photographer (and turns out singer!) from Minnesota. He did this as a surprise for his wife. There was nothing she wanted more and her reaction is completely real + pretty awesome! The song is written and played by Spencer Combs and is called YOU…Happy Friday!

Sometimes the most wonderful + memorable weddings are the most simple + intimate. Joan + Jay wanted their day to be just that. A small + relaxed wedding with their closest friends. Their wedding day might have not been exactly as they had planned – people were late, there were parts that they forgot to plan and a crazy fog rolled in for their ceremony! But those are the things that made it so memorable and they wouldn’t have had it any other way. Plus the fog created some pretty gorgeous photos! I’m also a huge Brett Dennen fan and he played the music for their ceremony – what a lucky couple to have such a talented friend to provide the music for the day! Big thanks to the lovely Kelty + Hannah of Steep Street for the gorgeous photos.

What song did you walk down the aisle to? Real Love performed by Brett Dennen. We exited to a group sing along of All You Need is Love led by the lovely Brett. 

Most memorable moment of your wedding day?
The memories started the night before in our hotel room with a small group of friends laughing and telling stories. Seeing each other for the first time. Arriving at the wedding site and realizing that we hadn’t organized the ceremony (the most important part of the day!). Stepping off the trail on the way to the ceremony to let tourists pass. Freezing on the mountain top, surrounded by thick fog. The reading of our personal vows. All the smiles and laughter. The speeches. Our jazz band! Joan’s dad dancing in the “circle”.

Totally love these two photos below of Joan + Jay after the ceremony!!

After the ceremony, they enjoyed an intimate + yummy dinner at Heirloom Cafe.

Any advice for those planning now?
• Know what you want as a couple and stick to it because everyone wants something and will openly give their opinion.
• Figure out what projects you will take care of and what you need others to do.
• The night before our wedding we had a friend spontaneously organize how the next day would go, and we thought,”why didn’t we have her help us all along?!” If organization is not a skill you possess, get a planner or organized friend to help.
• The day-of is so bananas so delegate to others what they can do so you can keep your sanity.
• Ask for what you need.
• Take a honeymoon right after…even if it is brief.

Our wedding was so intimate that even our photographers felt part of it. We had boutonnieres made, but didn’t have them when we arrived at the ceremony, so Hannah found a beautiful twig covered in moss and voila, a new boutonniere! Our photographers where so fantastic and had such a calming effect before the wedding that we felt relaxed for the ceremony. Kelty and Hannah took photos that were gorgeous and captured the event perfectly. We wanted photos of people smiling and laughing and we have 600 photos that just that! We cannot express how much we love them!

Congrats to Joan + Jay!!

vendors:
photography: Steep Street Photography // venue: Mount Tamalpais for ceremony, Heirloom Cafe // floral design: Jill Iger //
wedding dress: Vintage Opulence, alterations by Summer Titone // shoes: Seychelles // bridesmaid dresses: Anthropolgie // hair + makeup: The Bride & her Lady Abby // groom suit: DKNY // invitations+ paper goods: handmade by bride + groom // catering: Matt Straus at Heirloom Cafe // music: Brett Dennen & The Scott Anthony Trio