2015 Best Real Weddings

OhioPlanner: Priscah Musinde, Joie de Vivre Events, ColumbusPhotography: Mike & Kim PhotographyThe couple: This couple worked collaboratively with their visions for the wedding. The bride knew exactly what she wanted, and the groom followed suit, making accommodations to ensure she had the wedding of her dreams. Despite the stress of planning, they took time to listen and compromise. The bride wanted to honor her groom’s heritage with a fusion wedding—that honored his Indian heritage and her western upbringing.Wedding date: May 9, 2015Guest count: 190Budget: $60,000Color palette: White and goldInspiration: Contemporary elegance was the inspiration. The locale, an urban space with 360-degree views of the heart of Columbus offered a stunning setting with dramatic views.Most unique design element: The most unique design element was the fabric mandap that fit well within the challenges of the existing height and width of the space. The strung flowers at the beginning of the aisle added a touch of whimsy and the phalaenopsis orchids used throughout the entire wedding design, and in lush display on the sweetheart table, added elegance.Biggest challenge: The couple wanted to host their ceremony and reception in the same space, which had never had an Indian ceremony. The must-have Indian wedding items like Indian cuisine, the mandap, and open flames caused some challenges. Overcoming these obstacles was the icing on the cake for this couple.MexicoPlanner: Fabiola Alferez, Fabiola Alférez Bodas/Bariconcept,Guadalajara, JaliscoPhotography: Hiram Navarro and Hector RaygozaThe couple: Marisol and Christopher met when a friend introduced them at a dinner. They are an elegant couple and are also sensitive, and fun. We worked hard to project their personalities in their wedding.Wedding date: March 21, 2015Guest count: 540Budget: $150,000Color palette: White with contrasting pink tonesInspiration: This wedding was inspired by elegance, the color white, and French style. A tented event, the wedding featured opulent floral centerpieces, white pillar candle columns, hanging chandleiers, mirrored table squares, and French provincial chairs.Most unique design element: The entrance to the wedding featured the most unique design element, with a beautiful floral foyer. The arch was resplendent with lush floral. The floral for tables was a French bouquet design that combined in three levels according to the design of each table.Biggest challenge: The biggest challenge was to create a spectacular, elegant wedding on a balance of elements that illustrated the couple’s personalities and made the experience unforgettable for the guests.PennsylvaniaPlanner: Lynda Barness, MWP™, I Do Wedding Consulting, PhiladelphiaPhotography: Origin Photo by Regina MillerThe couple: Erik and Lynn met through a mutual friend who was Erik’s business partner and Lynn’s past co-worker.Wedding date: July 18, 2015Color palette: White with vivid pops of color.Inspiration: Inspiration came while attending white dance parties in the 1990s at Roseland Ballroom. As a result, guests were invited to wear white to Erik and Lynn’s wedding. Decorations were from Erik’s work travel in Bali and India.Most unique design element: Personal touches were everywhere in this wedding and led to the most unique elements. Erik, who had a business in Indonesia and other places, imported special items for the wedding. Each table had embroidered colorful runners, carvings from East Timor for the wedding guest favors, and an artifact from Bali, Indonesia-ceremonial dance and wedding headdresses, carved dragonhead, etc. In addition, 18 imported, floating, feather ceiling lights were used for the dancing room and tropical wooden flowers adorned the food stations.Biggest challenge: Completing the house updates and gardens, receiving a 40-foot container from Bali 10 days before the wedding, closing Erik’s Brooklyn office two weeks before the wedding, and moving all of that stock into already crowded basements were among the challenges, along with getting an additional air conditioning system to keep the dance room cold for 130 people.  It was a busy 3 months of intensive preparation.Pennsylvania (right)Planner: Cara Weiss, Save the Date, LLC, Rockville, Md.Photography: Angela Jimenez PhotographyThe couple: Tamara and Licia have been in love for many years. They always planned to wed at their 10-year anniversary. Rather than looking at marriage as the start of their life together, they viewed it as one of the many things that would happen along their journey. The past 10 years were filled with many adventures—career-building, travel, child rearing, and more. Pennsylvania passed marriage equality during their engagement, and Tamara and Licia were thrilled to wed just two days after their 10-year anniversary. It was icing on the cake when same-sex marriage became U.S. law two weeks after the wedding.Wedding date: June 13, 2015Guest count: 286 wedding day/250 weekendBudget: $60,000Color palette: Scarlet, turquoise, black, and whiteInspiration: A four-day celebration with friends and family in the outdoors was the inspiration for this event at Camp Saginaw, a well-known Jewish sleep-away in the woods of Oxford, just north of the Maryland border. Free spirits, the couple felt the site illustrated their love of the outdoors, their religious beliefs, and their personalities. Guests slept in cabins, ate meals together, enjoyed activities like yoga, swimming, campfires, talent shows, and more.Most unique design element: In addition to traditional place cards for the wedding reception, Tamara and Licia created a “Who’s Who” Board at the check-in so guests knew which cabin they were assigned to, and who everyone was. They wanted to encourage new friendships.Biggest challenge: In addition to planning the wedding itself, we were effectively coordinating a giant sleepover for 250. While the venue is a fun and charming space, it still is a kids’ summer camp, so making it gorgeous and elegant was part of that challenge. There were tons of moving parts and many extra details to manage, including checking attendees into their cabins, distributing cabin rental sleeping items, and fulfilling the many different roles—babysitter, golf cart driver for grounds transportation, 72-hour contact person, etc. It was definitely a unique, but enjoyable experience.Argentina (left)Planner: Barbara Diez, MWP™, Barbara Diez Event Planners,Buenos AiresPhotography: Eduardo Gazzotti & Roca - CarreraThe couple: The bride had been dreaming about her wedding day for such a long time. She pictured the wedding as a pure-white winter-wonderland fairy tale. This was the amazing celebration of the union of two souls who have overcome cancer. It was a celebration of life. It was the story of a boy making his girl’s dreams come true. This wedding reunited family and friends from all over the globe. You could feel the good vibes. Love was everywhere. This Armenian wedding was the most wonderful gift the bride’s father could have given the couple, something for which they will be forever grateful.Wedding date: May 30, 2015Guest count: 450Color palette: White with blue lightingInspiration: The wedding was inspired by the atmospheric fairy-tale movie, The Chronicles of Narnia. The combination was a magical blend of equilibrium between a splendid and romantic décor, which the bride wanted, and the latest technology for the dance floor, as requested by the groom.Most unique design element: The fantasy world was enhanced by the glorious white trees and the LED tube dance floor.CaliforniaPlanner: Sandra DiDomizio, MBA, Green Fox Events & Guest Services,Mammoth Lakes, www.greenfoxevents.com, sandrad@greenfoxevents.comPhotography: Joel St. Marie PhotographyThe couple: Sasha and Channa are not your traditional wedding couple.In addition to planning a wedding and incorporating Channa’s Sri Lankan heritage, their goal was to create an unforgettable guest experience.Wedding date: May 9, 2015Guest count: 130Budget: $120,000Color palette: Gold, ivory, black, burgundy, and redsInspiration: The Victory Lodge in June Lake is one of the largest log home structures ever built in the Eastern Sierra Mountains of California. Filled with unique antiques from all over the world, multiple wooden bars, vintage casino games, vaulted ceilings with massive log beams, and a quaint old saloon, it became the perfect setting for a 1920’s, speakeasy-themed wedding.Most unique element: The theme led to many unique design elements. At the door, flapper girls greeted guests with specialty cocktails such as French 75, Sazerak, Beez Neez, and Manhattans. Period music, casino tables with dealers, “cigarette” girls, Cuban cigar rollers, an oyster bar, centerpieces of ostrich-feathers dripping with pearls in large gold trumpet vases, and “Roarin’ 20s” flapper performers created an atmosphere that allowed guests to step back in time.Biggest challenge: The couple wanted their ceremony on the back lawn, but as the day drew near, a snowstorm threatened. Three feet of snow fell the night before the event. We called in local snow blowers to remove the snow the morning of the wedding. What wasn’t removed melted quickly in the sun so we could put the chairs out for the ceremony.