All You Need Is Your Love + a Gorgeous Dress
All you need for your wedding other than the love of your life is a gorgeous dress for the rest to fall into place, and this wedding captured by Elizabeth LaDuca is proof. The Bride's overall vision for her special day became clear the moment she tried on her oh-so-pretty gown by Monique Lhuillier for the first time. Its delicate, floral lace appliqué was reflected throughout the day, from the paper suite and floral arrangements by F as in Flowers to the linens and cake by Simply Elegant Cakes. Love what you see? There's more waiting for you in the Vault!
From the Bride... When we got engaged, we knew we wanted to get married in a place special to us, and where we shared many happy memories. We narrowed it down to Rye, New Hampshire, where Brett is from and where we spend most of our summer vacations. Picking the season, summer, was easy since coming from Puerto Rico, I knew that was the only time I could get my family to New Hampshire without having them freeze! Not to mention that New Hampshire in the summer is so beautiful; the weather is perfect and all the flowers are in full bloom.
As many of our friends and my part of the family, hadn’t been to New Hampshire, we wanted to make sure we captured that New England charm. We found the cutest little chapel in North Hampton with views of the ocean. From there we got a trolley to transport the guests to the reception while they took in the beautiful coast. And when they got to the reception, a vintage VW bus converted into a photo booth welcomed them.
Coming from Puerto Rico, I also wanted to incorporate some of my culture into our wedding, so we were very grateful that one of our good friends, who is bilingual, officiated our ceremony in both English and Spanish. For the reception, we worked with our awesome band (Groovin’ You) to craft a Spanish music set list, and for that hour we brought out LED foam sticks and flower crowns, which are must haves for Puerto Rican weddings. And for wedding favors, we decided on our favorite guava cookies from the island!
I spent so many hours in the SMP Vault looking for inspiration and vendors; I knew what I liked, but I didn’t really have a defined theme in mind until I found, and fell in love with, my wedding dress. The dress itself became the theme! I loved its femininity and how it was able to capture the romantic feel I was looking for. Monique Lhuillier also customized my veil by adding the floral lace appliqué to match the dress perfectly. From that moment on, every detail – from the cake to the linens to the paper goods that I designed – all came so naturally. My florist, Lynn, was able to bring my vision to life in the most gorgeous way with her beautiful arrangements that surrounded the ballroom.
One piece of advice to future Brides: Don’t start checking the weather a month in advance! My mom started the vicious cycle, and we ended up buying and returning umbrellas several times (thank you, Amazon Prime). In the end, it turned out to be the most gorgeous day, and we were so lucky we got to celebrate it with the people we love the most.
As many of our friends and my part of the family, hadn’t been to New Hampshire, we wanted to make sure we captured that New England charm. We found the cutest little chapel in North Hampton with views of the ocean. From there we got a trolley to transport the guests to the reception while they took in the beautiful coast. And when they got to the reception, a vintage VW bus converted into a photo booth welcomed them.
Coming from Puerto Rico, I also wanted to incorporate some of my culture into our wedding, so we were very grateful that one of our good friends, who is bilingual, officiated our ceremony in both English and Spanish. For the reception, we worked with our awesome band (Groovin’ You) to craft a Spanish music set list, and for that hour we brought out LED foam sticks and flower crowns, which are must haves for Puerto Rican weddings. And for wedding favors, we decided on our favorite guava cookies from the island!
I spent so many hours in the SMP Vault looking for inspiration and vendors; I knew what I liked, but I didn’t really have a defined theme in mind until I found, and fell in love with, my wedding dress. The dress itself became the theme! I loved its femininity and how it was able to capture the romantic feel I was looking for. Monique Lhuillier also customized my veil by adding the floral lace appliqué to match the dress perfectly. From that moment on, every detail – from the cake to the linens to the paper goods that I designed – all came so naturally. My florist, Lynn, was able to bring my vision to life in the most gorgeous way with her beautiful arrangements that surrounded the ballroom.
One piece of advice to future Brides: Don’t start checking the weather a month in advance! My mom started the vicious cycle, and we ended up buying and returning umbrellas several times (thank you, Amazon Prime). In the end, it turned out to be the most gorgeous day, and we were so lucky we got to celebrate it with the people we love the most.
