A sweet, sweet love story never fails to put a smile on my face and the one wrapped up in this darling duo’s Save-the-Date video has me grinning from ear to ear. The uber-talented Grace Sakong (the bride!) created one of the most heartfelt and touching films I.have.ever.seen and I am LOVING the cute as can be graphics set to the music of one of my favorite songs. Yep, you’ll most definitely be watching every moment of lovely on repeat, because from the first blind date to the surprise proposal in Central Park, it’s 1 minute and 44 seconds of pure wedding joy. Enjoy!
From the Bride… This is the Save-the-Date video I made for my upcoming wedding in May. Some of our friends are abroad and didn’t get to really hear the story of how we met, so we wanted to create a short story to fill our guests in on our brief history. I made it with Photoshop and iMovie on a Mac.
My fiance hired a photographer, Sharon Bushman, for the surprise proposal. I saw her in the corner of my eye after I said yes and thought “She must be a tourist (we were in Central Park). I should get her email address in case she has photos.” And what do you know, she’s a pro and captured that beautiful photo. This was my surprise video for my fiance. He gave me a photo, and I gave him a video.
This is a couple that has that magic. You know that certain something that evaporates any and everything else in the room; like they’re the only ones on the planet. And to be able to capture that je ne sais quoi, that all-out love on film is a talent that Ben Yew has nailed to total perfection. Plus this couple is beyond adorable, with a stunning wedding to boot. Now that is a combination we never get sick of. See more of this beautiful affair right here.
From Ben of Ben Yew… Sharnee & Bass traveled from Hobart, Tasmania to have their wedding in the picturesque venue Aravina Estate. This amazing venue was selected for its variety of beautiful decorations, elegance and ambiance that suited them. It was actually my first time capturing a wedding there. We started at the vineyard and head towards the reception area where I later realized the decorations were stunning. The gardens and interior were so amazing that I wished we have more time.
What I love most about this wedding is actually this lovely couple, stunning venue and amazing details will not be complete without a passionate couple in love. Their energy was so awesome that I can feel their passion from the captures. Although it was Sharnee’s big day, but she handles things happily and calmly, which made everyone around them feel so comfortable. This amazing wedding was held at the Aravina Estate, Dunsborough, Western Australia on Ocober 21st. They traveled from Hobart, Tasmania to be in Western Australia as that was where Sharnee’s family was. They were both such a happy couple and guests and relatives around them can feel their energy and love.
From the bride… Aravina has such a beautiful setting and is an amazingly decorated venue with a beautiful feel and atmosphere about it. We loved the cozy feel of Aravina and it suited us perfectly. We wanted to have a nice relaxed wedding with close family and friends with a very elegant and comfortable feel to it! Aravina’s venue really created a great feel for our wedding! With beautiful candles and a few flowers, the reception really did have the ambiance we wanted and the photographer captured that feel perfectly.
Photography: Ben Yew / Ceremony Venue: Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses / Reception Venue: Aravina Estate / Event Coordinator: Olivia Wood of Aravina Estate / Bracelet: Borrowed from bride’s mother / Floral + Bouquet Design: Florist Gump / Music: Woody and Emma, groom’s brother and bride’s sister / Bride’s Ring: Designed by bride and groom / Wedding Dress: Lisa Ho / Brides Shoes: Tony Bianco / Groom’s Suit: Jack London / Celebrant: Brother Rod Manning / Hairstylist: Renae Baruffi from Top Cut Hairdressers, friend of the couple / Honeymoon Destination: Bali
Oh, Bali… I heart you. With your stunning black sand beaches and breathtaking Indian Ocean views, it seriously doesn’t get any lovelier than you. Take for example this gorgeous soiree by Alison Mayfield Photography Studio, which is simply brimming with darling details, fabulous florals and pretty purple hues. And with every last amazing moment wrapped up in Bali goodness, I can’t stop oohing and ahhing over this elegant meets beach chic affair. Even better? I know you’ll love it, too! Join me in the gallery for more!
From the Bride and Groom… We wanted the wedding to be a reflection of who we are as a couple: simple and easy going. So when we first saw the amazing waves and the black sand beach at Alila Villas Soori, we knew right away that it was the place where we wanted to celebrate our wedding with our closest friends and family. The ceremony was held at sunset where four of our closest friends spoke about us before the vows and rings exchange. The dinner reception was held next to an infinity pool overlooking the Indian Ocean where guests enjoyed authentic Balinese cuisine. We couldn’t have asked for a better location and a better team of people to work with throughout the entire wedding planning process. Many thanks to Alison Mayfield Photography for capturing our special moments.
Good morning LBBers! I hope your weekend is off to a good start, but if you’re waiting for the right thing to come along and jumpstart the day into a wedding induced love haze, this is it. If this is your first Vantage Point Productions wedding film, consider yourself lucky. Because not only was Vantage Point true to form, capturing every emotion, every smile, every detail perfectly, but the wedding at the center? Amazing. Beyond amazing, complete with an adorably in love couple. With the most adorable first kiss. I’ll stop, because we all know I can go on and on about a good wedding film, and I just want you to see it!
From Vantage Point Productions … From the gorgeous Romanesque and Gothic elements of St. Mark’s Church to the renowned Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel at the crest of the illustrious Nob Hill district of San Francisco, this is a wedding to remember. Andreana planned the entire event while in Indonesia and saw to all the details, large and small, that would culminate in the hallmark of her vision – which included three dresses and a super fun wedding party dance! The day came together in a spectacular way, visually grand and beautiful. But sight is only one of the five senses and as filmmakers it is our goal to capture the energy of an occasion. This affair was charged with an electric energy of sweet fun … a tone set by Andreana and Eddie the minute they set foot in the city!
Before I had even seen the very first photo, this wedding had me at “enchanted garden,” “destination” and “Bali.” And then I laid my eyes upon each and every stunning image by PhotoFactory and I was completely head over heels. With an ah.ma.zing reception filled with soft candlelight and beautiful blooms, a crazy gorgeous wedding gown and an aisle strewn with hundreds of orchids, it would be hard not to have a serious crush on this fabulous soiree. Planned to perfection by Lynley Marston, I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ll be spending the rest of my day wrapped up in this loveliness. You should definitely join me in the gallery for all of the pretty!
From the Bride... An intimate enchanted garden wedding in Bali. The theme was to be simple, sleek and sophisticated. A minimalist wedding. We are both half Indonesian so having the wedding in Bali was very important to us. We wanted an entertaining, informal wedding where everyone could relax and have fun. We had a quick ceremony in the garden, then open cocktails for all the guests. Dinner was a series of live food stations so that everyone could continue to move around the villa.
The moment I first fell in love with Marcus Bell was when I opened my inbox to find THESE pretty pictures. I actually gasped out loud which I rarely do these days as I spend most of my days looking at beautiful wedding imagery. It’s not that I’m desensitized to gorgeousness. Quite the opposite actually (just ask my husband who hears the squeals of wedding glee from the next room over). It’s just that a wedding photograph rarely leaves me speechless. Well, Marcus has done it yet again with this Balinese fete. It’s well…beyond. Oh and there is SO much more in the galleries!
From the Groom…On a trip to Las Vegas, it was a combination of Chinese New Year, President’s Day & Valentine’s Day weekend plus Charisse was going out there for a conference later on the week so we planned a long weekend trip with some friends of ours. After a late night out on the town, we both retreated to the room to call it a night. I had set up the room before our return with some chocolates and strawberries along with some fortune cookies to disguise as gifts by the hotel to celebrate Chinese New Year. Inside one of the fortune cookie was a mock ring along with the fortune “Will You Marry Me?” She opened the fortune cookie, read the fortune, and I was down on my knee with the real engagement ring proposing to her.
We wanted a destination beach wedding where everyone we love can be together to celebrate and be on vacation as well. Since Charisse is of Chinese descent, it was also important for us to have a Chinese tea ceremony along with the western celebration. Traditionally, this is where the bride is formally introduced to the family of the groom. The outfit worn by Charisse for the tea ceremony, which is called a “kwa”, belonged to her deceased grandmother, who wore it for her own tea ceremony when she got married more than 60 years ago. It is her family’s tradition that all the brides in the family wear the grandmother’s “kwa” for their tea ceremonies. It was brought all the way over to Bali from Los Angeles by her uncle.
It’s Saturday morning, and you know what that means for the Little Black Book Blog … It’s movie time! And we’ve got such a treat this morning. There is a reason we love Paper Cranes Productions so – they send us some of the best, best, best films. Remember this one? Well today, we’ve got a Same Day Edit from the ever amazing Paper Cranes, and I promise you’ll love it. Pinky promise even. It features the wedding of a couple you will fall completely head over heels for – they are so sweet. And even though it is in Indonesian, the love translates. So, sit back, grab your hanky, and press play. Click here for more of this adorable couple!
From Paper Cranes … They really are sweet and unique couple. Victor is crazy about pop-up cards and so you will find a lot of those in their wedding elements – from how he proposed to Karin, the bomboniere which consists of various pop up cards which the bride and groom made themselves, the wedding invitations, and also the surprise that he gave Karin on the reception night.
From the bride … Victor and I knew each other back in primary and junior high as we went to the same school. We didn’t talk until 2008 when we met again at our friend’s birthday party and found ourselves falling for each other. Finally we got together in beginning 2009 when he asked me to be his girlfriend using a pop-up book! It was his first surprise to me.
Along the way, we decided to get married. At first we did not have any idea as to what kind of wedding we wanted to have. However, the one thing we did know, was that we wanted Paper Cranes to be part of our wedding!
Then, as we got more into the wedding preparations, we decided to go with orange. We love orange. As you can see from the photos and video, our décor was orange, we ordered lots of orange flowers, the bridesmaid dresses were orange, and the best man’s and our brothers’ ties were orange.
Besides that, we wanted it to be unique. Victor is a graphic designer and he wanted to design our wedding invitations. He is so into pop-up cards, so he decided to design a pop-up wedding invitation and as for our wedding favor, we gave 5 different cards representing a year’s most celebrated events which we designed ourselves.
Finally the BIG DAY came, and it started very early. I had to wake up at 3.30am for my makeup. At the reception, Victor was supposed to sing one of our favorite songs, a Michael Buble song called “Everything.” However, as Victor was about to go to the stage, he came to me and surprised me with a pop-up book, saying “Thank you for the ‘I DO.'” I was speechless, and before I could even say “WOW,” he was on stage singing a song written by himself, arranged by him and his best man. I later found out that they’ve managed to create the song just the night before our big day.
We felt that the big day went too fast. But it was the perfect day and we pulled together what we believed the best vendors in Indonesia. The décor was perfect (beyond what we’ve imagined and expected), the photographers were the best, my dress was unbelievably gorgeous, the Same Day Edit by Paper Cranes was beyond … and above that, we were assisted by the best wedding planner. It was perfect.
Erin Hearts Court + Bali is hands down my new favorite combo so you know a huge amount of gushing is about to ensue. It’s all out glamour meets tropical oasis with a heavenly surplus of pretty paper courtesy of Hello Tenfold. A snippet of these gorgeous destination nuptials was featured on Martha Stewart Weddings and we decided this day was way too fabulous to pass up so we are throwing caution to the wind and joining in on the pretty party. Care to spend the afternoon dreaming of far off locales? Then click here for the FULL wedding gallery and a cameo from a monkey or two.
Our wedding could only be a travel theme! I’d grown up in five countries, my husband and I were long-distance for two years, and when I finally moved to Singapore, where I was born and he grew up, we both took jobs that sent us out of the country five days a week. In the six years before we got engaged, I worked in ten countries, and he worked in five. We’d have dates at the airport lounge and buy household toiletries in duty-free. He proposed in International Arrivals after I got off a 16-hour flight, with a five-meter red banner that read, “AMY WILL YOU MARRY ME?” Finally, we were making our guests fly to Bali with us for a destination wedding. We had to laugh at it all!
We set a lighthearted mood with a Save-the-Date that read, “After Chasing Each Other Around the World, Amy and TQ are Finally Settling Down.” A map tracked our various travels together, with a big heart over Bali. Our invitation told our story over three accordion folds, fastened with an airplane sticker. Guests’ welcome bags held, amongst other goodies, a bottle of citronella oil to ward off tropical mosquitoes. Our welcome dinner featured a pub quiz organized around cities we’d visited. As favors, we designed a CD mix called “Around the World with TQ and Amy,” featuring our favorite world music with personalized liner notes. We had programs shaped like luggage tags and airplane confetti, punched out of map pages, at our Western ceremony. Lastly, at the reception, we had a photo booth with travel props like suitcases. Our tables were named after cities, and our menu was divided into “Take-off” (appetizers), “Cruising” (mains), and “Landing” (desserts).
Indonesia was significant to us because TQ had been a diplomat in Jakarta, and I had worked in the country for a few years. In addition to our colors – chartreuse, charcoal, and plum – we incorporated a traditional Yogyakarta batik print into our paper goods, table settings, and groomsmen’s custom shirts. Even though our ceremony was very modern, we added some Indonesian touches in the rindik music at our ceremony (well, before the Beatles came on), the family-style Indonesian-Western reception dinner, and a coffee bar with joe from all over Indonesia. We unexpectedly had to draw on a very traditional Balinese resource too: the tukang terang, a rain-stopping mystic, who worked miracles in pushing the looming rainclouds away from our ceremony site. Being ethnic Chinese, we also worked in a Chinese tea ceremony and traditional yam seng toast, punctuated by fireworks.
A vacation in Bali, we hoped, would be a great way for loved ones from different parts of our lives to befriend one another. We booked the entire resort for our wedding party, which contributed to an unhurried feel. Our guests went on organized outings together, like elephant rides and a volcano trek. By the end of the wedding, they were taking vacations together. Almost a year on, my husband and I have moved from Singapore to Boston, and are continuing our adventures!
So I’m going to start things off backward and tell you that you must check out the gallery to get the full appreciation for this amazing wedding. Over the course of two days this charming bride got to frolic in three gorgeous dresses! We’re talking about Vera Wang, Marchesa, and Alexander McQueen all wrapped up in one fabulous weekend in Bali. Be still my little heart! Johnny Productions had the lucky job of capturing all the highlights and details of this sweet, sweet affair. Check out all the dresses and so much more in the gallery!
From Johnny Productions: While their romance started in the heart of the city of Hong Kong, Winnie & Andrew were looking to capture a warmer, more intimate vibe with an outdoor and relaxed venue for their July 2010 nuptials. After an extensive search (from Italy to Bali) they found their fit with the Istana Villa in Bali, Indonesia. With panoramic views of the ocean and a perfect blue sky, their reception was filled with beautiful speeches and a lively after party that went well into the night. Family and friends flew in from eight different countries including England, U.S., Switzerland, Japan and Australia to begin the celebration in Bali just before sunset. The aisles were trimmed with bouquets and glass-lanterns and lined with white rose-petals. Her four bridesmaids wore floral dresses which echoed Winnie’s Vera Wang lace applique gown perfectly. To set the tone for the event, Winnie worked closely with Laura Hooper for her custom designed letter-pressed invitations and wedding itinerary. An after-dinner dessert buffet was sat close to the dance floor so that all of the guests could enjoy free-flowing drinks and all the sweet treats throughout the night.Winnie and Andrew also welcomed their guests to Bali with a dinner beginning with a traditional Chinese tea ceremony at Sarong restaurant. The wedding was followed by a poolside sunday brunch party at the wedding venue. It was a perfect wedding weekend with the perfect weather to match.
If ever there were the perfect locale for wedding festivities, I’m pretty sure Bali would be it. The dreamy McDreamerson landscapes alone are enough to make a girl hop a plane to paradise. Add to that the gorgeous, and I mean GORGEOUS, photography from Marcus Bell of Studio Impressions Photography and all of the modern tropical details and we have the end-all-be-all of destination weddings on our hands. See more of this idyllic day in the gallery.
We wanted to have a special intimate celebration on the beach. The lawn at Alila offered a spectacular setting for the ceremony and really dramatic views of the sunset that were just what Marcus and his entourage of equipment-bearers needed to unleash the potential of all the fancy gadgetry they had in their possession. We asked our guests to wear white to emphasize the light and breezy feeling on the beach. Instead of rows of chairs, we used comfy couches and ottomans for the guests to lounge on during the ceremony and the cocktail hour.
Photographer: Marcus Bell of Studio Impressions Photography / Ceremony Location: Alila Villas Soori on the West Coast of Bali / Reception Venue: Cotta Restaurant in Alila / Gown: Christos Chiffon Strapless Gown / Shoes: White ankle-wrap flats by Chie Mihara / Grooms and Groomsmens Attire: Armani Colezioni white linen blend suite / Hair and Makeup: Didin Makeover / Celebrant: Konstantin Kraz / Bridal Accessories: Anzie clear topaz teardrops
Being a wedding blogger means that I get wedding envy…A LOT. It’s kind of scary how many different types of weddings I fall in love with. They are all over the map. From really organic, budget friendly affairs to total opulence and everything in between. Green with wedding envy has just become my middle name. And today, I can say with total candor, it’s been taken to an entirely new level.
This wedding, shot by Leo Patron who we really love here at SMP, is actually so pretty that it’s giving me anxiety. My husband should be very afraid of a scenario in which I book two first class tickets to Bali, leaving tomorrow. It could definitely be in the cards.
The morning of the wedding was a little scary since it started raining, and our ceremony was outside…with no tents! October is the start of the rainy season in Bali, and all the days leading up to the wedding were bright and sunny. But luckily the rain stopped before the ceremony and the ground was even dry by then too. After we both got ready, we took some pictures, had a tea ceremony, and then went down to the beach and got some awesome shots. We had a quick ceremony where a good friend did the honors of officiating our wedding. During cocktail hour we took our family photos as the sun started to set. Then it was off to the restaurant for some Indonesian fare, where we were finally able to take a short breather. We ended the night with some dancing and some crazy shots inside our photobooth. It was such a fun night, and lots of 80s music to dance to – our favorite!
We loved that we were able to put in so many DIY elements, despite it being a destination wedding: my mom and aunt made the ribbon sticks; Nick’s parents stained the chalkboard table numbers; a friend helped us with our invitations; my dad set up the photobooth with an old DSLR, a tripod, and some props (that’s it!); and my aunt made small cakes as favors. We also made a game for cocktail hour to see how well guests knew us. And since our first initials (M + N) fall right in the middle of the alphabet, we used this theme to present childhood pics in a fun way during ceremony & cocktail hour.
Advice for brides planning a destination wedding…
Planning a destination wedding was hard, especially since we wanted to be so hands on with everything and we only had 7 months to plan. Getting there a week before the wedding day helped so much since we were able to finish all the last minute things by visiting local stores. We also did a lot of stuff here at home, and then brought it all in one suitcase. The time crunch helped us keep on track and not procrastinate! Plus, selecting such a nice venue definitely helped cut costs in the decoration department and gave us less things to plan. We held the reception in the hotel’s restaurant, and used their centerpieces. So the only flowers we purchased were for my bouquet and the boutonnieres! And how can we forget our families and friends, who helped prep and handled everything on the day of the wedding. We didn’t have to worry about a thing.
Vendors: Dress by Vera Wang / Makeup by LONA Makeup / Flowers by Flower Power Bali / Photography by Leo Patrone / Bride’s shoes by Pura Lopez (heels) and Zurrick (flats) / Groom’s shoes by Zurrick / Groom’s vest + pants by French Connection / Venue, Bulgari
It’s official. I am freezing. And checking out the weather around the country, I’m thinking that you are too. So, I thought we could all use a little bit of a warm up and I know that this wedding by Leo Patrone will do just the trick. So, meet Manda and Nick. The cute, cute, CUTE pair tied the knot on the island of Bali this past October in a wedding that was as gorgeous as it was hugely personal. With a nod to both their Eastern and Western cultures, the wedding was the epitome of a destination wedding done really right.
Our inspiration was definitely the location – Bali! It has great food and beaches, and we wanted to highlight all that Bali has to offer. We love the beach, but for our wedding we didn’t want our feet in the sand. The Bulgari, a seaside clifftop hotel, was the perfect combination of Balinese design and dramatic ocean/beach views. We really did not have to do any extra decorating, since the hotel grounds were gorgeous enough by itself.
Our color theme was purple and grey, and we tried to integrate those colors wherever we could, including our shoes (mine were purple, Nick’s were grey), handmade ribbon sticks that guests waved as we walked down the aisle, and our invitations, which we made with our homebuilt letterpress machine.
The invitations were definitely one of the hardest and most time-consuming parts of our wedding, but one of our favorite details. We wanted them to be clean, modern, and have the letterpress look. So Nick built a machine using a design from the web, and after some modifications we started to get the hang of it! There were definitely times when we wanted to give up, but we are so happy and proud of the results.
I got the cutest email from today’s featured bride with a few images of her wedding tucked inside and I knew that, despite already being featured on other blogs, I really couldn’t resist putting it up today. The adorable bride, with a sense of style that is off the charts gorgeous, tied the knot in Jakarta with a day that was as understated as it was completely chic. Head on over to axioo to read all about the day and see the gorgeous details.
Thank you so much Sally for sending us this little treat! We are MADLY in love.
I got quite a few emails about this gorgeous table setting that we featured a couple of day ago, so I wanted to post more pictures from the absolutely beautiful wedding!
Vicki and Phong’s wedding was held on Saturday June 28, 2008 at the Villa Istana Uluwatu, Bali.
All of their guests dressed in white for the celebration, adding to the overall elegance and style of the affair.
Vicki let me know that In Buddhist tradition it is extremely good luck to have stripes in the sky. As you can see from the pictures they were blessed on their wedding day!!
Our next wedding table was sent to me by one of our readers who was married this past June in Villa Istana Uluwatu, Bali. It’s light, it’s airy, it’s utterly romantic…
