Sometimes you come across the most epic + beautiful mountaintop wedding and it’s just destiny. Wildly in love and ever so adventurous, Lyndsie + Jordan just happened to find inspiration for their dream wedding right here on GWS when Lyndsie came across a couple getting married at the Sea To Sky Gondola in Squamish, BC. From the venue to the photographers to the videographers — it was all there. The only thing left was to bring their own unique spin to the day:
Lori Conley, BHLDN’s General Merchandise Manager shares:
I couldn’t be more excited about this exclusive collaboration with Hayley Paige. Her brand brings the optimism, personality and magic that all weddings should have. We’re so thrilled for our BHLDN brides to be able to experience her beautiful gowns, brought to life exclusively for our brand.
Are you ready to see the stunning options? Let’s go!!
This capsule collection was designed with a fun and exuberant muse in mind—the girl who values accessibility, bespoke-like wardrobe choices, and nostalgic nuances from female icons of the 90s. I’m grateful that BHLDN has empowered this category for the Hayley Paige brand. My aim is to make a splash by supplementing the bride’s wedding wardrobe or celebratory apparel.
Allie and Cloie had their colorful and whimsical nuptials at Blumen Gardens in Sicamore, Illinois. They were officially declared as the summer’s best-dressed couple which you'll soon see. Hold on to your tiny, adorable hats…
Allie, rocking a hot pink suit topped with a tiny floral fascinator (and those teal glasses!), walked down the aisle with Cloie in her ethereal, vintage-inspired dress. Don't miss the lush green backdrop and vibrant flowers.
After the ceremony and patio cocktail hour, the new brides kicked off their rockin' party styled with a nod to Alice in Wonderland and pops of vintage colors. The eclectic mix of floral terrarium arrangements, calligraphy table numbers, and tons of vintage dishware gave us vintage-backyard vibes that we still dream about.
Taking place at the beautiful Massachusetts wedding venue, The Crane Estate, Ashley and Matt planned the wedding of the dreams. From the photographer: Ashley and Matt held their wedding at the picturesque Crane Estate, a storybook wedding venue just north of Boston on the ocean. After years of vacationing in nearby Gloucester, MA, Ashley and Matt would often take their boat over to Crane Beach. It only made sense to check out the estate as a potential wedding venue after they got engaged, and I can’t imagine their wedding anywhere else! One of our favorite things about this wedding was how warm and cozy the reception tent felt! Thanks to Dreamlove Photography for sharing this amazing wedding with us.
I am forever creating grand visions that are near-impossible to accomplish. Our wedding was amazing, and planning it was one of the most stressful things I have ever done. My husband advocated elopement from the start, and resisted many of the crazy details I was so excited about.
In the end, it was the details that made it so special though, and the elaborate ritual of the day drew us much closer than an elopement might have. We both love what we created for our wedding and are so glad that we chose to make it a grand community event. It fit who we are and what we are creating in our lives.
That said, there were definitely some things I would have done differently.
Here's what we did right for our wedding:
We hired a trusted friend as our event coordinator, who understood our vision and could keep us motivated and sane.
I made lists of the people in my life who could potentially help me with specific tasks.
We eliminated the wedding party. We had absolutely no Wedding Party Drama. I didn't have to worry about matching dresses, crabby friends, hurt feelings, or suffering through an endless string of pre-wedding parties that would have also had to be planned and paid for.
I made sure that we ate a healthy, home-cooked dinner and lunches most days. I would cook large amounts and create several meals at a time. Eating healthfully is one of the best ways to keep my stress level low.
I let go of visions that just were not working. I had to change my vision many times to meet the reality of our space, budget and energy. What we created was perfect for us, and the things that did not work out weren't that important.
Here's what I would have done differently for our wedding:
Started planning a year in advance.
Hired my event planner/coordinator months earlier than we did. There was a mess of details to untangle by the time we hired her.
Scaled back a bit. Our wedding decorations were lovely, but not nearly as necessary as I thought they would be. Our event was outdoors at a gorgeous state park, and the scenery was more than enough to entertain our guests. Of over 1000 photos taken by our guests, only a small handful were of the decorations we had so painstakingly made. Most of the photos were of us! That's what people are coming for.
Made sure I had enough *me* time to balance the stress of planning and making stuff for the wedding. I run a business and a small home farm, so the last few months were extremely hectic with wedding stuff on top of my already full schedule. I wish I had scheduled time at least once a month at the ladies-only day spa in the area. And massages. Anything to totally pamper myself and relax.
Oh, and can we talk about how I stayed sane on our honeymoon? I originally advocated an adventurous, (expensive) road-trip honeymoon in a rented RV. We ended up spending five days at a friend's cabin in the temperate rainforest here in WA, and hiking pristine wilderness trails amidst some of the tallest, most amazing trees in the world. Our honeymoon cost us nothing out of pocket after all of the gifts to our honeymoon registry and the gift of the friend's cabin. It was delightfully stress-free and totally magical and romantic. We didn't have to rush anywhere or buy anything on credit, and we saved a ton of money on gas.
When we were out there alone on the trails, hiking past waterfalls, the sun shining golden on old growth trees dripping with moss, I asked my husband to remind me of this moment the next time I get stuck on an impossible fantasy.
Then I can relax and let things unfold in an organic way, let the magic happen.
That's your goal for wedding planning… and for all of life really: being able to relax, and letting things unfold.
Warm summer afternoons are turning into crisp fall evenings. This lovely seasonal transition has us reminiscing about family, tradition and community. When Amy, owner of Rising Sun Farm & Events reached out to connect and share her new venue with us, we jumped at the opportunity to collaborate on some local wedding inspiration. Rising Sun Farm is a bicentennial farm located in the heart of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Ten generations of Amy’s family have lived and loved here. Now the family invites the community to create their own family memories on this amazing heirloom property. Thanks to Nina Lily Photography for sharing this beautiful shoot with us today.
When you find your Schmoopie, a dreamy Spring wedding with colorful florals, a dramatic fabric backdrop, and a yummy pie bar is just a bonus! This happens to be the case for major Seinfeld fans, Aly + Gavin, who wed at the stunning Darlington House in La Jolla, Calirfornia! They had quite a team to help make their wedding day dreams come to life. Timeless Event Planning and Shindig Chic designed and planned the day which according to A, had to have flowers, flowers and more flowers!! She shares:
Today we have THE MOST epic desert elopement in Namibia — featuring not one but three ceremonies! After quitting their jobs in the ad industry in 2015, Chanel + Stevo have been traveling the world together and documenting adventures at How Far From Home. Here’s the story of how the elopement plans came to be from Chanel:
Has COVID-19 ruined your summer plans? We’re in the same boat…and not the fun vacation-kind. We, too, are racking our brains trying to figure out how to carry on with summer fun in safe + mindful ways. Do you want to know what we’ve come up with? This summer, it’s alll about road trips and lake houses – like this amazing cabin on your own private island (!!!) on Lake Winnipesaukee, photographed by Michael Block.
We can hear lake life calling – can you? When air travel isn’t the safest option because of the pandemic and many summer vacation spots are closed or cancelled, booking a relaxing lake house via Airbnb sounds like a pretty rad back up plan! Pack your swimwear + prep the road trip playlist, because we’re sharing 14 really hip lake houses you can rent on Airbnb!
starting at $500/night
starting at $410/night
I am forever creating grand visions that are near-impossible to accomplish. Our wedding was amazing, and planning it was one of the most stressful things I have ever done. My husband advocated elopement from the start, and resisted many of the crazy details I was so excited about.
In the end, it was the details that made it so special though, and the elaborate ritual of the day drew us much closer than an elopement might have. We both love what we created for our wedding and are so glad that we chose to make it a grand community event. It fit who we are and what we are creating in our lives.
That said, there were definitely some things I would have done differently.
Here's what we did right for our wedding:
Here's what I would have done differently for our wedding:
Oh, and can we talk about how I stayed sane on our honeymoon? I originally advocated an adventurous, (expensive) road-trip honeymoon in a rented RV. We ended up spending five days at a friend's cabin in the temperate rainforest here in WA, and hiking pristine wilderness trails amidst some of the tallest, most amazing trees in the world. Our honeymoon cost us nothing out of pocket after all of the gifts to our honeymoon registry and the gift of the friend's cabin. It was delightfully stress-free and totally magical and romantic. We didn't have to rush anywhere or buy anything on credit, and we saved a ton of money on gas.
When we were out there alone on the trails, hiking past waterfalls, the sun shining golden on old growth trees dripping with moss, I asked my husband to remind me of this moment the next time I get stuck on an impossible fantasy.
Then I can relax and let things unfold in an organic way, let the magic happen.
That's your goal for wedding planning… and for all of life really: being able to relax, and letting things unfold.