Tag Archives: beach

Maui Animal Farm Wedding: Hollie & John

May 8, 2013 in Wedding | Written by Photos by Tamiz Photography

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Are you ready for some drama and pure unadulterated elegance this morning? Well you’d better get ready, because oh boy am I gonna give it to you…

Hollie & John were married in Maui in April. The couple had a big hand in everything they planned. Although they hired suppliers to fulfil their wedding dreams, they were both there from start to finish. “John and I planned every detail”, began the bride. “We made amazing friends with our vendors and were able to experience the entire process from start to finish. I highly advise, if you have the organizational skills and enjoy sleepless nights, to plan your own wedding. We both carry an invaluable connection having survived the process and a feeling of self-gratification and accomplishment as we watched our wedding grow from conception to birth. I personally would not have done it any other way.”

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The one thing they didn’t make themselves, though, was Hollie’s incredible Vera Wang wedding gown, which set the elegant tone for the entire day. “Our inspiration all started with the dress”. she continued. “I tried on the white version of Vera Wang’s ‘Hayley’ and knew I absolutely did not want a white dress (boring and not me) and when I found out it also was available in nude I jumped on the opportunity and ordered it blind. Vera’s inspiration and vision of the ‘Hayley’ gown had me hook, line and sinker. She said that the dress embodied ‘the pageantry of the Paris Opera’ and I was SOLD!! I admire textiles and ‘Hayley’ has major textiles. Vera used fabric manipulations in place of sparkle in order to give the dress vavoom.”

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Casual Auckland Wedding with a Stunning Ocean View: Simon & Amonné

April 29, 2013 in Wedding | Written by Photos by Rik Pennington Photography

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Simon & Amonné were married in Auckland, New Zealand in December. They chose Bethells Beach Cottages as their venue, with it’s stunning views and perfectly unassuming laid back vibe. “After looking at several venues on Waiheke Island, we found a beautiful venue. But the day before we went to formalise the booking it was snapped up”, explained the bride. “Heartbroken, we came home, I went to sulk and Simon jumped online and found this little slice of heaven. Not only was it breathtaking, but it also looked out over the beach where we had our first kiss. The venue became the canvas on which an unforgettable day was painted. The wildness of the Auckland West coast and the black sand beaches made for a memorable sunset and was our view from where we said ‘I do’. The venue had three cottages and we stayed on before and after along with close family.”

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“Our theme was ‘casual’”, she continued. “As this was the second time around for both of us, we did not just have a wedding, we involved both our children in the ceremony and we became a real family. With several kids in our circle of friends we decided to make this day as family friendly as possible. We had no seating plan, no aisle to walk down, no cutting of the cake or place cards. We had our friends and family involved and mos of them played some role in the day’s proceedings (amazing flowers, wonderful celebrant, music, photographer). We had child minders, a bouncy castle and the ceremony started early in the day, which meant almost all our friends were able to be part of our day.”

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Victorian Goth Wedding on a Deserted Beach: Katie & Eric

April 24, 2013 in Wedding | Written by Photos by Amanda Summerlin

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Katie & Eric didn’t have the wedding they’d originally planned, but when circumstances changed, so did their wedding. However being able to have the people there that meant a the most to them was more important than waiting for a big wedding. ”When we got engaged last summer, we started to plan a big wedding for October 2013 that we could invite all of our friends and family to”, began Katie. “A few months after we became engaged we found out that my Dad had liver cancer, and everything changed. The most important thing was to have our family members at the wedding, and have them all attend in comfort. With that in mind, we changed almost every aspect of the wedding and planned it in four months.”

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They chose Jekyll Island, GA as the spot where they would say ‘”I do”. Not only was it very close to where Eric proposed, it was where they spent their first day as an engaged couple while adventuring with a group of close friends. The ceremony was held on Driftwood Beach and the reception at Jekyll Island Club Hotel. “My favorite part had to be the ceremony. Eric’s sister, Laura, was our officiant, and she composed a ceremony specifically for us. I made our handfasting cords, and our friends and family set up the ceremony site. It really felt like a group effort and was truly magical. Laura scooped up the sand that was under our feet as we said our vows and gave it to us in a heart shaped jar as a wedding present.”

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Intimate Wedding in the Middle of the Ocean: Thomas & Kimberly

April 22, 2013 in Wedding | Written by Photos by Leonardo Melendez

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Have you ever heard of a couple deciding to get married and do so within 12 short hours? And, no, a couple in a movie don’t count! Well that’s exactly what Thomas & Kimberly did whilst on holiday in Belize. They were married, just the two of them, in the middle of the ocean, on a sandbar in Ambergris Caye.

“We like to be laid-back, relaxed and chilled”, explained the bride. “We wanted to avoid any wedding planning stress, and to instead spend our time enjoying the sand, water, and each other. We wanted an event that would set the bar high for our life together, and we were very lucky to find Keli Engleson from “I Do” Belize Weddings. Keli coordinated the whole wedding in less than 12 hours. We were so excited about the location she suggested and she was great to work with. The ceremony itself was beautiful and touching.”

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What first attracted me to this story though was their amazing and dramatic wedding photographs, taken by local photographer Leonardo Melendez. While the trend for a lot of wedding photography is still very (sorry but there really is no other word to describe it…) vintage-inspired, his work is bold, daring and as far removed from vintage as possible! “We had a great time having our pictures taken with Leonardo,” Kimberly continued. “He is the best in Belize as far as far as we are concerned. He came up with some really creative ideas.”

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Private Island Retreat Wedding: Sana & Derek

April 8, 2013 in Wedding | Written by Photos by HRM Photography

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Sana & Derek were married on an island. Artscape Gibraltar Point is located in the former Toronto Island Public and offers 35,000 square feet of affordable retreat space, artist studios and accommodations for artists and creative thinkers. The tranquil and idyllic setting was perfect for their intimate and artistic wedding. The day started with the entire wedding party taking the ferry over to the island together. “We knew immediately that we wanted to hold the wedding on the island – it’s the perfect escape from Toronto, and a place where we have spent countless summer days swimming, biking and hanging out on the beach,” wrote Sana. “Artscape had the perfect laid-back and nostalgic feeling that we wanted in a venue, and they even let us have a bonfire outside on the beach!”

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Sana opted for an untraditional bridal look, choosing to wear a blue dress by Betsey Johnson and Dr Martens, while Derek wore a tartan kilt. “We wanted the wedding to reflect who we are as couple, and the things that we love to do”, the bride continued. “Almost everything was handmade or vintage, and there were tons of things that came straight from our home. Derek’s parents picked all the flowers from a local wildflower farm and we used craft beer bottles that we’ve collected over the past couple of years as vases. The pine cones in the centre pieces were gathered on a camping trip and the crystals and little vintage animals were from our shelves at home.”

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Intimate Maui Elopement: Monica & Jason

March 16, 2013 in Wedding | Written by Photos by Trish Barker Photography

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With just $6500 to spend, Monica & Jason knew they wanted a small wedding. So instead of the going down the traditional route, they flew themselves and their daughter to Maui for an intimate beach wedding. “We didn’t have an actual budget in mind”, Monica began. “My parents gifted us $5000 to put towards our wedding and we spent a bit ourselves too. In total the wedding was around $6500, which doesn’t include our rings. What it did include was everything needed for the wedding plus return airfare from Vancouver BC for three of us, lodging in Maui and car rental. Our thoughts behind what we were going to spend was this: we wanted to have what made us happy within reason.”

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They were married right on the beach by a local celebrant and they didn’t have an official reception. “We did however have a wonderful dinner at Humuhumunukunukuapua’a restaurant”, Monica explained. “This was a recommendation from our make up artist the morning of the wedding. It was a lovely dinner.”

“Our wedding was a secret! An elopement of sorts. Jason and I had been together for 13 years when we got married, and our daughter is 10. We knew we wanted to make things official but it just never happened. We started to consider making it happen sooner rather then later after my dad beat cancer. My parents had booked a trip to Maui and I asked Jason if he wanted to go with them and get married on the beach while we were there, to which he agreed.”

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