So there’s been a lot of buzz this week surrounding Reese Witherspoon‘s rustic-country themed wedding that took place in her own Ojai, California backyard last Saturday. She married her handsome beau, Jim Toth who works for one of Hollywood’s top talent agencies. Outdoor decor included lanterns and chandeliers hanging from trees, mismatched antique chairs and leather sofas. Arrangements included white, blush, and lavender flowers set up on tables in mason jars and antique pots.
Either it’s just a coincidence or Reese’s wedding planner called the event designer of today’s “real wedding” feature for decor and planning tips! I seriously think it had to be the latter. Reese’s wedding photos haven’t been released yet and I’m sure it was an gorgeous affair, but the Florida wedding I have for you today shared by Ryan Manthey from Pure 7 Studios is SUPER scrumptious and GREAT inspiration for the rest of us non-Hollywood brides trying to plan our own VIP wedding day! So who and what do we have today on OSB?
A gorgeous bride? Check. A handsome groom with entertainment connections? Check. An amazing backyard setting? Check. Hanging chandeliers? Check. SoCal vibe? Check.
Perfect! So let’s move right along then and let the swooning begin…
From the beautiful bride: I grew up in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, went to college in Tallahassee, FL (Go Noles!) and moved back to Destin, FL after graduation – a Florida girl through and through. Although not born there, Brian grew up in Southern California until he moved to Destin, FL for a job opportunity. Our paths crossed one Sunday at church, and with a bit of help from my little sister, we began dating a few months later.
The house I grew up in is located on the Sound (body of water similar to a bay) that runs parallel to the Gulf of Mexico. It’s always been a beautiful backdrop. Brian and I took a trip to Southern California (where he proposed) and were inspired by a wedding that used two backyards to create a sense of new locations. We instantly knew that my parent’s backyard and the rental property next door would be the ideal setting for our wedding ceremony and reception. So, we had the ceremony at the rental property, dinner in my parent’s backyard, and the reception back at the rental property. The rental was great because it had two homes on one property, so we had a Bride’s house and a Groom’s house. We were able to put up a lot of our out-of-town guests this way too.
What unique elements or DIY projects did you incorporate into your big day to help make it extra special?
One of the big projects we did was the wedding favors. My parents owned a gift shop in the historical downtown district of Fort Walton Beach where my dad makes an array of flavors of fudge. Everyone always raves about it, so we thought it would be great to make chocolate fudge covered apples. We pierced the apples, dipped them in chocolate and attached a cute quote to each package. I also have found a recent love of graphic design and tried my hand at designing the ceremony programs.
The highlight for me though was the formality dances. Owning an entertainment company, Brian had the ability to call on a vast group of extreme talent – and he pulled out all the stops. From California to Florida, we had so much entertainment from the ceremony to the cocktail hour to the reception (both live acts and a DJ). This allowed us to have our first dance and father/daughter-mother/son dances performed live, some by very close friends, making the moment that much more intimate and special. Because the performers were guests as well, they continued entertaining us throughout the reception splicing some live “karaoke-esque” style vocal performances which the DJ mixed in. The crowd loved it (my 85 year old grandfather included!).
What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your wedding?
We didn’t run into many challenges due to the connections Brian had both in the wedding industry and with our obvious familiarity/access to the venue. However, one challenge we did face was the guest list. Having grown up in Florida, and Brian having a prominent role at our church, keeping our attendance count to 150 was a tremendous undertaking. Going into the day, we were a little stressed with having 152 confirmed attendees. We had a plated dinner planned and we were worried that we wouldn’t have enough food or seats for everyone. But, the “20% rule” ended up playing out and looking back, we were bummed that we didn’t invite more folks that we had to exclude because of our capacity limits. The only other challenge was being in the remote panhandle of Florida. Although one of the most beautiful locations in the US, we were limited with the number of furniture options available to us in the area. Due to the SoCal inspired style we had of wanting long benches and wooden tables, sourcing these items was extremely difficult. With the help of our designers from Monark Events, we were able to create the feel of exactly what were looking for even with a limited budget!
Please tell us about your favorite wedding moment!
From The Groom: My favorite moment was my beautiful bride coming down the aisle. That moment will be emblazoned in my mind forever. It was a culmination of everything that had happened in our relationship to that point all coming to fruition and the reality that this was still just the beginning of our story together. I also loved having my musical friends from California and Florida all there. They added so much and people STILL talk about how great the entertainment was to this day!
From The Bride: Of course, seeing my handsome groom as I came down the aisle. I also really enjoyed the moments leading up to the ceremony: those last few moments with my daddy before the doors opened telling us it was our turn, hanging out with my bridesmaids while we all got our make-up done, and the quiet time I took to write my husband a love letter to read before the ceremony. And the dancing… the reception was so much fun!
What is your best advice for other couples planning a wedding right now?
Give yourself a cut-off date of a week prior to the wedding to be done with everything that you need to do. We both set our cut-off date of 2 days prior and we still ended up working right up to the “day of” and missed a few opportunities to just hang out with our families and out of town guests. The second thing we would say is to look into getting at least your ceremony recorded on video. We were both so in the moment with one another that we unintentionally zoned everything else out. Having those memories caught on video is priceless and we’re so glad we’ll have them forever!
Love, love, love this wedding! I love the intimate setting, the colors, the decor and all the other little details (like the dance skills their guests brought to the dance floor!) that really made their day spectacular! Thank you to Tara and Brian for all the fun details and to Pure 7 Studios for sending us this REALLY fantastic wedding!
This sweet wedding was sent to us from Emma and Josh Smith from Emma Jane Photography. Our adorable seaside couple married in Edmonds, Washington which is just outside of Seattle. I love that the reception was held at the Edmonds Yacht Club, a lovely new harbor-front clubhouse located in the heart of the Puget Sound area. Deep purples and pinks, bubbles and beachside photos just make me smile.
Thanks Emma and Josh for the amazing photography and to our newlywed couple Tara and Mike for dishing out the planning details!
Bride/Groom: Tara and Michael
Wedding Date: August 28, 2010
Location: Lynnwood, WA
Approximate Guest Size: 175
Ceremony Venue: Trinity Lutheran Church, Lynnwood, WA
Reception Venue: Edmonds Yacht Club, Edmonds, WA
Please tell me a little more about you two as a couple and your personal love story:
Tara grew up locally in Snohomish, WA and Mike grew up in Montana. We met on eHarmony in 2008.
Engagement story: On a sunny summer day, Mike flew Tara to Roche Harbor, a quaint resort town on a small island in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Seattle. As they walked along the bay, Mike proposed in the gardens in front of a church, right on the waterfront.
How and why did you choose your destination/location?
We selected our church for its well-lit sanctuary, beautiful stained-glass windows and magnificent floor-to-ceiling organ. The Yacht Club was a brand new nautical-themed ballroom set on the piers against the backdrop of beautiful sailboats and the picturesque views of Puget Sound.
What unique elements or DIY projects did you incorporate into your big day to help make it extra special?
Wedding favors – ribbon laced candy favor boxes with personalized name tags
What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your wedding?
The biggest challenge was trying to decide on a honeymoon destination. We settled on a secluded beach-side resort in Virgin Gorda of the British Virgin Islands for a two-week escape.
Please tell us about your favorite wedding moment!
The beautiful picture-perfect sunset as we posed for photos on the beach near our ceremony location at the yacht club.
What is your best advice for other couples planning a wedding right now?
Try not to sweat every single detail hoping for perfection. At every wedding, at least one thing does not go as planned and looking back it’s something you can laugh about.
The Creative Team Behind the Scenes:
This wedding was submitted via Two Bright Lights!
Good morning everyone and Happy Monday to you!
As I enter my official 125 day countdown (tomorrow!) I decided to help clear my mind and sort out all my to-do’s, every Monday after either having a very productive or very unproductive weekend, I’ll journal things that are on my mind, causing me anxiety, or just exciting me at the time. I hope this helps keep me focused on important tasks, allows me to see my progress, and also allows you to see what’s going on “behind the scenes” in my every day Oceanside Bride life!
So just to bring you up to speed, there are TONS of things going on in my life! Well of course there is wedding planning and blogging for OSB, but in addition to that Mr. Oceanside and I started a business almost two years ago (can’t believe how quickly time passes) called WiseMark Distributions. We own and manage a network of online niche retail stores. Well he pretty much runs the full operations of WiseMark and I have another full-time job working for The University of Florida. Okay Seminole and Bulldog fans- don’t get your panties in wad, I just work there. Didn’t say I’m a fan. Didn’t grow up in Gainesville, just lived here for two years and for whatever reason, the colors blue & orange together just really hasn’t grown on me. I do love working for UF though.
So anywho- as many brides right now struggle with the economy while trying to plan a wedding at the same time, I’m certainly in the club. The business isn’t generating a ton of money (although is growing) and does cause some anxiety around whether or not we’ll be able to pay for this destination wedding we’re having- and um, whether or not we have the dough, it’s happening!
Mr. Oceanside (Mark) and I have a strong faith and have been praying really hard about our purpose in life and what it is we should be doing right now when it comes to anything and everything. His dad and stepmom have been SUPER supportive and are actually working with us to get a bank loan for the business. Despite having a pretty solid application (so we thought) our first application was denied. A big sucky moment last week! Boo. But the future father-in-law quickly turned around our financial statements to a second bank and Mark and his dad have a meeting with them today. I’m praying that this is the one for us! But really at the end of the day, it is in God’s hands and we must keep our trust in Him to do whatever is meant to be done for us. =)
Oh and then the Balancing Act which comes on in the mornings on the Lifetime Television Network contacted us last week to do a short segment on school uniforms (since we have our online store: School of Uniforms). Although my meeting with their Senior Associate Producer went really well they required a pretty big financial contribution from us which we just can’t afford right now. Probably just better suited for a bigger company. Ours will be there one day, but today isn’t the day! It was one emotional roller coaster of a week last week!
Okay so enough business talk, let’s move onto something fun shall we? SHOES! Always makes for a great Monday right? So I’m getting closer to my first dress fitting appointment and still haven’t found my perfect shoes. I hope to find them soon so the dress alterations can begin. I really want to go with a fun color since I’m more of a basic cream or black kind of gal on a normal day. One our wedding colors is a tealish blue color so why not go in that direction? But see, I’m a very indecisive person. So that’s where you come in! I love having a network of brides-to-be and vetern brides in my corner to help me make a decision!
So ladies, which is your favorite? Serioulsy, I need your input so don’t be shy and leave a comment below pretty please!
#1: Jaceline Teal Satin Shoes from Zappos.com
#2: Enzo Angiolini Maylie Turquoise Shoes from Zappos.com
#3: RSVP Katrina Turquoise Shoes from Zappos.com
#4: Electra China Blue Shoes from Ninashoes.com
Other things that will be on the brain this week:
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My baby sis, Holly just moved to Charleston, SC over the weekend with her boyfriend who just got an awesome job at Boeing! I’ll be thinking of her as she makes this transition to a new city away from all our family in Atlanta. She’s a tough cookie so I know she’ll do great! Experienced with doing the same for the last two years, sometimes living in “isolation” away from family and friends helps you to connect with your significant other in so many ways. Mark and I have shared so many great learning experiences together and believe we’ve fallen so much more in love as we’ve had to be each others rock. We’re really each other’s biggest “fan” and we’ve really cherised the “alone” time we’ve had in Florida together. Cheers to my sis and to new beginnings and making lots of new memories!
Don’t forget to tell me which shoes are your favorite. I hope to order a pair by the end of this week. Yay!!
And ladies, what are some things on your mind this week? Did you have a productive or unproductive weekend? What’s keeping you up at night (the good, bad, or in between)? Do share! We can help each other- we’re all in this together right? Hope you all have a great week!
What better way to start off Monday, than a beautiful poolside wedding in Waikiki, Hawaii sent to us from Shawn Fields with Black Tie Cinema! This couple had a stunning intimate wedding at the new hotel venue Waikiki Marriott Edition. Love the pops of bright blues and pinks in the bridesmaid dresses and bouquets. And of course I’m a huge fan of a poolside ceremony and cocktail hour. So fun! Oh and I really hope I look as good in my wedding dress as Maria does in hers! Gorgeous.
Love those last few pictures that Shawn captured. Can you say hot? I LOVE the tall buildings in the background and their reflections in the pool in the last one!
Bride and Groom: Maria and Matthew
Wedding Date: February 23, 2011
Location: Honolulu, HI, United States
Approximate Guest Size: 80
Ceremony & Reception Venu: Waikiki Marriott Edition
1. Please tell me a little more about you two as a couple and your personal love story:
Maria grew up in Michigan and Matt from New Jersey. We were introduced through a mutual friend and slowly got to know each other…. until we took a trip to Maui and fell in love.
2. How and why did you choose your destination/location?
Maria works at the hotel and was able to see a mock wedding (new hotel), which was truly magical. It is definitely the most beautiful place to stay in Waikiki. We knew our guests would be impressed.
3. What unique elements or DIY projects did you incorporate into your big day to help make it extra special?
We didn’t do too much out of the ordinary and kept it very simple. The hotel did so much for us, I couldn’t imagine not using a planner.
4. What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your wedding?
It was difficult not having our family close by or able to visualize where the wedding would be. My mom would have liked to be a part of decisions a little more. Our wedding party doesn’t live near us either.
5. Please tell us about your favorite wedding moment!
The first moment we saw each other. We decided to take pictures with the wedding party before the ceremony, so we wouldn’t be pulled away during the reception. Our photographer had Matt turn his back from the door and face the wedding party, while I walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder. When he turned around, and we looked at each other, was a feeling so surreal and unexplainable. We were able to spend that special moment with just our wedding party and parents there. It was incredibly special, and I knew the entire day was going to get better and better! Our untraditional decision to see each other before the ceremony turned out to be our favorite part!
6. What is your best advice for other couples planning a wedding right now?
Don’t over think details. Trust the professionals you hire to do their job, rather than telling them how. Brides – take a sleeping pill the night before the wedding. Every single thing will go through your head countless of times and there is nothing worse than no sleep! (men don’t seem to have the same problem)
The Creative Team Behind the Scenes:
Photographer: Black Tie Cinemas (Shawn Fields) / Marriott Edition Special Events planner – Margaret Akinaka / Officiate – Mark Kurnow / Ceremony Music – John Helmes / Florist – Su-V Expressions
This wedding was submitted via Two Bright Lights!
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