Vintage Peach Wedding by Belathée Photography

Happy Monday everyone! I feel so happy to be back to our regular scheduled programming over here on the Hey Gorg blog. With the craziness that was my birthday, last weekend's amazing wedding, an entire week dedicated to giveaways and then a birthday surprise weekend (which ended up being a surprise visit from my parents planned by hubby; marking the first time we've seen one another since Christmas. Eeek!) it's safe to say I feel refreshed and ready to rock this week with even more prettiness than ever. Also, I just wanted to send another big thank you to everyone who sent me happy birthday tweets, texts, emails, comments and calls. You all know how to make a girl feel so completely lucky and loved. And without further ado...

I am completely smitten with this vintage peach wedding sent over from Belathée Photography. Jolene, the sweet bride, wore a gown we're not afraid to admit we've all fallen in love with (yup, that's Melissa Sweet's 'Fern') and the flowers are something straight out of a dream. Add in all the pretty pale pink touches and the spiffiest vintage car I've ever seen and voila, you get this beautiful celebration to kick off the start of your week. Be sure to catch the very detailed vendor list to find out where you too can score some of the lovely touches that completed Brad and Jolene's big day. Enjoy this fabulous new week, blogettes! xo

{From Jolene, the bride} Brad and I got to have the wedding that we both wanted. We wanted a wedding that felt intimate and cozy. Brad and I could have easily had a 150 to 200 guest wedding but it wasn't what we wanted. We wanted to share this special day closely with loved ones. I didn't need an 'audience' of people I didn't really know or hardly ever see. I wanted to look around the candle lit table at all those people who mean the most. We tailored the wedding to suit our personalities so a garter/bouquet toss, dollar dance, and not seeing each other before the wedding were traditions that didn't feel right to us. If you want a fabulous wedding, hire fabulous vendors. Our vendors were beyond amazing. I love them and will forever be grateful for the incredible work that they did. Also, hire a wedding planner that is lovely and supportive. My fairy godplanner was a dream and I felt like I didn't have to worry about a thing. This leads me to my last piece of advice, relax. Relax and enjoy.  

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Photography: Annabel Braithwaite, Belathée Photography / Brides dress: Melissa Sweet, 'Fern' from Sewly Yours / Shoes: J. Crew / Jewelry: Becky Kelso chalcedony earrings, ring designed by Jamie Joseph / Engagement and wedding rings: Mark Patterson, Frank Adams Jewelers in Albany, New York / Menswear: Calvin Klein / Bridesmaids dresses: J. Crew / Macaron favors: MadMac, NYC /  Hankie gifts: EmbroiderybyLinda on etsy / Vintage car: borrowed from family friend / Program fans: baumbirdy on etsy / Catering: The Mansion Inn / Entertainment: DJ Greg Fraiser / Wedding planner: Shannon Whitney, Wedding Planning Plus / Officiant: Bishop Mark Stewart / Florist: Ariella Chezar, Ariella Flowers / Cake: made by the bride's Aunt / Stationary: Minhee Cho, Paper + Cup Design / Hair: Janelle, Make Me Fabulous, Ballston Spa / Makeup: Kyle Colangelo-Garcia, Make Me Fabulous 

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Vintage Illinois Wedding by Avery House Photography

A little confession: while you are sitting here soaking in the gorgeousness that is this wedding, I my friends am enjoying happy hour with the incredibly warm and kind Stevi and Matt from Avery House Photography. They are the duo behind my fave wedding I shared with you all last week and again they knocked it out of the park with this phenomenal peach and blue hued Illinois fete. I would have never thought to pair together soft corals, creams and perry winkle blue but Kate, the gorgeous bride, did it in the most perfect of ways. Is her dress not the prettiest you've ever seen? Scroll on to take in all of her insightful advice to future brides. And in case you missed it check out their adorable engagement session that I shared this morning. Enjoy the rest of your Monday, my loves! 

I am seriously lusting after Kate's Melissa Sweet "Fern" gown. The detailing is so romantic!

{Advice to Future Brides} The best advice I can give is to keep some sense of perspective. It is very easy to get caught up in all the pretty details of wedding featured in magazines and blogs but it i OK to pass on some things for the sake of your budget and sanity. The compliment I most frequently heard after my wedding was that I kept all the stuff that mattered and did away with the rest. Yes, custom gift bags to welcome out-of-town guests would have been nice. But those guests had plenty of fun without the added expense and effort on my part. Monogrammed wine bottle labels or candles may have been cute as favors but when I tallied up the expense, I decided that money was better spent on an incredible band. The point of a wedding is to end up married to your honey and celebrate that marriage with friends and family. Focus on those two things and you'll be happy with the results.

{Biggest Obstacle While Planning} My biggest obstacle was most certainly self-inflicted. As a former art student and lover of wedding blogs, I was totally in love with every quirky, creative wedding idea that crossed my path. I wanted to make my own invitations out of antique books and sew old sweaters into wine cozies for my favours. I planned to hand paint our Ketubah and make letterpress stationary as gifts for my bridesmaids. Halfway through the planning process, I had an apartment full of musty antique books (ebay!), frustrated roommates and mountains of work piling up at my job. I had to take a step back and admit that am not, in fact, in the business of wedding planning and cannot expect to tackle every project myself. It was at that point that I started looking to my wedding vendors to do what I had hired them to for - so I could keep the rest of my world from falling apart from neglect. Once I gave up that notion that everything had to be done (perfectly) by me, the rest of the planning process was much more manageable.

{Fun Fact} Jason and I chose to roll the dice and go forward with out outdoor wedding despite looming storm clouds. Towards the end of our ceremony, the first few drops began to fall. Jason broke the glass and everyone shouted "mazel tov!" and as we kissed, not one, but two rainbows appeared above us. While I spent my engagement hoping for a warm, sunny wedding day, we wouldn't have had our rainbows without the rain!

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Photography: Matt and Stevi Savage, Avery House Photography / Flowers: Marie Pauly of Wild Orchid Custom Floral Design / Venue and Caterer: Bloomingdale Golf Club, Bloomingdale, Illinois / Music: Orchestra 33 / Favors: Kelly Siebens, Lillycakes / Stationary: Bella Figura / Dress: Melissa Sweet "Fern" with accompanying cathedral veil / Hair and Make Up: Carla from Appease, Inc / Menswear: Ralph Lauren / Bridesmaids" J. Crew silk chiffon "Sophia" hazel blue / Shoes: Nina / Clutch: Nordstrom / Calligraphy: Calligraphy by Cristine, Cristine Bunting / Papercut Ketubah: Judiac Connection

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Romantic Milwaukee Bistro Wedding by Avery House Photography

This right here my friends, is hands down one of my most favourite weddings to date. The minute I laid eyes on the soft, simplistic photos by Matt and Stevi, the masterminds behind Chicago-based Avery House Photography, I fell completely in love. On Tuesday, I briefly touched on the subject of branding, how important it is to build a brand and for me, how building my brand means showcasing weddings that best fit my styling and aesthetic preferences. And Rachel and Carlos had a wedding day celebration that couldn't better fit everything I love about a wedding and wedding photography; the most romantic of details, beautiful flowers, soft lighting and the most tender and pure form of love. I hope you adore the photos as much as I do. This right here, is absolute wedding perfection in my eyes.

Rachel you are stunning. Just stunning! And those purple things that look like leaves? Rachel informed me that they are actually strips of ribbon flipped underneath of the flower arrangements. So clever. I love.

I adore the photo of Rachel below smelling her bouquet. Canvas please? Admit it, that's what you were thinking too.

Happy Groom alert. Check it out.

{Carlos and Rachel's Love Story} I don't consider it much of a "love" story but I am very thankful for my husband. We met in August 2008 at a church I used to attend. I talked to a lot of people there so when he was a newcomer it didn't seem awkward to talk to him. We talked a few times but I never thought much of it. One evening I was checking with a few friends to see what plans had been made for the night. We decided to go mini golfing and called around a dozen people. The only person who responded back to come was Carlos. That meant it would be my two friends Gabe and Becky, who were engaged and Carlos and myself. I told them, please don't make this awkward for him since he is new. I didn't want him to feel like we set him up. As the night went on I realized how much fun I was having (and I don't usually have fun mini golfing, seriously). The four of us went to go get a burger and ice cream afterwards. Carlos and I ended up sharing two hamburgers (cheese and ketchup only, gross, I like the works), fries and ice cream. We all said our good byes and headed home. Not any more than 1 minute after pulling out of the parking lot, Carlos called me to ask if I'd like to go to the zoo the next day. Not knowing his motives, we had an enjoyable three hours together. Ever since out first 'dae' we hung out just about every day. Officially we started dating October 18th, 2008, got engaged five months later on March 31, 2009 and married on July 10, 2010. I couldn't have asked for it to happen any easier. I am still very in love.

{Advice to Future Brides} Leave enough time between the engagement and the wedding to be able to enjoy your relationship and life. You shouldn't have to feel stressed out because you don't have enough time to 'do life.' I had 14 months to plan and it was perfect. Remember to find enough pictures of the things you love and then narrow it down from there to decide what you want your day to be like. Stick to it and do whatever you can to make it work. I wanted three vases at each table and peonies in my wedding. My florist and I discussed the cost which was way too expensive so we made it work - she found a garden rose that looked exactly like a peony (I loved it even more!) and I went to six thrift stores to find 110 milk glass vases which averaged to to less than $1.00 each. I wanted a sit down dinner and I wanted the venue to match my wedding style (not a hotel with maroon carpet and blue padded chairs) so I looked around and found the restaurant. We paid for a food and beverage minimum, no rental fee. The food was tremendous! And worth every penny - taste, appearance, portion size, everyone was talking about the food (and still is nine months later). Set a budget. Decide up front what the most important features of your wedding are and make sure that is where your money is spent. Research the vendors you are interested in and make sure you meet with them face to face. It you aren't satisfied with them initially, find someone else.

{Fun Facts} I planned the whole wedding all by myself. No wedding planner. My biggest help was the binder I made. I wouldn't have been able to do it if I wasn't so organized. There are plenty of online resources for you to print off and use as budget helpers, vendor lists, etc. Also, the first time I saw my dress with the jacket, my veil and the pieces and my hair together was the morning of my wedding. I am thankful everything turned out well together. I also made sure I had enough money needed so I didn't pay with credit.

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Caterer and Venue: Lake Park Bistro / Photographer: Avery House Photography / Florist: Michelle Herman, Moss Floral / Photobooth: Mugshotz Photobooth / Cake: Stephanie Rauch, Cakes by Stephanie / Hair flowers: Fallen Sparrow / Groomswear: Mitchell Street Menswear / Hair: Eric of Norway Salon / Dress: Eva's Bridal Center / Stationary: created by the bride and printed through Vista Print

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