Mint - Beach Bride

Aqua + Tangerine Wedding in Cancun

By Chie

The sunset and the sky must be very jealous from the vibrancy of the colors in this beautiful wedding. But that’s only one of the number of things that made this event an eye candy and one for the books. Some of the details of the day were simultaneously playful and classy which matches our couple’s free-spirited personality. And just by judging from the pictures, it’s not hard to say that everyone in this wedding had fun, I mean, who wouldn’t? The wedding itself is an epitome of fun colors and accents! Congratulations Marian & Andrew!

Word from the photographer…

This was a beautiful wedding where two cultures came together, where friends and family traveled from all over the world to celebrate Marian & Andrew’s wedding in Cancun, Mexico.

These two met while working for the same company in different countries; Marian in Mexico and Andrew in the U.S. – for many months they spent a lot of time corresponding to each other via the internet not knowing (nor having any interest in what the other person looked like). Two years ago, they finally met for the first time at a work event and immediately fell for each other. After some time dating far apart and not knowing when they can finally be together in one place – they were determined to make it work and a year later when Andrew proposed, Marian also found a wonderful job here in the U.S. With so much gratitude and love – they are now enjoying their days together with their sweet pup Millie and looking forward to this new chapter in their lives!

Both Andrew & Marian are incredibly intelligent & hardworking yet free spirited, curious and excited about the possibilities and adventures in life. They decided to have their wedding in Mexico where their families could embrace the beauty of Mexico and soak up the sun for a handful of days.

The ceremony took place in an amazing chapel with stunning views of the sea followed by a rooftop terrace reception where their families shared so much laughter & joy, singing and dancing the night away!

Word from the groom…

How did you meet?

Marian and I met virtually through work at Ford Motor Company. I was transferred into the Chassis group, and Marian was my co-buyer in Mexico for the commodities I was responsible for. We worked closely together for 6+ months before we met face-to-face in September of 2011, and it has all just happened since then.

The fact we knew and respected each other for months prior to meeting is important – she thought I was a 40+ year old fat gringo, and I thought she was a mid-thirties chunky Mexican. To experience our chemistry when we met is the most amazing thing we have ever experienced.

What are the words you would use to describe the style of your wedding?

Beachy, Classy, Enjoyable

What colors are you using in the ceremony and reception?

Aqua and tangerine

Vendors

Photographer: Love in Photographs
DJ: MANNIA AUDIO Y VIDEO
Calligrapher: Papineau Calligraphy
Invitation Designer: Papyrus
Floral Designer: Maya Floral
Other Location: Grand Caribe Real Resort

Laura & Ramin – Amore in Villa Amor

By Chie

The place where our couple had their wedding is gorgeous and they knew how to embrace that beauty for they incorporated it nicely with the ceremony and reception thus, it gave them backdrops and settings that are breathtaking. And also, they were favored with such an amazing planner that the details of that day were better than what they have expected. It’s nice when everything goes better than planned right? Aside from everything else, I also love the ‘trash the dress’ part of this album. They rented a boat and went beyond the beachfront to take pictures. How adventurous!

Congratulations Laura & Ramin!

What would you say, the overall story for this album?

When Ramin and I got engaged, we knew we would have a destination wedding. We wanted a weekend where all of our friends and family could come together and celebrate with us over the weekend, not just for one night. After deciding on Mexico, we heard about Sayulita through a friend of mine who had honeymooned at Villa Amor. Sayulita seemed like the perfect place for what we had envisioned. It is a smaller town with bars, restaurants, a beautiful beach and plenty of things to do. Although we didn’t visit Sayulita prior to our wedding, enough people told me how beautiful it was, so we took a chance and chose Sayulita as our destination!

Our wedding planner was amazing! She was very responsive to my emails and always answered my questions within twenty-four hours, which was important to me as a bride planning a wedding in another country. She took care of everything – DJ, flowers, cake, hair, makeup, etc. All I did was send her photos of my ideas, and she brought them to life.

I did a lot of projects prior to the wedding, with the help of family and friends. I worked with a designer to design the invitations, itinerary tags, escort cards and table numbers. I stenciled all of our welcome bags, and filled them with things people would need at the beach. Although our ceremony was in the early evening, I knew it would be hot so I bough t fans for all of the guests to keep cool. I wanted people to be comfortable, so I bought a bunch of flip flops and tied each pair together with a wedding-themed ribbon. By the end of the night, everybody was wearing a pair of the flip flops on the dance floor! I didn’t want individual programs, so my sister decorated a chalk board that displayed all of our wedding party information, which was placed at the entrance of the ceremony for guests to read as they walked in. A friend of mine lent me the candle holders from her wedding to use on our tables for our reception.

Our wedding day was like a dream come true. Our wedding planner was so incredible in her execution of my ideas. The best thing about the day was that we felt like guests at our own wedding. After the beach ceremony, we headed up the hill to a gorgeous patio where a full Mariachi Band greeted us. Walking into the reception I was blown away by how beautiful everything looked. The view of the ocean was incredible and the tables where covered in flowers and candles.One of my ideas was to display framed photos of Ramin and I growing up. When I told our wedding planner my idea, I though she would display them on a table with a white tablecloth. Instead, she displayed all of the photos on a shabby-chic cabinet with flowers and candles. It was so touching and personal to have our framed photos displayed in such a beautiful way.

Our wedding was full of surprises! When Ramin and I chose Mexico as our destination, he said he wanted a donkey at our wedding. I dismissed the idea, but his best man didn’t. In the middle of the reception, Ramin’s best man came riding in on a donkey! Other friends of ours have a panda suit that mysteriously shows up at celebrations. While everyone was dancing, someone came in dressed in the panda suit and danced with everyone. All of these surprises made me realize how much fun our friends and family were having and how much they loved us. To finish the night, we had churros for our guests to snack on, which was perfect after all of that dancing! I know it sounds cliché but it was by far the best day of our lives and we wish we could do it all over again because it went by so fast! We are lucky to have all of these gorgeous photos to tell our story and look back on for years to come thanks to Beth and her incredible photography skills. She really captured every moment and made our memories last forever.

Vendors

Photographer: Dekker Photography
Dress/Veil: Amy Kuschel
Shoes: Ivanka Trump
Wedding Planner: Karen Ruezga
Reception Venue: Villa Amor
Food: O Restaurant – Villa Amor
Grooms Attire: Calvin Klein
Bridesmaids Dresses: BCBG Max Azria
Invitations, Itinerary Tags, Escort Cards, Table Numbers: Jones Street Press

JoAnn & Glenn – Love is Patient

By Chie

Everything about this couple just shows the world that patience reaps great rewards. At first, they didn’t want to get married but time proved how much they truly love each other that they knew they can’t live without the love of their lives, so marriage suddenly became something that they both knew was perfect for them. After their engagement, they spent two years planning their wedding. The length of their planning period not only gave them less stress but also, since they booked everything way ahead, they were able to cut some costs. It was easy for them to do that because they were set on having their wedding day on their anniversary date. Smart move I must say!

Congratulations JoAnn & Glenn! And advanced best wishes to you two as well!

Our couple is getting married on December 6 of this year.

What is your story as a couple, how did you meet & fall in love?

Glenn and I will have been together 14 yrs the day we get married Dec 6, 2014. Glenn works as the manager of the caricature artists and draws himself at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure in Orlando Florida. I met Glenn through a co-worker of his. When we first met we both didn’t want to get married but as time has gone on and the more we loved each other day by day, Glenn said he could not picture his life without me in it. I took him away for his birthday as a surprise and he ended up with a bigger surprise for me while walking down the beach at sunset, he dropped to one knee, told me how much he loved me and asked me if I would be his wife. Through my tears of surprise and happiness, I answered “YES!!”

What makes the two of you a perfect match?

We love and respect one another. We took our relationship slow but I wouldn’t have it any other way. We really know everything about each other. We always communicate, even if it’s something we don’t really want to talk about. We’re not perfect, but we both know how important it is to talk to one another and be careful with your words. This is were respecting one another comes in to play.

What was the best advice you received when you were planning your wedding?

Don’t rush in to it. Glenn and I have been engaged for 2 yrs. We wanted to plan and have the perfect wedding for us.

What tips & tricks (can we use “hacks”?) can you share future brides that you yourself have learned during and after your wedding?

Take things slow and do research. After we got engaged, I started going to Bridal shows and researching on the internet. I booked everything in 2012 so that I was locked into 2012 prices. This way we have time to save up for our big day and not start our marriage off in debt. We also are not taking our honeymoon right after the wedding also to save money for it. We’re taking it 3 months later which is also nice to give us something to look forward to after the wedding.

What are you most excited about for the future?

Being Mrs. Ferguson!! I know that might sound silly to some, but being we’ve been together as long as we have (14 yrs the day we get married) it’s a big deal to me.

What would you say, the overall story for this album?

We really wanted to revisit the time that we had together as a couple on the beach when Glenn asked me to marry him. We also wanted to do the engagement session at sunset because it is such a beautiful time of day and it was my favorite part of the day that day.

What was your favorite part of the day?

The Sunset, It was so gorgeous and full of color.

Here is some additional info the photographer shared with us regarding our bride’s wonderful dress.

I really wanted Joann to look and feel good for her engagement photos so I went out and personally picked out this gorgeous bright striped dress. I knew that she didn’t really own any clothes that were bright because we had a little talk about what kind of clothes she had and she told me that she only had clothes that were black, grey and white. She had recently lost some weight and I knew that she needed something that fit her better and showed off her new rocking body! She loved the dress and actually decided to keep it after the engagement session which really made me happy.

Vendors

Photographer: Alice Rose Photo
Makeup Artist: Marigold Scott On Location Hair & Makeup
Reception Venue: Daytona Beach Shores Beach House

Caitlin & Jeremy – Perfect Purple Package

By Shang

Purple is a very popular choice for a wedding theme. Caitlin & Jeremy’s wedding is the perfect purple package. It also has that certain Old Hollywood glam touch. And Caitlin was able to accomplish this beautifully with the help of her best friend who did her gorgeous finger wave hairdo. They also did a lot of personal touches into their big day. One of which is their ring box which was creatively handmade. Caitlin had purple tumblers made for each of her bridesmaids. They had sunglasses displayed during the beach ceremony & placed a sign on a pretty frame which had the phrase “Don’t be blinded by our love” on it. Clever idea, right? Thank you Villeto Photography for sharing with us this adorable photo set of such a lovely pair. Congratulations again Caitlin & Jeremy!

Vendors

Photographer: Villetto Photography
Dress Designer: Angelina Faccenda
Floral Designer: Beneva Flowers
Location: Mattison’s 41
Other Location: Siesta Key Beach
Dress Store:Venus Bridal
Wedding Ceremony Design and Coordination: Sun Weddings
DJ: Al Garcia

Kelsey & Jaime – Distant Devotion

By Shang

This couple proves that no distance is too far for two people in love. They first met in the Fall of 2009 when Kelsey decided to take a semester hiatus from the University of Texas & study abroad in Santiago, Chile. She met Jaime at a house party his brother threw & whom she shared a common friend with. And although their blooming romance was cut short when Kelsey had to return to Texas in December, they still stayed well connected. She returned in Santiago May 2010 to see if the magic was still there…& it felt like nothing ever changed.

Moving forward to July 2011, after graduating from University, she went back to Santiago where she taught English & developed a foundation with Jaime. Unfortunately, all good things sometimes have an expiry & she had to go back to the US once again. She moved back to Florida to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at the University of Miami. But it didn’t take long enough when Jaime finally joined her in October of 2013. And you could say that the rest of story was history!

Here we are, gazing upon their romantic engagement session by Blackbird Foto. We can’t help but feel how their love for each other is magnified in each photo. You can see how evident their connection is. And how they are the perfect pair. We hope their story inspires all of you as much as it did to us. Happy Monday Folks!

What is your story as a couple, how did you meet & fall in love?

In the Fall of 2009, I decided to take a semester hiatus from the University of Texas and study abroad in Santiago, Chile. Little did I know how much my life was about to change! I met Jaime at a house party put on by his brother who shared a mutual friend with me. I immediately developed a crush on him and though there was a couple week lapse between us meeting, we quickly became inseparable for the remainder of my time abroad. Unfortunately, I had to return to Austin, TX in December and we decided to take a break (being hemispheres apart will do that to you). We kept in touch and I returned to Santiago in May 2010 to see if the chemistry was still there…which it absolutely was! Fast forward to July 2011 (after a handful of trips back and forth to see each other); I graduated from UT and made the move back to Santiago to teach English for a year and finally develop a foundation with my love. After my year was up and we were 100% invested in each other, I moved to Miami, FL to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at the University of Miami. Jaime and I endured a little more distance and he finally joined me in October of 2013. The rest is history!

What was the best advice you received when you were planning your wedding?

“Remember-the real fun starts after the wedding.” A few people told me this and I kept coming back to it every time I felt stressed out. I think too many people (women, especially) get so caught up in planning the perfect party that and reveling so much in that day that they forget how EXCITING it will be to share the rest of your life with that person! Really, that is what it’s all about. That advice reminded me not to care so much and definitely to try and not take things out on my fiance. Our planning process was pretty smooth and I like to think I wasn’t too much of a bridezilla!

What makes the two of you a perfect match?

We are so different…sooo very different. But it really works out perfectly! I’m the ‘idealist dreamer-mildly disorganized-social butterfly-early morning riser’ kind of girl. He is the ‘realist-extremely organized-has few but GREAT friends-night owl’ kind of guy. Where I falter, he stands strong and vice versa. Our hobbies are similar though-we both love to travel, camp, climb and explore via bicycle!

What inspired your wedding decor? Why did you choose the things that you did?

Having the wedding in Miami, we wanted it to be a beachy, breezy kind of theme without being too cheesy. I’m a sucker for all things bohemian inspired, so that was an underlying theme as well, with big garden bouquets and mix-matched vases. Given that we both love to travel and it was such an integral part in us ending up together, we decided to place maps and globes around as accent decor.

Do you have advice for couples still in the planning process?

I did a lot of DIY things and I tried to plan as much as I could by myself, but at the end of the day I ended up hiring a planner to help me. For me, it was the best decision and really helped ease all my worries. Also, when you find yourself getting too stressed out and frustrated with each other-go out on a date and talk about anything BUT the wedding.

What were some challenges you faced planning your wedding & what would you have done differently to avoid them?

We had our reception at a venue that was fairly cheap and oceanfront and beautiful, but they only rented out the space and no other services. It became pretty stressful to think of all the tiny details since the venue didn’t include table/chair rentals, linens, etc. There were a lot of things that I didn’t think of that if I hadn’t had a planner probably would’ve been overlooked. I think if I were to do it differently I would probably try to condense the amount of vendors I was using so as to limit the number of people that need to be held responsible for things.

Was there a theme for the ceremony and reception?

Since the ceremony was in a pretty, wooden church, we didn’t feel the need to decorate too much. There were some mason jars lining the aisles, but that was about all. We did however splurge on renting a vintage Rolls Royce to pick us up and take us to the party! The reception had an oceanside bohemian theme to it with a touch of vintage travel.

What was the wedding budget?

$20,000.

What were the highlights from the ceremony & reception?

My favorite part of the ceremony was when the cantor sang Pescador de Hombres. My grandpa recently passed away and that was his favorite song; my grandma told me she felt like he was still there with us and that it meant so much to her. Some very memorable parts of the reception included my extremely talented cousin singing “Brown Eyed Girl” for the father-daughter dance. I surprised my dad with both the song and the live performance and he loved it! Also, the speeches from Jaime’s best friends, my sister, and our fathers were so beautiful and heart-felt. It was truly amazing to see people from all over the world come together and dance and celebrate with us. Finally, I think the late night food truck we surprised our guests with was pretty great. Both Jaime and I like to party so we had an 8 hour reception! Late night munchies were definitely a must.

Where did you save the most money?

Alcohol, definitely. The venue allowed us to provide our own alcohol so we got to control that aspect of the party. I also did several DIY projects for the decor and the florals I got helped pretty up the place a lot.

Was there any Do it Yourself (DIY) projects? If so, can you describe them in detail?

Yes-the guest favors were small linen bags of coffee beans and I stenciled the word “cafe” on them. I made the piñata the day before because I thought it would add to the fun! My friends helped me make ribbon wands with aqua, coral and gold tones that guests used instead during the “send-off”. I ordered mason jars in bulk and decorated them with ribbons and straws. I also bought a shelf from a thrift store and white washed it. We put the mason jars, drink dispensers and globe (also a thrift store-buy) on there. I collected wine bottles, spray painted them aqua and stenciled numbers on them for each table.

Can you share some tips or tricks that you learned along the way leading up to the wedding or after?

Definitely shop around for your vendors. I had a few quote me prices at the beginning that were astronomical. They told me that it was the going rate for the Miami area, but I decided to keep looking at more options. My vendor team worked in my budget and they were absolutely AMAZING. All of them did just as good if not better work than other vendors that were charging way more.

What was your favorite part of the day?

Too many to choose from! To name a few-my sister’s speech, dancing with my father to “Brown Eyed Girl” sung by my talented cousin, dancing with EVERYONE. Oh, and we made a piñata that was full of mini alcohol bottles and candy. That was definitely a big hit once we cracked it open!

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

Since I had to return to school and Jaime just started a job, we actually weren’t able to honeymoon right away. However, we are currently planning a lengthy trip to Southeast Asia in May of 2015 for our one year anniversary and a belated honeymoon!

What inspired the wedding day outfits?

I’m a very sentimental person, so my dress was the exact same wedding dress my mother wore. My grandmother sewed it and the quality of the material still held up beautifully. Jaime had a clean, sleak style and his grey suit reflected that. We both had accents of aqua and coral and I wore a flower crown to give it a bohemian feel since I identify with that style a little more.

What are you most excited about for the future?

Traveling the world with my best friend and love of my life. Of course, one day we would love to have a familybut for now, we are looking forward to being a selfish young couple with many adventurous plans!

What songs did you use during the ceremony?

We got married in St. Augustine Catholic Church so we used some beautiful traditional hymns.

Processional: Canon in D
Brides Entrance: Meditation Thais
Offering: Ave Maria
Communion: Pescador de hombres
Meditation: His Eye is on the Sparrow
Recessional: Trumpet Voluntary

How many guests were invited in your wedding and what was the final guest count?

Ours isn’t a super accurate portrayal of how most weddings are since EVERYONE had to travel (and many of them from Chile). We both come from huge families, so we invited about 250 with the knowledge that most of them wouldn’t be able to come-especially the elderly Chileans. Our final count was 125 which I think was the perfect number.

Vendors

Photographer: Blackbird Foto