Sophisticated + Elegant Phoenix Wedding

Although Emily and Rodrigo were married at San Diego’s The Prado at Balboa Park in front of almost 280 of their friends and family, the way they look at each other in these photos it’s like there wasn’t anyone there but the two of them. I adore all the succulents (check out the arbor covered in them!) that Adrianne Smith used throughout the event, including some smaller potted ones on the tables that guests were able to take home. Both beautiful and green! Thanks to Jennifer Dery for sharing these beautiful photos.

It’s no wonder that classic style rules the day at Meghan and Aaron’s Chautauqua, New York, affair–after all, the wedding was held at The Hall of Philosophy at Chautauqua Institution, an education center and summer resort where Meghan’s family goes back generations. To set the tone for their day, the couple sent out vintage-style stationery designed by the groom, Aaron Fetter. Following the outdoor ceremony, where bridesmaids wore short pink Jenny Yoo Collection dresses that sweetly coordinated with hydrangea bouquets by Francesca’s Floral Design, guests headed to the resort’s Athenaeum Hotel for a laid-back reception that included a buttercream cake from The Cakery, plenty of dancing, and the release of paper sky lanterns, which lit up much the way Meghan did in her Watters gown! We love these images from Hunter Photographic and can’t get enough of all of the beautiful details waiting for you in the gallery!

There’s nothing better than a good outdoor Southern wedding! Lauren and Jeff held theirs at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the perfect backdrop for an effortlessly elegant ceremony. And even though the surroundings were stunning alone, Robert Long Flora Design stepped in to create lush bouquets in whites and blues that complemented the garden plantings. Lauren’s gorgeous Priscilla of Boston dress is the stuff our dreams are made of—check out the lace scallop detailing! Navy bridesmaids dresses from Ann Taylor grounded all of the lighter colors—we adore the flattering ruching at the top.  Melissa Schollaert Photography captured every last detail of this classic affair, and we’re drooling over all of the pictures—especially the one with the Frosted Pumpkin Gourmet, Inc., cake wrapped in Tiffany blue satin ribbon!

Anne and Michael blended elements of three cities for their summer wedding. They wed at the River East Art Center in Chicago, where they fell in love. They asked caterer Paramount Events to add Pierce’s Pitt bar-b-que sauce — a favorite from Anne’s hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia — to their pulled pork sliders. And they shared cheese curds from Michael’s old stomping ground of Madison, Wisconsin, with their guests. Just outside the center where the were married, photographer Austin Gros snapped the most beautiful images of the couple with Chicago’s skyline as the background. We also love the classic pink and navy color palette and all the elegant and pretty floral arrangements by Revel Decor!

“I felt lucky just to meet you and be your friend. And I feel even luckier to have married you and love you for a lifetime.”  Tanner and Rachel met on their first day of medical school and their friendship quickly turned into something special, and soon they found themselves gathering their closest family and friends for an intimate destination wedding at the Copperwynd Resort in Fountain Hills, Arizona, where Tanner spoke those words to his new wife.  I love the deep burgundy and plum flowers from Petal Pusher and the beautiful desert setting!  Rachel is a positively radiant bride, resplendent in her gorgeous lace Ulla-Maija gown, and these two are completely head-over-heels in love, as evidenced in the absolutely beautiful images from Melissa Jill.

This morning’s beautiful Phoenix wedding truly captures the beauty of the desert!  Brett and Cara were the winners of the Desert Botanical Garden wedding contest – their story was chosen out of 252 entrants (read more here) – and their wedding features many incredibly talented Phoenix wedding vendors who donated their services for the couple’s 10-10-10 wedding.  Victoria Canada and her team made sure the day ran smoothly, Petal Pusher created stunning garden arrangements which held their own against the desert flora, and Keith Pitts Photography captured all of the lovely images.

For their Massachusetts wedding day, Alex and Chris wanted nothing but everyone to have a splendid time, good food, good drinks, and good memories being passed around. All captured through the lens of The Light and Color Wedding Photography, the Ipswich couple chose to have a traditional wedding day. Alex chose a classic A-line Hayley Paige beauty and the cherry on top of her trousseau was her mom’s veil that she donned for her day. Their ceremony was held at St. John’s Prep (fun fact: Alex is a dentist and St. John’s Prep was the same school where Alex’s boss and Chris’s dad went. The guys are still good friends!), Chris’s high school alma mater. For their wedding reception, they dressed up The Hellenic Center in shades of soft blues and pinks, and organic-style blooms designed by Chris’s sister-in-law, Teresa. Weddings like these that are centered around family and steeped in tradition always leave such a feel-good warmth to our day.

Amy and Michael’s San Francisco wedding, held at The James Leary Flood Mansion in the heart of the city, is simply breathtaking! You don’t get much more romantic than a backdrop of rolling California hills, and add to that Amy’s stunner of a gown, by Vera Wang, and mod, succulent, and white flower arrangements by Birch, and you have quite an affair! We’re smitten with Amy’s wax leaf, moss, and white bud bouquet, too. Tanja Lippert Photography shared these gorgeous images of an understated, romantic ceremony, followed by a reception at which no detail was left untouched by Maxine Andrew! We love the contemporary tablescapes and the pops of gold and hot pink in the seating areas. Pardon us while we swoon over each and every gorgeous image in the gallery!

Beachside weddings in Santa Monica simply guarantee gorgeousness, and Pauline and Richard’s wedding at Shutters on the Beach doesn’t disappoint. We’re loving the juxtaposition of sophisticated ceremony images with casual beach portraits from Connie Lyu Photography. Pauline is a glowing bride in a lace mermaid-style gown, and we love the crispness of the water blue bridesmaids dresses. Touches of lace and pastel pink accent this entire dreamy affair. We wouldn’t change a thing, see it all in the gallery!

Simple and classic were the keywords Liz and John Mark kept in mind as they planned their elegant affair in Jackson, Mississippi. “If you knew me, you’d know that every detail of this wedding reflected my personality,” Liz says. “I love simple elegance!” Looking at these images from A Bryan Photo, we can see elegance in every single aspect of this couple’s wedding, held at First Presbyterian Church with a reception at the Country Club of Jackson. From monochromatic white bouquets carried by the bride and her bridesmaids by Fresh Cut Catering & Floral to the girls’ long, gorgeous navy dresses from The Dessy Group, we’re in love with everything Liz planned! But our favorite detail? Perhaps the couple’s vintage getaway car, decorated with tin cans and ribbon! See all of the classic details in the gallery!

We love the location of Kristy and Harnnull’s California wedding—tucked away in the gardens of Cafe Pinot in the heart of downtown LA! The couple carried the floral theme over into their invitations from It’s Amore Design + Letterpress and even used nature-inspired recipe cards for a guest book. Adrienne Gunde Photography captured the day of laid-back elegance for the couple, who had Bunch Studio and Sassy Girl Weddings & Events collaborate for chic, loose pink and green florals and reception decor that looks so pretty in the afternoon light. We think this lovely day was absolutely perfect—see it all in the gallery!

There are so many gorgeous elements in Jennifer and David’s wedding, held at The Blue Dress Barn in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The site itself is rustic, but touches like feathers and lush blooms in bouquets and arrangements from Posh Petals and Jennifer’s absolutely amazing Paloma Blanca gown—complete with an unbelievable rhinestone-and-lace capelet—upped the glam factor in a major way! French Country details and a chocolate wedding cake festooned with more feathers from Dee’s Specialty Cakes just furthered the sophisticated feel at this woodsy location. The images from Amy Carroll Photography captured the magical, charming sentiment of this wedding. And we totally adore the bride’s lottery ticket wedding favors, tied in festive bags with a penny! We’re somewhat teary just looking at the emotion on Jennifer and David’s faces—what an absolutely breathtaking affair!

Even though Nan and Matt were nervous about the “temperamental, hurricane-season North Carolina weather,” the couple married outdoors at The Crabapple Garden at Fearrington Village near Chapel Hill under bright blue skies. Julia Wade Photography took the gorgeous pictures of Nan and Matt’s day, which included a barn reception, lush white florals by Mary Stevens of Fearrington Village, and a pretty textured cake by Jill Leckey, also of Fearrington Village. Nan’s lace Alvina Valenta gown was classic all the way, but the bright blue Badgley Mischka heels she wore offered an elegant pop of color and a nod to her alma mater, Duke. The bridesmaids also wore bright blue Amsale dresses, while the groomsmen’s light blue High Cotton bow ties pledged their allegiance to Matt’s alma mater, the University of North Carolina. They may be split on college loyalties, but we all agree that this was a practically perfect wedding weekend!

Abby and Luke say they didn’t know what to expect from the finicky Midwest weather on their March wedding day but, from the looks of these photos from Amanda Hein Photography, we forecast happily ever after! From the bride’s structured, embellished Vwidon gown and the sleek backdrop of Chicago’s St. Alphonsus Catholic Church to the understated flowers and decor from Hello Darling, this affair was incredibly elegant. What we love most about this modern ceremony and reception is that the couple wasn’t afraid to go old-school for a little dancing fun—Sixteen Candles performed retro eighties hits so guests could groove all night long at the Union League Club of Chicago. Just like Air Supply sang, we’re lost in love!

Love was blowing through the Windy City on Carrie and Mike’s wedding day, and these breathtakingly sweet photos showcase the elegance of it all! The couple wanted guests to have a real taste of the city, and the downtown Chicago Cultural Center was just the right venue for their ceremony and reception. Jesse Deckard of Event Creative made sure Carrie had a classic all-white bouquet to accent her White by Vera Wang gown – Carrie is a drop-dead gorgeous bride and we have to admit to being just a wee bit smitten with her! We love details like the moss reception table numbers wedding planner Lauren Carter of Lola Event Productions found, and the foam fingers that guests used to welcome Carrie and Mike to their reception. Such a fun day captured by Bobbi+Mike!

The pastoral beauty of the Clifton Inn in Charlottesville acted as the backdrop for Jen and Joseph’s outdoor ceremony, and they couldn’t have asked for a more gorgeous Virginia day! We adore the soft green, gold, and blue color palette inspired by the seaside, and the beautiful floral table runner. All of the simple but elegant details, from lush hydrangea bouquets by Southern Blooms to Jen’s lovely strapless scalloped gown, were captured by the impeccable Katie Stoops and we are utterly in love.

There’s just something effortlessly romantic about the New England coast, and the Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, Rhode Island, didn’t disappoint for Amy and Chet’s wedding festivities. Bridesmaids carried bright pink and yellow wildflower-style bouquets from Allison Phalen Floral Design that played off the natural setting along Narragansett Bay, but the bride held tight to traditional formal elegance with an all-white arrangement and classic silhouette gown. Veronica’s Sweetcakes created a simple two-tier treat that looked too pretty to eat! We can feel the happiness in these sweet photos from Rebecca Arthurs Photography!

Warm and elegant, Euri and John’s wedding at Pasadena’s The Athenaeum is pure romance!  Euri chose one of our favorite color palettes – soft ivory and peach, dusty pink, and pale gray -  and mixed in beautiful mercury glass containers and luxe gold linens on the gorgeous tabletops created by Lindy at Commerce Flowers.  Euri is a positively stunning bride in her custom lace gown from Monaco Bridal (that floaty skirt, I die!), and we are head-over-heels in love with the fabulous images from one of our favorites, Erin Hearts Court!

Jourdie and Michael shared a small celebration with friends and family in St. Louis’ Missouri Botanical Garden. Clary Photo beautifully captured the wedding’s soft floral décor, from pink peony bouquets to mint julep cups filled with blooms arranged by Wildflowers. The bride even wore soft pink Jimmy Choo heels, which went perfectly with their subtle pink theme! The bridesmaids dark blue dresses were the perfect pop of a deep color. And don’t you adore the signs that dotted the guestbook table? They were handmade by the bride.  We fell in love with the simple elegance of Jourdie and Michael’s wedding and know you will too!

I’m not sure I could envision a more beautiful lakefront wedding than Amber and Andy’s Michigan nuptials. The view was so gorgeous at their ceremony they were worried an arbor would distract from the view, so BLOOM created magnificent hydrangea-and-rose-filled urns to line the aisle. The perfect complement to such a beautiful ceremony! The elegant ballroom at The Inn at Bay Harbor was decorated with coral and peach flowers and touches of nautical details. Amber and Andy are the most gorgeous couple and we are utterly in love with these images from Amy Carroll Photography!