Jenny and Ryan married in Irwin, ID at the River House, which is on the Snake River. Their stunning wedding was shot by the amazing Katy Gray. I love this wedding. It’s simple, intimate, and breathtaking all-in-one.

I adore their flowers. MD Nursery designed all of the floral arrangements.

Isn’t Jenny stunning with her birdcage veil?

Talk about an entrance. Ryan arrived via canoe.

Jenny and Ryan’s personal touches even included a cigar bar.

You can check out more of Katy Gray Photography by visiting her website and blog.

Catering: Dining In Catering

Band: Steam Powered Airplane

Wedding Coordinator: Special Events Jackson Hole

Flowers: MD Nursery

Venue: River House

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style is to weddings what Vogue is to the fashion world. Brides dreams of being in it. Brides pull inspiration from it. We are officially 8 days from the release of Grace Ormonde’s first book, Being in Love Never Goes Out of Style. It’s 400 pages of inspiration from the best vendors Grace has seen from the past decade. We can’t help but fall in love with the photography, the cakes, the food, and we can all secretly wish Mike Colon could shoot our wedding.

Grace has said of her book, ” Coordinators can use it as a planning guide. Photographers can use it to find inspirational lighting. Cake masters and chefs can find creative food designs. Florists can inhale the floral visions. A bride can visually reference to styles she likes instead of only painting it with words. The possibilities are limitless.”

I can not wait for this book to hit the shelves. I admire Grace and what she has done for the wedding industry. She loves beautiful photography and inspires us all to think bigger. Grace will be hitting the book tour circuit starting in just a few days. For all of us in the Rocky Mountain Region, Grace will make a stop in Vancouver, B.C. on April 20 at the Vancouver Club from 6-9 pm. You can find full details of the book tour and the book by CLICKING HERE.

When I came across this engagement session by Cheryl Ungar Weddings I had to share. She is such a fantastic photographer. Isn’t this couple and session stunning?!

To see more of Cheryl’s work you can visit her website and blog.

You plan, and you plan, and you plan. For some of you it takes a year, others maybe a few months. If you don’t have a wedding website who are you sharing all of your ideas with? There are a ton of forums for advice, planning, and ideas. But, what I want to know is what are you doing? What latest trends do you like and which ones will you use on your big day? What vendors caught your eye?

Why not tell the world what you are doing? I’m looking for bridal contributors for Lucy Dylan Weddings. I am looking for brides who are getting married in the Rocky Mountain Region, or, are from the Rocky Mountains and planning a destination wedding. We want to see your ideas, photos, and everything in between from start to finish.

Email me at info{at}lucydylanweddings.com if you are a bride interested in becoming a bridal contributor for Lucy Dylan Weddings.

Photo courtesy of Jenna Walker Photographers.

When I got the email I was flattered. A maid of honor (who shall rename nameless) emailed me for suggestions. Her best friend has been following my blog for the simple fact my bio says “I loved Starbucks, food, and wine.” She was looking for suggestions on what to serve at her friend’s upcoming bridal shower and asked me if I had any ideas.

Of course I do! So,I thought that I would share a few of the suggestions I gave to this amazing MOH in hopes that it might help you as well.

Since its called “bridal shower” it should be all about showering the bride with everything yummy and special. This day is to celebrate her upcoming wedding, give her amazing gifts, and shower her with love… and FOOD!

1. Don’t be afraid to have a theme. If she loves Alice in Wonderland build a theme around it. If she love Under the Tuscan Sun, have a wine and cheese themed shower. If you are having a theme make sure you let the guests know as well.

Photo courtesy of What’s Cooking America.

2. Make sure your menu includes the brides favorite foods. If she loves sushi you can include it on the menu as an appetizer. Or you can dress up a simple dish like Jalapeno Poppers by adding guacamole.

Photo courtesy of Delish.

3. Signature drinks are a MUST for any party. Make sure you have a few non-alcoholic drinks on the menu. Make them fun! Serve them with fruit and a pretty glass.

Photo courtesy of Sweet and Savory Tooth.

3. If your not having the bridal shower catered, go for simple foods that can be paired with white wines; like mac n’ cheese. If you are having a brunch do Belgium waffles and serve mimosas.

Photo courtesy of Taylor Takes a Taste.

4. Don’t forget about the desserts! A party isn’t a party without amazing cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and everything in between. If you plan the shower far enough in advanced visit the bakery where the bride will be getting their wedding cake. Think about a mini version of the wedding cake or other desserts that they may offer.

Photo courtesy of Living Tastefully.

Lastly, don’t forget about color! Include flowers, the color palette from the wedding, or, the brides favorite colors. Make the day special and fun for everyone.

Happy Planning!

Name: Christina Holt

Location: Cape Town / South Africa

Company Name: Wedding Concepts

Tell us a little about what you do.

I own and manage South Africa’s premier wedding coordination & management agency Wedding Concepts with a wonderful team of 9 – specializing in exclusive destination “designer” weddings to Cape Town. We assist couples who reside overseas to create their stylish wedding by thinking of and coordinating literally every detail you can think of.

Our sister company Travel Concepts is the boutique style travel arm taking care of wedding guest travel from accommodation around the wedding venue to full itineraries across Southern Africa – as well as  honeymoons. We tailor highly personal journeys African journeys with a keen eye for stylish yet authentic travel experiences.

How long have you been in business?

I started my business Wedding Concepts in 2004 when I moved from the UK to Cape Town. My international career however has always been in the hospitality and event management industry – it’s a passion.

What inspired you to start your business/studio?

A very simple (and quite romantic ) story – when still living in Germany and holidaying in South Africa,  I met my British husband Richard in Cape Town and we decided to get married on the very wine estate where we met. I was the classic overseas bride who needed planning assistance on the ground. This is how I met my previous business partner, who I then started Wedding Concepts with. I now actually own the business with my husband and things have literally come full circle . We met in Cape Town, got married here, moved here and now run the business together. The huge global destination wedding trend has of course helped in creating our offer to this scenic part of the world.

What is your favorite thing about your business/studio?

My business at large gives me a great sense of pride – for having established a successful brand together with fabulously devoted team – based on a simple idea, vision and lots of hard work. We also occupy a stylish space that showcases our work and is simply inspiring to work in. My main passion lies in connecting with people from across the globe and working in a truly multicultural industry….plus I get to market South Africa to the world – one of the most beautiful places for a destination wedding.

Was there a defining moment when you knew you picked the right career path?

My career has never been totally straight forward – it is when I listened to my instinct that I was successful. Specifically that was a moment when I woke up after my first night in Africa 10 years ago – saw the beauty of this country and new it would change my life. Very clichéd – but  ever since then I knew I had to live & work here in the Cape. When you are changing your life from the place of “just knowing” – that’s when it works. And it did!

When you built your business what style would you say you built it around? (i.e. classic, modern, vintage)

Wedding Concepts stands for professionalism, sophistication and style with a sense for fun & trends . We interpret wedding visions across many different designs and client personalities. Internally we merge different backgrounds in our multi cultural team and have a real understanding of international design trends. Being a “people business” means that highly personal communication is of course a given.

When working with people how do you help bring the vision for the event to life?

We look for indicators not only in their personalities and personal preferences of our clients: are they fun loving people who love the outdoors – global travelers who reside in 5* luxury – unfussy clients who want a party – interior designers with a lifelong wedding vision etc. Of course we also ask for guidance as to what / how they enjoy, read, eat, celebrate, travel etc. Personal conversations and many, many emails usually paint a brilliant picture!
We then carefully match personalities and the vision of the day to a handpicked group of top service providers. I am also a strong believer in bringing the right personalities together during the months of planning – it is in fact vital!

Where do you go for inspiration? (i.e. blogs, magazines)

More often than not we look for inspiration internally in our “creative team brainstormings”. Thanks to so many creative minds in our business and our industry, we have actually become trendsetters in our field which is such a big part of our success.

Of course personally the smallest “every day” things can inspire me - a napkin fold in a local bistro, an antique vase, a market with seasonal flowers, a friend’s new chaiselounge, a boutique hotel…inspiration can come in unexpected ways.

Is there anything else you want people to know about you and your business/studio?

To all brides out there – think outside the box, consider a destination wedding to South Africa. We are setting international trends here – so dare to experience it for yourself and check out our real life weddings for inspiration.

You can check out more of Wedding Concepts work by visiting their website and their Real Wedding featured here. Also make sure you check out Travel Concepts.