The Wedding Chicks

With friends and family living all over the world, this fun couple decided to have a destination wedding in a location that would be a nice vacation for all of their guests. The experts at VP Events helped Edward and Gloria put together a bright, colorful wedding that was full of personal touches. Check out all of the gorgeous details from this colorful coastal destination wedding in the full gallery here, all fabulously captured by the ever-so talented Mi Belle Photography.

From Mi Belle Photography:
Edward proposed to Gloria in January of 2012 on the second anniversary of their first date. As LA transplants and with family and friends coming from the Mid-West, East Coast, England, Canada, Australia, and Ghana, they wanted to have a wedding in a destination that would be a vacation for their guests and give them a taste of California. They chose Santa Barbara (where they enjoyed their first weekend getaway together) and the Bacara Resort.

The cliff top setting for the ceremony was the perfect site to cap off their beachside wedding week that included a beach barbecue, wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley, croquet and champagne, and golf at nearby Sandpiper. Gloria and Edward wanted their ceremony and reception to be a celebration with bright colors, a fun atmosphere and some personal touches.

Their signature cocktail was Pimm’s Cup — a nod to the half-British groom; they had a caricature artist sketching portraits of their guests throughout the night; they cut the cake with Edward’s grandfather’s West Point sword; and they served mini versions of their favorite desserts late into the night — crème brulee, peanut butter & chocolate tortes, and macaroons.

From the Bride:
I guess I would have wanted one more hour on the dance floor! In retrospect, I am really glad we had all of the pre and post wedding activities so we really had a chance to talk with all of our guests, many of whom had traveled from all over the globe!

We love the idea of having a caricature artist at your wedding reception. Not only is it something fun and original for your guests to enjoy, but also a unique wedding favor.

One of the personal touches in Edward and Gloria’s wedding celebration was using the West Point sword that belonged to Edward’s grandfather to cut their gorgeous wedding cake — which is so much more fun than a traditional cake knife and a great way to incorporate a unique part of your family history into your special day!

You simply must watch the entire video The Cana Family created of this colorful coastal destination wedding! A breathtaking and memorable wedding film that we could watch over and over.

Photographer: Mi Belle Photography
Coordinator & Event Designer: VP Events
Venue, Cake & Caterer: Bacara Resort and Spa Santa Barabara
Cinematography: The Cana Family
Reception Band: West Coast Music
Flowers: NLC Productions
Lighting: Bella Vista Designs
Shoe Designer: Jimmy Choo
Dress Designer & Hair Accessories: Monique Lhuillier
Grooms Attire: Hugo Boss
Hair & Makeup: Rachel Bartolotta | Officiant: Reverend Edward Perkinson | Stationary: Printed Papers, Ellen J.S. Greenberg

Although they both come from families in the the dairy farming business, Annelise and Blake left the cows and rustic country living at home on their special day. Instead, this couple’s wedding was a posh event filled with bright colors and dramatic lighting.

By pulling various attributes from the couple, the amazingly talented Craig Edwards’ Events created a breathtaking setting for the bride and groom to celebrate with their friends and family. Don’t miss a single detail from this colorful elegant wedding by visiting the full gallery here, all stunningly captured by the talented Tana Photography.

From Craig Edwards:
Both Annelise and Blake come from large, tight-knit dairy farming families. When designing this event I pulled elements out of the bride and groom and that is specific to them and their lives. The invitations set the tone. We use high end paper with white foiling, and carried that feel and theme all the way through; a sense of family, closeness, romance, and elegance.

The goal was to make the venue look like something no one ever had seen before. We opted for family style seating with long sections of tables allowing people who have not seen each other for a while to catch up or to create new friendships.

For a casual approach to assigned tables, we used the same font as the invitations, and had the designer hand write names and table number on chalk boards painted out and written in grey pencil. We set them near the entrance to the dining room.

I also wanted to black out the venue to make the vastness of it disappear and give it a sex appeal. The tables were pin-lit added another element of style. We kept the farm feel (without having to bring in the cows and hay) by renting 15 foot trees and have them placed in between the rows of tables. Up lighting created even more drama.

For the flower arrangements we used mercury glass vases and lined the center of the tables with the vases stuff with dahlias, gardens roses, black calla lilies and trick all on top of black linen tables. We placed candles on the tables to bring in yet another light element and to soften some of the dark edges.

Photographer: Tana Photography
Coordinator & Event Designer: Craig Edwards' Events
Venue & Caterer: Boise Centre on the Grove
Hair & Makeup: Graeber & Company
Cake: Greg Marsh Designer Cakes
Dress Designer: Lazaro
Flowers: Boise At It's Best
Groom's Attire: Vera Wang
Lighting: Production Services International
Shoe Designer: Jimmy Choo
Trees: Farwest Garden Center
Favors: The Chocolate Bar
Dessert: A Tavola
Photography Assistant: Peter Carrera | DJ: Devid Maxwell | Stationery: Paisley Roberts | Prop or Furniture Rentals: Brown Rental | Designer: Amy Granger

While this bride is more of a girly girl and loves anything that sparkles, Justin, her husband, is a huge outdoorsman and country boy at heart. It was with these ideas in mind that they found Crooked Willow Farms online, a venue that clearly represented both of them. The unique yet darling mixture of chic and country made for a gorgeous occasion.

To view all of the simply stunning details of this elegant country wedding visit full gallery here, all captured by the amazingly gifted Angie Wilson Photography

From the Bride:
When we arrived at the venue, we were immediately blown away. The rustic red stables, beautiful show horses, and Rocky Mountains gave it the country feel Justin was looking for. All the while, I fell in love with the gorgeous rod iron chandeliers, flower-filled gardens, and newly designed renovations that reflected the elegance and sparkle I had thought of. It was the perfect mixture of country and flair that we had in mind for our big day.

Not wanting to compete with the beauty of the venue, I kept the decor very simple. For our ceremony, we hung crystal chandeliers and sheer draping tied with burlap ribbon to the altar. I also made a sign out of burlap triangles. We draped it across the aisle to keep the guests from walking on the rose petals. The flowers were another one of my top priorities, and they were nothing short of amazing. They consisted of mostly hydrangeas, which are my absolute favorite. The florist also added branches to the arrangements to add a rustic touch.

My grandma, mom, and I made burlap table runners for each of the reception tables. We also made “MR” and “MRS” letters out of faux pearls to hang on the back of our chairs, and we glued faux pearls to the table numbers. The rustic touches of branches, barns, and boots, mixed with pearls, crystals, and chandeliers, were incredible.

Two signature drinks were served during the cocktail hour and reception. My signature drink was a delicious blueberry mojito, the Something Blue-berry Mojito. Justin’s cocktail, the Muirski Palmer, was named after his nickname and passion for golf. It was here that we were able to tie in more personal touches in a very subtle manor. All said and done, it was the wedding of our dreams. We couldn’t have asked for anything more!

Photographer: Angie Wilson Photography
Makeup: Carissa Passerella
Caterer: Catering by Design
Coordinator: Emily Cann at Table 6 Productions
Dress Designer: Alvina Valenta
Flowers: Palmer Flowers
Groom's Attire: Tom James
Shoe Designer: Badgley Mischka
Stationery: Belletristics
Veil or Hair Accessories: The White Dress by the Shore
Band: Triple Nickel Band
Pianist: Pete Ellingson
Flower Girl Dresses: Laurie's Tutu Boutique
Groom & Groomsmen Boots: Justin Boots
Hair: Erin Ferris | Cake: Courtney Bickford | Officiant: Roddy Bland | Cinematography: Jeremiah Karr