Justin & Mary Brides (& Grooms): Crazy Generous!! :)
So it's official. We have picked our bedside lamps.
I know, right! Because you were all just WAITING with bated breath for us to announce our boudoir illumination of choice. And now that day is here. I mean seriously, I bet the suspense was killing you! :)
And now to the real point of this post. We want to give a HUGE thanks to our bride & groom, Stacey & Charles, for making it all possible. See, keeping true to what we've found to be the case with so many of our incredible couples, Stacey & Charles are crazy. Crazy generous that is!! Because a few days ago we got a thank you card from them with four (count em, four!) gift cards in it: Lowes, Pottery Barn, Starbucks and J. Crew. And the card said this:
1. Just a little something to keep building the love in your home.
2. Something to make sure it's accessorized. :)
3. Something to keep you going strong and ...
4. J. Crew for &J2
Yea, it's official, we have the most amazing clients in the UNIVERSE. And that trend continues tonight as another of our couples, Kristin & Bill, are coming over to cook dinner for us. :)
So we have to run now, but we hope you all are winding up an amazing weekend. And be sure to tune a LOT tomorrow, because we have a jam-packed day full of shoots coming your way!!
Crazy gratefully yours,
J&M
Justin & Mary Brides (& Grooms): Cool Under Pressure
Yesterday we shot the absolutely beautiful wedding of Stacey & Charles. The weather was perfection, the flowers were delicate and timeless, and Stacey & Charles were a vision of Old Hollywood glam. It was the kind of day every girl dreams of. Except that it almost wasn't.
Five days ago, these two got a call that their venue, Monteverde, had gone bankrupt and closed its doors. That's it. Done. Wedding is off.
Except that it wasn't.
Because more than anything, all Stacey & Charles cared about was getting married. They would get married in a backyard if they had to. BBQ & BYOB. But come Saturday and come what may, they were starting a life together. So they stayed cool under some extreme pressure and...they went to work. And in just five days, with the incredibly generous help of Guy Dimeo and Unique Affair Catering, they pulled together an even more beautiful day than anyone could have imagined.
Stacey & Charles, it was an honor to watch you laugh together. To dance together and smile together and raise your glasses together. To see you soak in the most perfect day celebrating the start of the most beautiful life together. Always love the way you do right now. It is an inspiration for the rest of us.
I get ridiculously excited for the mail on a normal day.
I stare at the clock and count down the minutes til it gets here. I perk up my ears and listen for the mailman's steps on our front porch. I sit beside Cooper and look out the window longingly for the sight of his red, white & blue truck.
See, me and our mailman were on a first name basis within the first week. We had our witty banter down pat the week after that. And I'm thinking of inviting him over to dinner the week after next.
His name is Mike by the way. And he is awesome.
Well if I get excited for the mail on a normal day, you can just imagine the happy dance of joy I did when we got this little package in the mail. Yea, I'm not gonna lie. The running man may or may not have been involved.
And let's just go ahead and put it out there. Our clients are the B-O-M-B. Besides the fact that they invite us into their lives and share their love with us. Ignoring the fact that it is uniquely because of them that we get to chase these dreams and live the life we love. Forgetting for just a moment that they've made us who we are. Yea, putting all of that aside for now....they also shop at Restoration Hardware to boot?! Are you kidding me?? :) I love our clients. No. Scratch that. Reverse it. I love, love, love, LOOOOOOVE our clients. And the crazy generous people that they are.
Thank you SO, so much to two of our most recent Clients Turned Friends, Jil & Tom, who rocked our world with a Restoration Hardware gift card that would make even the most sophisticated of business women stop and do the running man in her living room. J&T from the bottom of our hearts we love, love, LOOOOOVE you guys!
xoxo
J&M
AND, I know just the thing to spend it on.....how about some new curtains for our brand new first floor windows?? :)
Justin & Mary Brides: Killer Details (Sonia & Pankit Part V)
And now for all of those KILLER details from Sonia & Pankit's wedding! It is true that we get pretty much the best couples ever, who never cease to blow us away with their amazing, personal and well thought-out details that make their days feel so very them. Who they are as a couple. Who they are together. What makes them....them. And let me just say, Sonia & Pankit may have just set the bar even higher for what it is to be a Justin & Mary Bride. Holy Moly! It was eye candy overload over there, and none of that would have been possible without giving credit where credit is due.
First and foremost, to Tamara Cohen and the entire team at TC Event Design who did not only all the planning for this wedding but all of the flowers as well: you guys outdid yourself. When we walked into the reception and saw what you had put together, it became very clear why you guys have built the business you have. You are talent to the nth degree. With an extra dose of awesomesauce. It was an honor working with you again. Love you guys!
To the Eden Roc Hotel and their entire staff for making everything run smoothly that day and always being willing to help out, thank you for creating such a beautiful backdrop for Sonia & Pankit's big day.
And finally to Madras for whipping up some of the most amazing food we've ever tasted in our lives, you guys are the BOMB. If you want to come to CT and cook for us the rest of our lives, that would be A-OK with us! I'm just sayin.
Enjoy!!
The flowers were crazy beautiful.
The desserts in the foreground were flown in special from India just for the day!
The table cards were gorgeous! Look at those tiny little jewels on there.
Justin & Mary Brides: Killer Details (Renata & Spence Part III)
Alright! Now sit back, relax and feast your eyes on these killer details that Renata & Spence (along with an all-star wedding pro line up) put together. Like I mentioned in Part I, Renata & Spence met while working at the National Imagery & Mapping Agency. So they made sure to incorporate elements of compasses and vintage travel (remember their vintage travel themed engagement shoot?) throughout the day! They also made sure to honor to Renata's Polish heritage, as well as Spence's Seattle roots. Enjoy!!
But first, here is a list of the vendor power house that came together to pull off this wedding. Y'know, so you can hire them yourself!!
We never cease to fall in love with Katherine's creations. She is AMAZING!! C'mon, just look at those feathers! And those little tags with the itty bitty clothes pins are just the icing on an already delicious cake!
This custom made garland at the church was incredible!!
No detail was over looked! Love these vintage votives!
Helloooooo gorgeous!! Really take the time to check out all the nuance and subtle differences that Katherine puts into her work. EVERYTHING is thought out! Basically, she's a floral genius! Yep, I just said it! GENIUS!!
From Katherine:
"Spence and Renata chose an incredible setting for their reception. The concept became to create romantic & lush arrangements, with a vintage aesthetic, inspired by the Old World sensibility and grandeur of the Eolia Mansion.
We started the design with a classic layered palette of whites & greens: romantic & creamy garden roses, white freesia with a peppery scent, snow white nerines with their feather like petals, and white & green hydrangeas. Then we brought in touches of silver: dusty miller & seeded eucalyptus were favorites of the Bride & Groom. Next, we pulled in more texture with silver brunia, lambs ear & silver succulents. The accents of chocolate brown consisted of dark eggplant calla lilies, velvety chocolate cosmos, & spiraling fiddlehead ferns. Passion flower vine was then woven throughout the design. I loved how the silvery accents (the succulents, especially), played off of the exquisite menu cards.
Vintage inspired silver urns & trumpet vases were used through out the mansion. Antiqued mercury glass votives & pillar candles of different heights illuminated the tables and mantles. Large urns of arching maple tree branches added dramatic height to each room, as well as a sense of the season....a nod to Autumn."
Now let me just go ahead and put THIS out there: Traci Romano is hands down one of the most talented people we've ever met. Ever. (which is probably why we had her plan OUR wedding! :) Anytime we know that she is putting together an event, we just go ahead and allow ourselves to get giddy because we know it is going to be mind blowing. And that every detail will be attended to. And since we're kind of detail junkies, she's pretty much our hero!!
From Traci:
"My inspiration for their design was a vintage inspired map by Cavallini & Co. The map embodied them as a couple and also the color concept Renata had selected : Dark Chocolate and Sea Glass Blue. Renata works in DC for the government in spatial mapping and she and Spence are world travelers-so the map itself was as important as the colors.
As you can see in the detail photographs, the map/travel element was always a thought in the design- from the display of the pashmina's in vintage suitcases to the custom gobo on the dance floor it was carefully reiterated throughout the celebration. In addition the menu was also very important to Renata and Spence. They were extremely interested in the sustainability of the foods selected and using local resources for as much of the menu as possible. Spence and Renata thought of every detail to make this celebration personal to them and that is truly what made the night spectacular!"
The centerpieces that Katherine put together at the cocktail hour and reception were UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE!! Love how she incorporated the feathers here!! And check out this vintage suitcase display that Traci & crew put together for the cards.
Every last flower arrangement was RIDICULOUS! And the linens that Traci/R&S got for the cocktail tables are amazing! Love them!
LOVE the idea of incorporating the tangerines! hmmm or are they clementines? Can never tell!
Renata & Spence had mulled wine & kir royale waiting to greet the guests when they arrived at cocktail hour. Along with the bagpiper you saw in Part II. Love the stemware & mason jars that Eric & crew used!
So like I said, Spence's frat brothers like to wear napkins on their heads at weddings. So what can you do....if you can't beat em, join em!! And have custom napkins with your logo imprinted on them made!! :)
Oh and a compass rose on the floor for good measure!
Even the dinner choices had meaning, as the Pacific Northwest planked salmon honored Spence's roots in WA state and the wine is from a restaurant in Seattle that is special to these guys. Incredible! Just look at the presentation from Eric & crew (who ALSO did our wedding!!)
From Eric:
"Renata and Spence enjoyed creating the wedding menu around their world travels while incorporating family heritage and local sustainable foods into the fold. Our team of Chefs took some compass headings and transformed them into destinations for the Bride and Groom. Incorporating Polish inspirations for Renata, and Starbucks Coffee for Spence along with a dash of the warm flavors of fall from Washington State allowed us to create a distinctive menu for this October wedding. A sample of their selections: Warm Mulled Cider offered in Mason Jars, Luksosova Vodka Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters, Cheese Pierogies, Starbucks Coffee Chicken Satay, Bourbon and Brown Sugar Glazed Filet Mignon, Fuji Apple Compote, Alder Plank Grilled Salmon, Ginger Maple Lime Glaze, Whipped Potatoes with Jerusalem Artichokes, Battonet of Fall Vegetables. Late night offerings included a Polish Delicatessen Station as well as Heirloom Pastries."
Check out these tables that Traci & crew put together!!
The tables were named after places R&S have been/ are special to them. Just look at the little passport stamps on them!
Yea, every nook & mantle was attended to!
And, oh yea.....did I forget to mention that there were 12 ft tall displays of foliage?! Well, there WERE! Incredible!
The gorgeous cake with the "Spenata" logo was made by the uber talented Ana Parzych. The detail is incredible!!
As well as the Starbucks shaped groom's cake that was a surprise for Spence! Again, in honor of his Seattle roots. And my addiction. I'm pretty sure my addiction came into play at least a little bit. I'm just sayin....
And of course, no Polish wedding would be complete without the parting gift of vodka. Lots and lots of vodka!!
Sweet dreams!!
Renata & Spence, thank you for putting on the kind of wedding that photographers drool over! And letting us be the ones who got to be there with you. You guys are the bomb! Dot net, dot com. And to all of the incredible vendors involved- Traci, Katherine, Eric, Ana, Geoff & Kate- honestly, you guys make our jobs SO easy. It was an honor working alongside you!!
Justin & Mary Brides
