A Romantic Surprise Proposal Idea

Dec 15th

by: Adair

[Editor’s note: We’re starting today with something a little different- a romantic surprise proposal! Our contributor Adair helped to plan this proposal idea as inspiration for future grooms, and it was so gorgeous and simple that we just had to share it with you all! Take it away Adair!]

With Engagement Season upon us, it is time for me to talk directly to the person who might be thinking about “popping the question” with a surprise proposal! Let’s press the fast forward button- past the proposal and the moment your Forever Love says “Yes!” with tears welling in their eyes. Literally five minutes after that “YES!” was spoken, they will to be on the phone with mom, best friends, close friends, dad, siblings, and then just about everyone you encounter, sharing that you two just got engaged! And I will bet you that each of those people will always ask the question, “Well, how did you propose?” One thing I know for sure- you do not want it to be a boring story! That moment will live on for the rest of your lives together and you are going to hear it at least 100 times in the first 24 hours of your engagement. And with all the flashmobs, hidden photographers, and music video proposals that are out there, it’s hard to figure out what exactly to do when it comes to proposing.

A Romantic Surprise Proposal Idea via TheELD.com

So now I know what you’re thinking… “How do I come up with the PERFECT surprise proposal?” Really the answer is actually a lot easier than one would think!

1) Start thinking about the favorite hobbies, places, vacations, and memories you have made together.

2) What does your future fiancée love or enjoy to do? A pet, fashion, music, yummy food?

3) No matter what you do, there are two things that are always important in a proposal: 1) begin by sharing from your heart how you feel about that person and 2) ALWAYS get down on one knee.

These things, though few in number, are SO important to remember and can be used to create the perfect proposal for the two of you.

So now that we have those tidbits out in the open, are you ready for some inspiration? I teamed up with Soulshine Rentals to create this romantic surprise proposal in Jacksonville Beach, captured by Brooke Images Photography. For this shoot we created the storyline of our Bride-to-be, Rachel, coming home to a candlelit rose petal path, leading her to a little love note from her hunny, Kenny. I’ll let the photos tell you the rest of the story!

A Romantic Surprise Proposal Idea via TheELD.com

I love the concept of a surprise proposal that is still intimate and romantic. Can you imagine being surprised by something like this upon arriving to your home?

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Brooke Images / Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Dairing Events / Rentals: Soulshine Rentals

A Garden Inspired Brunch Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 1 Comments

, ,

Dec 12th

by: Michelle

pinterest twitter fb stumble gplus

Katharine and Tom had an laid back brunch wedding filled with garden inspired details and gorgeous beachfront views! With the help of The Majestic Vision, this couple was able to successfully incorporate their love for their own garden into their wedding, and Robert Madrid Photography was there to capture it all! Katharine is here with us today to share more about planning her wedding:

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

Stefany Allongo at The Majestic Vision was definitely the number one help. I had no idea what I wanted to do when we first sat down to talk, but she asked me questions like “What’s the most important thing you want to have at your wedding?” (my answer was a good photographer), and “What kind of feeling do you want your wedding to have?” (I believe I said comfortable). She helped pull all of our ideas into a single cohesive vision.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

I needed a team that I could trust. We looked at lots of examples of everyone’s work to make sure we had the same general style, and during interviews I had to be completely comfortable every time we spoke or emailed. The team we put together, the Planner, Florist, Photographer, Videographer, Musician, and Chef, I trusted each one of them to make my thoughts a reality, and let them follow their own instincts. Everything came out so much better than I ever imagined!

What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?

We had just bought a house with a bunch of land and were spending nearly every day outside together planting trees and flowers. It was so much fun that we decided to have a garden theme wedding. The beautiful flowers and succulents complemented the beachfront view and created this amazing warm welcoming feeling. Afterwards, we took the succulents home and planted them in our front garden. They’re so beautiful.

And a little extra behind-the-scenes look at this lovely brunch wedding…

Katharine & Thomas Highlight from Jamice Ivie on Vimeo.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Get a wedding planner! Stefany saved us literally thousands of dollars and our sanity. She thought of all the little details and finishing touches that made a huge impact, and she made the wedding day flow so smoothly. I still don’t know if there were any last minute emergencies! She thought of everything, picked up every last minute item I called her about, coordinated all my vendors, and helped me pause during the wedding and just take in how wonderful everything was. She was priceless.

Katharine’s recommendation to get a wedding planner is absolutely perfect- she states everything that I say all the time! They are such a sweet and fun couple- I love that they ended their day with some fun photos on the beach! I guess that’s a plus when you have a brunch wedding, right? You still have a good amount of the day to revel in your newlywed bliss!

Have any of you considered- or would you consider- doing a brunch wedding? What are your thoughts?

Vendors who made it all happen…

Wedding Planner/Coordinator: The Majestic Vision / Photographer: Robert Madrid Photography / Videography : Anchor Weddings / Reception Venue: Marriot Singer Island / Flowers & Decor: Gerilyn Gianna Event and Floral Design / Entertainment : Bassline Entertainment / Dessert Display : The Majestic Vision / Bride’s Dress: Alfred Angelo

Exclusive ELD Vendors

Like the post above? Here are the Every Last Detail vendors that participated making this post beautiful! Featured vendors are hand picked and approved by Lauren. Get more information by clicking on them below:

A Garden Inspired Brunch Wedding
View Portolio

5 ways to incorporate wine into your wedding

Category: SPONSORS, WEDDING PLANNING 0 Comments

Dec 12th

by: Lauren

pinterest twitter fb stumble gplus

If you’re a wine lover like me, you may be wondering about a few ways to incorporate wine into your wedding beyond just serving it. Lucky for us, Francis Ford Coppola sent me a few of their Votre Santé wines, and it turns out that they’re the perfect wines for a celebration! So I got with my friend Leslie Jean Photo and decided to use the Votre Sante wines as “models” to demonstrate a few examples of how you can incorporate wine into your wedding!

Votre Santé wines pay tribute to Francis’s grandmother who began a family tradition of toasting “a votre santé,” meaning “to your health,” each time she raised a glass. Created in her honor, this wine is the perfect accompaniment to toast any family tradition, whether preserving old traditions, or creating new and lasting memories- including the joining of two families in marriage!

1) Give wine as a gift to ask your bridesmaids

There are lots of cute wine gift boxes and carrying cases out there, and gifting your favorite wine would be great way to ask your best gals to be your bridesmaid! Add a gift tag or card with your message of choice, and if you want to go a step further, you could even include a custom wine glass!

2) Use wine in a signature drink

If you’re already serving wine at your wedding, why not add a bit of a twist to the options and offer a signature drink that uses wine? There are several options and recipes out there, including white wine with lemon-lime soda, red wine and cola, and of course one of my favorites, sangria.

3) Table numbers

Sometimes I’m convinced that wine bottles were MADE to be table numbers! I love it when things can serve a dual purpose, so I would recommend putting a bottle of wine on tables and letting it serve as a table number as well as allowing guests to drink it too. You can do lots of things when using wine as a table number- here I did a chalkboard sign that just simply goes around the neck of the bottle. (I like this so guests can see what kind of wine they’re drinking.)

And another option would be to create custom labels and place them over the existing label. If you go this route, I recommend including information about the wine on the custom label.

4) Wine bottles as a guest book alternative

Using wine bottles as a guest book alternative is something that is commonly seen now- especially if couples are wine lovers! You can place a bottle (or bottles) of your favorite wine out with paint pens for your guests to sign. Some people choose to do special bottles for each “anniversary”, and then drink them on that anniversary- which I think is a great idea! Once you drink the wine, you can just save the bottle and use it to remember your wedding day.

5) Wine tasting wedding reception

I’m particularly fond of the idea to have a wine tasting wedding reception- mostly because I haven’t really seen it done! This would of course be more of a cocktail-style reception, and you could have various food stations that are paired with a particular wine. My favorite part of this is the details that you could have! You could have custom wine glass markers for each guest with their names on them (so they don’t lose their glass), and then have custom wine glasses as your favors!

As I mentioned before, Francis Ford Coppola’s Votre Sante is an awesome wine to use for celebrations- including weddings of course!

And great news! As an ELD reader, you can get 15% off your first order of Francis Ford Coppola wine and $5 shipping! Just click here and use the promo code “COPPOLA15”!

So tell me- will you be incorporating wine into your wedding at all? What will you be doing?

A Polka Dot Inspired Colorful Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 1 Comments

, , , ,

Dec 10th

by: Lauren

pinterest twitter fb stumble gplus

This colorful wedding in Alexandria is one of my absolute favorites I’ve ever seen! Inspired by the bride’s love of polka dots and color, shades of mint, pink, and yellow (plus sequins!) were the perfect way to infuse a bit of fun and style into this unique wedding at Hotel Monaco. Sweet Pea Photography was there to capture all of the amazing, colorful details that Roberts & Co. Events had a hand in implementing, and lucky for us, the gorgeous, color-loving bride Johanna is here today sharing her planning insight with us! You are going to absolutely LOVE this wedding…

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

My family and wedding planners helped the most from planning to the day of.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

We looked for vendors that we felt could think beyond the traditional wedding.

What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?

We started with my favorite color palette and love for polka dots. We found a mint and gold polka dotted table cloth and from there everything fell in place.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

Other than marrying Tom and being with family and friends, my favorite thing would have to be the decor. We all put a lot of effort into the design and it was great to see it come together.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Relax on the day of. The wedding itself goes by in a flash and you want to absorb as much as you can.

Yep, I definitely agree with Johanna to relax on your wedding day! She made a good decision hiring a planner to help execute her vision for a nontraditional wedding, and it definitely sounds like she’s happy with that decision!

And can we just talk about the amazing colors, decor, and details?! The table numbers, the giant sequin backdrop, the gold and mint polka dot linens… I could seriously live in this wedding!

Johanna loves polka dots and color and used that to inspire her wedding design and decor- are any of you going to be using some of your favorite things to inspire your own wedding?