THOUGHTFUL LOCAL WEDDINGS FEATURING SIMPLE CREPE WEDDING DRESSES
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one wedding planning dilemma we hear often is how to incorporate your love story into details of your wedding day. for some, inspiration strikes easily and DIY wedding decorations come naturally. for others, it can be hard to turn the wedding inspo you see on pinterest into an item that suits your ideal wedding aesthetic and budget.
below are two a&bé couples that did an amazing job of touching on their love story. from ensuring guests knew their romantic routes to strategically picking venues, vendors, and more that supported their journey, we love when our brides use their big days as an avenue to better explore their style and invite guests along for the ride.
COLLEGE LOVE STORY
sometimes love at first sight is when sparks fly and at other times, repeat run-ins are what serve as a reminder that this may be something more. for #aandbabe hannah and josh, the latter is true. hannah and josh had met in multiple settings before exploring the idea of a relationship. hannah explains, “after a few more times of group hangouts, dating each other's best friends, and exchanging numbers - finally both of us realized how well of a match we were for each other”.
WISCONSIN ENGAGEMENT
after meeting, hannah and josh spent much of their time together enjoying college life. from cheap dates to university of minnesota football games, they spent years building their bond and experiencing life together.
after dating for six years, josh surprised hannah with the proposal of her dreams. popping the question on a trip to madeline island in wisconsin, hannah excitedly accepted!
TROPICAL WEDDING DECOR
when it came time for wedding planning, hannah and josh kept the majestic lake superior views of their island engagement in mind. hannah shares, “we went for a slight tropical/minimalist vibe to bring the warm to minnesota”.
while the weather was cold and rainy, vibrant greenery and destination wedding vibes were a key part of bringing warmth into their minimalistic ceremony space and rustic reception area. getting married in front of a brick fireplace, bright white bud vases lined the center of the mantle. on the edges of each side, a greenery floral installation hung over with leafy branches and exotic foliage. small white roses created balance among the rich greens and added a timeless elegance to the tropical wedding florals.
the brides and bridesmaids held unique bouquets with oversized fonds serving as the main feature of each striking tropical wedding bouquet.
ALYSSA KRISTIN WEDDING DRESS
with their tropical wedding theme and eye-catching decor, hannah stood out in her simple alyssa kristin wedding dress. the plunging neckline and thick waistband of alyssa kristin’s ‘vivian’ dress turned out to be just the right amount of detail for the minimal bridal style hannah was hoping to achieve.
the simplicity of this sleeveless fitted crepe wedding dress also allowed hannah to have a little fun when adding bridal accessories to the look. pairing vivian with made with love’s ‘detachable tulle wings’ instead of a veil, hannah captured the attention of her guests. these glamorous bridal wings added length to her train and were taken off as the day progressed.
hannah also wore hushed commotion’s ‘saige earrings’. this asymmetric looped earring design delicately dangled from her ears and the pearl and glass beads added a slight touch of sparkle.
from statement wedding accessories to their simplistic setting at the hutton house, hannah and josh’s spring wedding in minnesota was as they say, “pure bliss and magic”.
dress designer: alyssa kristin / bridal shop: a&bé minneapolis / photographer: michaela cheney / venue: the hutton house / day of coordinator and florals: essen events / hair and makeup: styled by abbi / catering: marna's catering / suits: atmospfere / rentals: the fond collective
DOGPATCH DISTRICT LOVE STORY
meeting at a mutual friend’s going away party, #aandbabe lily and tim struck up such a good conversation that they knew they needed to get together again. lily shares, “as i was leaving and saying my goodbyes, tim asked if i'd like to have dinner sometime”. after saying yes, lily met him in the dogpatch district of san francisco for their first date!
the date went better than either of them imagined. chatting for over 6 hours, they realized that this was very likely the start of their love story. after moving in together during the pandemic and tim proposing, they both knew that the dogpatch district had to be a part of their wedding day.
SAN FRANCISCO WEDDING VENUE
narrowing in on the neighborhood where they wanted to get married helped lily and tim on their search for the perfect venue. they had often walked by the pearl sf and knew that this venue would be perfect for their modern wedding reception.
not only did the pearl sf fit into the personal story they were trying to share with their guests, but it also had the modern industrial vibes that they were looking for in a wedding venue. when gushing about their the pearl sf venue lily said the space featured their “love of maps and subways”. being an urban planner, she found the venue’s permanent installation of subway maps fascinating.
LOCAL WEDDING VENDORS
from their unique venue to their curated vendor list, every decision was made keeping local artists and creatives in mind! “each element of our wedding had some sort of meaning including sustainability, shopping small, sourcing locally, and some DIY.”
tim’s wedding band was custom made by a metalsmith in dogpatch and lily had her bridal clogs created by bryr clogs, a women-owned business also in the neighborhood. even the coffee they served as part of their midnight snack session was roasted locally by sami of potrero trade operators. staying true to their san francisco roots and supporting their community as much as they could, we love how thoughtful lily and tim were when investing in their wedding vendor team!
ANAIS ANETTE WEDDING DRESS
lily found her anais anette wedding dress at our a&bé portland location. during a visit to our portland bridal shop she was surprised to learn about the design process of anais anette and their ability to craft custom wedding gowns. “i was thrilled to learn that i could completely customize anais anette gowns”, she shares.
wearing a custom anais anette gown that was a mix of their poppy and tobie styles, lily shined during their rooftop wedding ceremony at the fairmont. she styled her custom anais anette dress from a&bé portland with a horsehair trim veil and olive and piper earrings.
from their friend’s performance of ‘all of me’ by john legend to enjoying hawaiian shave ice from always aloha shave ice, their reception dinner was full of surprises. sitting at their sweetheart table under a whimsical wooden tree installation, they were finally able to watch their dream wedding vision come to life.
dress designer: anais anette / bridal shop: a&bé portland / photographer: caroline tran / venue: the pearl sf / planning and styling: atlas design studio / florist: ampersand sf / shave ice: always aloha shave ice / photo booth: say ya! photo booth / custom ice cubes: blind tiger ice / coffee: potrero trade operators / catering: california rose catering / rentals: bright event rentals and the wild ones rentals / dj: dj jkixx / harpist: angelic harp / hair and makeup: julie dy / wedding bands: no.3 fine jewelry and emi grannis / bride’s earrings: olive and piper / bride's shoes: bryr clogs