We have a very lovely wedding with a very gorgeous couple from across the pond today. Irene and Aaron got married in the United Kingdom and their ceremony and reception were held in a romantic wine vault that dates back to the 14th century! And if that isn’t rich enough in history for you–Irene and Aaron had their pictures taken outside of Rochester Cathedral and Castle–England’s second oldest cathedral–founded in 604 AD. So cool. But, here’s beautiful Irene to tell us more about their day and their relationship.

Wedding Style: Blending British and Nigerian influences
Colours: Purple and White
Ceremony & Reception: a 14th century bar called The George Vaults.
Photographer: Mamun Humayun of m24instudio
Thank You Cards: MagnetStreet Weddings

Traveling alone, Aaron and I met in the Philippines in 2009. Since then we have traveled to many countries together and maintained a long distance relationship before getting married 14 August 2011. It was an intimate wedding of about 50 people. I’m British and my family is Nigerian so this had a lot of influence on the theme of the wedding, as most of my family wore native Nigerian clothing. However it also had a traditional English influence as it took place in Kent, UK.

The wedding took place in a bar called the George Vaults which has as a 14th-century vault in the basement. There was a very romantic atmosphere as it was small and intimate and lit up with candles. The ceremony and reception were in the same place. They just rearranged the tables and chairs.

The best part of the day …

was when we were announced husband and wife and I walked out of there with my new husband. Taking pictures was also a lovely experience. We were able to take pictures outside Rochester Cathedral and Castle as the venue is opposite those two sites. The reception was also a lot of fun as we love to dance.

Highlights of the day:

The speeches from my brother-in-law, father and my 11 year-old sister were all amazing. My little sister surprised everyone and did a toast for us. The ceremony itself was also very beautiful and went really well.

The venue took care of the catering and decorations and it was so much easier having the ceremony and reception in the same place. Most of my family came down from London so they didn’t know the area. It would have been a lot of hassle having the reception in a different location. I’m glad we didn’t have to worry about finding a separate caterer and decorator. It was very straightforward doing it that way.

Advice I wish I had taken:

Check and double-check bookings over and over to ensure people who say they were going to do something don’t let you down at the last minute. Relying on family and friends helps to cut costs but sometimes it can cause more stress than it’s worth.

Advice I would give:

Compromise as much as you are willing to–in order to keep family members happy–but once you have reached that point don’t budge, or you will end up having the type of wedding you never wanted. Keep it simple and don’t let people pressure you into doing what you don’t want. People are still shocked that we managed to have a small intimate wedding considering my Nigerian background. Weddings in Nigeria are usually like carnivals!

Don’t lose sight of what the day is really about and remember, it’s yours and your spouse’s day. You can’t please everyone, so just stick to what you want as a couple.

Also, ask for money instead of gifts. You can request contributions towards your honeymoon for example. It’s much better than getting random gifts that you may not need or may not go with anything in your house. We had to move to a new country so we didn’t want a lot of stuff.

Irene & Aaron personalized “Wall of Love” Thank You Cards.

Vendor Shout Outs:

Photographer: Mamun Humayun

Their prices were so reasonable and they also did a 1 hour video with all the highlights of the day and behind the scenes footage.

MagnetStreet Weddings

MagnetStreet has a good selection of designs for our thank you cards. We sent the original invitations via email. We used Smilebox so it was a selection of pictures of us on our various travels together and it was accompanied with our song – Stevie Wonder for your love. However, as we sent the invitations via email, we wanted to send real thank you cards with some nice photos as a keepsake. I was impressed with how easy the website was to use and the range of designs available to choose from.

Thank you Irene and Aaron for sharing your spectacular day! We wish you every bit of happiness as you *journey* through life together!

xo

Lili & Davide wed July 2, 2011 

Ceremony: Church of Gornate Superiore this 6th century church is located in rural Varese County
Reception: Villa Castiglioni in the Chianti Region of Tuscany
Colors: Black & White
Thank Yous: MagnetStreet Weddings

Today’s real wedding takes us to the lush Italian landscape and the romantic region of Tuscany. *Sigh* Steeped in rich history, amazing architecture and abounding in love, romance and art–Tuscany is also the birthplace of such artists as: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Puccini, Botticelli … What a place to live and to wed! Enjoy Lili & Davide’s joyous day and witness how they beautifully blend Davide’s Italian culture with Lili’s Persian culture.

Isn’t Lili such a beautiful bride–a Persian princess!

Highlights of the day It was a dreamy day for me, and every moments of it was highlight. But here are some … when I walked in the church and Davide had tears in his eyes and I couldn’t stop shaking … My best friend’s speech… and the father-daughter dance when all the guests started crying!

One  advice that I would give to other brides You can stress about the wedding as much as you want but once you are in your gown, stop caring cause everything is gonna be beautiful to other’s eyes, just have fun, and that’s exactly what I did! The one negative thing that happened–was that the wrong cake was delivered to our wedding. The second that I saw the cake before entering the reception, I almost had a heart attack and my husband was saying “breathe Lili, breathe”, and he said “we’ll deal with it later” but you know what, we never did. Because the whole day was so big and magical for us that the cake was just a small part!

“Sofreh Aghd” The Wedding Spread … a beautiful, joyous Persian wedding tradition

Best parts of the day … Having all the people who love us and care about us all in one place for me was the best. The first dance …  and The father-daughter dance–because I knew just how happy my father was!

Beautiful and exquisite! A Tuscan treat … from beginning to end! Congratulations Davide & Lili–thank you for sharing your day with us. May love, joy, peace and blessings be always with you!

xo

Colorful, dramatic and fun … I’m in love with all the stylish and unique elements of Ethan & Brittany’s wedding.Theirs is also a military love story that pulls at the heartstrings too. This is Brittany & Ethan’s second wedding … Due to Ethan’s deployment, they had to cancel the first “big” wedding. I’m glad they were finally able to say their “I do’s” in front of family & friends!

And great big props to Canadian wedding photographer Samantha MacAndrew of Samantha Erin Photography for so beautifully capturing this wedding in the woods. Her high-contrast photography style is gorgeous … from the scenic setting to the pheasant feathers in Brittany’s bouquet, to that uber-cool 1941 Dodge Plymouth to the bagpipes, kilts, and so much more. Enjoy!

Congratulations to Ethan & Brittany–and for being able to finally have their dream wedding. Originally featured on The Blueberry Wedding Blog, check out the rest of these gorgeous, high-contrast wedding photos from Samantha Erin Photography here.

I found Anda and Ariel’s pretty beach wedding featured on The Knot … soft, sweet and replete with pinwheels, parasols and a citrus-colored wedding scheme. Just gorgeous.

A week later they had their wedding reception incorporating beautiful elements from Ariel’s Chinese culture with a full Chinese buffet, traditional dress and lots of red for good luck!

Are you planning a multi-cultural wedding? Here’s a great idea for blending cultures at the reception … transform your Table Numbers into something of a treat for your guests! Anda and Ariel used theirs to feature the table number on one side and a menu with English and Chinese translations on the other.

What else could you put on the backside of your Table Number Cards?

images by Zenia Photography & Nicole Caldwell