Real Couples // Multicultural Ballroom Wedding in North Carolina: Liz + Pedro

Real Couples // Multicultural Ballroom Wedding in North Carolina: Liz + Pedro

We both work at Best Buy. I was fairly new to the store, and he had just transferred from Ohio. We instantly became friends and grew that friendship for almost two years before we decided to start dating. We got engaged when I surprised him with a birthday weekend with all his best friends from Ohio. He made a proposal video, and played it at his birthday party, and we celebrated the next two days with all of our closet friends.

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Real Couples // A Tattooed Garden Wedding in San Antonio: Mykel + Orlando

Real Couples // A Tattooed Garden Wedding in San Antonio: Mykel + Orlando

My boss had told me about this girl I needed to meet. She was new at work, but I had no idea that I had already met her. The first thing that caught my attention about her with those beautiful eyes and her smile. She thought I didn't notice her, but how could I not? She invited me out for coffee and after staring into each other's eyes we shared our first kiss, and after that I knew that she was the one.

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8 Geometric Accessories to Gift to Friends, Family, and Yourself // Elaine B Jewelry

8 Geometric Accessories to Gift to Friends, Family, and Yourself // Elaine B Jewelry

Elaine was trained in metal smithing and glass blowing at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. "Inspired by minimal but inventive designs, rough stones and geometric shapes, and the versatility of jewelry meant for work or play, she created her small business, Elaine B Jewelry."

Elaine's designs are perfect for gifting to dear friends or family members who have played a part in your wedding day, or for the holidays.

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Real Couples // UC Botanical Garden Wedding in Berkeley: Laura + Lark

Real Couples // UC Botanical Garden Wedding in Berkeley: Laura + Lark

We didn’t have engagement rings - instead we exchanged engagement kittens! A few months after our engagement, we adopted our kittens Comet and Nova from the SF SPCA. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our commitment than by expanding our family with two furry beasts.
 

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Mindfulness on Your Wedding Day // Meditate Because Everything Else Can Wait

Mindfulness on Your Wedding Day // Meditate Because Everything Else Can Wait

There is a Zen teaching that goes “when you have only a little time, meditate for 10 minutes. And if you have no time at all, then meditate for 20.” This teaching acknowledges that a sense of not having enough time is not an objective law, but rather a subjective experience, one that we can change.

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Incorporating Ceremony and Ritual into Bridal Showers, Bachelor/ette Parties, and Weddings // River and Root

Incorporating Ceremony and Ritual into Bridal Showers, Bachelor/ette Parties, and Weddings // River and Root

Ceremony and ritual help us acknowledge change and transition in our lives. You can think about the difference between a meal that starts with a toast or saying grace versus a meal that just starts. In the former, everyone takes a moment to settle in and be present with each other before eating, and in the second we just start right in and we don't necessarily stop to be present.

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Real Couples // After Nine Years and Three Kids, A Wedding: Dre + Shanai

Real Couples // After Nine Years and Three Kids, A Wedding: Dre + Shanai

I was sort of a loner, so for someone to really peak my interest AND make laugh was a win-win. We ended up dating and going to prom together, and the rest is history. Sort of your typical high school sweetheart love story, with a bad girl twist!

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Styled Shoot // Same-sex Elopement in Montreal on a Boat

Styled Shoot // Same-sex Elopement in Montreal on a Boat

We are very privileged to have our photo-shoot done by these wonderful collaborators! Everyone was enthusiastic and so lively. Every detail was on point. We laughed all through the photo-shoot and that is of great importance to us!

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The Day in the Life of A Letterpress Printer // Kseniya Thomas of Thomas-Printers Takes Us on a Studio Tour

The Day in the Life of A Letterpress Printer // Kseniya Thomas of Thomas-Printers Takes Us on a Studio Tour

Kseniya Thomas is the founder of Thomas-Printers in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and she makes gorgeous letterpress papergoods for weddings and businesses all over the country. We were so intrigued that she is using presses from as far back as 1898 to create modern, playful designs that we wanted to understand her whole process. What is a day in the life of a printer like in the digital age?

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Fund Your Wedding By Becoming A Pet Sitter on Rover.com!

Fund Your Wedding By Becoming A Pet Sitter on Rover.com!

Have you all heard of Rover? It's totally amazing, like the Airbnb of pet sitting. Rover says, We believe in the unconditional love of dogs, and Rover exists to make it possible for everyone to experience this love in their lives. Who could disagree with this mission? Maybe you've used Rover to find a high quality, affordable pet sitter in your area, or maybe you watch their Instagram stories every day because they share the walks of some really cute dogs. But have you considered signing up to be a dog sitter? Pet sitters and dog walkers on Rover can earn $1,000 or more per month. Each person has the freedom to choose their own services, schedule, and rates. One of the added benefits is that Rover sitters can work from their own home and they can schedule their work around their availability. Let's hear from one such dog walker who funded his WEDDING off of that dog sitting cash!

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Tulle & Fury // Should Wedding Professionals Consider Active Shooter Training?

Tulle & Fury // Should Wedding Professionals Consider Active Shooter Training?

I’m sure a morbid game of Six Degrees of Trigger Separation could be played by every person in this country. How close have we been to death? How close have we been to being in that congregation, or at that concert, or in the sights of a killer? We mourn for a few news cycles. We run stories about the shooter and his family. We scrutinize the details of the day. We ask how this could happen in a year in which it’s already happened 376 other times. We watch analysts and pundits debate every point except the one that matters. We hold vigils instead of being vigilant about preventing another tragedy. It doesn’t have to happen but it does and it will.

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Handcraft Matching Bespoke Wedding Rings in Washington // With These Rings

Handcraft Matching Bespoke Wedding Rings in Washington // With These Rings

They made their rings with Stephanie in January of 2017. “It was one of the best experiences of my life!”, Alex says. Alex had ethical concerns with diamonds, so she knew she didn’t want a traditional engagement ring. Furthermore, she “loved the idea of having completely matching rings. We have a long history of making each other handmade custom gifts (for birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, etc.) so the idea of hand crafting matching wedding rings really seemed to be the perfect fit.” They drove to Port Townsend: “We were actually very nervous when we arrived because once you get there it all becomes very real, and for a moment you almost feel like you aren't really going to leave with a real life wedding ring because how could you possibly make it with your own hands in an afternoon?” Alex said she also had “this weird feeling that she was going to mess it up so bad that she’d be asked to leave.” But her fears were alleviated once she met Stephanie: “Once you sit down with Stephanie before the actual metalwork begins, she does a really good job of making you feel at ease and reassures you that you really are going to leave with professional quality rings that you hand craft, and that it will be easy and fun.” Right away, Alex knew she had made the right decision.

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Styled Shoot // Farm-Inspired Sunset Groom Wedding: Kevin + Cam

Styled Shoot // Farm-Inspired Sunset Groom Wedding: Kevin + Cam

Cameron and I met through our cousins. Our cousins were friends prior to us meeting and thought we would be good for each other. Boy, were they right!  Ever since the first day I met Cameron, I saw my future in his eyes and his heart in my life. We have been inseparable ever since. Considering all the struggles of growing up as gay males, I would do it all over again if I knew he was awaiting me for our forever. We were all dressed up one New Year's Eve, and he asked me to marry him. It was very simple and nothing over the top, just like us. It was just one soul reaching out to another to confirm the connection we already have. What a happy New Years that was!

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Real Couples // A Vibrant, Urban Anniversary Photoshoot in Orlando: Duong + Vi

Real Couples // A Vibrant, Urban Anniversary Photoshoot in Orlando: Duong + Vi

We are both from Vietnam and both have similar challenges adapting to life here in the States. You would have thought that would make us get along so well that we would have no conflict at all. However, reality struck us hard. Like any other couple we fight, we don’t communicate well with each other, we made mistakes, we separated, we survived a four-month long-distance relationship, we got married, we fought again and again, we lost hope, we tried to mend things, we learned from our mistakes, and we have been loving each other more than ever since.

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