Real Weddings: Marty & Angelique

I love small, intimate, weddings. Mix that in with a New York adventure, and that sums up the real wedding feature you're about to enjoy pretty well.

Thank you so much to Marty and Angélique for sharing your big day with us! We wish you a lifetime of happiness, laughter and adventure!

And thank you also to Angela Cappetta, the talented New York wedding photographer! It's always a pleasure to share your work.

From Angela:

Marty whisked away Angélique to NYC from their hecitc lives as actors in Toronto, to propose a year ago. It only seemed right that they tie the knot on 12/12/12 at the site of a very romantic post proposal meal of burgers and beer at their beloved Shake Shack. Yes, Shake Shack, not a venue one would immediately consider for a hip, urban couple. But these two rocked it. In the end, the whole shebang lasted about 90 minutes, but with the style and flair not even the Four Seasons could boast.

They had seven guests, immediate family only, and said their I do's by lamplight, right under the Shake Shack web cam, so their friends in Toronto could feel like they were right there. Included in the ceremony was a ceremonial sage smudging, with a sage stick Angélique made herself, to seal their union. Toasts after were made with "a bit of Canada" as Marty put it, with a bottle of a favorite Canadian Whiskey brought to NYC in their luggage just for the occasion.

Angélique's dress and Marty's suit were both bespoke, make lovingly by hand by a friend from their theater company's wardrobe department in Toronto; Hers was made from curtain fabric, and his sported a funky striped lining in which he was most fetching.

Angélique made their cake toppers herself, to represent not just the two of them, but their dog, Gertrude, and bunny, Lovely. The cake itself was a pear tart from Eataly, purchased across the street about 15 minutes before the wedding started. No surprise, it was delicious.



From Marty & Angelique:
The rings were made by an awesome guy named Leif Benner who works out of an area called "The Distillery" in Toronto. He is the same guy who made Angelique's engagement ring. To be honest when I was working out the ring design with Leif, I never considered that there would eventually be a wedding band on board, vying for knuckle space. Luckily, Angelique planned to wear her wedding band on her right hand, so our rings would touch when we hold hands. This meant that we could go with a whole different style. We decided on something more contemporary than the engagement ring. A big, wide, stove pipe, rose gold band with a bunch of little glam, random diamonds for sparkle. I thought that the typically masculine sized band looked pretty bad-ass on Angelique. As rose gold tends to scratch very easily, people often get their rings pre-textured. We opted to have the rings finished smooth and shiny, eventually aquiring their own unique texture through what Leif refferred to as "the life of the ring". The dress and my suit were made by Susan Dicks. We love her too.

Unique Engagement Ring Packaging

How cute are these faceted engagement ring boxes in different hues?

I love this reclaimed wood engagement box design by Oh Dier Living. Best of all you get to pick your hue and mold it to your love's liking.

It's also cute for promise rings!


(photo taken from the Oh Dier Living Etsy shop)

Engagement Session Ideas for Every Season

A huge thank you to Carolyn Scott, the talented Raleigh wedding photographer, for sharing this feature with us!

We wish you an amazing new year!

Engagement Session Ideas by Carolyn Scott


(photographs by Carolyn Scott)

Lots of clients approach me between their late October engagement and their spring wedding and lament the woes of having to take engagement pictures in the winter. I’m here to tell you that it’s not so bad! You can definitely pick a spot and have engagement session pictures taken, but you can also plan an activity to base your photos around more candid looks. Here are engagement session location/recreation ideas for every season. ☺

Spring:

a. Flowers are in bloom! Why not take a walk to your local park or arboretum?

b. Get your pup out of the house and walk him around town. There’s nothing cuter than dogs in engagement session pictures.

c. Have a garden? Travel with your honey to the local plant shop and bring your photographer to document you picking out the flowers. Then head back home to plant them (with your photog in tow) for some great shots!

d. Have a spring rainy day session by visiting a local park or city, bringing umbrellas and boots in tow.

e. Have a friend with old-time bikes? Take a ride around your ‘hood’ or local bike trail and bring your photographer along to document the action!

Summer:

a. Hit the beach, pool, or lake! Bring an old-time bathing suit, a few towels, some old fashion Cokes and have yourself a fun photo shoot with tons of candid images as you and your sweetheart splash around.

b. Have a cool hobby like boating or horseback riding? Take this sunny and warm opportunity to bring your photographer with you as you and your fiancé pursue your favorite activity.

c. Walk down to your local milkshake or ice cream shop and have a fun, summery engagement session.

d. Plan a fun camping themed engagement session by dragging out your old tent into the woods and setting it up! This gives a fun background and context for your photog to work with.

e. Have a day in the city with your sweetheart! Make sure to stop by some fountains or fun city water installations for fun summer shots!

Fall:

a. Hit up a park as the leaves are changing for a color background to your pictures!

b. Like pumpkins? Travel to the local pumpkin patch and have your photographer document the trip and the subsequent carving of the pumpkins!

c. Have a Halloween or fall themed engagement session by making a deal with a local farmer who has a nice corn field.

d. Spend the day at a winery and pack up your photographer to document the trip and take pictures of you and your fiancé in the hills.

e. Plan a trip to the zoo or aquarium with your photographer in tow to capture the day!

Winter:

a. Ice-skating never gets old this time of year and makes for nice outdoor portraits!

b. Stay home! What better place to document your life and love for each other than hanging around the house? Bake cookies or play a game for fun candid ideas in addition to portraits around your house.

c. Movie buffs? Plan a trip to a local theater and take some pictures inside.

d. Plan a date night to a funky restaurant you frequent and have your photog tag along!

e. Go skiing, tubing, or simply build a snowman in your yard on particularly snowy days. This provides for winter scenery as well as great interaction between you and your fiancé.

***NOTE: Make sure you ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION before going to any business to take pictures. Call ahead and tell them your plans to make sure they’ll allow the photographs. More than likely, they’ll be happy to help out, but occasionally they’re not… and that’s an awkward situation. So make sure you call ahead and ask!

Happy Thanksgiving

Joe and I want to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

One of the things that I'm most thankful for is having such an amazing husband.

It's a beautiful thing so happy planning!

xoxo

Rose Cut Silver Diamond

I've recently fallen in love with Christine Mighion Jewelry. The Indiana artist creates Eco-friendly and gorgeous jewelry. Might be something to consider if you're looking for a great engagement ring, this is definitely a great option!

(photo credit: Christine Mighion Jewelry Etsy shop)

Food & Wine

I love food. And if you're like how I was, having awesome food at your wedding is top priority. But you can have great food without getting it catered if you have some family help and some great recipes up your sleeve. If you're looking for dishes that go great with the wine you'll be serving at your wedding, F&W has posted their top 50 Pinterest recipe finds, which I think are pretty darn delicious looking too! (photo credit: Food & Wine webpage screenshot)

Dog Martini Bowtie

This is just too cute. That's all I have to say about this!


(photo credit: Luxe Mutt Etsy shop)