{Trash the Dress} Snowy-style

Let's get the winter wedding party started!  I could think of no better way to kick off the 
winter wedding celebration than with an amazingly beautiful trash the dress session on a brisk January day on the western slope of Colorado:

The gorgeous Bride Courtney was less interested in ruining her wedding gown & more interested taking the golden opportunity to wear it again & capture fun photos with her rugged Groom Jerad free from the hustle & bustle of their wedding day.  With just a few, simple elements like relaxed attitudes, a snowy ranch landscape & a dramatic cloudy day, the happy couple created a special winter day to remember.

And the Bride wore warm snow boots!

The Bride & Groom in the winter wonderland:

Footsteps in the snow lead to the newly married couple:

Gorgeous, just absolutely gorgeous!  The last image reminds me very much of Ansel Adams' photography, simply with the addition of a Bride & Groom.  It's safe to say that snowy-style is a good style!  

The winter wedding celebration continues tomorrow with a charming, holiday wedding!

Photography: Vendla Stockdale Photography  /  Submitted via Two Bright Lights

only in ny

Only in New York City!  That's all I've got to say about this one, folks.  It's pretty safe to bet an amazing wedding kiss against the regal backdrop of the Empire State Building in Manhattan says it all.

Photography: Lauren Gabrielle Photography via

{Trash the Dress} Equestrian-style

Is this Bride channeling her inner Julia Roberts & pulling a Runaway Bride??!!

No need to panic, my friends.  This isn't a runaway bride; this is a Trash the Dress session done right.

Welcome to the beauty of Trash the Dress, Colorado-style.  The premise is simple.  Take a beautiful Bride wearing her wedding gown, cowboy boots & cowboy hat.  Add her gorgeous mare.  Mix those ingredients with the bare scenery of a desert.  Let the accomplished rider & her mare loose.  The results are AMAZING!

I like the idea of the Trash the Dress session featuring the Bride doing something she loves in her wedding gown.  It's a fun, interesting approach.  Now if I only knew how to ride a horse . . .

Photography by Vendla Stockdale Photography  /  Submitted via Two Bright Lights

{wedding rings} panicked

Don't get me wrong: this is a very cool ring shot.  The silver rings, green lily pads, the orange fish & the white fish make for a very striking photo.  But it's hard for me to enjoy it much.  

As a wedding planner, I panic at the mere sight of this photo.  It is part of my job to foresee disasters & stop them before they happen or handle disasters & make it appear like they never happened.  And this, well, this spells disaster for me.  How easy, how very, very easy it would be for those rings to slip off the lily pad & disappear into the depths of the pond.  Poof, gone!  

I would be the one to jump in, swim with the fishies & find those rings on the bottom of the pond!!!

Of course, nothing like that happened.  Carry on & admire the daring photo.  

Photo Adagion Studio via

inside

It's well established that I love checking out the cool & unusual modes of transportation that Brides & Grooms choose for their weddings.  In my quest for fun photographs of Brides & Grooms posing with their getaway cars, something else has caught my eye: Brides & Grooms inside their getaway cars.  Check this out & see if you agree these photos are something special.

Let's start with my favorite casual, relaxed photo of RZ & I riding in our beloved vintage taxi after our marriage ceremony.  The detail I love the most is one only RZ & I would notice: RZ is playing with his wedding ring, slipping it on & off his ring finger.  It's something he did throughout that ride from our ceremony to our reception & it's one of my first memories of our marriage: 

This hip couple looks classically cool in their classic car:

A quiet moment between a Bride & Groom inside their vintage car is captured so perfectly that I feel like we're peeping Toms:

Another vintage taxi, another happy couple:

Why not take charge & jump in the driver's seat of your vintage getaway car?

 

Pretty cool, am I right?!  Your thoughts?

P.S. The Wedding Wheels of April is coming your way next week!

Photo 1 Timothy Glenn Photographers Photo 2  Louisa Bailey Weddings via Photo 3 Calin Peters Photography via Photo 4  Phototerra Studio via Photo 5 Della Chen Photography via

reflections

Rainy wedding day.

A wise, beautiful post on A Practical Wedding yesterday left me thinking about rainy wedding days.  I always say that the weather on your wedding doesn't really matter; what matters is your attitude towards your wedding day weather.  Pull on your rain boots, grab an umbrella & keep smiling- chances are you'll enjoy your beautiful wedding.  Cry, pout & curse your bad luck- chances are you've ruined your beautiful wedding.

This creative photo above is a prime example of a rainy wedding day attitude done right.  Really, really right.  From the wet sidewalk to the long shadows, there is proof that the weather gods delivered rain clouds & bright sunshine for the wedding.  The happy couple took to the rain-soaked sidewalks & made a pretty incredible memory to last a lifetime.  The reflection of the Bride & Groom in a sidewalk puddle takes something ordinary & makes it extraordinary.  Talk about making a rainbow out of rain!! 

How would/did you react to rain on your wedding day?  Do/did you have a Plan B for rainy weather? 

Photo by Whitney Huynh Photography via

{wedding rings} sandy

I am enjoying one of the most beautiful Spring days & the sunny skies & soft breezes have me dreaming of beach days.  The beautiful ocean, the bright sun & the warm sand . . .

Speaking of sand, how cool is this sandy ring shot?  I'm pretty much head over heels in love.  The sand & the rings are such a perfect pairing for a beach wedding.  It's a simple photo yet absolutely striking.  The rings' shadows are incredible & the sands' texture is so detailed.  Amazing.  The black & white photography just makes this photo as I'm not sure I would like it so much in color.   

Now if only I could bury myself in the sand today . . .

What are you dreaming of on this lovely day?    

Photo by Robin Van Dyke Photography via

Fur Sure

Since this is the last week of February & in my mind the last week of winter, I'm dedicating this week to the fabulousness of  Winter Weddings.  Grab some hot chocolate & enjoy this winter wedding celebration at Koru Wedding Style.  Ready, set, let's go!

What is a very important accessory for Winter Brides?  Why, a fur/fake fur stole or jacket of course!

I borrowed this luscious, rich brown fur stole from my sister-in-law & I loved rocking it on our winter wedding day.  It kept me so toasty & warm!  & it looked pretty fabulous in our wedding photos, if I do say so myself.  (Peek at the header to see another photo of me wearing it!)  I was happy & honored to wear something borrowed that was gorgeous, practical & meaningful.  The stole once belonged to my sister-in-law's grandmother.  I hope my niece Janie will wear it one day & as Erin describes its storied history she can include that Tita Katie (Filipino term for Aunt) wore it when she married Ninong Rodney (Filipino term for Godfather).      


Now let's admire other fabulous furs worn by Winter Brides, such as the wintery gray fur that makes a subtle statement on this pretty Bride:

This caramel-colored beauty is absolutely stunning against the snowy scenery:

While the gigantic balloons are pretty cool, winter white fur is the finishing touch of this bridal ensemble:

This Winter Bride looks warm & cozy in her caramel-colored fur stole:

I love me some fur (or fake fur) clad Winter Brides!  Does any other wedding season have an essential accessory that is both beautiful & practical?  

UPDATE: Visit Style Me Pretty AND Style Me Pretty New York today to see two beautiful Winter Brides rocking fur!

Photo 1 Timothy Glenn Photography; Photo 2 Katie Jane Photo via; Photo 3 James Christianson via;
Photo 4 via; Photo 5 FS Photography via

Orange Crush

See that fun wedding ring shot?  It makes me smile.  Every. time. I. look. at. it.

I can't give you a reasonable explanation as to why I love this photo so much.  Oranges aren't my favorite fruit.  Orange isn't my favorite color.  Or anything along those lines.  Nevertheless, I fell in love & I fell hard.

Ring shots are increasingly catching my attention as I look at wedding photos.  It's fun to see how creative wedding photographers can be with this wedding detail.  The best ones manage to capture the personality of the couple or the essence of the wedding or both.  We have two amazing, beautiful ring shots from our wedding (yes, yes one day I will share my professional photos with you!) & we can't decide which to include in our album.  Until we make that big decision, I sure enjoy looking at other couples' ring shots.   

Anyone with me on loving wedding ring shots?  Or have I gone crazy?  Before we part for the week, just look at that photo one more time & SMILE!   

Photo by Serendipity Studios via

Believe

This amazing wedding photograph is oh so romantic, it makes me believe in love!

There's a little lesson here, Brides-to-be.  Whatever your budget, make sure you invest in the very best photography you can afford!  I promise you it is money well spent.  Trust me.

What vendors are/were most important to you on your wedding day?

Photo by Thayer Hearts Weddings via

Chevy-Loving

While it's about time for my monthly Wedding Wheels post, one getaway car photo has received so much attention on Pinterest that I decided it deserved a post of its own.  

Many Bride & Grooms use props for their photo session, whether it be antique furniture or a thank you banner.  This beautiful Bride & Groom were no different, only they chose a lovingly-restored 1952 vintage Chevy pickup for their prop:    

This prop + a gorgeous Bride & Groom + a pretty location + a Fall bouquet = a beautiful wedding portrait!

The icing on the cake?  This vintage Chevy is no random prop.  It was passed down from the Groom's grandfather & restored by the Groom, his father & his brother.  Props with sentimental value, I adore it!  

What props do you like to see in wedding photos?  Will you or did you use props?


Photo by Hazelnut Photography via

{wedding rings} Au Natural

As a self-proclaimed wedding addict, I have my favorite go-to details when I look at wedding photos.  Cool getaway cars for one.  Ring shots filled with the personality of the couple & the feel of their wedding day.  They can be anything from cheeky to beautiful to casual but they are always unique.

The pinecone ring shot captured my ring-shot loving heart.  Without knowing one other detail about this wedding, you can guess it's an outdoor wedding for nature lovers.  This photo captures the spirit of the wedding perfectly.   When you learn that it's an outdoor Fall wedding near a cabin on a gorgeous property, well, this ring shot just makes sense.  LOVE!    

Do you like ring shots as much as me?  What are your favorite wedding details?

Photo by Heather Armstrong via

Chart House Wedding {Real Wedding Sneak Peek}

Don't get too excited, Koru family & friends.  Maybe just a smidgen excited.  Why?  I have some sneak peek photos to share with you from last Saturday's wedding!!!!  Please understand these photos were taken by me during a whirlwind work day on my camera phone.  I couldn't capture everything (ahem, like the beautiful Bride & Groom!), nor could I capture anything well.  But I did my best to give you a little glimpse of a happy, gorgeous occasion.

The Bride & Groom live in Hoboken (just like me) where they are treated to stunning views of the New York City skyline just across the Hudson River from them.  It was important to them to share those city views with their guests & the Chart House in nearby Weehawken gave them that luxury.  Bonus points if you remember I considered Chart House for my wedding!  Chart House sits at the end of a pier & it's so close to NYC you feel like you could touch the buildings.  As shown here, Chart House is at the end of the pier on the left & the city is just beyond it:

The Bride loves, LOVES the romantic vibe of candlelight & candles were a major force throughout the wedding during the ceremony & reception.  I didn't get a good photo of the guest table centerpieces but each table got a healthy dose of red rose petals, crystals & candles wrapped in various black & white pattern ribbon.  Here is the version I modified for the head table:

This is a close-up of a candle & rose petals on the head table, yet look beyond the table to that glittering NYC view from the ballroom!  Incredible, right?  The Empire State Building is front & center, lit up in orange, white & blue for the NYC Marathon the next day:

Oh, & the gorgeous, delicious cake from Hoboken's famous Carlo's Bakery (aka Cake Boss)! Again, bonus points if you remember Carlo's Bakery also made my wedding cake!  This couple's round, white cake is decorated with a big, black bow, black swirl detailing & black piping.  Red velvet cake- YUM!  I re-purposed flower garlands used during the ceremony to decorate the cake table.  We positioned this darling cake so it was in front of the windows facing downtown.  Maybe only I notice it but the white glow near the top of the cake is the Freedom Tower:

After a fun, rocking reception, the Bride & Groom had a Sparkler Grand Departure!  If you follow me on Twitter you know this was almost nixed due to a fire hazard.  But when there is a will, there's usually a way & we found one.  After a candlelit Last Dance, my assistant & I lined up the guests, handed out sparklers & lit them up, then prompted the Bride & Groom to run through to their getaway car.  This is the second Sparkler Grand Departure I've organized & it's just so awesome!  My photo was taken after the Bride & Groom had left but the guests still had plenty of sparkle:

I hope you enjoyed this humble little sneak peek!  More to come as soon as I can share professional photos from the great Daniel Hedden Photography.  Um, cause if you noticed, I am not a professional wedding photographer.  Just leave me to the wedding planning!

Where The Heart Is

Wedding Guest Group Photo: Yay or Nay?
Image by W. Scott Chester

via Ruffled

That gem of a wedding photo up there?  I love it.

My wedding planning self isn't the biggest fan of Wedding Guest group photos.  Those go down a little something like this.  Due to a lack of big, open fields in the NJ-NY area, the most common spot to take such photos is on the church steps after the ceremony.  Sweet notes are included in the program to kindly ask guests to stay behind & take a "quick" group photo.  About half the guests are happy to stay behind but they make a beeline to congratulate the Bride & Groom & lose focus on the photo.  The other half of the guests are quite intent on getting to Cocktail Hour to have a drink & don't appreciate our security guard-like moves to keep them in place.  Once everyone is indeed in the right spot, you have to attract their attention, pose them & make them smile.  Wedding Guest group photos are hardly ever quick or fun.

I mean, family & bridal party photos are enough.  

As such, we didn't entertain the mere thought of a Wedding Guest group photo at our wedding.

But wow, I adore the sweet sentiment of a Wedding Guest group photo.  Even if your group is too large for each & every face to be distinct in the photo, it's quite something to see one photo that includes each & every person who celebrated your marriage.  You wouldn't remember how long it took to find Aunt Nancy who had wandered away or how Cousin Andy grumbled about missing the raw bar.  You'd simply see the faces of those you love on your wedding day.

The heart-shaped happy couple & wedding guests photo is pure group photo perfection.  Beautiful setting, happy couple, smiling guests AND a heart.  Love, love, LOVE!

Will (or did) you take a Wedding Guest group photo at your wedding?

It's A Wrap! 24th Edition

Getting Dressed: Unforgettable Wedding Moment

Image via A Cup of Joe

Hip hip HOORAY- it's Friday!  Time for us to check in & catch up.  How was your week?  Good, bad, lovely, ugly?  Let it go, breathe.  Everything seems better & brighter when Friday is here.  I am so, so excited because we're going to meet our friends' one-month-old daughter tomorrow.  Yes, I love me some newborn baby time! 

Now, for your pleasure, here is the weekly, official Koru List of wedding inspiration:

What's your most unforgettable wedding moment?  

If it's a Smog Shoppe wedding, I'm sure to love & adore it

Roaring Twenties Inspiration: Art Deco, Jazz, Flappers & More

Pure genius: custom stamp wedding invitations!!!!

Friends & Family planned the wedding, Bride & Groom simply showed up

(The Bride showed up in an awesome blue gown I might add)

The most gorgeous PAPER flower table decor I have ever seen

Mismatched Maids: Yes or No?

I vote YES!

Want to dress up for a FREE BOUDOIR SESSION

with a killer photographer? 

Enjoy, Koru Family & Friends!

Facelift Blog-Style

My Winter Wedding

Image by Timothy Glenn Photographers

Welcome to the updated, beautiful space of Koru Wedding Style!

After 340 posts in the span of almost two years, it was time to make changes.  Mostly minor tweaks here & there.  I chose a pretty script font for the blog & post titles to add a softer touch.  I switched up the font color scheme to gray & shades of purple for more contrast.  I added a sweet, sparkly background to the sidebar as a fun touch.  And the biggest (& my favorite!) change . . .

A new photo for the header!  I chose one of my favorite wedding photos to represent Koru Wedding Style.  This blog is a lot weddings, a little me.  This photo represents both nicely.  It's just perfect.

In this photo, it's dusk on our winter wedding day.  RZ & I are fresh newlyweds, officially married for about one hour.  The vintage taxi whisks us away from our church ceremony & parks on a charming cobblestone street outside the Hoboken Terminal for our photo session.  RZ & I spill out of the taxi to wait for the rest of our bridal party to catch up with us.  Tim starts snapping photos.  & this is one of them showing me & my husband in our beloved hometown on our beautiful wedding day.

& I love every last detail- the dusky sky, the city lights, the cobblestone street, the pile of snow, the vintage taxi & the happy couple.  Just as everything in this photo means something to me, everything I post here is meaningful to me.  Everything.

I hope you enjoy the facelift of this sweet space.  Let's continue have lots of wedding fun & inspire each other :-)

Koru Family & Friends, What do you think of the new design?  Like?  Love?

Best "I Do" EVER

Brides-to-be know the Bridal Drill: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue.

Something Blue can be tricky, although there are tons of cute, creative things on the market these days. My all-time favorite Something Blue are the rhinestone "I Do" shoe decals. Allow me to demonstrate their awesomeness from a real wedding . . .

Step One: Buy these cuties

Image via Shop Mindy Weiss

Step Two: Get Awesome Something Blue Photo!

Image via Photography by Martha

Love, love, LOVE! I adore this photo so much that it used to be the header on this blog & it influenced me to use "I Do" shoe decals as my Something Blue. Can you say obsessed?!

To score your own rhinestone "I Do" shoe decals, shop here or here. Enjoy!

Do you have a cool idea for Something Blue to share with us?

It's A Wrap! 16th Edition

Oh how this Jersey girl adores this boardwalk photo!
Image by Kay English Photography via Style Me Pretty

Happy Friday, Koru Family & Friends! Summer is in full swing & I'm taking full advantage. Today, my hubs & I are attending a Summer wedding & tomorrow, we jet off for a little Summer vacation. I'll be back to bring you wedding goodness in August (wow, August already!). Of course, I leave you with gathered prettiness & loveliness to tide you over until my return . . .

Boardwalk + Peonies = AWESOME Wedding!

Love, love me a vintage taxi

A little slice of rainbow heaven

Oh, be still my ribbon loving heart

My goal is to send more "Just Because" & "I Love You" notes

Happy Weekend! Make it bright & beautiful~

Overheated in Hoboken

(Above photos by Timothy Glenn Photographers
To see more from this wedding, visit HERE)

My Koru loves, it has been one of those weeks! After a long day meeting with a bride & a long night celebrating Mom-in-law's birthday, RZ & I returned home late Monday night to our front entry smelling faintly like something was burning. We tracked down the awful smell to our heating/AC unit. We've been advised to keep it off until the heating/ac peeps can visit us tomorrow morning. Perfect, just as the weather is getting hot!

And there's more. I haven't been feeling well. I can barely stand the heat when the afternoon sun beats relentlessly through our large windows. I don't last more than a few minutes in my home office, the one room without a fan. Last but not least, I didn't prepare my blog posts in advance. This is the long way of telling you that I'm taking a break from blogging. I will be back next Tuesday to wrap up our honeymoon posts!

But I had to leave you with a little something. Last Saturday, I had the honor of attending our friends' Catherine & Chris' spring wedding. My hubs RZ was a groomsmen & my brother-in-law Tim of Timothy Glenn Photographers was the photographer. The Bride, Groom & their bridal party went to picturesque Liberty State Park for the photo session. The stormy day took pause for their photos, raining before & after- how lucky! Tim posted selected photos on TGP's blog &, well, they blew me away as always. I'm such a sucker for NYC views!! I picked a few of my favorites for you to enjoy.

To view the rest of Catherine & Chris' wedding photos, please visit HERE.

Have a wonderful week & a fun Memorial Day weekend!!!!!

Photo Session, Part One

RZ's family, now Our Family ♥

My family, now Our Family ♥

Our Siblings ♡

Outtake of our Flower Girls ☺

New Mr. and Mrs. ★
(All Photos by Friends)

Our photo session kicked off with family photos at the altar of the church immediately following our ceremony (tip: always check that the church is available afterwards). We chose this time & place because we knew the major players would be at our ceremony & we could capture them quickly & easily before they wandered off in different directions. We decided to include the flower girls in the first session too because we hoped to catch them before they got tired. Sounds easy, right?

Boy, did this require some logistics. RZ & I paraded up the aisle, bright, happy, shiny & freshly married with our bridal party on our heels. Planner extraordinaire Eileen directed us to the small bridal room at the back of the church where we could relax & wait until the rest of our guests boarded the wedding shuttle. We simply couldn't chance getting caught in a long conversation with Aunt Missy & throwing off our timing. It turned out to be a sweet few moments sharing our joy with our bridal party. When the coast was clear of guests, Eileen ushered us to the front of the church where Photographer extraordinaire Tim & the TGP team were set up &, thankfully, our families were waiting.

We'd told our families well in advance to stick around after our ceremony for family photos. We'd repeated this information time & time again as our wedding approached. We included this information on our wedding web site & our wedding day itinerary. Still, you never know who might miss the memo. I breathed a sigh of relief that everyone was present.

Now comes the fun part. RZ & I are positioned at the altar. Tim & his team call out family names from the portrait list we gave them (tip: keep this list as simple & short as possible). Said family members come up as called & pose for photos with us. Well, well. Be prepared for people not listening & coming up as they please &/or not coming up at all. Our families include about 50 people but it seemed like a zoo. One sweet flower girl just wasn't having it. Things get a bit chaotic. I wondered if this was the best idea for the first minutes of our new marriage. Just keep smiling, it will be over soon.

& the treasured family photos will be worth it!

I was a very happy Bride when the family photos were over & we could move on to bridal party photos!!