by Jen Hart | Bohemian Wedding Dresses, Real Weddings
Like any other dreamer, I love a good story, and the story behind how Mackenzie and Matthew met, tugged at my heart strings. It is amazing how the Lord always knows best. Just when she thought that romance was the last thing on her mind, she found the love of her life. What a lovely couple!! Read their story below, from Mackenzie herself.
How and when you and hubby met?
My husband and I met through a mutual friend that I went on the World Race Missions with. I had come back from my year long trip with dreads, tattoos, lots of Jesus and NOT looking for a new romance. However the Lord had different plans and I happened to cross paths with an incredible man with the same heart for missions as I. Two years later we are married and doing life together serving the poor in the Dominican Republic.
Describe your wedding style, and the type of bride you were?
My wedding took place in the Ozark mountains. It was cozy, rustic and adventurous! I was a Boho/ vintage bride
How did you choose/decide on the dress?
I wanted a dress that was timeless, elegant and with a touch of vintage. The Alice dress was the first dress I saw and the only dress I tried on because I immediately fell in love with it.
List your wedding vendors
We wanted to put together the wedding with our own resources (DIY pintrest projects). It helped tremendously that my Mom was already an event planner/ caterer and my Aunt was in the floral business so we only needed a few vendors: Lodging- Buffalo Outdoor Center, Photography: Benjamin Martin.
Tell us about bridesmaid dresses?
The Bridesmaids dresses were each different. I bought them at Free People and Urban Outfitters. I really wanted to do something out of the ordinary with their dresses. It was one of my favorite things at the wedding. They were so gorgeous and fun!
What was the one thing you were not willing to compromise on for the day?
I would say the photographer because pictures last a life time and I wanted the very best. Benjamin Martin did a beautiful job with our pictures and I was so proud of them. I’m so glad I didn’t compromise.
Did you skip tradition? If yes, which ones?
In a lot of ways YES, I didn’t want wedding showers, one of my bridesmaids wore white, I didn’t do a flower or garter toss.. No flower girls etc. however we did have a beautiful traditional outdoor ceremony. We included worship, communion, feet washing, and group prayer.
What advise would you give to brides to be just starting the process?
Enjoy! I had so much fun planning it. I incorporated my girlfriends in the planning details and together we made it so much fun.
Best memory of your wedding day?
Our Pastor had a beautiful word and message for my Husband and I. It brought me to tears how powerful and personal it was to our lives and our love for God.
What were you best sources of inspiration while planning your wedding?
PINTEREST!
by Jen Hart | Bohemian Wedding Dresses, Wedding Dress Collection
Come ti vidi m’innamorai, e tu sorridi perché lo sai.
When I saw you, I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.
– Arrigo Boito, 1893
Dreamers & Lovers have now been around three years, and with three collections now under our belt. They say the third time is the charm, and isn’t that the truth. The Eternal Romance collection is one entirely inspired by the women we design for, those that we meet in the studio daily, or chat with over the phone and emails. Someone asked me recently what is our secret sauce, and while I have many versions of what I think this sauce is, the truth is, it is the unique women who pour their hearts, desires, and dreams to us. They allow us to begin their fairytale. It is such a honor designing a wedding dress, to think that this dress will be worn on the most important day of their lives. The Eternal Romance collection is for you, inspired by you. Keep sharing those stories. We love hearing about that spark of passion, that ever-slight blush that rushes to your cheeks when you hear him speak, those butterflies when you kiss; the driving force behind holding hands, stolen glances, and giggling over a shared secret. It’s the reason you want to look beautiful on your wedding day.
Here’s to keeping romance eternal. There’s no better place to start than with a gorgeous wedding dress to proclaim your everlasting love.
Just in time for spring’s nuptials, the Eternal Romance bridal collection will have star-crossed lovers swooning. The collection features full silk skirts balanced with delicate features. Edwardian romantic chic comes to mind when one examines the thoughtfully cut designs and gracefully draped fabrics.
A mix of muted exquisite silks, soft tulle net, silk georgette and cotton embroidered lace structures the collection. We’ve incorporated exquisite floral patterned embroidered lace, as well as uniquely beautiful geometric-style embroidered patterns. The collection’s silhouettes range from form fitting to looser dreamy flowy fits, all promising to flatter the bride and designed for comfortable wear. We want brides wearing the Eternal Romance collection to feel like they’re walking on clouds- because that’s how true love should feel.
Eternal Romance offers a dress for every bride; that is, for the hopeless romantic, unique , and laid-back bohemian bride: plunging necklines rimmed with intricately embroidered lace, to chic simply cut sheaths, graceful winged sleeves, as well as fitted silhouettes, drawing a vintage nostalgia. Low cut backs and generous trains make exits breathtaking- after all, isn’t fixed glances, skipped heartbeats, and held breaths what romantic love is all about?
Collection breathtakingly captured by Fine Art Photographer Alex Stoddard
by Jen Hart | Bohemian Wedding Dresses, Real Weddings
Karli and Austin’s Wedding has cool written all over it, so they couldn’t have chosen a more perfect place to say their I-Dos – Rimrock Ranch. Rimrock ranch located in Joshua Tree National park is known for fusing urban design with the rugged high desert.
With great reviews, and a rustic layout perfect for any boho bride, we are in love with this venue.
Karli a Southern Cali local, she had that cool-girl aura the moment I met her in the studio, but even cooler is how chilled and sweet she is. She is truly the epitome of the laid-back bride we cater to….the ultimate BRIDECHILLA!!!!
We wish Karli and Austin only the best and loads of happiness. Karli, you were a total babe of a bride, as stunning as ever.
by Jen Hart | Bohemian Wedding Dresses, Destination Wedding Gowns, Real Weddings
Dreamy Dreamers & Lovers bride showcasing the popular Adelaide stretch lace bohemian gown on their wedding day. The Adelaide is offered exclusively through our website. For clients not local to California, there is a home try-on available. This service is available to brides-to-be located in the U.S, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
This gown was designed specifically for the brides-to-be who would classify themselves as laid-back, bohemian, non-traditional or free spirited.
It is the most comfortable dress you’ll ever wear. Available in three colors, there is a shade for everyone.
by Jen Hart | Bohemian Chic, Bohemian Wedding Dresses, Real Weddings
Laid-back UK bride-to-be Poppy contacted us from the UK in an almost panic state. Her wedding was 5 weeks away, and she had fallen out of love with the dress she had planned to wear on her big day. She was madly in love with our delicate and bohemian chic Catherine dress. When she contacted us, she was sure her request would be a shot in the dark, and while we too thought it might have been, as fate would have it, it wasn’t. We asked her a couple questions, and in true UK lingo, she responded with WICKED, and she had us from that point on.
Like many of our international brides-to-be, we requested measurements, asked about preferences, etc, and we got her order going using our rush service. We were nervous about the shipping portion, as that part is out of our control, so we sent it even sooner than promised, and she received it in time for her romantic and vintage style West Lexham wedding.
We customized the dress to her measurements, and tweaked the design of the back, which would allow her to feel comfortable wearing her own bra. We were thrilled when Poppy tagged us on Instagram, we were head over heels with everything about her romantic boho style wedding. Poppy and Paul’s wedding is the perfect mix of charm, vintage, and romance all bundled together in to a laid-back bohemian wedding.
When we first look at wedding photos, we are always tempted to choose our favorite aspect of the wedding. That is everything outside of the most important – the tender love the couple shares. Needless to say, the dress is also high on the list, but, gosh, we love so much. The flowers are breathtaking, the flower crown, we love the mismatched bridesmaid dresses, and the dresses are the perfect complementary shade and style to the Catherine dress. Poppy chose the Catherine in the ivory lace and champagne liner. I can’t decide what I like the most, so I will file this wedding as truly incredible, with many aspects to admire.
Oh wait…..there is one more, her boots are amazing with the dress, it adds a laid-back relaxed feel to the entire look.
Poppy did a great job making the mood entirely effortless.
Photos were beautiful captured by wedding photographer Luis Holden.
Poppy thanks for sharing your beautiful photos. Everything is just WICKED!!
As we weren’t at the wedding and their talented photographer was, I am sharing some words taken from Luis himself. (On a side note, West Lesham brides-to-be check out his website – luisholden.com. He does beautiful work)
“A sparkling morning swim with a beer in hand. Girls prepping with champers on the beds. Boys bantering and even a crazy bundle or two. A gentle breeze through the heat of the day. Ze best guests with ze best body-art. A moony! Beautiful details created by an artistic duo. Cool music and lots of it too. Sparklers hissing in the warm night sky. And dancing, non-stop dancing!! When a great bunch of guys and a great bunch of girls (and a super-cool dog named Rufus) get together for a wedding / festival in the mesmerizing setting of West Lexham this is just a taste of what happens;)
Two peoples vision that was realised in the most incredible way. Poppy + Paul, effortlessly cool, him in tweed – her in a vintage-inspired dress and little brown boots, incredibly generous and loved lots by all that know them.”
by Jen Hart | Bohemian Chic, Bohemian Wedding Dresses, Wedding Editorials
OMG!!! It is hard to believe that it is almost FOUR MONTHS since we have written a blog post. Where the heck have we been?!! The truth is, it’s been a whirlwind the past few months for us. We’ve been busy with so much, from creating dresses with tight timelines, to hunting for a new showroom/studio, and meeting loads of brides-to-be in our current SMALL showroom, and just life in general. We have tons to update you on in the near future. Last week, we signed a brand spanking new lease on a showroom almost triple the size of our current one. It has that good ole laid-back vibe that we love, in all its rustic industrial natural beauty. The space should be epic when we are finally done….so hang in there…
In the meantime, we have loads of catching up to do with all the photos and behind the scenes happenings that we live for.
This epic editorial is the brainchild of Meghan Elise from MeghanElise photography, and Sharon of Knot Just Flowers. Oh Em Gee..how can we sum up the awesomeness of this editorial? Is there enough words? Well, as this editorial was also featured on Green Wedding Shoes, she (Jen, the fan-damn-tastic editor behind GWS) said it best, “Inspired by strong, beautiful shades of blue…it conceptualizes a setting that walks the line of folksy, bohemian, earthy + eclectic”, and we agree wholeheartedly.
We meet many brides-to-be in the studio, and frequently when we ask the theme or inspiration behind their wedding decor, we hear a lot of COLOR, and this is one of the main reasons we love this shoot so much, (and the fact that the super fab girl, ROCKED our Alexandria dress to perfection). We love the abundance of strong colors, and the natural rustic backdrop of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. For our California brides, this would be an amazing venue. We envision this being perfect for our laid-back, cool, and creative bohemian brides. Right???
We love the look of the Alexandria paired with bare feet. What do you all think? Either way this dress is a stunner, and we were happy to see it featured on POP SUGAR as one of the top bohemian wedding dresses. (#smallvictories)
We hope you will find loads of inspiration in this fun editorial, and that you will love it as much as we do. I mean, after this shoot, we have a total photographer-crush on Meghan.
