Take a second and remember what you were like at 4 and 5 years old. It was a great day if you had playtime, yummy snacks, and finding your sleeping mat. For Amanda and Derek, they were starting their journey of finding their soulmates. These love birds went from playing sports together to then reconnecting after high school. It’s safe to say they had a strong foundation with a lifetime of friendship and memories. Amanda and Derek’s love story is one for the books, as was their recent wedding at the Condor’s Nest in California. Their wedding feature is full of inspiration for the boho bride-to-be. We especially love all the DIY details from the flowers to the cake. Amanda wears her Ophelia two-piece wedding dress. We feel she couldn’t have chosen a more perfect dress to match her personality. She looks incredible.
Photo: Erin Wiese Photography
The Proposal
Amanda loves hot air balloons, and was on a work trip in las vegas, and was surprised with a hot air balloon ride with a few of her co-workers… when she should up to the ride, Derek popped out of the hot air balloon basket to go on the trip with her. He proposed mid-air on the journey.
Photo: Erin Wiese Photography
The Wedding Dress
Before being engaged, I came across Dreamers & Lovers on instagram and had my wedding dress picked out before marriage was even talked about, haha. I know what I like when I see it 😉
Yes, we wrote our vows, I think my favorite line would be me telling Derek, “you are not only the best person in my life, but you are the best person in everyone’s life around you.” HE IS SO LOVED!!!
The Must-Have Detail
I dreamed of having a rug aisle for the ceremony that we were able to rent from witty rentals.
Make it as simple as possible for yourself, and take all the help you can get! LOL
The Guests
There were 140 guests!
Photo: Erin Wiese Photography
The Wedding Cake
The bride’s mother made both cupcakes and wedding cake. The wedding cake was carrot with cream cheese frosting, all homemade so yummy 🙂
Photo: Erin Wiese Photography
Favorite Details
Everything was perfect! More than we could’ve imagined, it was so awesome to see it all come together, knowing how much love went into every detail. Our thank you gifts were hand-painted rocks that we all helped out with; this took months to get done!
Photo: Erin Wiese Photography
The Next Chapter
We are ready to enjoy life! 2 weeks after the wedding, Amanda and Derek put together a brand new salon for the bride and her three business partners, then traveled to Bali for three weeks!! We are excited to enjoy each other.
The Flowers
All of our flowers and arrangements were artificial and silk! Besides the greenery. The bride’s cousin put them all together!
Just looking at the photos of Ashley and Jeff’s special day, I can feel the atmosphere bursting through the screen. The laughing couple, Jeff (in dashing blue with stylish brown leather shoes), Ashley (in an enchantingly simple, boho wedding dress from Dreamers and Lovers, with a flower crown), together with their furry friend, Maggie the Goldendoodle (in her own flower necklace), look like the happiest, laid back family on earth and I’m sure you wouldn’t mind learning a little more about how they got to be so lucky.
Shortly after Jeff moved back to his home town of Carmel Indiana from Chicago (in August 2013), him and Ashley where fatefully thrown together by good intentioned (scheming) friends
Shortly after Jeff moved back to his home town of Carmel Indiana from Chicago (in August 2013), him and Ashley where fatefully thrown together by good intentioned (scheming) friends. The idea was for the big group of friends to spend the night at a John Mayer concert, which they would get to in a friend’s RV (or trusty party bus), obviously the pair expected everyone to be sharing a section of seats and enjoying the concert together.
Well, after seriously hitting it off on the party bus, the pair was surprised to discover that their scheming friends had in fact booked separate seats for them, away from everybody…they would be forced to continue hitting it off for the rest of the night, which they did! Their friends had indeed pulled a fast one on them. For Ashley and Jeff there was no looking back. As fate would have it, John Mayer ended up performing at the same venue on the evening of June 17, 2016…the night they got married.
The proposal was a monumental surprise for Ashley, who always thought she’d see it coming. Jeff came home early from work, saying that they and Maggie should go hiking up at their favorite spot, an old Indian reserve running by the river 30 minutes from their Indiana home. Ashley thought nothing of it, it being a beautiful October day, perfect for a stroll outdoors.
They started their hike and stopped at one of the most picturesque outlook points by the river so that Maggie could have a dip and drink some water. Because the day was relatively cool, Ashley began urging for a move on, complaining that no more cooling off was needed…Jeff though, had other plans.
Ashley became aware that Jeff was mentioning their special spot, saying he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, discovering other special places. Realizing the situation, Ashley’s heart began to race, she turned away and looked at the ground intently…Jeff pulled her back and got down on one knee to propose, at which point Ashley exclaimed “what are you doing? This is so weird!”
Although she doesn’t remember responding, legend has it her answer was yes, only she kept on awkwardly saying “this is so weird” until Jeff finally responded “you have to stop saying that!”
Although she doesn’t remember responding, legend has it her answer was yes, only she kept on awkwardly saying “this is so weird” until Jeff finally responded “you have to stop saying that!” In closing Ashley reassured him that it ‘was a good weird, but still weird’.
Now, Ashley is one of those free spirited boho brides who likes to stay comfy and the thought of a frumpy, massive, satin wedding gown quite frankly terrified her. She looked forward to the inevitable dress shopping experience with a sense of dread in her heart.
For the first time in her life, she took to Pinterest for ideas, where a stunning Dreamers and Lovers pin linked her to the Etsy shop. The enchanting dress Ashley ended up wearing was actually one of the original dresses she had pinned.
After seeing the happy, laid back brides on the Dreamers and Lovers Instagram pics, Ashley felt confident about ordering her dress online, she provided her measurements and the rest is history…all without ever setting foot in one of those dreaded bridal stores! The dress arrived and the outcome was both beautiful and comfortable, aligning perfectly with Ashley’s vision and the setting for the day.
One of the most interesting things about this wedding was that it actually took place over two days (a Friday and a Saturday), Ashley’s cousin got ordained online and performed the ceremony on the first day. It was an intimate, unforgettable affair with only 70 family members, including Maggie the furry Goldendoodle, set in the picturesque woods near an old covered bridge, overlooking the river where Ashley grew up.
Ashley’s Grandfather started their farm back in the 50’s, his favorite prayer had been the Serenity prayer and she remembers warmly that it was read out at the ceremony and meant a great deal to everyone present.
A post ceremony dinner was held on Ashley’s Mom and Stepdad’s 10 acres, just a mile from where the ceremony was held. The dinner was set up on farm tables, under three old oak trees strung with fairy lights. The couple remember that day as a perfect one…in fact, they had such a blast that they forgot to cut the cake and ended up doing it next to Ashley’s Mom’s pool (in their swimsuits) the following day!
The same guests, as well as 130 friends and extended family, were invited to the Saturday night barn party on Ashley’s Dad and Stepmom’s farm, where Ashley was born. The barn was transformed with chandeliers and fairy lights hung from the rafters, with farm tables made out of an old barn from Ashley’s Mom’s property.
There were food trucks parked outside the barn, with a gourmet donut truck (The Dancing Donut) to provide delicious, fresh dessert. The night was magical, with music, scrumptious cocktails and dazzling fireworks. The couple loved the idea of getting two whole days to celebrate and feel the love with friends and family.
Ashley’s greatest advice for boho brides-to-be is to realize it will all be worth it. Although planning (especially when you’ve got your own business to run) can be overwhelming and stressful, having a special day (or two) to spend with your loved ones is a wonderful gift and those memories are there to last a lifetime…just remember to breathe!
The couple recently sold their condo and are planning on buying and renovating a house in which they can raise a family. They’ve also got a South American honeymoon coming up in January 2017. We wish them all the best and a future full of special places and happy memories.
Looking at Tara and J’s romantic wedding pics… a bohemian love story set against the most exquisite NY country backdrop, it’s natural you’d want to know a little more.
This gorgeous young Bohemian couple met on a ski trip back in 2009 where, as fate would have it, they were forced to keep each other company whilst their friends enjoyed a snowboarding session (they were both skiers). Needless to say, they had such a time of it that a few months later when Tara was set to move up to Washington DC for grad school, J decided to follow…
The Venue: The nature loving couple knew that their perfect day needed to center around this shared interest of being outdoors. They chose the charming rustic setting of The Old Tater Barn at Central Bridge NY.
The old fashioned country feel, together with Tara’s backless lace wedding dress and sweeping, self-made boho veil, are a match made in heaven. The pictures are like something out of a romance novel, not bad for a wedding that was mostly DIY and altogether untraditional!
The Dress: When it came to choosing her dress, Tara had no interest in glitz and glam, it just didn’t feel like her. She’s a free spirited, outdoor girl and she wanted to express herself on her wedding day, to keep it simple for her and her husband-to-be.
She tried to go the traditional route of trying on dresses at her local bridal shops (although she did take hubby-to-be along for the ride), but she felt they were all too sparkly and uncomfortable, not her style at all. Tara just couldn’t understand why someone would sacrifice comfort and freedom of movement, no matter how beautiful a dress may look on the outside.
A bridal shop attendant gave Tara some invaluable advice: “Every girl’s wedding dream is different.” Your day should be an expression of who you are and your unique love story. There’s no need to get weighed down by complying with traditions. There’s no point in getting lost in the details.
Tara was lucky enough to come across Dreamers and Lovers on Etsy and instantly fell in love with their simple boho styles; comfortable yet gloriously feminine.
Their home try-on program and their accessible prices also appealed to her economic sense. Not everybody wants to break the bank on their wedding day, sometimes it makes sense to save for the honeymoon instead. After trying on Amber Backless Lace Wedding Dress the couple needed to look no further, both J and Tara felt the dress was perfect in every way.
The Flowers: Choosing a dress wasn’t the only area where Tara did things a little differently. The couple wanted to make the party their own. Tara looked to Etsy and Pinterest for economical DIY ideas.
Tara didn’t use any fresh flowers but picked them all from roadsides and farm stands and then dried them so that they could be kept as souvenirs. She made all the beautiful bohemian bouquets and boutonnieres herself, such a great way to add magic to that special day.
The Food and Music: Working within a budget the couple was delighted to discover that the venue’s BBQ menu was the perfect fit for them, no caterers necessary!
Instead of an outlandishly pricey cake, they chose donuts from a local cider donut shop, yum! Food and music were important to the couple so they had fun choosing their own songs for the day, although they chose far too many songs for the number of hours!
The great thing about doing things your own way and adding a little DIY is that not only can the results be more economical and more expressive of you, but quirky little details make the day more fun and interesting, I’m sure no one is likely to forget those donuts!
If you’re planning a day to remember, your keywords need to be love and family. One of Tara’s fondest memories of the day was dancing with her father, who sadly passed away in February, after a long battle with Parkinson’s.
Add a little love to your wedding preparations and remember what’s important. What’s special is that the aspects that were done a little differently, to save money and minimize hassle, ended up being the things that really made the day. This simple country wedding was the epitome of rustic charm and laid back bohemian vibe.
The traditional route has been done a few billion times over, if you really want to make this a day to remember: choose the right venue and choose the right dress. As for the rest…Do It Yourself.
We absolutely love everything about bride Shannon and her groom Austin, wedding photos. The photos have an organic, wild, rustic and romantic feel to them, and captured in Texas where the couple recently wed.
Shannon wears our Catherine dress, with added custom long sleeves.
Shannon is so lovely and took the time to give us an in-depth look at the planning stage, and the magic of their wedding day. We are such a sucker for love stories, and this one does not disappoint. She said yes over a fire and s’mores….yup, we love it!! Read on:
How her and hubby (Austin) met:
My Husband, Austin, and I were introduced to each other by a mutual college friend in the beginning of summer 2013. We became friends and spent the summer days getting coffee, and getting to know each other. In late December we started to see each other more often. This included more coffee dates, and even Austin ice skating with my family. Sparks flew whenever Nacogdoches, TX got a miracle amount of snow, and we spent the evening geocaching in the park. He asked me to be his girlfriend on February 8, 2014 over a perfect fire and s’mores, on a chilly evening by the lake.
Her Wedding Style & The Type of Bride she was:
I was a bohemian-woodland bride. We both really enjoy nature. He has a forestry degree, and loves trees. I have a bohemian style, and am into a natural aesthetic. Our wedding was a mixture of these styles. I had a lot of neutral colors and the flowers were the pop of color.
How she decided on the dress:
This is probably one of my favorites parts of the wedding planning process. It all started with the search for the perfect dress to fit my style. I knew from the start that I would have a hard time trying to find what I wanted in stores. The pressure was on from family to go shopping. In my search for the dress, my sister found dreamers and lovers and sent me the website. The first time I looked through the dresses, I saw the Catherine dress and was immediately in love. I knew it was the one and I eyed it for months! I finally ordered the sample, and just as I expected it was indeed the one. Up until the wedding, I would pull it out and try it on weekly. It was so unique and beautifully made.
Her Bridesmaids:
I knew I wanted my bridesmaids to pick their dresses from the start. I wanted their dresses to accentuate their figures. Everyone is shaped so differently, and I just wanted them to be comfortable. The color scheme that I picked for their dresses were neutrals of cream, white, brown and light brown. I think that it looked so beautiful! My mini bridesmaids (flower girls) wore white dresses and brown moccasins.
The one thing she would not compromise on:
One thing I was not wiling to compromise on were the wooden tables and beeswax candles at my reception. So many people tried to talk me out of paying the extra price for them. I was not willing to budge. They looked gorgeous at the reception and perfectly captured the look that I was going for.
The traditions she left out:
I was an untraditional bride. I wanted our wedding to capture our personalities and style. I stayed away from traditional wedding music. We made a Spotify wedding playlist of songs that were much more fun, and our guests loved it! Vampire weekend and the Lumineers were much more fun to dance to than the Cha Cha slide.
Advice for brides to be just starting out:
Try to stay as organized as possible. Lists are your friend. Budget. Try to keep your stress levels low. I took yoga classes through out the planning process,and it was so wonderful! I highly recommend it.
Best memory of the day:
The best memory of the day was seeing our guests drinking coffee, eating Chipotle, and having a great time.
Main inspiration:
Pinerest helped a lot to inspire the look that I wanted. I would pin things that inspired me which helped the ideas in my head come to life.
CREDITS:
Photographer- Allix Ruby Photography – http://www.allixrubyphotography.com
Cakes and Flowers- Whole Foods, The Woodlands
Venue- Raven Lodge, Huntsville State Park
Catering- Chipotle
We are completely captivated by the breathtaking wedding photos of Alexis and Andrew’s wedding captured by Ostara Photography. The photos tells a story of uncluttered love. We can feel the love oozing between these sweet love birds. We are also in love with this Spanish styled wedding venue, located here in California – the Casino in San Clemente. We have written about it before, here. It is the perfect destination for intimate and small weddings, perfect for laid-back bohemian brides.
Now on to the Amber gown in all its glory, which Alexis wears so well. Although Alexis lives in California, she first tried the gown on using our home try-on, and fell in love. We were thrilled that she decided to visit the studio, to have her measurements done, and all the final fittings. She is one remarkable gal.
Every photo literally took our breath away.
From the bride:
– How Alexis and Andrew met?
“We met in highschool through mutual friends, plus he was friends with my brother– we were friends for a year or so and then started dating 10 years ago (I was 15 he was 17).”
– Her wedding style, and the type of bride she was:
“Ultimately, I wanted a laid back wedding, without the frills. Rustic or Boho chic was my main goal for the wedding and the venue was perfect for that with the cactus and succulents and what not. I was definitely a really easy-going bride. I was never really stressed even until the moments my bridesmaids and I were getting ready, they were all FREAKING out and I was calming them down. My maid of honor called me “brideCHILLA”.”
-How she chose and decided on the dress:
“The dress shopping was so hard for me at first– i don’t like the traditional look of wedding gowns and I’m also very petite so everything I tried was swallowing me whole. As soon as I came across Dreamers & Lovers I knew it was an instant fit. I knew I wanted all lace, bohemian style, and nothing TOO fancy, but still elegant. That was exactly what Yanique and her team had to offer. The lace was gorgeous, the designs were beautiful, even the boutique was just SO my style. From that point on, it was easy. Once my mind was set on a dress, Yanique was able to create it even better than I had imagined, and to my exact figure.”
-The bridesmaid dresses:
“I really wanted a fun color for the bridesmaid dresses and wanted them to all be comfortable so I decided on my favorite color ever (a certain bright shade of mint green) and allowed them to pick any style from the designer. I am SO happy with the way they looked. And all the girls felt and looked gorgeous.”
-The one-thing, she would not compromise on for the day:
So at my venue, the first dance is ALWAYS held in the ballroom. I had this vision of having the dance in the rock garden, outside, underneath the strung lights at dusk. The venue owner and coordinator both explained how this might throw off the flow and everyone would have to stand, etc etc…but also encouraged me to do whatever I wanted, so in the end I decided to have the dance in the rock garden and it was absolutely magical, I’m so happy with that decision!
– How she skipped tradition:
We were generally less traditional than normal about pretty much everything in the wedding, however, the main tradition skipped that I can think of was the garter removal. We did do a bouquet toss, but I wasn’t really interested in the garter removal part so we did skip that. Oh also, we did not have a seating chart. We did open seating since we’ve been together for SO long that there was really no “sides” to the wedding. Most people knew each other so we felt it would be nice to just allow everyone to pick their tables.
– Alexis’s advice for brides-to-be getting started with the process:
I would advise brides to not rush through the engagement. I think I was so relaxed because we were engaged for a year and nine months so I had so much time to steadily make progress. The wedding shouldn’t be stressful and the easiest way to ensure that is give yourself time. I also advise brides to stay on top of your vendors of course, but allow them to do their jobs. A lot of times I felt that I didn’t have control over certain things which bothered me, but after the wedding day I realized everyone knew what they were doing and made sure they executed exactly how I had imagined
-Best memory of her wedding day:
“I have 2 best memories of my wedding day– the first was when my Dad walked back into the bridal room to meet me and see me for the first time while we waited to walk down the aisle. That’s a once in a lifetime moment and it was so special. The 2nd was just walking barefoot on the beach with a gorgeous sunset taking photos with my husband after the ceremony. Nothing calms your nerves more than a private beach photoshoot with just the 2 of you after such an overwhelming experience.”
– Best source of inspiration for wedding planning:
“Pinterest, duh! Seriously…I’m not sure how I would have planned a wedding if Pinterest didn’t exist.”
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MADE-TO-MEASURE DRESS
Your made-to-measure dress will be created using the measurements you provide to Dreamers & Lovers. We are not responsible for any incorrect measurements you provide. We recommend getting measured by a professional. Dreamers & Lovers can assist you with a virtual appointment if you are unsure about a measurement.
Some made-to-measure dresses will still require minor alterations. Alterations are typical and usually easy to work on. We are fully invested in you wearing your dress and feeling confident and stunning. We are happy to assist you with alterations. There are instances when it is easier to have your dress altered locally. Contact us, and we will guide you to determine what is best for you. If you decide to send it back to Dreamers & Lovers for alterations, you must do this within seven (7) days of receiving your dress in the mail. If you have us do the alterations, you will send the dress to our Torrance design studio. Before sending the dress back, please contact Dreamers & Lovers for approval.
