There Will Be Love

Sometimes I see a wedding and I get overwhelmed with excitement. I become instantly obsessed and have to keep coming back for another look. That is what happened when I found this incredible, vintage, "There Will Be Blood"-inspired wedding shot by gabriel ryan.

What I love most about this wedding is that it wasn't vintage just for vintage-sake. The adorable couple was inspired by her love for anything and everything relating to the 1920s and his favorite movie.

The Forster Mansion made the perfect backdrop from the cemetary to the old barn. And how gorgeous is that kitchen!?

It isn't rare for a bride to think about every detail of her outfit but his suit and belt buckle are perfection.

I half expect an oil rig to stretch out across the sky behind the barn.

~Emilia Jane

Vintage Vinyl Engagement Shoots

{my fiance and me shot by Davina + Daniel!}

It's fun to incorporate props into an engagement session especially when you are going for a vintage theme. The clothes, of course, can set the mood but a special touch is added when you bring in something that represents you as a couple. For my fiance and I, that thing would probably have to be records. I started collecting vinyl when I figured out how to install my dad's old school record player and stereo from the 70s in 1993. When we moved across country together, my fiance and I packed both of our cars with crates and crates of records (and we STILL left some behind)! The collection has only expanded (become out of hand) over the years (IKEA has saved us from having an unorganized mess in our living room). I love when couples show their love for each other and for good ol' rock n' roll in their engagement shoots.

{edgy chic vinyl love by Kristen Marie}

{Vintage picnic & record player by Sloan Photographers}

{good times in the $1 bin by ben blood}

{Some Beatles love by Sarah Rhoads}

{all you need is love by caroline tran}

~Emilia Jane

old books as favors

There are TONS of ideas out there on what to give your guests as favors. My opinion is that it should be somewhat personal, and not generic. For my wedding, I purchased a big bag of wildflower seeds that would specifically attract Hummingbirds & Butterflies. I got a bunch of small plastic sleeves to put the seeds into and designed a pretty description of the flowers, printed them out, and sealed the bags.

(Pics from my wedding)

I have seen couples create/ collect some really fantastic & unique favors before. One great example is the idea Lindsey & Bryce had. I just shot their wedding a few weeks ago and loved every detail of it. They decided to give their guests old vintage books... !

Plus they had a vintage typewriter as a guest book!

They used bookmarks for seating and had old sheet music pages incorporated into the decorations...
(pics from Bryce & Lindsey's wedding, see more on my blog)

View tons more pics from their beautiful wedding including the crazy dance party, the sweetest & yummiest cupcakes EVER (baked by my fellow co-blogger Sweet Emilia Jane), and hear more about Bryce & Lindsey's vintage inspirations & ideas on my blog here. And make sure to check out the 100 Layer Cake feature we got here.

xoxo Noa (feather love photography)

a non-bridal wedding dress... yes!!

This dress is so so so perfect, lovely, feminine, dainty, and above all... pretty!

Dress: Saja Bridal, via erin ever after & see more pics of the dress via once wed. photo: Mikael Olsson


I completely fell in love with it when I first saw it on Erin Ever After's blog. Which btw, is one of my favorite wedding/design blogs on the entire interwebs! LOTS of great wedding ideas and tons of inspiration.

And speaking of gorgeous, non-bridal-ish, vintage-inspired, pretty, short dresses...
via: once wed, photo: Sean Murray

and this LOVELY thing. yowsers.
also via erin ever after, via once wed. photo: belathee

xo Noa (feather love photography)

A Perfectly Vintage Wedding

I shot Zola & Derick's engagement session early last year at their super sweet 50's/60's decor home here in San Diego. Their wedding, as expected, was ABSOLUTELY stunning. This is a perfect example of a beautiful vintage-inspired DIY wedding. You can view more photos of their wedding on my blog here.



There are some really clever, tasteful & creative ways to do things for original & cost-conscious couples with an old-timey flair... Here's what Zola had to say about how she planned her big day...

After dating for five years, we were engaged and married within seven months, so there wasn't much time to dawdle over all things wedding related. I wanted to keep a mid-century aesthetic, but also make sure that everything was simple and not too themed; we wanted the feel of a family picnic more than anything else. Eclectic Vintage it was!

Some advice for anyone planning a vintage (or not) wedding:
1. Use what you have. I collect vintage Mexican owls and have amassed quite a collection of succulents in the last twelve years. For that reason, using owls and succulents in our wedding was an obvious choice and one that people seemed to really enjoy.
Vintage Brass Owls: Etsy and Ebay, usually sold in trios.



Succulents and growing materials: Hillcrest Farmer's Market and Walter Anderson Nursery
Glass bowls for Terrariums: Michael's



2. Ebay and Etsy are your friends. If you can think of it, you can find it. And of course, if you have several months to do it in, collecting specific types of vintage tableware, vases, knick knacks, etc. can be done through regular visits to thrift stores.
Cake Stands and small turquoise vases: Ikea

3. Buy online. I was able to limit the amount of running around town, and stress I felt as a result, by doing the majority of my purchasing by computer. I did, however, vow I would never step foot in a Michael's again after my seventh trip there!

4. When people offer to help, accept. Planning a wedding, even a simple one, is a lot of work. We are so grateful to our many friends and family members who pitched in to help, both by taking on major crafting projects beforehand and by setting up and decorating for the day's events. I don't know how we would have done it without them.


Fabric for napkins and banner: Amy Butler's Nouveau Trees from FABRIC.COM
Vintage Wallpaper used for photo wall and flower cones: Ebay
5. Forget the favors and just share. As the wedding wound down, our wedding party started collecting and packing away the terrariums and table displays. When I hollered, "Hey, people are supposed to take those home!," everybody ran over (Really. People were excited!) and ended up with something. And now when we visit our friends and family, we'll see a little reminder of the day they shared with us.

My attire
Veil: Something Bold Veils on Etsy
Vintage Brooch: borrowed from our friend (and officiant), Lisa
Earrings: J.Crew
Vintage Homemade Dress: Vintage Castle on Etsy
Shoes: Frye (I found them for 30% off at Shop Bop, but they still cost more than my dress!)



Best Women's Attire
Dress: the Kate dress from J.Crew via Ebay
Shoes: Modern Vintage
Derick & Best Men's Attire
Linen Summer Suits: Banana Republic
Black & White Gingham Ties: Kenneth Cole
Flowers: zinnias and dahlias from Alfredo at the Ocean Beach Farmer's Market

Also, Zola got her Owl Invitations from Ello There on Etsy, and her DELICIOUS cakes from Extraordinary Desserts.
Thanks for sharing the details of your gorgeous wedding with us Zola! It was an absolute dream to shoot :) You can view more pics from Zola & Derrick's wedding on my blog here: featherlove.com/blog

Noa

Vintage Traditions: The Send Off

{via}

The send-off is one of those traditions that we see once in awhile during modern weddings but was really a staple of the weddings of yore. Maybe it's because we party later into the night and don't really ever want the fun to end that a lot of weddings don't include the formal getaway to the honeymoon car. Some of us don't even leave right away for our honeymoons and spend the next morning with our friends & family.

{via}

I don't see anything wrong with including a fun costume change and faking a send-off though. At my friends New Year's Eve wedding everyone surrounded the couple with sparklers and they ran through the crowd with big smiles on their faces. Then grabbed another drink and went straight to the dance floor. So pick out a honeymoon outfit, some confetti or lavender (but no rice, please) and make a break for it (even if it just to the dessert table).

{via}

Widescreen Wedding

The other night I caught the end of the original Father of the Bride with Elizabeth Taylor. For any couple who is aiming for a 50s-inspired affair go rent this flick immediately. Though the budget might be a little off ($85 for the orchestra, yeah right) the details are incredible from the dress to the flowers. Old movies make a great date night AND planning session. Here are some more classic cinematic nuptials -

It Happened One Night (a 30s dream)

The Graduate (LOVE her hair and makeup)

The Deer Hunter (Meryl Streep is a beauty and those gold crowns!)

The Godfather (OK, maybe not the most romantic but oh that wedding!)