Category — Photographers

If you dream of your wedding have the flair of an old Clark Gable and Carole Lombard movie, then the one destination spot meant for your event is the The Roosevelt Hotel Hollywood. 

The historic hotel is in the heart of Hollywood and hosted the very first Academy Awards on May 19, 1929.  And yes, even Clark & Carole use to stay in the hotel suite for $5./ night!  But if you can’t make it to Hollywood, here are a few other venue ideas:

• Fox Theatre, Atlanta
• The Majestic, Dallas
• The Chicago Theatre, Chicago
• Colonial Theatre, Boston

But a classic Hollywood inspired wedding is so much more than just the venue.  It’s refined, dramatic style is from a day gone by and I found so much inspiration that I had a hard time choosing what to share with you. 

 Gown by Claire Pettibone

Gown by Jenny Packham

Purse designed by Leigh Ann Kline

A little groom inspiration too. Photo by Our Labor of Love

1948 Rolls Royce

Vintage floral design by Martha Stewart

Even consider finding a photographer you love who can give your photos that old hollywood style.  One that comes to mind is Elizabeth Messina.  Her work is stunning and glamorous!

And of course, make that first dance a romantic show stopper. 

Mark Kingsdorf of The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants sent over a beautiful Cancun wedding he coordinated recently.  The event took place at the Moon Palace Golf Resort & Spa, an all inclusive resort with a Catholic Chapel on the property and a local priest to perform the ceremeony; something that was very important to Michelle.  She and Tony also wanted a resort that offerred lots of amenities to their 125 guests in attendance.  And as you can see, the views from the chapel are gorgeous!

For Michelle, photography was very important, so she chose to hire Laura & Paul Eaton of Laura Eaton Photography, as well as, Drew DeMarinis of Tangerine Media Group for video. 

Michelle & Tony wanted to keep things simple, so the chose to go with the floral services offered by the resort.  Mark and his team designed program fans & floral cones for petal tossing and even brought in perfectly place shells for that warm, beach feel.

I love the colors of the cake and decor! 

Mark’s advice to a bride planning a destination wedding?  Always try to hire a coordinator but if you choose to diy he has three excellent points.  One is make a site visit, don’t depend on websites and pictures alone.  Two is get everything in writing and even do communications initially via email so they have time to review your requests, especially if you’re dealing with language barriers.  And three it’s always, always try to fly nonstop if possible.  You don’t want the stress of multiple connections if you can avoid it.

Congrats to Tony & Michelle!  Thank you Mark for sharing this beautiful Cancun wedding.  You and your team great planning an event for 125 guests. 

As Shari & I were brainstorming about feature photographers, one of the first to come to my mind was Sergio.  He is an amazing photographer who somehow draws you into every images.  You experience the beauty, the laughter and the passion.  I love how he captures the emotion in someone’s eyes; so piercing.  

As you can see I’m a huge fan of his work, so when he said he’d love to be featured on our destination wedding blog AND offered for us to feature Sol & Matt’s wedding, I was elated. 

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Sol & Matt, they’re VERY talented photographers as well, shooting gorgeous destination weddings frequently.  And when they chose their wedding location, the perfect choice was Playa Del Carmen and a traditional Mayan ceremony on the beach.

To see more from their amazing destination wedding, check out Sergio’s blog.  And if you’re interested in having a destination wedding in Playa del Carmen, Virtual Tourist and Trip Advisor have some great information on resorts and activities.  And if you’re wedding or honeymoon took place in Playa we’d love to hear from you!