If you have a dream honeymoon in mind, but have no way of realizing that dream short of winning lottery, then you will be pleased to learn about Wanderable, a site that helps couples make beautiful and unique honeymoon registries. A honeymoon registry gives you the freedom to craft your first dream vacation as a married couple! Their mission is to make gift giving meaningful and memorable and we think, their service does just that.
With templates that are easily customizable, in styles ranging from modern to quirky to romantic, Wanderable allows couples to make registries as beautiful and unique as their big day. They seek to add meaning to gift giving, by connecting wedding guests with the opportunity to give the couple a personally selected memorable honeymoon experience. Everyone needs pots and pans, but the memories from the experiences couples register for on Wanderable can last a lifetime – be it snorkeling together in the coral reef gardens of Bora Bora or sharing a beachside sunset dinner in Hawaii.
For wedding guests who want to add a personal touch to their online gift, they have the option to include a handmade gift box that lists the experience they are gifting with a note to happy couple to open with their wedding gifts. For such a great service, the Wanderable fees are very low- just 2.5% to cover credit card processing and 2.5% to cover their expenses, which is less than the average tax and shipping and handling fees associated with traditional wedding gifts.
To thank your guests for their generous gifts, Wanderable also has a unique mobile app that allows couples to send and track personalized thank-you cards. Couples can even upload photos to create postcards of them completing the experiences they received, which we love! Wanderable will take care of addressing, printing and mailing all the notes and cards so your thank-you’s are done in no time. To craft your personalized honeymoon registry, head on over to Wanderable now and start registering for your future memories.
Ladies and gents, prepare yourselves for a stop-you-in-your-tracks kind of styled shoot, sent over to us by designer extraordinaire Beth Helmstetter. Produced by Be Inspired PR, photographed by Braedon Flynn, and flowers by Dolce Designs Studio for Destination I Do Magazine, this shoot is hands-down guaranteed to brighten up your day and get you dreaming for some sandy time in the sun!
From the event designer, Beth Helmstetter: The shoot was full of fun details, like colorful Adirondack chairs for the ceremony, vibrant pillows for dinner seating, and was inspired by a colorful, cozy beach wedding in Malibu.
The menu included grilled watermelon cubes topped with hamachi sashimi, cilantro Creme Fraiche and wasabi cotton candy, shoestring fries with Cajun remoulade, mini all-beef hot dogs with a sesame seed bun, caramelized shallots and 50-50 sauce, beach style chargrilled swordfish with fresh apricot and fennel salsa, butternut squash slaw, peach Bellini snow cone shooter, and citrus vodka and pink lemonade snow cone shooter. The welcome basket was stuffed with OneHope wine and champagne, chocolate covered pretzels, Chupa Chups Suckers, and seasalt shortbread cookies.
What could possibly be more perfect than an indoor/outdoor wedding in the mountains of North Carolina shot by the ever-wonderful married photography duo, The Schultzes? Susannah and Corey wed with a “lovebird” theme in mind, even handing out bird tree ornaments to their guests after a sweet outdoor ceremony and a rocking dance party. Read on to soak in all the details and hear some exceptional planning advice from the bride:
From the bride, Susannah: From the very beginning stages of my wedding planning process, my vision was very clear: rustic setting with soft pastels, burlap, lace, succulents and a vintage, romantic feel. I’ve always believed that I was born into the wrong decade. As a child, I was intrigued by the romance and magic of years past, and playtime was filled with old-fashioned make-believe in the likes of The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. What better way to live out my childhood fantasies than by creating my own fairy tale on my wedding day? My mom and I spent hours upon hours scouring antique shops for vintage birdcages, books, lace, crochet, frames, mirrored trays and mason jars. The chandelier (rented from Party Reflections) was the icing on the cake.
We decided on our “lovebirds” theme due to several factors: (1) Corey proposed on a Christmas tree farm in the mountains. After we got home, we found a bird’s nest in our Christmas tree. (2) We got married under a tree, and birds hang out in trees. (3) We are excited to grow our family tree. (4) We like to think of ourselves as lovebirds. (5) I really just like birds. A lot! I tied the theme together by incorporating birds, bird’s nests and birdcages into the decor, invitations and escort cards. I found a birdcage wall art piece at Francesca’s that I transformed into an escort card holder, and created “Wishes for the lovebirds” cards for our guests to fill out and drop into a birdcage.
I found darling lovebird Christmas ornaments from TheShabbyCreekShop on etsy that were perfect for wedding favors. I explained the significance of the ornaments with a sign that read, “On the side of a mountain, in the midst of hundreds of Christmas trees, Corey got down on one knee and asked Susannah to marry him. And so began forever & a thousand Christmases together. Please take an ornament home in honor of the lovebirds… and hang it on your next Christmas tree!” I also designed all of the table numbers, various signs and framed quotes myself, and printed them from home. (Side note: this inspired me to open my own etsy shop, which allows brides to save money on decor by purchasing digital files that they can print from home and frame themselves.)
Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I dreaded stuffing and labeling 150 favor bags, which caused me unnecessary stress. When I finally asked my bridesmaids for help, they were more than happy to sit with me and knock everything out. Not only did it shave hours off the process, but I was able to indulge in a wine night and catch up with some of my bridesmaids.
Don’t be afraid to speak up. If you have reservations about anything, don’t hesitate to say so. I put down a deposit on linens, then regretted my decision for a week afterwards. When I finally spoke up and admitted that I wasn’t happy with my decision, we were able to make a change and find the lace linens that were more in line with what I envisioned. You only get married once (hopefully)… don’t allow yourself to look back on your day with regrets. Aim to have everything you possibly can have done at least a week before the wedding. Eliminate the need for last-minute scrambling, and allow yourself time to relax and spend time with your fiance and family before your big day.
Be sure to enjoy Susannah and Corey’s wedding video from Crown Alley Films:
Wedding Music:
Bridal Party Processional: “Hallelujah,” Leonard Cohen
Bridal Processional: “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” Elvis
Recessional: “This Will Be an Everlasting Love,” Natalie Cole
First Dance: “First Dance,” Corey Smith
Father/Daughter Dance: “My Little Girl,” Tim McGraw
Last Dance: “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing (my favorite movie!)
