real weddings Archives | Page 7 of 17

Real Wedding: StarDust Bride Samantha in Augusta Jones

11.12.14

Yesterday, you got a little sneak peek of StarDust Bride Samantha in her Daphne gown by Augusta Jones in our post about the AJ trunk show this weekend. Beautiful Samantha was so resplendent in this elegant lace gown featuring a dramatic open back, we just had to share more of her gorgeous photos with you! This lovely bride, her bridesmaids (wearing feminine AV Maids gowns) and her romantic East Texas wedding to Chris got lots of designer love by being featured on both the Augusta Jones and Alvina Valenta websites. Enjoy these wonderful photos by Allison Hopkins Lezon at Daisy Photography!

Real Wedding: Marianne and Mark

11.07.14

Earlier this fall, our Weddings by StarDust team had the pleasure of executing our first Coptic Christian wedding, and it was an amazing experience!

Marianne and Mark engaged our wedding planning services earlier this year, and the couple was an absolute pleasure to work with. We really enjoyed learning about their faith’s sacrament of marriage and helping them find creative ways to honor their heritage throughout their celebration.

The rituals of the Egyptian Christian church’s wedding ceremony are beautiful and deeply rooted in tradition: the bride and groom processed up the aisle together along with several priests, deacons and a bishop, who officiated the ceremony; the bride and groom were enrobed, crowned and anointed with oil; and the ceremony was conducted in both English and Arabic, which were chanted throughout the service. It was a moving and meaningful ceremony!

For the reception, the couple wanted to create a sophisticated atmosphere while also including essentials from their culture. The fabulous Ritz Carlton provided the perfect backdrop for this special celebration. Marianne’s color palette included some of the hottest hues in weddings: regal purple and gold! The color combination translated into a stunning ballroom of elegance featuring gold linens, votives and floral vases, lush white and ivory flowers with pops of radiant orchid and soft purple lighting.

After a delightful cocktail hour filled with Arabic music, guests were treated to a traditional zaffa, where ushers donned tarboosh or fez headwear and played drum music for the newlyweds’ entrance.

The reception was a seamless blend of Egyptian and American traditions. The band Limelight played the hottest party music combined with DJ/Emcee Marcus Rollins spinning Arabic tunes, both styles of music keeping the dance floor packed all night.

In acknowledgement of their Middle Eastern roots, the couple chose a traditional menu of sirloin and chicken kabobs served over basmati rice and grilled vegetables, accompanied by family style hummus on all of the tables. But the couple opted for a fabulous customary wedding cake for dessert.

Another highlight of the evening was the traditional performance of a belly dancer.

One of the funniest moments of the evening came when Mark was blind-folded for the garter toss and Marianne pulled a fast one on him, enlisting one of the ushers to pretend his leg was hers while Mark attempted to pull off her garter. The gag gave all of the guests a great laugh.

The beautiful night came to an end as the couple was sent off in an arc of sparklers to their Bentley getaway car.

Thank you, Marianne and Mark, for entrusting your big day to Weddings by StarDust. It was a joy to work with you, and we wish you a lifetime of love and laughter!

Special thanks to our wonderful vendor partners:
Bakery: Delicious Cakes
Bridal Gown: Eve of Milady, StarDust Celebrations
Ceremony Site: St. Philopateer Coptic Church
Dance Floor: DFW Dance Floors
Entertainment: Belly Dancer, Sa’Diyya
Florist: 21 Parc
Gobo: Marcus Rollins
Linens and Lighting: Ritz Carlton
Makeup: Elan Makeup Studio
Photobooth: Picture This Green Screen
Photography: Graham Hobart
Reception Music: Band – Limelight; DJ/Emcee Marcus Rollins
Reception Site: Ritz Carlton
Transportation: Blue Diamond
Videography: A Very Special Day Video
Wedding Design and Planning: Marsha Ballard French, CMWP of Weddings by StarDust

Real Wedding: Bride is Stunning in Carrie Gown by Hayley Paige

10.29.14

Y’all. Seriously. Did you see these on our Facebook page? StarDust bride Alicia is absolutely gorgeous in her romantic yet sexy Carrie gown by Hayely Paige. And her bridesmaids are just beautiful in their fabulous pink Bill Levkoff bridesmaids dresses from LuLu’s Bridal. Aren’t these photos by the gifted Jillian Zamora incredible?! Drink these in and you’ll have certainly soaked up your fill of pretty for the day – enjoy!

Real Wedding: Claire and James’ “English Garden” Wedding

10.03.14

Working with Claire and James was a dream for our wedding planning dynamos. Claire, who is truly a beautiful person inside and out, came to us with a definite vision of a classic, elegant affair with an English garden feel.

Our team went to work creating a gorgeous design that included boxwoods, lattice and garden arches, all set to transform the Four Seasons Resort.

In addition to the formal garden atmosphere, Claire tasked us with finding ways to make the reception space creative, romantic and interesting.

We mixed tables to include banquets, rounds and banquettes.

Lush floral arrangements abounded and soft candles glimmered off of the subtle bling accents of the napkin rings and table linen overlays.

Spectacular lighting and elegant chandeliers completed the awe-inspiring ballroom.

The cakes were simply stunning, true works of art.

James is a geologist so the talented Lauren at Fancy Cakes created this amazing replica of a geode!

Also tying into the geologist thread were the favors: lovely soaps fashioned after several different types of gems, each with its own scent unique to that style.

After a fabulous seated dinner, guests danced all night to the high energy performance by TheWonders, and DJ Marcus Rollins contributed to the party atmosphere while emceeing the event.

The wonderful evening was rounded out by the TCU Fight Song (honoring the newlyweds’ alma mater), photo booth fun and a flutterfetti sendoff of the couple in the Four Seasons golf cart!

Claire was such a delight to work with! Because she had a clear idea of what she wanted, she was quick to make solid decisions when presented with options and move onward to the next task. When the entire vision came together on Claire and James’ wedding day, the result was simply stunning! Here are more beautiful photos (from the amazing Carter Rose at f8) – see if you don’t agree.

Warmest thanks to our wonderful vendor team:
Bakery: Fancy Cakes by Lauren
Beauty: Elan Makeup Studio, Anita Brown
Bridal gown: Eve of Milady, StarDustBridal Salon
Bridesmaid dresses: Mori Lee, LuLu’sBridal
Ceremony music: Gyros Strings
Ceremony venue: Four Seasons Resort, Cottonwood Ballroom
Dance floor: DFW Dance Floors
Lighting: Marcus Rollins
Photography: f8studios, Carter Rose
Reception music: Band – The Wonders; DJ/Emcee – Marcus Rollins
Reception venue: Four Seasons Resort, Las Colinas Ballroom
Rentals (décor): Shag Carpet
Wedding design and planning: Weddings byStarDust, Marsha Ballard French, CMWP

Real Wedding: Dana and James and their Monte Carlo Inspired Soiree

09.04.14

What do you get when you combine an elegant, family-centered ceremony with a glamorous, Monte Carlo style casino reception? An incredible night that this couple, their guests and our planning team will remember for a long time to come!

Fun-loving Dana and light-hearted James came to us with an eclectic wish list, and we had so much fun finding creative ways to weave all of their elements seamlessly together for an amazing wedding.

Dana and James met in Miami and the tropical paradise is so dear to them, they contemplated flying back down for their engagement photos or possibly even marrying there. They instead decided to tie the knot closer to home, but their love of the city did figure prominently in their red-hot cocktail hour which featured a definite Miami-Cuban vibe, complete with a cigar bar.

While the couple wanted a serene, sophisticated ceremony – they even went the unplugged route – they wanted to amp up the reception considerably. Dana’s favorite color is red, which lent itself perfectly to not only the cocktail hour, but also the Monte Carlo-themed reception we plannedafter the bride asked about somehow incorporating casino tables into the celebration. The result was a fun-packed evening of great music, delicious food, gambling excitement and lots of laughter.