Simple Inspirational Real Wedding stories

An Intimate Elopement at The University of California, Berkeley

Julie and Carolina originally planned to celebrate their wedding with a small ceremony with close friends and family in attendance. However, when the pandemic hit, the couple decided to shift to an elopement on their original wedding date. "We picked a date and started planning, but then the pand...

A Sunflower-Filled Backyard Wedding in Detroit, Michigan

When the COVID-19 pandemic derailed their initial wedding plans, Christine and Kate decided to get married at home. "We got married in our backyard in Detroit," says Christine. "This was our backup plan after our wedding at Bell’s Brewery was canceled due to Covid. We bought our house in early Ma...

An Intimate Elopement in Downtown Boston Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Jessica and Navil were just two weeks away from their wedding when they made the difficult call to postpone it, as a result of the pandemic. "All the details were already planned out. When we decided to elope, we also decided that we would eventually have a second wedding, the wedding we had been...

An Effortlessly-Chic Wedding Along the California Coast at Timber Cove Resort in Jenner

For this adventure-loving couple, choosing Timber Cove, a cliffside hotel about one-hour south of Mendocino in Jenner along California’s coast was a no brainer. Jenna and David wanted a private locale (they rented the entire property for the entire weekend), in a place that they both loved and v...

Black-and-White Touches Filled This Urban Wedding at SKYLIGHT in Denver, Colorado

Denver natives Angela and Esteban have their own vibe—and their wedding exemplified it seamlessly. “We found inspiration in our personal style as a couple,” Angela says. “We wanted an art gallery feel with handcrafted details.” The couple banded together their groomsmen on the day of to fill the ...

An Elegant Wedding at a Modern Art Gallery in Lubbock, Texas

As a part-time wedding photographer, Kim had a clear vision of what her and Zane ’s own nuptials would look like. “We booked the 5&J Gallery because it had great lighting and it’s not commonly used for weddings,” she says of outfitting the concrete venue with acrylic accents, black chairs and...

One Couple's Laid-Back, Intimate Wedding at CAVU in Tampa, Florida

When planning their wedding, Barb and Arthur considered eloping, but soon realized they still wanted a chance to celebrate with loved ones. Their perfect middle ground? A private exchange of vows in a flower shop, followed by a lively reception filled with family and friends. “We got to have an i...

A Rustic Mountain Wedding at Telluride Sleighs and Wagons in Colorado

The reasoning behind Karissa and Shockey's rural venue was simple: “It’s the most beautiful place on earth,” Karissa says of Telluride Sleighs and Wagons. “Since we were making 130 guests travel from all over to a hard-to-reach destination, we wanted to truly amaze them with the best of Telluride...

One Couple's Nature-Filled Wedding at Silver Oaks Chateau in Pacific, Missouri

High school sweethearts Christa and Lucas knew they wanted to exchange vows in the great outdoors. “Lucas and I love to hike and camp,” Christa says. “We wanted a location that highlighted nature and provided a beautiful rain option if necessary.” That logic brought them to Silver Oaks Chateau. A...

Romantic Shades of Blue Set the Tone at This Intimate Wedding at Hotel Bennett in Charleston, South Carolina

Amy and Bob envisioned a wedding that felt like an elegant dinner party, with close friends and family members gathered around one long table. “We wanted it to feel intimate, personal and beautiful, honoring the people who have carried us to this point,” Amy says. <br><br>The couple set the 46-se...

A Simple, Romantic Wedding at Hidden Pond in Kennebunkport, Maine

Emiko (Emi) and Daniel (Dan), both lawyers, hoped their wedding would feel like a mini New England vacation for their 85 guests. Everyone stayed at Hidden Pond, where they had a seafood bake welcome party and watched the couple exchange vows in a birch forest. A soft blue and gray palette, family...

Classic, Elegant Details Infused This Farm Wedding in St. Louis, Missouri

Anna and Elizabeth “Liz” are  fans of the outdoors and St. Louis’s fall weather, and opted to celebrate both during their October wedding. “Kuhs Estate and Farm checked all of our boxes,” Anna says. “It’s a beautiful landscape on the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and close eno...

Sculptures and Meaningful Details Informed This Celebration at Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas

Devon and Martin  knew from the start that they would get married at the Nasher Sculpture Center, where the bride once interned. After all, there weren’t many places where the college sweethearts could wed in front of a 40-foot sweep of weathered steel. The Richard Serra piece was a “visually str...

A Simple Wedding at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences in New Jersey

Morgan and Michael  spend most of their summers in LBI, so when they began planning their wedding, they knew just the place to show off its natural beauty. “We wanted light and bright and natural elements, which is why we chose the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts &amp; Sciences,” Morgan ...

A Minimalistic, Modern Wedding at Wrong Marfa in Marfa, Texas

Married on the eight-year anniversary of their first date, Meredith and Juan-Carlos focused on simplicity. “We let the venues dictate the style,” Meredith says. The couple took part in a hand-fasting ceremony, using a cord the bride braided herself at Wrong Marfa and honored Juan-Carlos’s Mexican...

A Romantic Bank Vault Wedding at 8th & Main in Grandview, Missouri

Though Alexandria and Marcus's Valentine’s Day proposal, which took place while dancing at a John Legend concert as the songbird himself gave a shout-out from stage, was nothing short of extravagant, their wedding 17 months later was intentionally low-key. “We knew we wanted something intimate, s...

Magical Winter Beach Wedding in Carillon Beach, Florida

Carillon Beach holds a profound meaning for Kristen and Will. “I grew up vacationing in Carillon, and, as a young girl, I always imagined getting married there someday,” Kristen says. Will proposed to Kristen in Carillon as the sun set, and four months later, the couple said their vows in the sam...

A Rustic Springtime Farm Wedding at Kuhs Estate and Farm in St. Louis, Missouri

Déjà and Mars aren’t the types to let a little rain ruin their parade. With a wedding party of 18 by their sides, the New York residents returned to their home state to exchange vows at Kuhs Estate and Farm, forgetting the foreboding forecast in favor of fun. “We partied until a gust of wind blew...

A Rainbow Cake Made This Wedding at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, Especially Memorable

 After lawyers Mayme Donohue and Phoebe Willis proposed to one another, they put together an event filled with personal touches, beginning with the stationery. Magnets asked guests to save the date with a fun instruction: “Boom. Pop the Champagne.” The ceremony was “ultra efficient—no longer than...

During the Pandemic, This Couple Decided to Exchange Vows in Their South Carolina Backyard

Like thousands of other couples, Alisha and Stephen were forced to reimagine their nuptials in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the end, they settled on a scaled-back wedding in Columbia, South Carolina at Stephen's mother's home with only their immediate families in attendance. <br><br>Althoug...

These Grooms Planned an Intimate Backyard Wedding in Springfield, Missouri

It took moving to Chicago for Brent Waters (31 and works in marketing) and Chadwick Calkins (32 and a hairstylist) to discover their shared Springfield roots. “A mutual friend introduced us,” Brent says. “We’d both lived in Springfield for the majority of our lives.” After a Windy City proposal, ...

The Legend of Zelda Inspired This Ballantyne Country Club Wedding in North Carolina

Sheila and Will took a hybrid approach when it came to wedding planning—tackling some DIY projects while leaving others to the pros. "We did a mix of DIY and had a day-of coordinator. I pulled a lot of samples from Pinterest and tweaked them to fit our style and timeline. I’m super into organizat...

The Barn at Blue Bell Farm in Missouri Set the Scene For This Couple's Garden-Inspired Wedding

Nature was a must for Janet Lee (26 and a graphic designer) and Brad Stewart’s (28 and a marketing manager) wedding. The pair got engaged during a picnic in the woods on their property, so an equally romantic, earthy wedding day followed their proposal’s lead. Brad “surprised me with an aquamarin...