Congratulations Kati + Owen!

Congratulations to our very amazing friends, Kattia and Owen! They recently got married in San Francisco in a private ceremony and it looks like it was the most beautiful day. We can't wait for them to post more photos.

On that note, it seems like everyone is getting married and engaged this summer! I love weddings and am so excited for the next one we attend in upstate NY at the end of summer. How about you readers? Are you engaged or planning to attend any weddings soon? If so, we'd love to hear how the planning is going!

Also, Refinery 29 just posted some bridesmaid dresses last week, which I thought were pretty nice. Check 'em out!

Hope you all had a great weekend! ♥

Dreamy Mexico Wedding

Along with the arrival of Spring, something else is upon us -- wedding season!

This weekend I received my first wedding invite, and I couldn't have been more excited. It reminded me of when I was planning my own wedding, and used to scour wedding blogs for hours on end. So this morning, feeling nostalgic, I came across this Mexican beauty. Isn't it lovely? I love the laid-back simplicity of it.

What about you sweet peeps? Any of you getting married this upcoming Spring/Summer? Or have friends getting married? What are some of your favorite wedding styles? Beach, Garden, City? xo

(Photos by Jen Gotch via Once Wed)

Dreamy Wedding: Heather + Dana!

We recently came across our friend's Heather + Dana's wedding photos and they were so beautiful, we had to share. I talked to Heather a bit about planning her DIY wedding and she provided the following insights.

If you plan on doing a DIY wedding, start early! We got engaged in December 2009, and as soon as we decided to get married at my fiancée's parents house (February), and planned for a wedding in September, I got straight to work on my DIY projects. It gave me enough time to get everything I knew I wanted done, done; and also gave me time to think of last minute touches without feeling stressed or overwhelmed. The day of the wedding was so easy because I just handed everything over to my coordinator and let her take it from there.

We knew that we wanted an intimate, low-key wedding, and really, wanted it to be more like a party. We were kinda over the run-of-the-mill weddings and the formality of it all, so we made it a bit more carefree with high top tables and stools where it would allow guests to interact with each other like a party.

We were a bit worried at first that it was so different from what people are used to, and that our guests wouldn't like the lay out, but actually, the guests preferred not to be stuck at a table talking to people they didn't know. The In-n-Out was actually an idea we got from a previous wedding we went to. Instead of steak, fish, or veggie options at other weddings, we loved the idea of having the In-n-Out truck come and serve everyone dinner. It was filling and fun, and made for some amazing pictures.

A lot of my decor inspiration came from magazines and websites. I would rip out pages and pick out things that I liked from different weddings I'd see and gave it my own personal twist. You'd be amazed at how easy a lot of these wedding decor things are. It just takes time and patience.

I started my mason jar lanterns super early because I knew that I would need a lot of them. I bought cases of mason jars in different sizes from ACE hardware and bought the wire from Home Depot and downloaded a template on how to make your own. Very time consuming but totally made the ambiance.

I borrowed a ton of my parents knick-nacks around the house for decor which cut down on costs and the signs were super easy. I bought a roll of burlap from Home Depot and some twine, cut out little triangles, bought a stencil from Michael's, and painted away. I used leftover slate from a project we did around our house as chalkboards, which was easier than actually buying a chalkboard.

All in all, our wedding day was hands down, the most fun wedding my husband and I had been to ( I guess every bride and groom should feel that way) because we were both so stress free and we planned far enough in advance to get the look and feel that we had hoped for on our special day.

Heather + Dana used the following vendors:

Photography: Jill Thomas
Videographer: Crafthouse Productions
Florist: Erin Nichols from Elm Design
Day of Coordinator - Once Upon A Time Weddings and Events
Food: In-n-Out, 24 Carrots Catering
Cake: Simply Sweet Cakery
Make up: Hair Comes The Bride
Dress: Enzoani
Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti
Belt: Feathers & Frills on Etsy
Veil: borrowed
Bridesmaid Dresses: Dessy
Grooms/Groomsmen Ties: Baby by Stevie on Etsy (note: the ties were custom ordered for adult sizes)
Locations: the ceremony was held at a local park and the reception at the groom's parents' house in Newport Beach, CA
Rentals: Signature Party Rentals
Decor: the bride herself, Heather Winters, with a little help from her florist, Erin Nichols

You can see more photos from the lovely couple's wedding here. Congrats Heather + Dana! ♥

Have a dreamy weekend!

(This photo, by Heather Funk, is of my beautiful flower girl, and Goddaughter, Maya. The pretty flower headband is from J.Crew.)

It's Friday! In honor of our wedding anniversary, Alex and I are going out to dinner and a movie this weekend. We're seeing Black Swan. Probably not the most romantic film, but it looks so good! What are your plans?

Wishing everyone a restful + cozy weekend!

And here are some fun links for your Friday xoxo...

Cool house tours (via Design Elements)

Show your roots. What do you think of Ombre highlights? I kinda like. (via MT days & nights)

Statement ring for your wedding day. Wow. (via brooklyn bride)

♥ Max Wanger's pretty new shop. (via Cup of Jo)

Chocolate Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt. Um, yeah. (via Cookin' Canuck)

Make your own sparkle ornaments. (via You Are My Fave)

Sofia Coppola's Somewhere featurette. Can't wait! (IMDB)

Cinema 2010: The Scene Makers (via NYTimes)

Get free music every Monday! (via Urban Outfitters)

Our 1 year wedding anniversary

A year ago, this Sunday, my husband, Alejandro, and I got married at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach, surrounded by our closest friends and family. It was truly the most magical day of my life. Here are a few photos, I want to share, from our special day. xo

P.S. Mama + Papa Cifuentes celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary this past Monday. Congrats, Mom + Dad!

Our beach ceremony...

Karina, as one of my bridesmaids, looking stunning...

Lisa Michelle, my amazing and gorgeous maid of honor...

Our family and friends looking fabulous + glam...


Walking down the aisle with proud Papa Cifuentes...

My most special ladies...

The fellas looking quite dapper...

Sister love.




(Photos by Heather Funk ♥)

A special note to my Alex: Thank you for being the best husband, and loving me for being me. Whether I'm being silly or moody or chewing caramel popcorn too loud during movies (sorry, its so crunchy!) or wearing my "saggy butt jeans" -- You love me just the same. And I love you. Even though you sometimes steal my extra pillow while I'm asleep. And weekly stain our white shag rug with hot sauce. I feel incredibly, incredibly blessed to have you as my man. Hot sauce stains and all. Te amo muchisimo, Mrs. Big Head xoxoxo

Dreamy Wedding: Congrats Aimee + Trevor!

Our friends, Aimee + Trevor got married this weekend at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. It couldn't have been a more beautiful wedding! Congrats to the lovely couple! ♥

Photos by Abdi of 3 Photographers.
Dress by Carolina Herrera.
Wedding stationary by Mr. Boddington.
And the best wedding DJ ever, Dave Fischoff of PopShopDJs.

Wedding Weekend in the Catskills

Hello, everyone! Apologies for disappearing yesterday. Just returned from the most beautiful wedding of some very great friends, Darren + Rachel. It was such a magical weekend. Professional photos to come soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share a few of these.

The weekend kicked off with a lovely campfire, complete with s'more making and star gazing. The wedding date was actually planned around the Perseids Meteor Shower, so there were lots of shooting stars, which for most of the guests from the city, was a nice treat.

Darren +Rachel + Darren's adorable little brother play with light.

The girls do cartwheels!

Steph and Kim take a nature walk on Saturday during the day. There was plenty of time to roam the grounds and relax before the big event.

The boys play in the pool.

Magaly + Rocio catch up on their tans. Magaly's swimsuit by Alexandra Grecco.

The lovely bride and her papa.

Exchange of vows and a beautiful Apache wedding blessing.

The couple makes their grand exit to the song, Happy Together by The Turtles.

Isn't her dress stunning?

Wedding guest, Johnny, superbly decked out for the big night.

Party time!

Photos by Stephanie Halmos. More to come later!