Romantic is definitely the right word to describe Leanne + Robert’s wedding! Roses were everywhere – from the isle to the chairs to the bouquets. The center pieces, Tiffany lamps adorned with roses by {Designs by Design}, added soft, romantic light to the reception and were one of the couple’s favorite design elements of their wedding. The bride wore a dress by {Demetrios}. The catering and the wedding cake, which was banana with chocolate cream frosting, were both done by the venue, {Arizona Biltmore Resort}. The bride thanks her wedding planner from {Signature Events} for a flawless and un wedding. See more of Leanne + Robert’s wedding at {Marriott Photography}.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: We met on the internet in 2003. After a few weeks of chatting we finally met and we have spent nearly every day together since!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? We wanted an elegant theme with lots of dark reds and gold colors.
Favorite design element of your big day: We loved the centerpieces on the tables and pretty much everything about the layout on the tables. Our centerpieces included a raised tiffany lamp with cascading roses flowing out of it.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I looked at quite a few dresses before deciding on the final one. I looked at a lot of the high end designer dresses, they were all beautiful, but I really fell in love with a “mermaid style” dress from Brides By Demetrios. During my final fitting a lady in the store came up to me and said “you’re getting that dress, right? You’d be crazy not to!” and that was pretty much when I knew this was the dress for me!
Describe your wedding flowers: We had lots of beautiful red roses. My bouquet was a cascading bouquet of roses and all my bridesmaids carried mini-bouquets similar to the one I carried.
Describe your wedding cake: We chose a pretty large wedding cake for the size of wedding we had. We just loved the look of a larger sized cake. The flavor of the cake was banana with chocolate cream frosting… It was delicious!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I loved the rose petals lying across the isle, up to the alter.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: FUN, FUN, FUN! But if I had to name two other than fun I would say elegant and romantic.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? I would give the advice of not coming to me for advice! I’m just kidding (sort of). I would say find a GREAT wedding planner… I don’t think we could have had nearly as beautiful wedding (or a wedding that ran as smoothly) without our amazing wedding planner!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Right now we are just looking forward to spending the rest of our lives with each other. Children are definitely in our future, but maybe not for a few more years… We’re still kids ourselves!

Congratulations Leanne + Robert! We wish you the best in your new life together!

For those that like a little blue and possible a little red then this is the wedding for you! {Amy Squires Photography} submitted this wedding to us and we knew we had to share it with our readers. Then we got the interview from Nicole + Mike and well, did you ever have your parents say they can see you marrying a childhood friend?  That might not have been the case for Nicole + Mike but their parents were friends for over 30 years and lets just say when the two began working together something sparked. But it was six years later that the two wed at {Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach} with planning by {Platinum Weddings by Kerrie}.  The gorgeous flower arrangements were created by {The Treasured Petal}.  I love the ceremony aisle treatment and the paper good details from {Joceybella Invites}.  Nicole looked radiant in her gown that she purchased from {M Bridal Salon}.  The wedding cake was created by {Rockwell’s Creative Cakes}.  For more on this wedding make sure to check out the photographer Amy Squires’ {Blog} and the florist Treasured Petal’s {Blog}.

How did the two of you meet? Our parents have known each other for 30+ years. Mikes’ parents own a generator shop while my parents own an auto body shop. Before our facility moved in 2003 the two businesses were about three buildings apart. Although our two families worked so close together, Mike and I were not friends until after Mike started working at our shop in 2003. And the rest is history…
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Elegant with a fun funky twist.
Favorite design element of your big day: My favorite design elements were definitely the flower arrangements. I am still amazed.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: When I tried on my dress, I didn’t “know it” like everyone says you do. I originally found it locally during the designers’ trunk show, but I wasn’t sure, so I passed it up and continued on the quest for the perfect dress. While looking at other dresses, I kept comparing them to the original dress from the trunk show… that is when I knew I had to try it on again. My wedding planner found the dress about an hour away, so I made the road trip to try it one last time. Once I had it on again, I finally picked my dress.
Describe your wedding flowers: My flowers were perfect, even better than I imagined. My tall centerpieces were in tall rectangular vases filled with aqua blue water and submerged James Storei Orchids. They were topped with red and burgundy flowers including roses, dahlias, orchids, and lilies. Aqua blue crystals dangled from each centerpiece. My low centerpieces were clusters of three vases of varying heights filled with aqua blue water and filled with different types of flowers, including roses, orchids, and dahlias.
Describe your wedding cake: My cake was a four tier square cake. Each tier was covered with differing patterns of black and white stripes, polka dots, or both with aqua blue accents. It was topped with a Bride dragging a Groom by the collar. The cakes were red velvet with chocolate mousse or white cake with bavarian cream and strawberries. Yumm-o!
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Hire a full service wedding planner!!
Any DIY items? Mike and I made our cake stand and wishing well card box. Mike’s mom made our Croatian heart favors that were placed on all of the napkins.

In case you have forgotten, Father’s Day is June 21st. Right around the corner! I advise you to mark it on your calendars and enter this marvelous giveaway full of gifts Dad would love. These three sets of cufflinks from {Cufflinks.com} are the perfect gift for any man in your life–dad, brother, boyfriend–maybe even keep a pair for yourself! In addition, {Reality Rhyming}, a fabulously unique company that has made personalized poems for Oprah, Martha Stewart, and Maria Sharapova amongst others will work with you to create a one-of-a-kind rhyme for Dad! Any father would be lucky to win a prize pack like this one!

Win: One lucky person won’t have to go out and buy dad a gift, they’ll win it! The winner will recieve 3 sets of cufflinks and 1 personalized poem.

To Enter: Why is your father special to you? We’re leaving the details up to you–leave a comment below or send a photo/poem/painting to whitney @ iloveswmag.com. Be creative!!

This contest ends when the clock strikes 12 on June 15. The winner will be chosen entirely by random, regardless of the medium in which they choose to reply. Best of luck!!

We are so excited to feature the elegant wedding of Angela + Angel! The beautiful bride wore a custom made dress and designed her invitations, programs, table names and place cards herself. Some of the couple’s favorite things included the reception venue, {SLS Hotels at Beverly Hills} and the food, prepared by chef {José Andrés}. The simple floral arrangements by {Bobbe Vagell Floral Design Studio} made a big statement against the white backgrounds at the ceremony and tables at the reception. See more of Angela + Angel’s wedding at {Apertura Photography} and check out more from this wedding on their {Blog}.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Angel and I first met at the age of fourteen at church in California. We knew each other but weren’t close friends. People at church would make fun of us and how cute it would be if we both get together since we share practically the same name. I, however, did not find it amusing at the time. I moved away at the age of 16 and lived at Virginia and Tennessee for 3 years before I came back to California where we got reconnected. We just happened to end up not only at the same college but also the same Biology and Organic Chemistry classes. I had just gotten out of a relationship and was not looking to enter another one, so it was quite a relief when Angel started talking about his girlfriend at the time. Shortly after Angel and his girlfriend at the time ended their relationship, but I do recall one of the first times he called me was to talk about the break up. Our friendship started with studying together at the library, and then it progressed to studying at coffee shops. Then next thing we knew, we were spending less time studying and more time on getting to know each other. It wasn’t until we began dating did I find out that he has always had a crush on me and could see us being together in the future. We dated for 3 years before we got engaged. Angel wasn’t really happy with the way he proposed the first time around so he surprised me a year later when he proposed again along with upgrading the size of the engagement ring. We had a very long engagement being engaged for 5 ½ years before we finally got married. Everything was worth the wait.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? We wanted our wedding to be sophisticated, modern and chic. We both like the minimalist and very clean look. We wanted a very elegant design without an over abundance of flowers.
Favorite design element of your big day: The organic look of the dark Manzanita braches brought to life by arrangements of fresh green roses.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I’m actually a very picky person. I couldn’t find one dress that I liked fully and since my mom is friends with a wedding dress designer in Indonesia, I decided to have it custom made. The dress was finished within 1 week. When I brought the dress home, I still wasn’t quite happy with the dress so l made quite a few changes to make it just the way I like it. I know I’m terrible.
Describe your wedding flowers: Fresh green roses, green hydrangeas, green cymbidium orchids, miniature calla lily, dark brown Manzanita branches.
Describe your wedding cake: Round 3-tiered European cake with fresh raspberries and Bavarian cream decorated with fresh green hydrangeas between the tiers and on top.
Our favorite aspect(s) of the wedding was/were: It’s hard to pick one, but we narrowed it down to top 3 (not in a particular order of importance): The reception site (SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills) – the service the hotel provided were impeccable. The hotel itself is quite incredible. Dana Linder, the catering manager, was very pleasant to work with. Despite of her busy schedule, she went out of her way to tend to our needs. The executive chef is none other than the world renowned Chef José Andrés and the food was absolutely amazing. It just completed the overall experience at the hotel. We were honored to be the first wedding that was held at SLS Hotel. The florist (Bobbe Vagell Floral Concepts) flower arrangements were gorgeous, we enjoyed working with Bobbe and Todd. It was easy to work with them since we share the same vision and taste. It was nice to see that Bobbe was as excited about our wedding as we were. Photography (Apertura Photography) was one of the only things we had absolutely no reservations about. With plenty of accolades under their belt (including “2009 best top 10 wedding photographers”), we knew we were in good hands. If you check out their Web page, you’ll know exactly what we mean. For those of you who appreciate the idea of “captured moments,” Ray and Erwin are the photographers for you. They were so easy to work with and comfortable to be around. They have the amazing ability to make ordinary things and turn it into extraordinary images. They truly made us the focal point of the day and captured some breath taking photos. Also, one of the best aspects of their work of art is their ability to tell a story with the images they take.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Intimate, personal, and memorable
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? If things don’t go the way you expect (because they won’t), just keep in mind that your guests won’t even know the difference; they will enjoy celebrating with you at your wedding regardless. Appreciate every moment, because it all goes by so fast. Be sure to enjoy the day yourselves and remember what the day is really about (which is marrying the person you love, incase that wasn’t obvious).
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Planning to have a family within the next year or so and dealing with other adulthood dilemmas while keeping a good balance to our playful-at-heart nature. What we look forward most in the future is starting our family and possibly doing some traveling together.
Any DIY items? I designed the invitations and had them made in Indonesia, designed and assembled the church programs, table names, and placement cards.

Congratulations Angela + Angel and the best of luck with starting your new family!

Katie + Dwayne’s wedding is definitely one-of-a-kind, especially since a lot of the wedding was DIY. The couple and their family decorated the entire wedding and did all the cooking for the reception–except for the cakes, which were baked by Paula Harmon. The groom’s cake, made to look like some of the most meaningful books in the couple’s relationship, was Katie + Dwayne’s favorite detail of their big day. The bride wore a dress from {David’s Bridal} and flower arrangements were by {Heritage Florists}. To see more of Katie + Dwayne, check out {Simply Bloom Photography}.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Dwayne was attending church where my parents attend. When I returned home from school for a weekend visit, we began talking. We exchanged book suggestions, poetry, and music regularly and a true friendship quickly evolved into a deeper relationship.
Describe the proposal: I (Katie) had been in Paris, France for ten days straight with no great way of communicating with Dwayne. So, I immediately called him when the plane landed in the Atlanta airport and stayed on the phone with him while walking to gather my bags. Then, I heard on the line “I see you!” and, click, the line went dead. I saw Dwayne running towards me (dodging oncoming crowds), but he stopped about ten feet from me, held up his hands and said “stop right there.” Then he dropped to his knees and proposed! When I said yes, I dropped to my knees to kiss him and he said, “then put this on” and handed me the ring that he was wearing on his bandaged finger (he had put a screw through it accidentally while I was away). As we kissed a crowd of people that had stopped to watch began clapping and cheering.
What attracted me to my husband was: His adventurous spirit and sense of humor. Dwayne is the perfect mix of adult man and teenage boy. He keeps me on my toes!
Why do you love your husband? I love Dwayne because he is a genius. He’s the most intelligent and talented human being I’ve ever met.I love him because no matter what we are doing we are laughing and the conversation is never ever dull.
What attracted me to my wife was: What immediately attracted me to Kate was her intelligence, wit, and ability to be completely honest.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: We literally laid around in an open field for an entire day together just talking and laughing. It was straight out of one of our books.
The weather on our wedding day was: Rainy, cold, and beautiful!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? There wasn’t one alone. It was a melting pot of sorts. During my training as an artist, I was exposed to a lot of different works and techniques which all seemed to influence my wedding ideas.
Favorite design element of your big day: Hands down, the groom’s cake. I had is made as a surprise to Dwayne… it was a stack of three of the most influential books to our relationship.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My dress was very classic. It was strapless, A-line, and covered with antique looking lace. I’m a sucker for antique or vintage anything!
Describe your wedding flowers: The flowers were all white with hints of blue and green. All the boutonnieres and corsages had peacock feathers instead of greenery. Flowers were really less important than candles at our wedding, though.The bridesmaids all carried candles in crystal holders.
Describe your wedding cake: My wedding cake was completely an accident! What I had ordered was very fragile and broke while being transported to the reception. Mrs. Harmon (the most brilliant baker on the planet) improvised and worked her magic, however, and it turned out beautiful. She added some of my extra flowers and peacock feathers for a very “My Fair Lady” effect.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Each other. When it comes down to it, that is the only thing that matters. The cakes, decorations, flowers, etc are all fun but we were just so happy to married!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Mainly time. We basically planned the entire thing in 2-3 months.
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? Not really. We tried to break the mold as much as possible. We had two maid’s of honor, two best men, two officiants, and my mother walked me down the aisle!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? (Dwayne) Seeing Kate walk down the aisle. That image will never leave me!
Scariest moment? My 4 year old little brother, Ryan, was our ring bearer. He is a little unpredictable so we didn’t know what he would do. However, we were up for anything because he’s adorable. The plan was to have him walk down with his dad (who was a groomsmen), but when the time came he had a come-apart and wouldn’t go. Turns out, he just wanted to walk down alone! When his dad walked down, Ryan followed and walked perfectly to the front. After a few circles around the stage, he found his place and stood there.
Funniest moment? I received a card from Dwayne right before the wedding that just said, “Mine?” I wrote back, “Yours.”
Hardest decision you made in planning? Whether or not to go with a Marie Antoinette theme—I still think it would have been a blast!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Romantic, emotional, fast!
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Have an organized mother!
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? Both of our families were extremely involved so we can’t choose just one person. We were just happy to have everyone all together!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are looking forward to a long life of adventure together!
Any DIY items? Oh, EVERYTHING at the wedding was DIY. We and our families cooked all the food, decorated, and even arranged some of the music!
Favorite inspirational blogs or sites (if any): Southern Wedding, the Knot, and Simply Bloom Photography!

Congratulations Katie + Dwayne! We wish you the best on all the adventures your life together will bring you!