Today we bring you the wedding of Christine + Iaan, or, as I like to call it, the Freaking Adorable Wedding of Two Freaking Adorable People. Seriously: could they BE any cuter? I think not. The giant proteas that Christine loves so much make a fabulous style statement in this wedding — no big surprise, since Christine is an extremely talented photographer and blogger with a great eye. These two South African lovebirds got married at Kleinevalleij in a gorgeous outdoor ceremony with the bride in a beautiful gown by Lace Blossom and heels by Stuart Weitzman. I’m always interested to see who wedding photographers choose to shoot their own weddings, and think Christine made an amazing choice in Julie Lim! We’ll be back with more soon!

Describe the proposal. Iaan and I traveled to Germany to shoot a wedding and also combined it with a bit of holiday. It was our last day in Münich when he suggested we have an ice cream later in the afternoon before we fly back, as we both LOVE ice cream and found a yummy little store close to our hotel. I didn’t suspect anything. We went to the ice cream store and past us walked a photographer, I recognized his cool gear and showed Iaan, but he quickly changed the topic. I didn’t think much about it. We then bought some ice cream and headed to a little area in the mid of Münich. Meanwhile there were two photographers following us all the way from the hotel and they captured the whole thing! Apart from getting engaged, this was totally AWESOME! We sat on a little bench, had some ice cream and then Iaan pulled out my iPad. He had been working on a slideshow without me even knowing! He showed me the slideshow and straight after he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. We both cried and then it was smiles all the way!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Stylish, funky and festive.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The bunting.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I’ve always been in love with Vera Wang. We took a lot of inspiration from her range and a good friend of mine made the dress for me. From the moment I saw the design, I was in love with it! It was a replica of my personality – modern and classic all in the same dress.
Describe your wedding flowers: I had peonies for a bouquet and we had different bunches of flowers on the tables in small vases. The colors were all pink and turquoise.

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Shannon + Chris added a nautical touch to their preppy Southern fete with a reception at the Annapolis Yacht Club. (Currently dying a slow, happy death at the sight of the seersucker suit and pastel striped tie.) The flag pennants, bold colors and lush hydrangeas remind me of another sea-inspired wedding we recently featured. (P.S. It’s Emily’s sister, Kate!) For more from this cheery Maryland wedding, visit Kristen Hudson-Nichols‘ blog post here!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? Our wedding theme was preppy chic. We focused the celebration on family, food, and tradition. We had a traditional Christian ceremony officiated by the same Reverend who baptized my little brothers. The ring bearers wore boat shoes and the wedding party wore J. Crew seersucker suits and dresses.
Describe your wedding flowers: My bouquet was made of white and green hydrangeas. The bridesmaids had white hydrangeas.
Describe your wedding cake: We did cupcakes with our initials and Swiss dots in lieu of a wedding cake. We cut the grooms cake, instead, which was shaped like a pizza in honor of Chris’s second love in life
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Walking down the aisle with my dad. Chris said it was his favorite moment seeing me walk down and it was my favorite moment seeing him standing there with tears in his eyes. Also, my second favorite moment of the weekend was that my dad, who is a pilot for Southwest Airlines, surprised me and flew my plane from Tampa to MD for the wedding.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are working hard and playing hard. We hope to start a family in the next couple of years.

Shannon described her Maryland wedding at the William Paca House and Garden as “preppy chic,” and after seeing the crisp green + blue color palette, we couldn’t agree more! Special thanks to Jubilee Photography’s Kristen Hudson-Nichols, who photographed the Southern-inspired soiree. The bride wore a fitted Maggie Sottero gown and outfitted her ‘maids in bright J. Crew sheath dresses that were perfect for the couple’s outdoor reception. (We hate to say it, but the darling ring bearers and flowergirls just about stole the show!)

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We both went to the same high school and college but never met each other. We met in the summer of 2006 through a mutual friend, Joe. I was trying to set up my girlfriend with Joe and Chris tagged along as the wingman. We have been together ever since.
Describe the proposal. We were out to dinner with friends and Chris was insistent on arriving early to see the sunset. His plan was to propose before dinner watching the sunset. He tried to get me to go catch the sunset and grab a drink at the outside bar but I was stubborn because it had been raining and I didn’t want my hair to “fro”. So he put the ring in his pocket during dinner. After dinner and once the rain had stopped, we all went to the outside bar for a drink. Chris pulled me away under the guise that he thought he saw his deceased father’s boat the “Morning Girl” docked at the restaurant. So we headed down to check out the very special boat and while walking on the dock and looking for the boat, Chris dropped to his knee and proposed.
Three word that describe the day are: Love, “us” and celebration.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The details were our favorite part and it’s hard to pick, but here are a few: 1) we pinned a picture of Chris’s father along with an anchor to my bouquet so he could be with us during the ceremony; 2) we only kept one secret about the wedding from our friends and families – Chris’s father’s best friend traveled from NY to give us a blessing during the ceremony in honor of Chris’s father; 3) my jewelry was my grandmother and mother’s; 4) instead of a guest book our guest’s signed oars; 5) instead of table numbers our tables were identified by cities that Chris and I had been to together; 6) instead of feeding each other cake we shoved it into my little brother’s faces; 7) the latitude and longitude of the garden where we were married in was engraved in Chris’s wedding band; 8) our guests took home pizza cutters engraved with “a slice of love” and our wedding cake was designed to look like a pizza in honor of Chris’s favorite food.

M <3’s H (sweet vintage sign courtesy of Sweet Peas and Seashells) and we <3 Hillary + Matt’s indoor reception at the Owatonna Country Club. Yes, that is an escort card make from Scrabble letters – too cute! The couple served a simple flower-topped cake from Valerie Mullenbach (yum!), proving less is sometimes so much more. (Still loving that lovely cardigan, Hillary!) For more from H + M’s Minnesota wedding, visit Photogen’s post on the big day.

Purple is one of my very favorite colors (shocking, I know: I actually like something besides black and white!), and seeing the rich hue on Hillary’s attendants (courtesy of Eden Maids) is a cheery reminder that warmer weather – and brighter colors! – is on the way. Hillary + Matt tied the knot in Minnesota, where the team at Photogen, Inc. was on hand to document their big day. I’m 100% on-board with brides dressing down their gowns with soft, feminine cardigans, and Hillary’s peach-colored wrap is lovely next to her beaded Weddings by Tess gown. For all you DIY’ers swooning over the burlap “Love Naturally” sign, you can find your own at Sweet Peas and Seashells!

How did the two of you meet? We shared a popular literature class together during Matt’s senior year in high school. The following fall I was nominated for our High School’s homecoming queen and needed a date. I worked with his sister and she volunteered his phone number. Instead I gave her my number, and oddly enough, he called!
Describe the proposal. That morning we did some sightseeing in and around Duluth, MN with our friends. After lunch, Matt mentioned there was an incredible lighthouse in Two Harbors, so we decided to check it out. As we were walking through the trails in Two Harbors, MN at the Split Rock Lighthouse tourist area, I saw a woman taking photos of her family out on a pier and thought “hm, that’d be an amazing photo!” I turned to Matt and asked, “Do you think she’d take our photo?” He replied, “I think so, just ask her!” She happily agreed! We carefully made our way out there and after she took a few, she said, “Okay I got a couple good ones!” Just then, Matt put a finger up and said, “Hold on just one more second.” Then he said, “Hill, I love you SO much, you’re going to be my wife” (he was SO nervous and told me before he asked!) as he reached for his left pocket he got on one knee he pulled me close and excitedly asked, “Honey, will you marry me?”
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Elegant, joyful and blessed.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Definitely my bouquet! Cherie did an amazing job. She was more than our florist, she is an incredible friend. She even took the vintage clip-on earrings I found and included them in the most perfect way!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Finding my dress was initially quite the chore, I knew I wanted something “different.” My maid of honor Traci found the dress and told me to try it on. It fit like a glove! I loved the neckline on it, as the strapless dresses just didn’t seem to fit my style. The beadwork was intricate, yet simplistic. Instantly, I knew the search was over and after finding the dress, our vision for the wedding came together easily! We made a few minor alterations to the dress, which made me love it even more!