a vegas elopement in polaroids

I dig all the photos from Stephanie & Micah's lovely little Vegas wedding (see more over on their travel blog), but the polaroids? OH MAN THE POLAROIDS. 

Expired polaroids slay me every time.

A few words from Stephanie:

So our little story goes like this...

We're both from Australia, have been together for 8 years and just recently returned to Melbourne after 15 months of overseas travel. We were never really interested in getting married, but now that I think about it, it was just that we never wanted a wedding. When we began planning our way back home to Melbourne, it felt very right to get married as a beautiful way to end the year long travel adventure we shared.

The idea to wed in Vegas honestly started out as something we'd kind of joke about. However after we discovered Gaby Jeter (our wonderful photographer) and realised that Vegas has some pretty charming aspects to it, we couldn't imagine being married anywhere else.

Organising a wedding/ elopement/ private ceremony, whatever you want to call it, in Vegas wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, and actually a bit of a nightmare at times. After reading countless online reviews about the infamous Vegas chapels, that we only imagined would be really cute and kitsch (so wrong), we saw a recurring theme of people being scammed, and we kinda didn't want to be scammed on our wedding day, you know?

Being able to choose our own celebrant and ceremony location helped to keep the level of Vegas tacky-ness pretty low. Because neither of us had ever been to Vegas before, we relied on Google maps to help us find photo locations (like the gorgeous Tod Motor Hotel featured in our pictures) and then Gaby would confirm if the colourful mid-century buildings we liked were still standing.

All in all, I can't recommend eloping enough (Vegas or not). It's incredibly romantic, it's fun, and you get to spend the whole day with your beloved prancing around in beautiful clothes with (maybe) the biggest secret you've ever kept. Then you get to call your family and friends back home and share the beautiful, happy news. Our parents and a couple of others did already know - couldn't quite do that to them!

Now that we're back home, we're having a little party to celebrate our marriage - minus any wedding stress. Just an opportunity to wear my dress again(!) and celebrate with our nearest and dearest.

- Stephanie & Micah


Dets on Stephanie's attire + her unanswered Dear ESB are over here if you missed em.

(POLAROIDDDDDDDDDS by Gaby Jeter)

My Mom's Big Gay Wedding

Hello East Side Bride! 

Your blog was a lifesaver for me as I planned my own wedding, and now I'm hoping you can help out my sweet Mom while she plans hers! 

Unfortunately, even with all the recent good news for Gay Rights, she still can't marry her longtime partner here in New Orleans. They've grown tired of waiting, and are heading to D.C. in March to do the deed legally. Only problem is, they know almost nothing about the city. 

Maybe some of your readers would have some suggestions? They're looking for a place to hold the ceremony (extremely small, probably just 10 people or less), a nice restaurant to head to after, and a photographer to capture the day. The only thing she's thought about so far is to have the ceremony in a nice park, but we're not sure of the weather in March.

Thanks so much!

*****

Good news! Cevd (who lives in DC) tells me that March is cherry blossom season. Maybe your mom knew that already? Cevd says:

The weather should be brisk, not freezing, and there will be a chance of rain, it's DC after all, but BEAUTIFUL. You can get married in only two spots on the mall, from what I hear, which is technically a national park. One of those spots is the Tidal Basin, i.e. BEST CHERRY BLOSSOMS. Here's the link, and they should likely get on it.

She also recommended a few restaurants (with the caveat that they're all a little spendy):

Fiola - Shit ass website, best italian food.
City Zen 
Obelisk - I've not been but people fucking love it.

I'm not sure if these two take groups that large, maybe for a special occasion? But they are ABSOLUTELY worth looking in to:

Suna
Komi

The photo is by Amber Mahoney, a DC-based alternative wedding and documentary photographer, who also started this super cool project. I'd hire her in a heartbeat.

Happy Tuesday

I thought you might enjoy this Amy Adams for Band of Outsiders shoot. 

I'm a sucker for polaroids. Always.

Also: There's a new Dear ESB over on 100 Layer Cake! (It's been a while. Let's hope they don't eat me alive...)

Because I'm a sucker for wedding polaroids (And: Other people's pets)

I had to share a few polis from Rebecca + Dustin's teensy Colorado wedding.

This one they planned it two weeks. Would you believe that dress is from Forever 21?

Photos by Live It Out (see tons more over on their blog)

Via The Present Company Project

movie recommends, s'il vous plait

H is out of town, and I've already watched waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much HGTV for my own good. Like, way too much. Also this really embarrassing Bravo show I found on demand, Interior Therapy? Embarrassing.

So I've concocted a radical plan to go to the video store this afternoon. (If it's even still in business. I haven't RENTED a movie in at least two years.)

Here's the short list of stuff I know I want to see:

Beginners

Melancholia

I Am Love

What am I missing? What's your most favorite movie you've seen in the last little while??

I know you guys have good taste.

Photo by Jen Gotch

Alt Photography Workshop + POOL PARTY (Sponsored by Feather Love)

Feather Love (aka Noa), one of my fave photographers and hands-down the biggest rabble-rouser ever to write a guest post for esb, is doing a workshop in San Diego on June 28-29.

I'll let her tell you more:

Technical photography workshops are awesome, necessary, and extremely productive – but this is not one of them. Here are six reasons why my workshops are different:

1) I’M NOT A ROCKSTAR

I am not a “rockstar photographer.” I’m just a person who is sometimes totally full of shit, but I also spend a lot of time working on myself as an artist and I really really care about my work. My focus is on the quality of work we put out there, and most importantly our personal relationship to that work & what it can teach us. I am honest and revealing and have no intention of pretending to be someone I am not. I am not going to tell you how to skip the hard part & become a successful photographer overnight – QUITE THE CONTRARY.

(Photo of Feather Love in her studio by her husband Stuart)

2) FOCUS ON THE ARTIST

One of the main subjects I cover in the workshops, is how critical I believe it is to connect with our work & put ourselves into our art. Often times, photographers will focus on finding more expensive equipment, or spending hours looking at the work of other photographers in their industry for inspiration. As artists, we need to put ourselves & our experience into the work we are producing in order to create something that stands out & resonates with us. A majority of people who attend my workshops are photographers, but because I focus on The Artist, I often have other creative business people in attendance too – like bloggers, calligraphers, magazine editors, writers etc.

(Some of Feather Love's images from past workshops)

3) BREAKING THE RULES

My work is certainly not for everyone. I focus more on what intuitively clicks inside me while I’m shooting than I do on perfection in composition, lighting etc. In fact, I often do what would be considered “technically wrong” in order to get the results I want. I have seen a million pretty photos, but it’s often the blurry, strangely-cropped, under/over-exposed images that stand out for me the most. Why? Because I can personally relate to them. Because they reveal something deeper, more beautiful, more honest, more human. Let’s just say that if I had to choose between Ansel Adams and Diane Arbus, I’m going with Arbus.

4) ROUNDING IT OUT

Besides my more philosophical lectures, I also cover real-world examples from my experience, discuss experimentation, how to get the clients you want, self-branding and many other practical subjects. I leave ample time for Q & A to structure each workshop around the attendees. I invite incredible guest lecturers to focus on subjects that are vital in running your own creative business. For example: Anne Sage on the important role of social media in self-branding (Bay Area + San Diego Workshops), Chloe Aftel giving a hands-on Polaroid class that will blow your mind (Bay Area + San Diego Workshops), Emma Case on not compromising (London Workshop) etc. These are artists & creative people whom I admire and respect and have learned so much from.

(Images from previous workshops: first and last image by Feather Love, all others by Woodnote Photography)

5) THE AFTER PARTY

Yes, we spend a few good hours discussing all sorts of deep, intense and important topics – I pose vital questions that we need to ask ourselves… blah blah, BUT I also believe in not taking stuff too seriously. If we’re going to work hard, we’re going to relax and/or play hard too. Some of my workshop after parties have included:

glamping sleepover in a giant beach house overlooking the ocean with musical guests Tim & Nicki Bluhm (video by Bay Area workshop attendee Sara Wilbur Photography)

dirty-hip-hop dance parties (London & Italy video by Son Of Shark Pig)

… and sometimes celebrity guests! The beautiful Sarah Carter will be our model for the San Diego workshop.

Wine & friends, plus clean & tasty gourmet food is of utmost importance! (Nicole of Gjleina is catering!) … And we will also be taking some hard-core pool breaks.

6) CONNECTION

I love how people keep in touch after my workshops – they become friends, ask for help reviewing an edit, travel across the country to hang out together, do awesome photo projects together, or even start a Facebook group specifically for all the people in the workshop they attended, including me. It’s RAD.

I am so extremely super-excited about my upcoming 2-day workshop on June 28th & 29th at my house and studio in San Diego! You can learn all about it HERE. Find out more about my workshops, content I discuss, videos & interviews with me, attendee testimonials and more HERE.

(At top: Photos by workshop attendees Shutter Sam & Brosnan Photographic, plus Feather Love's images of A B & The Sea in her pool & Anne Sage in her studio)

What should I put on my head?

Dear ESB,

I'm having a smallish, city hall type wedding in Melbourne, Australia in late April followed by a very long lunch with lots of wine and cocktails at one of our favourite restaurants with our immediate family and a handful of close friends. 

I've found the dress and a necklace but I have no idea what to wear on my head. My brain hurts from looking at bridal websites and I have Etsy fatigue! Since you and your readers have impeccable taste, I would appreciate any suggestions.

*****

Anyone feel like shopping this for me?

I'm swimming with the sea lions today. Or drinking margaritas or whatever.

Photos: Michelle Williams for Band of Outsiders Spring 2012 Collection via Fashion Gone Rogue

A Wedding in Polaroids

And the most thorough, thoughtful, helpful write-up I have yet had the pleasure of publishing.

Take it away April:

Sitting down to write about our wedding seems an awful lot like an Academy Award acceptance speech -- there were so many incredible people and friends involved. I'm about to start blurting out a list of names before the orchestra starts playing the STOP TALKING music.

About our wedding: it happened over labor day weekend in a small town 2 hours north of San Francisco. Monte Rio is beautiful, remote and very California without having the expense of nearby wine country. The ceremony was on a meadow by the Russian River with the reception at the community center. We treated it like it like a destination wedding.

Besides our own marriage, here's what we wanted for our guests:

- to have a relaxing long weekend on the river.
- to enjoy themselves so much that they were really sad when the weekend was over.
- to leave feeling like they really got to know other people and made new friends.
(To that end we created a Facebook group to organize lodging, communicated on our save the dates that guests needed to book lodging pronto and gave people the resources to find rental houses together. We also created a custom google map with important location and people's rentals.) As far as we know, success!

Long term, WE owe the photographers, big time. We didn't have a pile of cash to burn, so we decided early on to spend on what was important to us. Pictures last forever, right? We wanted the photographs to represent the time we had that weekend and Chloe Aftel did just that. Bonus: she is hilarious and a joy to work with (she did our engagement shots too). She does magical things with Polaroids and captured the romantic, ephemeral parts of marrying someone you love. Waking up the day after the weddings and flipping through the prints was immediate gratification! We had another photographer manning the photo booth during cocktails -- Meg Messina took fantastic wedding guest portraits.

Finally, a shot of gratitude to Jennifer Tipton. She came on as the wedding day coordinator but she was indispensable long before that. She was wonderful to work with and  was on top of everything during the weekend.

The dress: it was St. Lucia sample by Jenny Packham, purchased at San Francisco's Glamour Closet. This is the place to go if you want an expensive dress for half-price. Ideal for people who a) are motived bargain shoppers or b) don't mind if their dress has a few fix-it blemishes.
The headpiece: bought a couple but settled on the Mignonne Handmade - Nature Girl Halo in ivory.
The bridesmaids: almost all wore long, pale pink Rachel Pally. She designs with modal jersey, aka feels like pajamas.

The cake(s): we didn't want a wedding cake per se. We bought basically one of every cake from Miette. Beautiful/delicious/not $1000.

And finally, here's the rest of the Rad people/places/things near California's Sonoma valley....

Artistry by Alan: Oh my, those lashes! He comes from a Hollywood background and sat me down, did his magic and I looked like myself but flawless. What cinched it for me is he did make-up on the movie Clueless. HELLO 90's girl fantasy!
Brian Ho of Dreams in Audio: the best damn unwedding DJ we could've found (sf-based)
Fork Catering: food truck extraordinaire, tasty, local, fresh food.
Pinterest: I had an Inspiration and Final Wedding board to manage the look since our wedding decor didn't really have a strong theme besides what we liked.
Virb: hosted our wedding website! Easy and (more importantly) stylish.

The last note: we ended up with 12 kids/babies on the attending guest list(!). Besides reserving the playground adjacent to the reception site we also introduced the parents beforehand via email. We had a kid activities, made programs with a colorable illustration. One of my favorite parts of the reception was the kids smashing a Confetti System-style piñata we filled with toys and candy. It was joyful having them around!

OH, I cannot believe I almost forgot to mention my favorite wedding stress coping mechanism. No, not stress eating (close second!) — my favorite way to let of irrational impulses and wedding industry wackness out was by creating the Twitter account @BRIDEHULK. In the same vein as internet meme @DrunkHulk, you tweet the rage away. I did not man @BRIDEHULK myself, I enlisted the help of about 10 other brides who were also wedding planning last year. Most of us graduated out but there are still a couple friends who are getting married in 2012. I hope the tradition will live on and would be happy to share login information with others who find themselves fed-up with one too many staged wedding blog posts, difficult potential vendors and crazy-pants family drama.

Cheers!
April

(Chloe Aftel also took super gorg digital photos. A few of em are up over here.)

C'MON, JORDAN

you have sooooooo many readers and so many important DIYZ to get up what with it being the tuesballz before t-giving.

can't i make fun of one little basket of DIY GLITTERED FLATWARE?

i mean.

(Lady Gaga poli by Nobuyoshi Araki via Design You Trust)
______________________________

okay, so i made fun of the DIY BABY MASKS too. in my defense, they were total Creepsville.

p.s. i'm flattered, though somewhat unsettled, that you took the time to dig through the archives and track down my real name and shit.

F*ck flowers?

Dear ESB,

My wedding is in one week. There will be no flowers in attendance. None. No bouquet. Will I regret this??? Is this my one chance to have one hand occupied with a bunch of flowers all day and I'm missing it?

I mean, I like flowers and all and there is still time for me to throw something together.

I need to opinions from people who have done this whole wedding thing before, you know?

Thank you.

*****

I am not a flower person especially, but I REALLY REALLY loved my bouquet.

It was super fun to carry around (and it gave me something to do with my hands during the ceremony).

Polaroid by Jen Altman

STRIPES FTW!

I started a stripey pinterest board.

Someone had to.

what should pasty Minnesotans do in LA?

May 11

Dear ESB,

I have a close-knit group of high school friends from Minnesota. Over time we've all moved away from home and live in various parts of the country, but we still keep in contact and are involved in each other's lives. We get to see each other during holidays, but that's usually a hectic time filled with family obligations. Weddings are our best chance to party together, and now one of my dear friends is getting married in L.A.! All of us are super excited about our friend's wedding. Not only is he marrying a kick ass girl, but we will be meeting up in California instead of Minnesota, which will be a fun vacation for us pasty Northerns. We are planning to stay several days for the wedding and explore the city as much as possible.

I thought maybe you and your L.A. readers, as insiders and very cool people, could suggest fun and interesting things for us to do in L.A. Or restaurants. We love food, especially strange food. The wedding is in July.

On a related note, I'm also getting married this summer, and my FH and I are going to Coronado for our honeymoon. If people in the San Diego area have any suggestions, those would also be welcome as well.

Sincerely,
Wannabe in LA

*****

June 13

Make a reservation at Animal (ANY RESERVATION YOU CAN GET, trust me) and await further instructions.

*****

July approaches!

Hokay. Rather than giving you an exhaustive list of my favorite spots in LA, I thought I'd narrow it down to five or so and let everyone else chime in.

Animal
I hope you made that reservation. Be sure to order the foie gras loco moco. It's the most expensive item on the menu, but I swear to you it's one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten. The bacon chocolate crunch bar is also killer. All of it is killer.

Yuca's
A James Beard Award-winning taco stand. You have to get the cochinita pibil torta (slow-roasted pork sandwich), which is the specialty of the house. I can't do tortas because of the whole gluten thing -- I get the tacos -- but H always orders at least two tortas for himself.

In-N-Out Burger
You know you have to visit In-N-Out while you're here, right? There are all kinds of secret ways to order that are not listed on the menu. I order my burgers "animal style" (with pickles and grilled onions), "protein style" (on a bun made of lettuce), "with mustard instead" (mustard instead of the special sauce).

Jumbo's Clown Room
This is a super fun place to have drinks in the early evening, when it's easy to get a table and the hipster pole dancers are the most skilful. Legend has it Courtney Love once danced at Jumbo's, and David Lynch used to come here to write. Bonus: It's just a few blocks away from Thai Patio, one of our perennial faves. The food is delish and there's usually an ambiguously gendered Thai person singing very sincere covers of 80's/90's hits.

Flore Vegan
LA it up for realz and go to Silver Lake for a vegan smoothie. (I mean, you did just eat all that meat.) The raw avocado & citrus smoothie from Flore is sooooo good. Bonus: You can stop into Reform School and the Mohawk General Store while you're in the neighborhood.

Polaroid by Raymond Molinar

So many good things happening at once

1) I ♥ Kirsten Dunst.

2) I ♥ Band of Outsiders.

3) I am a sucker for polaroids.

4) These photos were taken at The Huntington Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, which I just visited for the first time with my dad and his lady. The cactus garden, in particular, is fabulous.

4a) You can get married at said gardens for only $100,000! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

(Band of Outsiders Spring 2011 via DESIGNLOVEFEST via Fashion Gone Rogue)

inter-continental wedding woes

Dear ESB,

I am a midwestern girl who's been living in Ireland with my fiance for the last 5 years (he was born and raised in Dublin, all his family are here). A good chunk of our friends live here too. However, I've a big ol' family back in Michigan, plus a good few college friends who live in Boston.

Neither of our families are made of money, we're paying for the wedding ourselves so that's not a problem, but we are getting really frustrated with wedding planning, as it seems in any wedding scenario one of our families will be largely absent. We're all about having two celebrations: one in Ireland, and one in America, but then we feel guilty about making our immediate families go to both (the flights alone are pretty expensive), and again, we're bummed about the idea that each celebration will pretty much only be celebrating with one family. We briefly thought about splitting the difference, doing something in NY or something, but rather than a compromise that scenario might just eliminate people from BOTH families with the costs of flights and hotels.

I know there's no perfect solution, I just need some inspirational words.

*****

Have a big old party in Michigan and a big old party in Dublin.

Invite everyone to both parties (stressing that they are not obligated to attend).

I know it feels like a bummer that your family and his family won't necessarily get to meet and bond and drink together the way they would at a traditional wedding, but THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR MOVING TO DUBLIN AND MARRYING AN IRISHMAN.

(Polaroid by Raymond Molinar)

If you want to get married in Joshua Tree....

(Or even if you're just planning a vacation....)

Go directly to the Desert Fete approved Joshua Tree wedding resource list.

Lady knows what she's talking about.

p.s. I can add one more resource. H and I spent three nights at the Quail Mountain House last fall, and I NEVER WANTED TO LEAVE.

(Polis by Michelle Pullman)