I was lucky enough to be invited along to our friend’s big day, this was the first time I have ever saw a full-on floral wall mural used in a wedding, it was beautiful. This was when I knew I needed to stay on top of the latest mural wallpaper trending designs. I figured there has to be a way to include wall murals in my home. I decided to put in living room wallpaper that fits my personality and that’s exactly what I did.

1) Pinterest  2) Marvin Tsai  3) Mike Brensen Photography  4) Flickr  5) Kay English  6) Finishing Touch Event Design  7) Village Green Florist (Violet Vendor)  8) Buy Poppy Pods  9) Everly True (Tumblr)  10) Melissa Tuck Photography  11) iphone wallpapers  12) Pinterest  13) Cakes We Bake  14) Minnesota Bride

Pale Sunset Dress: Cleo & Clementine, photo by Bradford Jones | Truck of Dahlias: Floret Flower Farm | Sunset Ombre Cake: Sweetapolita | Watercolor Sunset Wedding Invitation Suite: Oak & Orchid | Sunset Table Setting: Hey Gorgeous Events, Bradley James Photography | Dip-Dyed Bridal Gown: Taylor Ann Art | Sunset Bridesmaid Dresses: Pinterest

From the Photographer:

Morgan and her bridesmaids had their hair and makeup done by the talented staff at Botega Salon and Gallery. I loved the cozy atmosphere and amazing artwork displayed on the walls! Morgan wore an absolutely stunning backless lace Alvina Valenta gown that her dad had picked out when they were dress shopping. The surprise was that Morgan’s dad didn’t know she had ended up picking the dress he chose for her so it was very special to see his reaction when he first saw her in it that morning before the ceremony.

When we arrived at The Meadow, the view stole my breath away! Could there possibly be a more beautiful place to marry the love of your life? The bride walked down the aisle with her dad to the sweet sound of the violinist playing, “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. One of my favorite parts of a wedding day is listening to the couple exchange their vows to each other. It was so touching to watch Morgan tear up during their vows and to hear Justin tell her that since he first met her when they were 12 years old, she has been the girl of his dreams. After a fun afternoon of taking photos we headed to the Norquay Ski Lodge for their reception. It was decorated perfectly with beautiful, rustic floral centerpieces (skillfully created by Willow Haven), and the atmosphere was cozy and warm. After a delicious dinner and sneaking away for a few more photos, the speeches and dances began. The love that Justin and Morgan share could have lit up the room during their first dance, it was so beautiful.

Photographer: Melanie Bennett Photography / Hair Stylist: Botega salon gallery / Cake Designer: Cake Creations inc / Dress Store: Delica Bridal House / Pre Ceremony Location: Hidden Ridge Resort / Other Location: The Nordic Center / Floral Designer: Willow Haven Flower Shop / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Photographer: Stephanie Hunter Photography / Cake Designer: Classic Cakes by Lori/ Floral Designer: Fleurish Austin / Reception Venue: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center / Musicians: Mariachi Cocula / DJ: Toast Entertainment / Dress Designer: White by Vera Wang / Caterer: Whole Foods / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

More about Lauren + Mike!

Although they grew up within 20 minutes of each other in Northern California, Lauren and Mike first met in medical school when they were roommates in Newport Beach for Lauren’s first (and Mike’s third) year of medical school. They moved to separate houses after that first year, but when Mike decided to propose he took Lauren to the beach right by the place where they first met at sunset. Because Mike is three years ahead of Lauren in his medical training, he started residency in Boston while Lauren was still in medical school. Lauren decided to take a research position for the year and moved to Boston to be with him. Mike is now an Orthopedic Surgery resident at Harvard, and Lauren is a Plastic Surgery resident at the University of Massachusetts. They are planning on moving back to their beloved California when they finish training.

Photographer:  DuendePhoto /Shoes: Betsey Johnson / Dress Designer: Catherine Deane / Hair Stylist: Chantilly Lace Salon / Floral Designer: sweet dreams wedding cakes and flowers / Bakery: sweet dreams wedding cakes and flowers / Event Venue: The Ahwahnee Hotel / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Photographer: Tracy Autem & Lightly Photography / Linens and Coverings: BBJ Linens / Dress Store: Bliss Bridal Salon / Venue: Chandor Gardens / Cake Designer: Creme de la Creme Cake Company / Linens and Coverings: Ducky Bob’s / Bakery: Funky Town Donuts / Heirlooms and extras: Gold Dust Vintage / Paper Props: Harts & Quills / Paper Props: Love Betty Design / Makeup Artist: Love+Pout / Cinema and Video: Lynn Films / Caterer: Magdalena’s / Floral Designer: Moss Floral  / Event Planner: Sarabeth Events / Hair Stylist: The Parlour @ Resort 2501 / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

From the Bride…

Before the Ring:
Kevin and I met in high school in our small town in Vermont. Despite having mutual friends, we just never really crossed paths (though I’d heard some of the girls call him “cute” before and was interested). I was actually joking around with some friends at school one day and said that I’d pick my next crush from the wall of student photos, and I randomly picked Kev’s. A friend introduced us, and the rest is history. We went to college together in upstate New York and relocated to Silicon Valley after graduation.

Proposal Story:
It was a pretty big surprise! Having been together 9+ years, it didn’t seem like the biggest priority. But one weekend last November Kev told me to pack my bags and take time off work for surprise trip to LA. We spent our day exploring the city and ending up at the Getty Museum at dusk. He led me out to a veranda with incredible views as soon as the sun was down and proposed with the city lit up beneath us.

Inspiration/Details of the Day:
I know everybody says this, but we really just wanted a party with the people we loved. We rented out a secluded property in the mountains for three days (it includes a house, a barn, and an upper/lower field among other things) and had time to relax both pre- and post- wedding. We did most everything ourselves, including the wedding playlists, the Bar, appetizers, archway, and flower arrangements. My mother-in-law made our cake and most of the decorations were antiques/thrift items that my mom picked up or already had. We loved the look of gold with our blue, purple and Marsala accents so we used that as a rough color palette. We dip dyed our napkins ourselves 🙂 My family is pretty big on pyrotechnics, so we finished the night with a spectacular fireworks display in the lower field.

Photographer: Colette Kulig Photography / Venue: Squa Betty, Underhill, VT / Floral Designer: Stray Cat Flower Farm / Bride’s Dress: “Carolina” from BHLDN / Shoes: See by Chloe/JCrew / Bridesmaids Dresses: twobirds / Hair: Hair by Anela / Makeup: Makeup by Meg Walsh / Groom’s Suit: Topshop + Asos / Groom’s shoes: Cole Haan / Groomsmen’s outfits: Asos / Save the Date + Invitations: ColorQuarry  / Caterer: Woodbelly Pizza / Fireworks: Northstar Fireworks / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Photographer: Joanna Moss Photography / Dress Store: Isabelle’s Bridal / Hair Stylist: Jen Mathison – Aisle Hair / Design and Decor: Jevents Planning & Design / Cake Designer: Kelly’s Cakery / Makeup Artist: Tarah Kostenko Makeup Artistry / Other: The Cross Decor & Design / Floral Designer: Vivio FLowers / Other Location: Whytecliff Park / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Photography: M & E Photo Studio / Venue: Private Residence, Missouri / Details: DIY

From the Bride:

Before the Ring:
I met Morgan when we were both living in Philadelphia and attending the same graduate program in neuroscience.  After we met, we started out as running buddies, but it wasn’t long before my friends started giving me a hard time about whether or not we were more than that!  Even so, it was several months before we started actually dating—and I have multiple friends who claim that they were responsible for getting us together!  We’ve been inseparable ever since, at least in spirit—after about three years of dating, and shortly after Morgan proposed, I graduated and moved to Baltimore for a job, while Morgan stayed to finish his Ph.D.  Although we weren’t physically that far away from each other in the grand scheme of things, it was difficult to be apart, especially while planning and executing our wedding.  However, the fact that we withstood the trial of distance was just one more affirmation that our relationship was solid and that we were ready to get married!

The Proposal Story:
Whenever we find some free time, Morgan and I love to get outdoors to hike, bike, backpack, and kayak.  So when he suggested that we take a bike ride from center city Philadelphia out to the Wissahickon Valley Park, it didn’t seem out of the ordinary.  In retrospect, I should have suspected something, since he packed every bike tool he owned because he ‘just didn’t want anything to go wrong!’  We rode up the Schuylkill River and set up a nice picnic on the banks of the Wissahickon Creek next to a covered bridge, where he asked me to marry him!  There was no getting down on one knee, since we were sitting on the ground already, but it was romantic just the same!

He gave me his grandmother’s ring, and it turns out that the proposal would have come sooner except that the ring had been stolen from his parents’ house several months earlier.  Luckily, it was recovered after being sold to a cash-for-gold business across the street from the police station, but he had to wait for it to be released from evidence before giving it to me.

Wedding Day Details:
We have a mutual love for the outdoors, and immediately agreed that we should look for an outdoor venue.  We fell in love with Hawks Nest State Park, which overlooks the New River Gorge.  Hawks Nest had everything we were looking for—a beautiful outdoor site for the ceremony, countless fantastic vistas and wooded paths for photos to document the day, on-site lodging for our guests and a restaurant for our reception.  As a bonus, our guests could even take cable car and jet boat rides in their free time!

We chose our wedding details to emphasize the natural setting, incorporate vintage touches, use local and home-made items for a personal feel, and keep things vibrant with lots of color.  We had our ceremony outdoors, with the stone and wood picnic pavilion (built by the CCC in the 1930s and surrounded on three sides by woods) as the focal point.  Morgan, the wedding party, and I wore vintage-inspired attire that fit with the setting.   We chose deep purples and blues, complemented by bright oranges and yellows in the flowers, as our wedding colors for a vibrant feel.

The reception was held in the Hawks Nest Restaurant, where floor-to-ceiling windows displayed the beautiful New River Gorge and the occasional hawk in flight.  To keep the wedding feeling personal, we used many homemade items, including birds’ nest centerpieces decorated with fresh greenery made by Morgan’s aunt.  We even made three types of homebrewed beer to serve our guests (we actually ended up with a very bird-themed wedding, since we decided to name each beer after a local bird)!  Our favors were Fiestaware mugs, made in Newell, West Virginia.  The mugs were in six different colors, which had the added bonus of adding vibrant color to the tables, and our out-of-town guests had an authentic West Virginia souvenir to take home!

We chose Wagon Wheel (the original Old Crow Medicine Show version, of course) for our first dance.  The reason we chose it (aside from the fact that it’s a great song) is that at the time of the wedding we were living in difference cities.  We felt like we were always on the road, just continually trying to get back to each other.  Thankfully, now we are finally living together again, and don’t plan on living apart ever again!

Photography: Melissa Perella Photography / Venue: Hawks Nest State Park / Flowers and decor: Ansted Floral & Gift / Bridal gown: Lace Bridal Couture / Bridal party: Macy’s (bridesmaids, groomsmen pants) and J. Crew (groomsmen vests) / Hair and makeup: Calabria salon / Groom’s suit: Suit Supply / Cake: The Bake Shoppe / Favors: Homer Laughlin China Co. / DJ: Abe One Deejays / Ceremony chairs: A to Z Rentals