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In my years of planning beautiful weddings and events, I have learned so much from some very creative brides and vendors and I would like to pass some of this on to you. If you are thinking about getting married in this beautiful and magical place called Sedona, I think you will enjoy some of my couples’ stories and beautiful photos. I am also excited to share wedding trends, new finds, and fabulous vendors. I hope some of these posts will inspire your creativity for your wedding celebration.I believe that beautiful weddings are about the details and these can be obtained with an eye for beauty and a style that says, “This is me.” We at Van Damme Weddings would love to hear from you. What has inspired you. Send us your favorite wedding; fabulous décor; shopping find, ideas for the unusual, large and small.
Email: margaret@vandammeweddings.com 
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Tag Archives: Inspiration
Australian Wedding by Jonas Peterson
The beautiful work of Australian wedding photographer Jonas Peterson inspires me and takes my breath away. He captures the beauty and tells an intimate story of love. The bride and groom are both beautiful and stylish. I love the bride’s pale pink sequined dress by Jenny Packham. The photos speak for themselves. Thanks Jonas.
The Eco Friendly Bride
The vintage wedding trend has created an infinite number of ways for brides to also be eco-friendly. Bridal wear, eco-friendly jewelry, wedding favors, invitations can all be beautiful and help the planet. The very popular use of mason jars is a great example of a wedding trend that is inexpensive, can be recycled many times and be used in countless clever details. Bride’s are having vintage wedding dresses refitted or a grandmothers or mothers wedding dress made into something completely new. Outdoor weddings in Sedona on forest service lands are very desirable. There are many resort and restaurant chefs that support locally grown produce so be sure to ask at your reception venue. Here are some choices for earth loving brides and grooms found on etsy.
Aster Eco Silk/Hemp Wedding Gown
Cypress Eco Wedding Gown
Gowns from Abstract Pretty
book page /button boutonniere
natural wood cuff links
From Stair Lodge Supplies
tea light lantern
Wood Wedding Invitation Suite
I recently had the pleasure to work with Shirlene, owner with her husband, Matthew of Wood Chick Studios. I was looking for a unique “woodsy” invitation suite to use on a table design for the Sedona Wedding Studio’s bridal boot camp event.
Etsy artists Shirlene and Matthew really caught my eye. They are a small boutique design studio dedicated to printing on real wood. Their wood invitations are beautiful, eco-friendly and affordable. The designs compliment a rustic, vintage or modern wedding theme. They have some beautiful designs or will customize for you.
Here are the photos of the table design I created for L’Auberge de Sedona.
Glamorous Head Pieces
Dara Kent-Cobb is a full time apparel designer and creates these amazing couture millinery pieces for Preston & Olivia. I love her oversize vintage inspired hairpieces.
Spring in the Air
After the weekend of beautiful snow in Sedona, the sun is out and spring is in the air. Time to start thinking of all the fresh blooms to bring into your wedding bouquets and décor. I pulled a few beautiful bridal bouquets by the creative and talented florist at Events by Showstoppers to inspire you.
Sedona Wedding Boot Camp
A New Year 2012. We are looking forward to some beautiful weddings in Sedona this year. We are so excited about the upcoming Sedona Wedding Boot Camp. The second annual affair will take place on February 18, 2012. This intimate bridal fete is a great opportunity for brides and grooms planning their wedding. You will be able to meet top vendors in an intimate setting. Sample wonderful food from top caterers, taste delicious desserts from an award winning cake artist and gather inspiration on fresh trends in wedding design from our planners. Our planners have designed inspirational tables with unique and unexpected details you will want to “steal” We will have ongoing mini seminars on topics that include, defining your style, music, photography, music and local things to do. Resister here.
Greatest Honeymoon Locations Ever!
Guest blogger, Nisha Sharma, the Editor for Holidays 365 sent this post on Honeymoons.
Ah, honeymoons. They are the respite newly wed couples look forward to enjoying after a usually very tense and stressful planning period leading up to their big day. Almost every country around the world has done something to attract honeymooners and this has resulted in so many amazing locations that couples often have a hard time choosing just one. Santorini is covered in luscious black sand beaches, steeped in culture, and is also very secluded. The gorgeous Aegean Sea is even more breath taking than it is in pictures and works wonders for relieving stress. The black sand found on the island is actually volcanic soil, which also happens to be ideal for growing grapes. As a result, Santorini has some of the best wines, which can be sampled, in any one of the numerous taverns.
When it comes to history, there are few places in the world to rival the island of Santorini. Ancient Akrotiri is an archaeological site that dates back to the 16th century B.C. It was inhabited by the Minoans until its destruction by a volcanic eruption. Thanks to skilled excavators, enough of the site has been uncovered for visitors to explore. There are frescos, which date back to prehistoric times, original Minoan homes, and ancient pottery to be viewed.
Dining in Santorini is a delight. Calamari, feta cheese, garlic, olive oil, fresh vegetables, meat, and seafood are some of the delicacies honeymooners can expect to see on a menu. There are many restaurants, some of which are full of tourists, others that are off the beaten path but still just as good.
There are several five-star hotels in Santorini, which offer honeymooners all the luxuries they could possibly want. It is interesting to note that most of the five-star hotels are not international chains, but unique establishments dedicated to pleasing their guests.
Lost in Etsy
Etsy is the world where I can spend hours with so many great finds for brides as well as photo shoots. Etsy has been the on line marketplace for brides looking to find those little hand crafted details that make a wedding personal and unique. . Etsy has made it easy by having a dedicated section just for weddings where you can find thousands of items that may be perfect for your wedding. In Style magazine features a “we heart Etsy” section in this months issue. Below are a just a few of my recent loves.
Window Frame Chalk Board Cork Board
Personalized Bridal Wedding Hanger
Some Like It Vintage
Van Damme Weddings recently designed the ballroom at event venue, Inspirador in historic downtown Chandler, Arizona. The occasion was for their open house and bridal show to benefit My Sisters’ Place, a local nonprofit safe house for women and children.
The title theme was “Some Like It Vintage.” Inspiration was taken from 1930’s Old Hollywood Glam. The ballroom was elegant and sophisticated. The 30 ft banquet table was draped in champagne Lamour and set with white gold trimmed art deco edged china, Gold flat ware and gold-rimmed barware. Old hotel silver serving pieces were used. Small gold beaded lamps lined the table and gave a soft lighting. Black and white photographs of Hollywood stars of the era were set on small ornate gold easels. The color palette of champagne, apricot and sage was incorporated in tall elegant floral arrangements created by Bliss Extraordinary Floral. Beautiful invitation suite and paper goods created by the Event Essentials depicted various gold chandeliers and art deco design.
The escort cards were displayed in a vintage suitcase. On the table were vintage silver candelabra old love letters near a vintage typewriter, opera gloves added to the authenticity.
A gentleman’s cigar table was created with vintage cigar boxes, a 1930’s telephone, chocolate cigars and vintage chewing gum. A tall glass etched vase held the floral arrangement. This was a fun throwback to the era. Our cigarette girl was also a hit. She strolled the ballroom with her cigarette box that contained boxes of candy cigarettes. Pour Masters bartended and served up our signature drink, “Black Dahlia” martini. Named after notorious crime victim Elizabeth Short in the 30’s. Fresh From The Kitchen catered scrumptious food. 1930’s black and white movie “Top Hat” played on a large screen in the ballroom. Professional Argentine dancers Rommel and Daniela performed tango demonstrations on the black and white dance floor. DJ Music by Desert House Productions. Event rentals by the always helpful Classic Party Rentals. The very talented Brian Hinz captured the feeling of a glamorous affair in these beautiful images.
Sedona Wedding Shoot Featured on Style Me Pretty
The Sedona Wedding Studio’s inspiration shoot has been featured today on Style Me Pretty. We are always honored and excited to have our work shown on this fabulous blog. Read the entire post to see all the talented vendors that contributed to this beautiful wedding shoot. Sedona offers not only the stunning Red Rocks as a backdrop but also beautiful vineyards as reflected in this shoot.
