Everyone loves Memorial Day for the fun, backyard barbeques, picnics and pool parties! But it’s important not to lose sight of the real reason we get to eat yummy food and work on our tans, and that is the brave men and women that fight for our country every day. I love when couples celebrate their military service in a wedding or engagement shoot. I bundled a couple of my favorite moments on Loverly to kick off this Memorial Day weekend, some of precious couples celebrating those who fight and some just because summer is almost here! Enjoy these American flags, strawberries, grooms in uniform, hot dogs and apple pie!

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Photo by Jared Wilson Photography via Inspired by This

Photo by Visionyard Photography via Bridal Musings

Photo by Jonny Edwin Bennett via Well Groomed

Photo by Dan Cutrona via Inspired by This

Photo by Cappy Hotchkiss via Snippet and Ink

Photo by Christa Kimble via Grey Likes Weddings

Photo by Aran Goyoaga via Santa Barbara Chic

Photo by Gabriel Ryan Photography via Inspired by This

Photo by Laura Ivanova via Inspired by This

Photo by Sherry Hammonds Photography via Wedding Chicks

Photo by Jessica Claire via Inspired by This

Photo by Kellie Kano via Inspired by This

Photo by Rachel Brenke via Bridal Musings

Photo by Visionyard Photography via Bridal Musings

Photo by Joe Hendricks Photography via Every Last Detail

Photo by Rachel Brenke via Bridal Musings

Photo by Brandon Kidd via Inspired by This

Photo by In Tandem via Inspired by This

Photo by Erin Hearts Court via Inspired by This

Photo by Elizabeth Messina

Photo by Holli True Photography via Bridal Musings

Photo by Harwell Photography via Inspired by This

Photo by Gayle Brooker via Inspired by This

Photo by Andria Lindquist via Inspired by This

Photo by Caroline Lima Photography via Inspired by This

A simple wedding, with toned-down colors and natural details, is at the top of my favorites list! And when you add in fabulous Leo Patrone film photography, you get a day that is sure to be memorable. One of the details I die for is this bridal party’s style! The bride looks gorgeous in her Monique Lhuillier gown, and her bridesmaids look so polished in their mix and match beige and greige dresses! Their subtle dresses became the perfect canvas to make their bold, red lips pop. I’m loving the succulents adorning their gorgeous wedding cake it is the perfect way to tie in natural elements to an indoor reception, and it truly isn’t a party without a mariachi band!

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This garden wedding brings together two important cultures for this very special couple. Nkechi and Kevin first met in New York and later, celebrated their African heritage with a small ceremony in Nigeria. They brought their love back to the states and had a second wedding in Savannah, Georgia, blending together bits of African culture and Southern touches. The beautiful garden pinks and greens are such a fresh touch to the outdoor festivities with the classic Southern backdrop. Their personalized wedding favors of mason jars filled with cookie ingredients are perfect for a couple that loves to cook together! This wedding is currently in the summer issue of one of our favorite magazines The Knot National!

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I believe that a girl is never to old to have a tea party, so this adorable bridal shower is the perfect girl’s day out!  Photographer Pat Moyer, and wife Rachel, photographed and planned friend Ashley’s bridal shower. Ashley’s mom hosted the party at her gorgeous Santa Barbara home, and a month later, Ashley and Sean were married down in La Paz, Mexico in a beautiful beach wedding. Rachel took all the stops out when she planned this fresh, outdoor tea party for her high school best friend. I love everything about the delicious fruit and cheese spread, the Lazaro Press invitations, and isn’t the floral china to die for?!

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An engagement shoot is the perfect way to express who a couple is together and what they love! I find this couple’s idea to do a cozy “Day in the Life” engagement shoot to be adorable! It’s really about their love for each other and how the simple things they do on a day to day basis really make the foundation of their relationship strong!  From cooking to scrabble, lounging at home and a walk in the rain, this shoot, captured by Braedon Flynn Photography, is less about the activity and more about the fun they are having in each other’s company. And we definitely love anytime a couple works in cute photos with umbrellas and boots!

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A couple weeks ago I was invited by the Martha Stewart Weddings team to attend a very special tv show taping!   Martha Stewart is the ultimate inspiration in the industry so it was an honor to be invited and a guest alongside my sister Kellee (from Loverly) Cathy (from Loverly) and Carissa (from JL Designs) to not only see the show live but go behind the scenes on set, see their offices, and to meet Martha!  The episode highlighted great tips and trends for weddings from the spring issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine (that my wedding is currently featured in) and the Editor in Chief, Darcy Miller, to my surprise and extreme excitement mentioned me during the show, I just love her!  What an amazing and inspiring expirience, one that i will definitely remember forever.

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Who doesn’t love to travel to beautiful, exotic places?! I definitely do, so I have something fab to show you today if you’re just like me! Wanderable is a new online community that allows you to easily discover to new places, connect with new people and get you motivated to cross some things off your travel bucket list.

Wanderable is also a place to put together your dream honeymoon with their registry service. If you or your husband aren’t as into picking out your dream home goods (or maybe you’re already set!) you can give your guests another option with a honeymoon registry. Instead of getting you the perfect toaster, your guests can choose to gift you with a wine tasting tour in Italy, a private massage or the chance to swim with dolphins. Making memories with your new spouse is one of the most exciting things about being a newlywed!

Wanderable offers  two options, free and premium. A premium account allows you to choose from designer themes and customize colors to fit the overall theme of your wedding.

Get inspired to wander!

Sample Registries:

{Bali} Destination Wedding Mag

{Ireland} Hotel Beam

{Greece} Ashley’s Honeymoon Post

{Italy} Tip Top Tens

{Mexico} Travel Channel

 *This is a sponsored post

Hearing the story of how a couple fell in love is one of my favorite parts of working with weddings, and Michael and Nicole’s story is a sweet one. They were introduced by a mutual friend and that night Michael knew he had met “the one” but life had other plans and the two didn’t start dating till almost two years after their initial introduction! During a trip to Italy Michael popped the question and the rest is history! Here’s how he asked:

In June 2011, Michael’s family invited me to travel to Italy with them to meet their family. One of the first stops during our visit was to the small Tuscan town of Pitigliano, where Michael’s father grew up. While taking a walk through the town, Michael brought me to a small piazza called Piazza Della Forteza. It was here that he got down on one knee and asked to spend the rest of our lives together. He then told me that Piazza Della Forteza was where his paternal grandparents were married in 1949. We actually have matching photos of his grandparents and us in the piazza – them on the day of their wedding and us on the day of our engagement – 60 years apart! I can’t think of a better place to begin our little family than where his family’s roots started!

We love the setting that these pictures take place in, it almost looks like an abandoned pasture and they are the only two people there. The green fields and the overgrown trees, I love it all! Thanks so much Eric Kelley Photography for sending this gorgeous engagement shoot over to us!

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I love how a striking color palette gives a wedding a little something extra, and bright, lemony yellow is just so much fun for summer! This gorgeous Palm Springs wedding uses black and white, really allowing the accents of bold blues and yellows to pop. With the backdrop of blue skies and desert mountains, the Viceroy Palm Springs is a perfect venue for this beautiful couple’s big day. The bride is stunning in her Vera Wang frock and I truly die over her fun and unique veil-alternative hair bow!  Their adorable french bulldog even walked down the aisle!