It’s time for another roundup and today I’m sharing some alternative bridal transportation ideas from our previously featured Poptastic Bride weddings. The mood and tone of your wedding + the location of your ceremony and reception venues play a major part in deciding what transportation to choose so some of these may not be applicable to you… Nevertheless I’m sharing them all so you can see how else you can get to point A to point B beyond the traditional limo route!

1. BICYCLES are a practical, fun, and not to mention green way to get from one place to another. It’s perfect for formal celebrations where the reception venue is quite close to the ceremony

Jessica & Jeff’s Multicultural Commitment Ceremony Celebration, photo by Debra Gulbas Photography

2. A PEDICAB. Another inexpensive, green, and quite quirky way to arrive at your reception venue in style.

Jax & Michael’s Eclectic Bring-Your-Own-Awesome Wedding, photo by Harper Point Photography

Kelly & John’s Urban-Cool Architectural Wedding, photo by Carolyn Scott Photography

3. CANOES or SAILBOATS. If you’re having a lakeside or beachside ceremony, a leisurely boat ride is a lovelyway to get to places.

Rene and Adam’s sweet, picture-perfect lakeside wedding, photo by Sikora Photography

4. A PICKUP TRUCK. Why pay for costly transportation services when you can ride in the back of a familiar truck (and get awesome photo opportunities like this!)

Stephanie & Ryan’s Fun and No-Frills Summer BBQ Wedding, photos by Chris Cudney Photography

Here’s another wedding that used a pickup (the groom’s, actually) to transport their bridal entourage around:

Rachel & Mitchell’s Laid-Back Wedding with an Urban Edge, photo by Red Bird Hills Photography

5. A WAGON. If you’re getting married in a farm, why not use what’s available. Wagons, spiffied up, make charmingly rustic getaway “cars”.

Lauren & Parker’s Bright and Happy DIY Farmer’s Market Wedding, photo by Katie Snyder Photography

6. A GOLF CART. The solution for moving around in garden weddings and receptions in sprawling areas.

Jennifer & Doug’s DIY “Key” Themed Wedding, photos by Misty Minna Photography

7. MOTORCYCLES. Just as practical as the bicycle but a notch edgier, motorbikes are perfect for couples who want to stay true to their non-conformist rock and roll personalities.

Tara & Matt’s Vintage Chic Americana Wedding (Part 1), photo by Chloe Moore Photography

Another fun wedding that used a motorbike as a getaway vehicle:

Clara & Sam’s 5-Day Wedding and Camping Weekend (Part 2), photo by Photokino.at 

8. VINTAGE CARS. If you own one — or if there’s somebody you can borrow one from — you can drive your way to the reception in totally hip fashion.

Kelsey & Kyle’s Bright, Bold & Cheery Temecula Winery Wedding (Part 1), photos by True Photography

9. BUSES or CAMPERVANS. Another great and quite trendy in a retro kind of way to transport you and your spouse and even your bridal party around.

Cassie & Adam’s DIY Historic Pensacola Museum Wedding with Retro Flair, photo by Aislinn Kate Photography

10. A HORSE. Assuming you know how to mount and ride one, arriving at your reception via horseback lends a fairytale-like air to the celebration.

Brandy & Robert’s Falling Waters Lodge Wedding, photo by Cariad Photography

11. A CARDBOARD CAR. Having your ceremony and reception in the same place? Make a quirky cardboard car for your getaway car photo opportunity needs.

Joanne & Drew’s Playful and Artistic Ravinia Wedding, photos by JWiley Photography

12. YOUR FEET. All that planning stressed you out so take some sweet time after the ceremony to WALK with your loved one all the way to your reception venue.

Mel & Evan’s Sweet New York City Elopement, photo by JBM Wedding Photography

Another option is to DANCE your way to the reception area. It totally makes a fabulous entrance, as you can see below.

Liz & Philip’s Funky, Cool, and Yellow CAM Raleigh Wedding, photos by Blest Photography

Do you have any other ideas for limo alternatives / inexpensive wedding transportation? Feel free to leave a comment below!

Flight plays a big part in Melanie and Paul’s lives — and even in their proposal story — so holding their e-session in an airport by a small plane was a no-brainer. Paul, having served in the Marines where he  flew unmanned aircraft, now works at Redstone Arsenal for AAI Corporation and gives flight lessons in his spare time.  Melanie, a Civics and World History teacher, spends her weekends camping, boating and flying with Paul. They’ve gone on many mini-trips together with the plane as a method of transportation.

We have  Amanda House Photography to thank for the pretty photos of this unique and special engagement session. Please enjoy!

Paul and Melanie met through their friends Rachel and Scott — Melanie worked with Rachel at Burningtree Country Club and Paul met Scott through flight lessons. One weekend, April 28th 2012, Rachel invited Melanie out on Paul and Scott’s boat for an event on the Tennessee River. Upon arrival to the boat, Melanie and Paul made an immediate connection.

They spent the day on the boat talking about their life stories and swimming in the cold Tennessee River. The day ended with some bluff jumping, and of course, as a result, a trip to the emergency room for Paul. Paul and Melanie ended the day together and have been together ever since. They began dating that week and the rest is history.

The romantic proposal story:

On Veteran’s Day 2012 Melanie and Paul decided to make a trip to Birmingham to spend the day together. They began the day at Bass Pro Shops and a little bit of outlet mall shopping. On the way back to Huntsville Paul asked Melanie if she wanted to take a short flight at sunset. Of course, Melanie agreed.  They took off from the Huntsville airport and headed to Madison County airport. After taking off and enjoying the sunset, Paul looked at Melanie and said “I don’t ever want you to look at another sunset without remembering how much I love you. Will you marry me?”  Melanie, of course, replied “YES!!”

When deciding where to take engagement pictures, Melanie and Paul knew that they wanted to incorporate airports and airplanes into the pictures.  After researching different airports, they decided on Hartselle Alabama due to the airport’s ability to express the couples personalities: Paul’s love for flying and Melanie’s love for creativity and color.

Thank you Amanda for sending this sweet and lovely e-session my way, and congratulations Melanie & Paul! Have fun wedding-planning!

Photographer: Amanda House Photography
Location: Rountree Field Airport, Hartselle Alabama

Image submission via Two Bright Lights

Apart from being all sorts of sweet, today’s featured wedding is a wellspring of creative DIY inspiration and personalized details! Steve and Melissa met at Georgetown’s Latin American Studies program and love to travel, so a travel theme was present in their elements. They also made sure that the celebration was 100% theirs so touches that reflected the two of them, individually and together, were prevalent throughout. From the flowers and cake to the beer and jam served at the reception, everything was lovingly crafted by friends and family.

We have Rachael Foster Photography to thank for the delightful images and here she is with the details of the day:

Steve and his best man brewed 250 bottles of beer in five flavors for guests to enjoy at the reception. He and Melissa chose fun names for each flavor and had a friend design labels for them. Melissa’s mom did double duty as the designer of both the cake and the florals. She used silk flowers for the bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, and aisle decor–both to save on cost and create lasting keepsakes for the entire wedding party. (In another special touch, she wrapped Melissa’s bouquet with lace from her and Melissa’s grandmother’s gowns). For favors, she and Melissa made raspberry jam using raspberries grown in her yard.

Rather than lighting a unity candle, Steve and Melissa chose to have a “rose ceremony”. Each member of their family put a red rose in a vase for the couple. Their mothers gave them two white roses, which they exchanged and put in the vase.

Steve and Melissa also included a travel theme in their reception details. Guests were assigned to tables named after countries and cities the coupled had visited or hoped to visit. Each centerpiece included a post card from the appropriate country. Guests got in on the fun by writing their own postcards for the couple and leaving them on the gift table, which featured a “suitcase” created by Melissa’s sister.

From this point on I will let the lovely bride Melissa tell you all about her and Steve + how they made their wedding uniquely their own:

Steve and I both met at Georgetown University, in our Master’s programs. We both were studying Latin America. Steve currently works as a geospatial analyst and I work in the non-profit sector on Latin America. We are both avid sports fans – including baseball, football, and basketball. Steve has turned me into a Detriot Tigers fan.  Prior to getting engaged, we had been dating for under four years. One of the things we always did together for dates is go to concerts of our favorite artists. Steve actually proposed to me at a Colbie Callait concert (her song Bubbly, was “our” song, and our first dance at our wedding).  We also both have a pembroke welsh corgi, named Lily.

We did not want to do a traditional unity ceremony, so we did a rose ceremony to incorporate all of our family! My sister also did a piano solo, and Steve’s step-dad officiated the ceremony.

My husband and his best man have been brewing beer over the course of the past four years. To make the wedding special, they decided to brew the beer for the wedding. They did 250 bottles of 5 different beers.

I like to say our wedding had a “travel” theme. My younger sister made a suitcase card box, and showed off most of Steve and I’s adventures together. Each of the tables was associated with a place (we used postcards as table numbers).

Both Steve and I have an interest in Latin America, that interest had a significant influence on our wedding. I incorporated Pablo Neruda poems in the readings of the ceremony (both English and in Spanish). In the reception, we used Latin American post cards, and picked only Latin American wines for the reception.

My mom and I also made raspberry jam favors (made from raspberries from my parents’ house).

I think one of the pieces of advice I followed was making sure the wedding represented not only myself but also my husband. Many times the ceremony and the wedding ends up being a reflection of the bride. I really took to heart making sure our wedding reflected both what I wanted and my husband’s wishes.

Thank you Rachael for sending this sweet wedding my way, and congratulations Melissa and Steve! Here’s wishing you guys a blissful life together!

Photographer: Rachael Foster Photography
Venue: Hollin Hall
Caterer: R&R Catering
Makeup: H&M Artistry, Norma Rios
Hair: Hair by Diane
Wedding Dress: Ellie’s Bridal Boutique, Ella (designer)
Veil & Bridesmaid Dresses: Alfred Angelo
Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse
Dress Designer: Alfred Angelo Bridal
Ceremony Music: Christopher Wyton, Guitarist
Reception Music: Family DJ
Floral Designer: Bride’s Mother
Cake: Bride’s Mother
Stationery: Copy Katz, in Pennsylvania
Favors: Raspberry jam made by the bride and mother of the bride (From Melissa: raspberry is our favorite, and the raspberries used were grown in my parent’s own yard)
Beer: Brewed by Michael Coe (Best Man), Steve Gilbert (Groom)
Beer Label Design : Mary Soumphant

Image submission via Two Bright Lights

Can you believe it’s the end of another week? At the rate this year is going, it seems it’ll be Christmas again in no time! I’m in no hurry though because I still have A LOT of beautiful, inspiring celebrations to share, like this sweet wedding I have for you today!

Meredith and Brian both love the beach so they picked South Seas Island Resort in Captiva Island since it had everything they wanted + was close to where both their parents live. It was an intimate family-and-close-friends affair and they made sure to incorporate bright colors that reflected the environment — green to represent the palm trees and turquoise to match the blue sea. Their DIY elements also had a tropical beach theme:  the ringbearer’s “pillow” was a large clamshell adorned with seashells and straw ribbons, their “escort cards” were starfish tied with their guest’s names, and the programs were attached to abaniko fans to keep guests cool during the ceremony. Cafe lights provided a nice glow at their reception as everyone dined and danced throughout the night!

We have the always fabulous Sara and Jason Martin with Concept Photography (see their previously featured work + BTL interview) to thank for the dreamy & beautiful images of this wonderful celebration. Please enjoy!

The lovely Meredith is here to tell us a little bit about the thought process behind their celebration:

We wanted something laid back yet casually elegant. We both love the beach, and being near the ocean. We also wanted an intimate wedding, not a large or traditional affair. The location we picked had everything we wanted and was close for both our parents living in Florida. Our inspiration for the color theme was the turquoise blue water against the bright green palm trees.

Brian’s favorite part of the wedding was…

The moment I first laid eyes on her, as she stood in front of me just moments before she went from fiancé to wife. I shed a couple of tears (grown men do cry), wore a grin from ear-to-ear and basked in the amazing view in front of me.

On the elements they loved in their special day:

Meredith: I loved the café lights we used in the outdoor lawn area. They cast the perfect amount of light and set a romantic tone especially with the full moon and the fog that rolled in toward the end of the night.
Brian: The natural beauty that mother-nature put on display for our special day – outdoors amongst the South Florida mangroves and palm trees, a stunning sunset followed by a full moon and brilliant stars.

Meredith’s most memorable moment was…

My new husband giving the most amazing speech, toasting our friends and family, and announcing to everyone that we are expecting our first baby!

Huge thanks to Sara and Jason for sending another gorgeous celebration my way, and congratulations Meredith and Brian!

Photographer: Sara and Jason Martin of Concept Photography
Reception Venue:  South Seas Island Resort

Image submission via Two Bright Lights

Today’s brightly-hued e-session is just darling and is a lot of fun too. It has swings, vintage trains, autumn leaves, and a so-in-love twosome who are just so adorable together!

We have Tavia Larson Photography to thank for this gorgeous submission and here she is with the back story on the couple + shoot:

Eric works with computers and Courtney is a medic for the National Guard.  She had just returned from deployment when we had their engagement session.  They met through mutual friends and knew each other for quite a while before the timing was perfect and they finally became a couple.

When Eric was scheduling their session, he passed along an unusual request from Courtney: swings!  So, I scouted a park with the best variety of swings I could find and it just so happened to be near a charming old railroad station.  I fell in love with all the colors and the textures of the vintage trains and knew it was the perfect location for their engagement.

Eric and Courtney were so much fun to work with.  They really owned their shoot by the way they came up with so many of their poses themselves.  Courtney was especially very natural and playful in front of the camera.  Their playful nature was the reason they requested swings in the first place.  And, of course, it helps that they both are utterly smitten!  I think that’s why engagement sessions are among my favorites.  I love to watch people In love light up when they’re together.  I’m a hopeless romantic.

Huge thanks to Tavia for sending this beautiful shoot my way, and congratulations to the couple!

Photographer: Tavia Larson Photography
Location: Middletown PA