L’Auberge Del Mar is an elegant setting for any wedding! It’s known as one of the best North San Diego coastal resorts.

Love the floral accents on the cake and the couple’s decision to have a modern, sleek lounge for guests to mingle during cocktail hour.

Bay’s fondest  memory of her wedding: Seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony.

Bride’s words of wisdom: Relax and have fun. Involve your partner and do it together. It’s actually fun. Be very organized and get things done early so you’re not stressed. Hire a great planner like Nahid!

Ceremony Site: Seagrove Park in Del Mar, CA

Reception Site: L’Auberge Del Mar

Photographer: Brett Charles Rose Photography

Florist: Haydee’s Creative Flowers

Hair: Jessica Bertheau

Makeup: Mirror Mirror

Linens: Concepts Event Design

Rentals: Lounge Appeal

Lighting: England Lighting Systems

Stationary: Paper Paper Del Mar

Cake: Cake, Inc

Ceremony and Cocktail Entertainment: Caprice Strings

Reception Entertainment: Wayne Foster Band

Videographer: Pristine Videos

Transportation: LA Class Transportation

Indian weddings encompass tradition and grandeur by bringing in bright and luxe details to their decor. One of the most recognized features of an Indian wedding is the “mandap.” A mandap is a covered structure with pillars, similar to a canopy or gazebo, used during wedding ceremonies. Traditionally they’re made of wood and adorned with garlands of mango and banana leaves, coconuts, kalashas (pots filled with water) and other natural elements. Now mandaps can be constructed with other modern and high-end materials. Within the mandap are two royal chairs for the bride and groom, side chairs for the parents, and a pedestal for the sacred fire.

Not many people are familiar with the rituals and celebrations involved with Indian weddings, but the fascination is growing. Just recently, an Indian wedding was featured in the CW hit TV show, “90210″!

A screenshot from the 90210 episode!

Although mandaps are used in Hindu weddings, you can get inspiration from the elaborate details and use something similar in your own wedding!

We love the different ways people decorate mandaps. The detail, colors, and elements used help to celebrate the union between the couple.

Photo credits from top to bottom: Wikipedia, personal screenshot image, Alankar Decors, Balamani Bride, Celewire, Maharani Weddings, Singh’s Production, The Wedding Travelers, Weddings by Georgia, Mandaps Maker, Wikipedia

When planning your honeymoon vacation, remember to do your research. But, if you’re like most busy brides, let us handle the Google-ing and time it takes to find a good place to visit for you. This week’s destination–Lebanon! Most newlyweds only think to visit commercial hotspots like Hawaii, Europe, and tropical islands, which as a result can end up burning a huge hole in your wallet. Many of these well-known destinations can be pricey without getting the most bang out of your buck. Lebanon offers golden beaches, scenic mountains, urban city landscapes and rural rustic adventures for all types of travelers. Visiting this beautiful Mediterranean country is as affordable as $45 US dollars a day (average daily travel costs), and roundtrip flights can be less than the cost of your floral arrangements!

Whether your honeymoon takes place in the winter or summer, Lebanon’s climate is accommodating. You can have your winter wonderland or experience a “Sex and the City 2″ exotic adventure. In the wintertime, especially around the holiday season, there are Christmas decorations and parades in cities like Beirut.

There are many historic sites you can visit, such as the ruins in Jeitah.

For those looking to test their luck, there are many resorts and casinos to enjoy in Lebanon. The entertainment and night life in Lebanon is thriving

Let’s not forget one of the most important reasons to visit this amazing country–the food! You can feel at home with many of the commercial restaurants and cafes or feel like a local and chow down on delicious Lebanese gourmet.  According to the Ministry of Tourism for Lebanon, some of the traditional cuisines include, “kibbeh (minced lamb, bulgur wheat, onions, pine nuts prepared in different ways), half of a chicken with rice, grilled chicken or lamb on skewers, or fish served with tahini sauce.”

Photography credits: Habeeb.com and Nahid Farhoud.

We especially love how regal and memorable these entrances are for the couple! Can you imagine having your sweetheart table inside that huge throne?

The fusion of Lebanese traditions and pops of color using flowers makes for a unique and eye-catching walkway to the ceremony or reception.

There’s just a touch of an exotic and far away feel when you use draping, flowers, and lighting the way these couples did.

A five star wedding indeed! That pretty much explains it all. Pelican Hill Resort, in Newport Beach is the perfect ocean view venue.  As soon as you arrive at this resort, a feeling of glamour and paradise fill the air. The staff are overly gracious, and resort employees immediately greet you and make you feel welcomed.  The views are delightful, peaceful, and absolutely breathe taking.  Since this venue only allows one wedding per day, all of focus will be on making you and your guests happy.

The Italian, 300 ft rotunda, is perfect for your ceremony location, over looking the Pacific Ocean and the resorts award winning golf course really puts the mind at ease. Pelican Hill Resort is such a beautiful site already, you wouldn’t have to go out of your way to do much decorating. This spot will let the beautiful architectural work speak for itself. Steps away from the Rotunda, is the Mar Vista Ballroom. The Mar Vista ballroom stands separate from the resort, allowing wonderful privacy for you and your guests to enjoy, and it’s location is very convenient for your guests to stroll over to after ceremony.   This ballroom has an ample amount of space, huge vaulted ceilings, beautiful chandeliers and windows all around the entire ballroom with scenic views.

Words alone cannot describe this amazing venue, it is definitely a must see!  Having your wedding at Pelican Hill Resort will be nothing less than spectacular, and will certainly be a dream come true!

Photos courtesy of Pelican Hill Resort

The candy bar offered a sweet treat for guests to enjoy and is a popular table couples are adding to their receptions. The pink candies are super whimsical!

We loved that Brittany kept the beach theme going inside the reception by offering colorful sandals for guests to wear. The sandals were especially useful for the many ladies in high heels to soothe their aching feet without going bare foot.

They had the cute idea of taking pictures with “Thank You” cards so they could make prints and send as actual “thank you” cards to the guests who attended.

For amateur florists, Brittany & Jarrod did an amazing job on their centerpieces with the pink roses, stargazer lilies, and pink gems scattered on the tables.

If you couldn’t tell, the bride loves the bling! Rhinestone and pink diamonds were accented throughout the reception. Guests could see them on picture frames, cake knives and even on their cake topper!

Not to be forgotten, Brittany had a special Groom’s Cake made for Jarrod! Jarrod loves chocolate and strawberries, which were definitely highlighted in his cake. The groom loved his cake, and your groom-t0-be might, too!

Thank you to all the wonderful professionals that made this an amazing wedding!

Venue: Hotel Del Coronado

Photography: Laura B. Scott

Cake: Sweet Cheeks Baking Company

Entertainment:  California DJs

Officiant: Charley Bradley

Dove Release: Susan’s Flying Dove

 Celebrations go on for 3 days and simple or grand, a Lebanese wedding isn’t truly Lebanese without a ‘zaffeh’, the act of escorting the bride to her husband, in celebration of their holy marriage. Even the ‘zaffeh’ is a form of entertainment, celebration and dance because, on the third day, the groom is led by a group of dancers, as they play music, sing and dance on their way to the bride’s house.

Entertainment is an essential and important priority in Lebanese weddings. Music and dance are the hallmarks of celebration and fun in Lebanese families and culture.

 A Middle Eastern wedding celebration, is one where the dancer has a special place. Usually a belly dancer or singer will entertain the guests and more luxurious weddings will have more than one entertainer.

As you can clearly see, the Lebanese truly believe a wedding is a celebration and there is no costs to keeping guests entertained.

Beach Weddings: There are many venues surrounding the Mediterranean Sea that capture the beauty of the water and the exotic locale. The beaches in Lebanon are breathtaking and stay warm from April until October and even sometimes November.

You can also enjoy a beautiful sunset wedding overlooking Al Rousheh a very historical spot in the beaches of Beirut.

Mountain Weddings: The mountains of Lebanon, like Faraya, boast gorgeous views and venues for a wedding and can be used in both the summer and winter months.

For those who envision a white wedding, the mountains of Lebanon are a gorgeous setting and full of natural beauty.

A Different Take: Other venues include: cathedrals, castles, and the gorgeous homes that portray the history, grandeur, and beauty of Lebanon all at once.

Night Weddings: For the couple who wants something a little more fun or a wedding at night, the city of Beirut boasts multiple venue choices.

A venue speaks volumes about a couples taste and style on their wedding day. For a destination wedding, Lebanon is one of the most historical places you can choose that gives you an abundance of choice when it comes to venues from the mountains with snow to the Mediterranean Sea and even castles!

Patchwork patterns, gold lace trim, and beautiful beadwork add the right amount of ethnic flavor to your gown.

Traditional gowns like the ones above contain essential elements of the African wedding attire which is made of several components. The head wrap, or gele, is made from 3 to 5 yards of fabric  and for a more traditional looking veil some brides will add 5 to 10 yards of tulle. The tulle is also used to stuff the gele adding height and helping keep the head wrap standing upright. Another component is a loose fitting garment called a Bou-Bou similar to a wrap skirt known as Iro. Then over the skirt the bride will wear a shawl, called iborum, and a loose blouse knows as Buba.

The ethnic inspiration in these dresses draw from the traditional African wedding dresses which are less formal and the colors are more festive using the color red (for the blood that was shed) and gold (for prosperity). Traditionally many brides also had their attire done with white, usually with gold or silver accent to appear more bridal. Although there are many components and aspects to a traditional African wedding dress, you can add cultural nuances with color, patchwork, beads and pearls and gold trim. There are many ways to make your gown unique with an ethnic flair and remember to have fun!

Pictures courtesy of: w-weddinggowns.com, therezefleetwood.com, and bridalweddingdresses.net

Indian marriages are known for their opulent and vibrant look but in real there is much more than just the gloss and glamour in an Indian wedding ceremony. In fact, the Indian wedding ceremonies are the most ritualistic and serious affair than any other kind of marriage performed any where else in the world. Most of the religions in India regard marriage as more of  a religious ritual than a social or legal affair like that in west. Indian weddings are a perfect blend of traditions, values and celebrations. In India, marriage is not simply regarded as an event, rather it is considered as a soulful affair of the merger of two souls.

Most of the times, an Indian wedding is associated with the Hindu marriage ceremony but it would be surprising for you to know that apart from Hindu marriages, Indianwedding also canopies in itself seven other religion marriages namely Islam, Sikhism,  Zoroastrianism, Jewish, Buddhism, Jain and Christianity. An Indian wedding may   also vary in accordance with the region and community rituals and traditions. Though different kinds of Indian marriages may have different kinds of rituals and traditions, one thing that remains common in all of them is the beautiful display of love, concern, commitment, and emotion.

Picture courtesy of: Jaime Thing