Real Weddings – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Events July 1, 2015

Happily Ever Woodward

This past weekend, one of my oldest friends (18 years and counting!) got married to one of the sweetest men I’ve ever met. Brittany and Aaron got married in Vail at the Sonnenalp, just a few hours away from where Aaron grew up in Denver. The weather was incredible, the scenery was gorgeous, and the bride and groom looked flawless. The wedding went off without a hitch, and my feet might still hurt from all of the dancing we did on Saturday night. The DJ was playing throwback hit after hit, and we found ourselves rapping to Eminem (super old school) and Nelly. What a night!

Brittany asked me to take photographs of their welcome reception, which took place at the Arrabelle. All guests were invited, which was great, as I was able to meet and catch up with lots of old and new friends. I am still daydreaming about Brittany’s Oscar de la Renta gown – it was perfect!

I was off-duty on Saturday, but obviously had to snap a few photographs of the bride and groom, as it normally takes ages for you to receive your wedding photos. The couple are off gallivanting in Italy right now, so I’m currently living vicariously through them. Cheers to the Woodwards! Europe (1 of 1)-126 Europe (1 of 1)-131 Europe (1 of 1)-132

Events April 7, 2015

#CrazyForCommons

This past weekend, our good friends, Amanda and Scott, got married in a stunning ceremony at the Southern Oaks Plantation in New Orleans. The wedding weekend kicked off with a bridal happy hour at Le Meridien hotel, where the bride and her family were staying. Amanda gave us the cutest monogrammed pajama pants to get ready in the next day, as well as a tiny bottle of St-Germain (obsessed). After we had a couple glasses of bubbly (in gold sugar-rimmed glasses!), we headed to the Galvez Restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. The speeches were wonderful, and the video that Amanda made was unbelievably good – almost all of the guests watched their faces flash by on the screen and were reminded of the many wonderful memories they had of the bride and groom.

The next day, we met in the bridal suite and started getting ready around lunchtime. There were lots of girls getting their hair and makeup done, and it was so nice to catch up with many friends I haven’t seen since high school. I slipped away for 30 minutes to take photos of the men getting professional barber shaves at Aidan Gill. Around 5:30pm, we all loaded into the limo and headed to the Southern Oaks Plantation. Once we got there, Amanda and Scott had their first look, then it was go-go-go as guests started to arrive. The ceremony was so sweet, and the processional New Orleans marching band that marched around with the bridal party afterward really helped it end with a bang. We headed inside for the reception, which was quite the party – Amanda’s incredibly talented dad and his band, Easy Money, played the best music all night long. The highlight of the entire party (for me at least) was when Amanda and her two sisters surprised all of the guests by performing ‘Single Ladies’ (watch an iPhone capture here – not the best quality, but you’ll get the picture). It is an understatement to say that they nailed it. I’m so impressed!

The grand exit was perfect, with guests shaking noise makers at the bride and groom as they left the venue as husband and wife. I am so excited for Mr. and Mrs. Commons. They are a perfect match, and I know they’re going to live happily ever after.

I cannot wait to see pictures from their talented photographers, Dark Roux! Until then, here are a few that I captured during the weekend.

crazycommons1 CrazyCommons2

Events April 1, 2015

#Jophee2015

This past weekend, a best friend of mine got married in one of the most gorgeous (and emotional!) wedding ceremonies I’ve ever witnessed, which was followed by one of the most incredibly fun receptions. Every single detail of the weekend was perfect. Sophee is definitely one of the most organized people I have ever met, so I was the least bit surprised. From the bridal brunch on Friday at Z’Tejas to the reception at Lakeway Resort & Spa, everything was planned to the nth degree. Everyone kept commenting on how the rehearsal dinner felt fancy enough to be the actual wedding!

Sophee and Johnny wrote their own vows, so pointless to say – everyone was crying. We had discussed doing the same, but I knew I wouldn’t have been able to keep it together and I know that’s a fact after boo-hooing when they read theirs. Sophee and Johnny are two of the most thoughtful and loving individuals I’ve ever met, and every single speech that was given reiterated this fact. And then there’s their model looks. I’ve never seen a model in any wedding magazine that looked as gorgeous as Sophee did when she slipped her dress on. Truly breathtaking.

It feels like yesterday that Sophee asked me to be her bridesmaid. I cannot believe they’re now married, relaxing on their honeymoon as husband and wife. I could not be any happier for them! Her wedding photographers (Anne Marie Photography) snapped a million photos, and I cannot wait to see them. Until then, here’s a sneak peek at some of the precious moments from the weekend.

Bridal Brunch

Venue: Z’Tejas | Paper Goods: Paper Therapy Shop | Florals: Walton’s

Decor August 20, 2014

Magenta Florals

I just completed the first week of my Floral Arranging 101 class, and I am addicted. Our homework assignment was to create a hand tied bouquet, using primary, secondary, and filler flowers, with additional greenery to give it texture. We had suggestions for which flowers to use, but the local Durango grocery store’s floral department is not the best, so I went out on a limb with my selections. My mom told me about April’s Garden after I had already made my bouquet, so I’ll head there next week.

I’m very amateur in the world of flowers, so I bought The Flower Recipe Book to help me. I’m so excited about this purchase – not only does it help with the arranging, it’s also the prettiest coffee table book. I highly recommend you buy it if you’re interested in flowers.

Lastly, the Milk Nursingwear giveaway ends tonight at midnight. Make sure to enter today!

My absolute favorites – as mentioned here

I love a pop of magenta in a bouquet and have shared some of my favorite wedding arrangements below (all sourced from Style Me Pretty). What is your favorite pop of color in a floral bouquet?

ASP Wedding July 19, 2014

One Year Anniversary

Today is our one year wedding anniversary, and what a year it has been! Since getting married last July 19 at The Carneros Inn in Napa, California, we have gone to Durango twice (still here), went to the Justin Timberlake/Jay Z concert in Miami, visited friends in Minneapolis, went to Bali and Japan (briefly!) for our honeymoon, celebrated two of our best friend’s engagements and two of our closest friend’s weddings, welcomed multiple sweet babies into the world, and last, but definitely not least, had a baby girl of our own! We are very excited about what year two has in store for us.

For more about our wedding, click here.

Photos by Ryan Ray