"How do you measure a year in the life--how about love?"
--- Jonathan Larson, Seasons of Love, RENT
This "thanksgiving feature" is our own way of thanking all of you for reading and accepting our point-of-view. This intricately mounted concept shoot is also our way of inspiring you and showing to you our commitment in firing up more rebellious ideas that you can make on your own. To make you feel confident that there are soooooo many other ways to celebrate your love other than what's been accepted by our society for the longest time. That there are meaningful weddings that can be done outside of the church and even if it's a civil ceremony. That there are thoughtful and beautiful ways to celebrate with loved ones even if it's actually done in your very own backyard. That there are tasteful ways to show your own personal style without trying to pretend to look like a virginal princess especially if you are not. That there are so many fun ideas that have yet to be explored other than mason jars. That there are simple, practical ways to create and spend for a wedding without sacrificing your personality and a little bit of taste and style. And last but the most important of all, to keep you motivated especially if the things we've just enumerated above have long been your secret wedding wishes and you just kept it to yourself because nobody seemed to have supported you 'till now.
Idea #1 - Why not have your wedding in a house?
In this concept shoot, we took the wedding in an actual, lived-in, rustic house. It's actually funny how here in Manila, weddings are mostly done in the swankiest and grandest hotels and venues but in the other parts of the globe, other couples--including a-list personalities, are so keen on wanting to have intimate ceremonies right in their very own backyard. And why not? Having your wedding in the home where you or your fiancee grew up in gives a whole other dimension to the meaning of uniting two families. If you are also on a budget and want to be able to allocate your monies to photography & videography, then taking your wedding in a home will save you a whole lot more. What's even better is that houses, especially lived-in ones give you so much more depth and character in terms of styling.
For instance, in this shoot concept, event stylist Jamie of A Dash of Jamie was able to add more dimension to the props she brought herself by using the elements that were already found in the house---from dried pine cones, freshly picked seeds, and beautiful wooden tables and chairs from the house's own kitchen and dining areas are just some of the already existing items that added to the fall vibe of our theme.
Do you like the idea of having a homey venue but you don't want to do it in your own house? Try the "Malacanan of the North" in Ilocos, where former President Marcos & Imelda used to live. The palace is surprisingly simple but very elegant and romantic. And it also has a homey feel even if it's a mansion. And get this--you can rent it for as low as P8,000 ($200). Too far for you? Did you know that there are houses around the Metro that can be rented out? If you have friends that work for production companies, they would know the right places to do just that!
Idea #2 - Why not reinvent the invitation?
Can somebody tell us why invitations are so templated? Even down to what's written in it?!?! And does it really need to have sooooo many pages that enumerates the entire entourage?
"In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year in the life? How about LOVE"?
-- Jonathan Larson.
-- Jonathan Larson.
"A Thanksgiving Wedding! A clebration of Love, but also of Life! Viva La Vie Boheme!
Hosted by The Rebellious Brides"
Hosted by The Rebellious Brides"
These were the words that we placed in our one-pager mock invitation as penned by calligraphy artist, Alexis of Ink Scribbler.
When we conceptualized this Thanksgiving Wedding, we wanted everything to be cohesive, personal, and practical. First of all it only had a 1-pager announcement, a map, and an rsvp card.
Second of all, this is a "Thanksgiving Backyard Wedding" and so even to how the invitations were written had to set the tone for that. Since this is supposed to be fall-inspired, we gravitated towards the beautiful words by Jonathan Larson from the songs Seasons of Love and La Vie Boheme. A wedding is supposed to evoke feelings of celebration, family, friendship, relationships, moments, and love. If you must spend on invitations, you might as well make it as personal as you can--as if you are writing a personal note to your guests, and not some formal, impersonal announcement.
When it comes to invites, we are a bit sensitive on this because we feel that it is a waste of money and paper. But we do acknowledge the fact that the parents and the oldies are so touchy when it comes to invites. So why not have your layouts scanned, and send it out to majority of your guests then just have a few printed out just for the oldies and for you as a souvenir?
Idea #3 - Why not give away something useful?
It's amazing how some couples or parents still insist on giving useless gifts like figurines or narcissistic ones with a photo of the couple--yes maybe the oldies or your relatives will appreciate this but errr...that's just about it. Seriously, why not just give something edible or useful? You're spending on it, so might as well give something that will actually be consumed and not something that will just accumulate dirt in somebody's shelf (or worse, thrown away without you knowing it).
The awesome folks over at Dreality Souvenirs created customized bath & body giveaways for our Thanksgiving Backyard Wedding. Again, it became super cohesive with the theme because this was a home-based wedding and here we are supposedly giving away home items. Dreality created a slew of beautifully bottled colognes, bath gels, lotions, shampoo, etc. as our giveaways. They also made custom labels that said "Thanksgiving Wedding" "Love" "Live" "Rebellious Brides" on it. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
Idea #4 - Why not create fun floral fantasies?
When we were collaborating with Jacq of Jacqs Floral Design Studio for the flowers to be used in this concept shoot, she initially sent us very pretty flower pegs--and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it but we pushed her a little bit more to add "rebellious" elements. So she did. So never be afraid to explore fantastical ideas with your florists. Make it a collaboration as opposed to one-sided. At the same time, explore the possibility of using flowers, vegetables, and even fruits that are in season and in keeping with your theme. To create that free-spirited thanksgiving vibe that we were going for, Jacq made sure not to make the boutonnieres and bouquets too matchy matchy. Each piece also looked like a "feast"--after all, it's Thanksgiving!
Jacq advises this to future rebel brides: "There will always be people who will gossip, critic, spread negative comments about you and your choices. Ignore them. Know what you truly want and stick to it. It's your wedding, don't let anyone ruin it!"
Idea #5 - Why not ditch the obsession to be matchy, match?
Was there any rule in how we styled the entourage for this shoot? No. And why does it have to be? Where is this obsession to rule over your entourage and dictate their color palette, their style, and everything in between coming from? Why can't you just be nice enough and allow them to style themselves in the color that flatters their own skin, and in the cuts that flatter their own bodies? We'll leave it at that.
This is a 4-part feature! Read on to know more about the elaborate details of this concept shoot!
A THANKSGIVING BACKYARD WEDDING - THE BRIDE, THE GROOM, & THE WICKED WARDROBE
A Thanksgiving Backyard Wedding
Hosted by The Rebellious Brides / Wedding Agency
Photography & Event Styling by A Dash of Jamie
Flowers, Bouquets, Boutonnieres, and Wreaths by Jacqs Floral Design Studio
Calligraphy & Invitations by Ink Scribbler
Souvenirs by Dreality Souvenirs
Catering by Pumpkin Catering (0915 116 9489)
Makeup by The Makeup of Mica
Featuring Real-Life Couple, Jaycee & RJ
Flower Girl Taylor's dress is model's own
Flower Baby Mindi's dress is model's own
On Location at Ayala Heights
Bride and Groom Styling by
KC Leyco-Mempin and Camz Materiales
***Please watch out for the upcoming feature on this shoot's styling for the full credits on the gowns, suits, and accessories***
Wondering where we got the cutey patootie pumpkins?
It's from Manila Seedling! :)
Follow us on Twitter! @RebelliousBride
Pumpkin special..
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