Peacock feathers are a brilliant wedding theme, they're dramatic and luxurious, and their colours create a lovely rich palette. Miranda chose red orchids to add to the feeling of decadence, and seasonal berries for a winter wedding. Teamed with her bridesmaids jewel-bright dresses, it all came together beautifully. Check out her gorgeous Lazaro dress. Would you believe she hired it? It's such a fantastic idea for a bride looking to compromise on cost without losing the look. Miranda lives in California, but there are plenty of wedding dress hire shops in the UK, including Savvy Cinderella in Cambridge and Girl Meets Dress, an online store. Don't miss all Miranda's hints and tips from her wedding below the pictures - she has some great stealworthy ideas involving succulents! Stunning photographs published with thanks to Jenny Smith at Alders Photography.
The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Miranda was kind enough to fill in our questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!
Where and when did you get married?
January 8, 2010 in Long Beach, California
What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
I loved the French Vintage look of the reception venue's décor. It had a lot of personality and a lot of opportunity for great pictures. Also its location on the beach was fabulous, and the space was really well laid out for our large wedding.
Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
The theme I chose to go with was inspired by a pattern I found on my guest book. From there, I decided to use a lot of peacock feathers as décor and color inspirations. I wanted the colors to be deep and rich since it was in January, a winter wedding.
Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision?
I actually found my dress right away and instantly fell in love with it. I rented it from a place in Hollywood called One Night Affair. Best idea ever! It was a Lazaro dress with very intricate beading detail that I would've never been able to afford, but renting it for a day allowed me to feel beautiful for the day, and then never have to worry about storing the dress after. They clean it, hem it to fit you just right, and only rent out each dress 5 times.
What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
He rented a tuxedo from Men's Warehouse. He looked very handsome!
And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
I found the dresses at David's Bridal. The material was the exact color I had in mind, a gem-toned peacock blue. It showed up beautifully in all of the pictures, so vibrant. The color was called Juniper.
What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
Actually, we decided to go with a candy table, a sundae bar, and a tiny cake (just for the cake cutting ceremony). I love sweets and we had a lot of kids at the reception so I wanted to make it fun for all. The candy table was my pride and joy. It was soooo fun to put together. I ordered all of the candy online in bulk to match the color scheme (blues and browns). The cake was covered in flowers and complimented the candy table well.
Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
Brad (my husband) is really great at gardening and we both enjoy the outdoors, so we chose our favours to reflect this. They were little mini succulents in a small metal pot. They were delivered and set up through a company called Succulent Love. It's nice to see the plants still doing well and staying alive at friend's houses. We have a big pot of them, too. It's like the gift that keeps giving and brings back memories for us.
Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
We went with a florist called, Magnolia Floral Design. They were great! I didn't know much about flowers. I just told them I wanted to incorporate peacock feathers into the bouquets and they did their magic. They used green hydrangeas, green orchids, chocolate orchids, and other flowers that were green and brown.
Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
We researched a LOT of photographers in the area and heard about Jenny Smith with Alder's Photography. When we found her, there was no question she would be our photographer. I wish everyone could use her. She is so talented, very professional, responds quickly, great to work with, very affordable for the great quality of work, etc. The photographer was our biggest decision. It's definitely the area that I would recommend investing money into. That is what captures one of the biggest days of your life and makes the memories last. Your photographer is the one that is responsible for telling the story of how the day unfolds. Very important to be happy with this decision!
Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
YES! I can say that now that it's all said and done, but I truly did enjoy it. I was in school at the time, so the stress level was definitely high. To be honest, I never thought I would want to look at another wedding magazine again in my life. But now, looking back, I enjoyed every step of the decision making process. It was so rewarding when everything came together just right, and the day really was perfect. It felt like a great accomplishment to know that I put all of my effort into this very important day and to see all of the hard work come together really paid off.
What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Take it one step at a time. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed with everything. It should be a fun thing to plan your wedding. Definitely giving yourself plenty of time helps. Adding personal touches to show who you are as a couple makes it more special and memorable. Don't get caught up in all of the details that don't really matter. On the wedding day, relax, enjoy every single minute of it, don't feel a bit a stress, and take it all in.
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