Today's wedding is one of the best ways to start off the week with - not only is it a gorgeous wedding, but it's a super fun one too. The wedding of Heather and Jeremy {who are animal lovers} took place at one of the most unique zoos in the world . . . Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. This zoo is built on the side of a mountain in Colorado Springs and the wedding guests arrived to the ceremony spot via a chairlift ride.

All the wedding guests were able to enjoy their own private zoo after hours and since the animals are much more active in the evening, their night was even more special. There's even a photo of the bride, Heather, cooing at the leopard as it's snarling back at her through the glass. My favorite is of the bride feeding the giraffe. What a fun and memorable place to have a wedding.  Enjoy the beautiful photos from Trystan Photography.

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Today's real wedding {photographed by The Amberlight Collective}, is one I know you are going to LOVE! The bride and groom, Stephanie and Mark wanted to do something totally non-traditional so their ceremony would be as fun for their guests, as it would be for them. To accomplish this they chose to not do the traditional officiant-lead ceremony. Instead, friends and family took turns telling stories from the past 8 years that Mark & Stephanie have known each other. What fun - I love when couples make the wedding their own my adding such great personal touches.

When you think of Las Vegas, you probably think of lots of lights, right? Well, this Las Vegas Wedding was filled with whimsy and vintage touches, plus amazing history. The wedding was held at the Historic 5th St. School, which is one of the only historic buildings in Las Vegas. It's also the school that Stephanie's mother attended as a child. Stephanie and Mark used the school's courtyard and bistro lights were hung above and throughout the tree branches to make the entire venue feel whimsical as the couple exchanged vows.

The courtyard was decorated with vintage furniture that made for a comfortable environment for the guests to relax in while the ceremony was performed. There were even vintage side tables displayed throughout the courtyard that were adorned with fresh flower arrangements to the perfect color pop. 

After the ceremony, the couple headed down to the world famous "Fremont Street Experience" for some fun "Vegas-y" shots. 

Other Vendors:
Event Planner: Scheme Events | Officiant: Angie Kelly of Peachy Keen Unions

I am so in LOVE with today's Real Wedding feature from Anna Bella Charles {fine art photography}. Not only is the bride's dress absolutely stunning, but the soft color palette of peach and yellow is gorgeous. Just perfect for a summer wedding in Tennessee. I'm loving the location of their garden ceremony and wait until you see the flowers - they're perfection. As is their calligraphed wedding invitation and wedding fans for the guests.

You can see even more gorgeous photos in the gallery below:
 {simply click on each image to see it larger} 

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Wedding Vendors:
 Venue: Heartwood Hall
Florist: Deedra Stone Bergeron
Videographer: Stuart Atkins
Cake: Julie Joffre
Hair: Tarabella Aversa
Makeup: Kendrick and Juve salon
Ceremony music: Jordan Stephens and Joshua Threlkeld
Band: Carolina Story
Soloist: Kree woods
Invitations: Rachel  Fisher Calligraphy
Fan design: Leah Perry (Handmade designs)
Programs: RSVP Stationers

Did you know that today is National Lighthouse Day? To celebrate, I have some AMAZING photos from real weddings that took place at lighthouses. Plus, I have a fun cookbook that is a combination of national history with regional yumminess. If you've ever been in a lighthouse you know that the staircases are narrow and they spiral around. When you combine these stairs with a bride and groom, you get the most stunning wedding photos in both color and black and white.  

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The American Lighthouse Cookbook is a "culinary journey across America to visit our country's most beautiful and historic lighthouses". As you go through the book by region {Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast Atlantic, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Gulf Coast, California and Hawaii, Northwest, and the Great Lakes} you will read about the history of 47 lighthouses and then you will find menus based on the local foods of the country's coasts {nearly 300 recipes total}. On my list of must makes: upside-down apple pandowdy {pg. 14}, cornmeal griddle cakes with maple syrup {pg. 27}, blueberry slump {pg. 37}, Maryland crab cakes {pg. 70}, and many others. Last night I had to try "my friend Cathy's easy peach cobbler" {pg. 106} - I of course had to convert it to use gluten free flour, but OH MY GOSH! This was delicious - definitely one of my top favorite desserts I've ever made. My daughter wanted to be sure there was enough left over for dessert tomorrow night - which there is :) This lighthouse historical/cookbook makes a wonderful gift for the couple that has a love of the beach {like myself and hubby}.

Note: this post contains affiliate links and while I did receive a copy of the featured cookbook, the views/thoughts shared above are completely my own.

I cannot believe it's already August, but I have a treat for you today. To kick off a new month, I thought it would be fun to head to a totally different country (Ireland actually} for a beautiful real wedding. The bride {originally from Ireland} and the groom {originally from Ecuador} met through their mutual workplace at the legendary Fontainebleau Miami Beach. After they attended a party with shared work friends in 2010, John and Mary went out for dinner and 18 months later, they were engaged. Then, on May 4, 2013, exactly three years following their first date, John and Mary became husband and wife in beautiful Wicklow, Ireland {which is known as the Garden of Ireland}. Today, the couple continues to work together at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. 

Here's some wedding details you are going to love about the bride's dress and shoes. Her slim mermaid organza gown with flourishes of lace is by Peter Langner and the bodice has an illusion tulle neckline and a tulle train. Her veil is a one-of-a-kind Peter Langner design that was specially designed for the bride by Langner and it was 10 feet long! The bride's elegant ivory satin platform pumps are Jimmy Choo's and feature hotfix Swarovski crystals,

Wedding Vendors + Details:
Photography: BLR Life Photography, Venue & Catering: The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, Cake: Goyas of Galway , Flowers: Floral Events, Dublin, Ireland, Videography: BLR Life Cinema, Officiant: Father Diarmuid Hogan, Stationery + Calligraphy: Lilian Designs Studio, Band: The Best Men, DJ: Pro DJ’s, Rentals (lighting): PLANIT Event Planning and Marketing, Dublin, Ireland, Bride's Gown: Peter Langer, Collezione Vienna 2013 Collection. Fortunati DRESS , Veil: One of a kind Peter Langner design, Shoes: Jimmy Choo “Salt” Pump, Bridesmaid dresses: Dessy Collection, First dance: “I finally found Someone” by Barbara Streisand and Bryan Adams, Hair: Evan Paul Fenton, Makeup: Paula Callan O'Keeffe, Honeymoon: St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora, French Polynesia