Married! A Dreamy Wedding in Portugal

We adore the work of our talented pals at Brancoprata in Portugal and we're thrilled to share their beautiful imagery with you today. This breathtaking wedding is the definition of timeless beauty and charm; the natural setting, loving couple, and amazing photography seal it as one of our favorite weddings this summer! Enjoy!

Photography - André Teixeira, Brancoprata | Venue, flowers and caterer - Quinta das Sentieiras | Stationery and paper goods - bride and groom (Aldina e José)

Have a lovely weekend!

Wedding Fun & Games with The Bride Suite

We’re so pleased to be guest posting for Nick and Aleah today. We put together a little treat for you with loads of fun images plus a free download designed by us. In honor of all of the fun summer weddings happening right now, we put together a collage of some of the cutest wedding games. We love the idea of giving guests something else to look forward to after dinner besides dancing the night away. So if you have a little grassy area at your venue, why not throw out a croquet set or some bocce balls and let your guests revel in their competitive spirits. Enjoy!

Sources: 1. Badminton | 2. Croquet 3. & 4. Bocci ball 5. Chess

Sources: 1. & 2. Mini golf | 3. Corn hole | 4. Tennis

We designed a fun little take on the Mad Lib perfect for your reception. Put these at each guest’s seat and let them have fun filling in the blanks. Collect them at the end of the wedding and you and your new hubby will be in hysterics over all the creative renditions of the day.

To download the Wed Libs, hop on over to the The Bride Suite.  Have fun!
 
Thank you for the wonderful post and printables, ladies!

The Cutting Edge of Registry with NewlyWish

Our insightful and lovely registry contributor Amanda Allen from NewlyWish is back lending expert insight into making the best out of your registry:

With the outrageously hot weather we’ve been having, I decided the other day to whip up a batch of my not-quite-world-famous gazpacho. For those of you familiar with gazpacho will know that it involves chopping, chopping, and more chopping and about halfway through, my hand, wrist and forearm were burning.

At this point, my husband asked, in his not annoying know-it-all voice, ‘Why don’t you use the big knife?’ ‘I am using the big knife,’ I replied in a tone that wasn’t snappy in the slightest. ‘No, you’re not.’ ‘Yes, I am.’ Well, after this ‘discussion’ had run its course, it turned out that we were both right: I was using the biggest knife I could find but, as became clear when he pulled the beautiful 8” chef’s knife from the drawer, not the biggest knife we own.

Suddenly, the gazpacho nightmare became a beautiful dream. ‘The big knife’ balanced perfectly in my hand, and seemed to do the work for me. All discomfort in my arm disappeared, and before I knew it, my gazpacho was finished.

This got me thinking about what folks should know when registering for knives and so I called two of our partners – Gilda Mulero of Naturally Tasty, and Gail Monaghan, each of whom is a renowned chef and offers cooking classes for couples.


Where to start? ‘Knowing how to use a knife is one of the most important skills in the kitchen,’ says Gilda, ‘and if you’re a bit of a novice, a knife-skills class is a great place to start.’ Regarding the right equipment, Gilda and Gail agree that there are three knives every cook should include in their registry: the all-purpose chef's knife – good for everything from chopping, slicing, and dicing, to carvings; a paring knife, good for smaller, more delicate jobs; and, a long serrated knife for bread, bagels, etc. In addition, I’d also suggest including a sharpener and, if you’d use them, a set of steak knives.

Paring Knife (3-in.) | Chef's Knife (8-in.) | Bread Knife (8-in.)

Sets v. Open Stock. You might be tempted to register for a full knife set in a block, but these often include items you don’t really need and, importantly, while often offer a price savings relative to purchasing all of the same pieces individually, can be quite pricey and out of reach for many of your guests. For cookware and cutlery, I generally recommend registering for open-stock as even top quality pieces can be affordable individually.

Santoku knife with a Kudomono parer | Steak knives by Forge de Laguiole  |

Kyocera Open Stock Ceramic Knives

NKOTB (New Knives on the Block). Beyond the basic three, a couple of things that you might come across are ceramic and Santoku knives. Made of Zirconium (yep, as in, cubic), which is second only to diamond in terms of hardness, ceramic knives have been gaining popularity as they hold their sharpness for longer than steel and are easy to clean. However, they aren’t good for cutting things with bone as they can chip, but for chopping, Gail loves using them for herbs and tomatoes, and slicing meat without bones, they are a great tool. Santoku knives, I’ve learned, are kind of a Japanese version of the chef’s knife. The Santoku is shaped differently than the chef’s knife and doesn’t really allow for the rocking motion approach to chopping, but many people I know just love the weight and feel of these knives.

Cutting Boards. Lastly, don’t forget what you’re going to be cutting on: Gilda recommends including two medium-sized cutting boards in your registry as well, they not only make your job easier, but also help to prolong the life of your knives.


That’s all for now, but we’d love to hear your thoughts on cutlery, what you think is a kitchen must-have, or even your favorite summer soup recipe. Best, Amanda


Thank you so much, Amanda! We just love when you stop by and lend your wonderful registry expertise!

Valley & Co. Wedding Planning Tip: Make a Date

We love morning and early afternoon weddings. One of the beautiful benefits about these earlier weddings is that the happy couple can make a date post-saying I Do and have a nice and sweet photo session once the excitement has died down. We are big proponents of scheduling time during your wedding {whether it's daytime or evening} to take a walk and just exhale for a moment, but making time for photos after guests have said bon voyage can make for some utterly relaxing photos and a memorable afternoon. We're not talking about a "trash the dress" session, rather an extension of your wedding portraits.

Many of our couples who've had daytime weddings have done this and arranged for a casual dinner or drinks with guests later on that evening. However you structure a daytime wedding, we suggest making a date with each other to enjoy a photo session that's not time restrictive. Let your photographer take the lead to a carefree day and memorable photos.

Photo by Narrative Images for Valley & Co.

Would you set up a post-wedding shoot with your photographer? How did you set aside time on your wedding day to enjoy the moment?

Engaged! A Funky Stewardess Engagement Shoot

Rick and Bernadette of Narrative Images are a fantastic husband-and-wife photography duo based out of San Diego. They are a joy to work with and their images are always breathtaking and timeless. This retro stewardess-themed engagement session they sent our way is no exception! We hope you enjoy the gorgeous images from this darling shoot!

Photography | Narrative Images

It's wonderful how a simple wardrobe element like a vintage stewardess uniform can turn an engagement shoot into something so funky and quirky, isn't it?

Valley & Co. Wedding Planning Tip: Making Your Mark

Some of our most favorite weddings that we've planned and designed have been beautiful reflections of our couples in a number of ways. When dreaming up personalized ideas to make your mark, consider creative projects outside of monogrammed napkins.

One golden tip we will offer: build it! Hand forged elements built specifically for you are timeless and fun aspects that will add so much to your celebration. It's these details that turn the ordinary into extraordinary.

Photo by One Love Photo for Valley & Co.

There number of ways to build items and personalize your wedding are really endless. If you share a love of locally brewed beers or met in a beer garden, serve beer from a custom beer wall constructed just for you with your favorite brews and taps.

Photo by One Love Photo for Valley & Co.

Showcase your pre-wedding life together by building a photo wall that represents the two of you throughout your journey. Throw in images of your families and closest friends for a sentimental touch.

Photo by One Love Photo for Valley & Co.

Create a rustic hand-painted directional sign {a la a tiny village} pointing to key places at your wedding and places you have traveled together.

Photo by Amore Studios for Valley & Co.

Hand-built touches like altars and chuppas are also fantastic ways to truly get creative and make a big impact. What's even better: you can ask a family member or friend to help contribute if they are skilled in that field. Not only will you have a beautifully personalized detail, but you'll have something to treasure for years.

Did you hand forge or build something special for your wedding?

Married! A Brilliant South African Wedding

There is one word that best sums up Reinhard and Lara's wedding: wow. Sent over to us by photographer Hannes Uys, this South African wedding is right out of the pages of a fairy tale. The gorgeous couple just radiates happiness and the photography is impeccable. From Hannes:

Reinhard and Lara’s celebration was my first wedding that I captured for the winter season. As is already a standard, I prefer to book only the coolest of couples that are a blast to work with and with that in mind this über cool couple was top of the pops. Reinhard and Lara got married at the unique and quirky venue of Galagos.

On first impression Galagos reminded me of Temple Sagrada Familia in Spain surrounded by a mass of tall blue gums. The ambiance was quite mystic and a bit dark at times with soft pockets of light that could be spotted here and there.

What I loved about Reinhard and Lara’s wedding was that the mood of their day was a smooth as the crème brûlée at the CNR CAFE. Lara was absolutely beautiful and Reinhard was a constant flash of brilliance; all I had to do was point and compose the Nikon in the right direction for the day. As for the dress, yes Lara wore an Immagika creation by Marlize.

Photography | Hannes Uys

Venue | Galagos

Dress | Immagika

A special thank you to Hannes for sharing this brilliant wedding with us. The images are so breathtaking we have so many favorites, but the one that tops the list is the grand exit photo. It captures the happy couple in the first stages if newlywedded bliss in such a carefree way!