Real Weddings

The world of luxury real weddings with their love stories, stunning wedding dresses, wedding destinations from the best wedding planners & top wedding photographers and event designers.

Sarah Rorrer & Brad Somberg

Sarah Rorrer met Brad Somberg at a design industry event in Chicago in March 2008, she was intrigued. “He was wearing an Italian suit and

A Bollywood-Style Wedding Reception At Amanyara in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

Neeraj Chandra and Melanie Kannokada had met briefly at Stanford University in the spring of 2003. But, despite his attempts to catch her attention, three

Nicole Nourafshan & David Hanasab

Nicole Nourafshan and David Hanasab have always known each other—first meeting as family friends—although their early exchanges were limited to “Hi” and “Bye.” Eventually, after

A Great Gatsby-Inspired Wedding At The Faena Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida

To get through the taxing workday as a lawyer, it helps to have a bestie at the office. For Jamie Isicoff, that was fellow lawyer

A Chic Winter Wedding At St. Regis Aspen Resort in Aspen, Colorado

Most couples have photographs as mementos of their early relationship. Heather Bilyeu and Josh Altman not only have their entire relationship recorded, but it’s been

Amber Ridinger & Duane McLaughlin

“When I find myself in a predicament, I leave it up to chance; I leave it up to God; I leave it up to fate,”

A Stylish and Modern VIP Wedding at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort in Paradise Valley, Arizona

For Devon Kennard, May 10, 2014 was a significant date for two reasons. Not only did the New York Giants make his career dreams come

An Intimate Elopement At Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, France

Sara Breton and Greg Anderson first crossed paths at the Martini House in Burlington, Ontario. Having recently moved to Canada from Florida, Sara sat beside

Real Weddings | Ian and Joe

Ian Prosser and Joseph Duncan have often mused, “Who would have thought,” after a serendipitous encounter nine years ago.

Danielle Rosen & Chris Tamasi

After graduating from college in 2015, Danielle Rosen and Chris Tamasi both moved to San Francisco for jobs at LinkedIn. Chris started a few months

JUDY CHOI & HOWARD ZHANG

A Romantic West Coast Wedding at Bel-Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades, California

An Intimate September Wedding at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona with Planning & Event Design by Mandy Marie Creative

In the summer of 2015, Lauren Rosenquist went to Chaparral Park to play kickball as part of her friend’s birthday celebration. At the park, she

A Beautiful, Intimate Wedding at the Fairmont in Austin, Texas, Planner & Event Design: Dee Lee Designs

Rita Garcia and Sergio Selvera’s love story began in Houston, Texas when they were both panelists at a citywide high school career day.

A Dream Destination Wedding in Porto, Portugal

Andreina De Abreu and Daniel Lombardo met ten years ago in high school, after an unfortunate car accident. Daniel was in the car with one

A Fairytale Dream Wedding in Coral Gables, Florida

I first laid eyes on Terrencia when I was 18 years-old on the campus of Florida A&M University (FAMU) in 2012,” says James Rhoden.

An Intimate Italian Inspired Wedding at Saddlerock Ranch

A Charming Destination Wedding at Hotel Marincanto in Positano, Italy

A Magical Punjabi Wedding Week in Woodside, California by Denise Lillie Engagements

A Beautiful Wedding Weekend at Salamander Resort and Spa in Middleburg, Virginia

An Intimate Destination Wedding in Valle Guadalupe, Mexico

An Intimate Destination Wedding in Valle Guadalupe, Mexico Valeria del Rey and Carlos Andreu knew of each other long before they officially met. Carlos’s cousin

A Warm and Inviting Wedding at Natirar Mansion in Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey

An Intimate and Romantic Destination Wedding in Cabo

An Intimate and Romantic Destination Wedding in Cabo As a child of the 90s, Shay Vital never imagined she’d meet the love of her life

A Three-Day Fusion Islamic Western Wedding at The Resort at Pelican Hill

A simple and sophisticated destination wedding at Villa Erba in Lake Como, Italy

Ledion Lico got the best present of all for his 27th birthday—his future wife, Sara Hoxha. Although they’d flirted with each other over Instagram, the

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Welcome to the world of luxury real weddings, love stories, designer wedding dresses, and venues from the world’s top wedding planners, event designers, wedding destinations, and wedding photographers. Every print issue of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style magazine contains a curated selection of the latest designer bridal collections, exquisite engagement rings and high jewelry, tabletop and reception décor, top luxury honeymoon destinations, and more. Still, it’s the real weddings that readers continue to cite as their favorite section of the magazine. Space is always limited with print magazines, so this section of the Wedding Style website allows us to share even more real couples and their photos with our audience. Brides and grooms may discuss their wedding experience and wedding planning process in their own words and, of course, we get to share even more work from top wedding photographers around the world. Most importantly, it’s wonderful to see how different couples from various cultures and backgrounds choose to celebrate love with their own traditions, tastes, and personal styles.

Design inspiration, styled shoots, and fashion shows are all necessary components of the wedding planning process, but there’s something extra special about seeing everything come together in a real life situation. The couples are real; their love stories are real; the wedding vendors are putting forth their best work; and the wedding photographers are showcasing the best moments of that couple’s wedding day – not to mention, photographing some of the world’s most beautiful wedding destinations and luxury venues. Even seeing a real bride make her way down the aisle in a custom Ines Di Santo bridal gown or a backless Galia Lahav wedding dress can be magical, as it shows how bridal fashion translates so seamlessly from the runway to real life. With so many elements playing a part in the wedding planning process and a couple’s overall wedding experience, these real weddings are chocked full of ideas for everything from planning the perfect proposal, to designing an escort card table, to choosing the right honeymoon destination.

More often than not, the wedding planning process begins with a couple sourcing the perfect wedding destination or wedding planner. From there, it becomes easier to recruit a talented team of wedding vendors including event designers, floral designers, caterers, lighting design teams, wedding photographers, a videographer, and live entertainment. With so many moving parts, it’s crucial to have the right team on board and an expert wedding planner who can flawlessly execute an event, despite any hiccups that may arise. Several of these real wedding stories will include recounts about having to reschedule wedding dates, switch wedding venues at the last minute, and the all-too-often rainstorm on the wedding day. The couples, however, repeatedly credit their wedding planners and vendors for their remarkable work in ensuring the wedding day is a successful event and as stress-free as possible.

When people think of luxury weddings, images of castles, horse-drawn carriages, and million-dollar wedding dresses may come to mind. While readers will absolutely find those types of luxury weddings within this Real Weddings section, they’ll also see that luxury comes in all colors, cultures, and aesthetics. When choosing which weddings to feature, our editors look at factors like the wedding destination, wedding dress designer, artistic vision, photography, and overall guest experience. A luxury wedding in Dubai with 1,200 guests and over-the-top art installations is filled with design inspiration and quintessential “fairytale wedding” vibes. But an intimate destination wedding at an Italian villa with 12 close friends and family members can be just as epic and luxurious.

“Luxury” simply refers to the details and thought a couple and their vendors put in to creating a memorable experience for those in attendance. What is the first thing a guest sees when they arrive at the wedding destination? Are they offered a welcome drink? How comfortable is the seating during the ceremony? Are the menu and wine list thoughtfully curated? What kind of wedding favors are they offered as a heartfelt “Thank you?” Luxury weddings have much less to do with budget and showiness, and everything to do with the deliberate care and consideration a couple takes to make sure
their loved ones thoroughly enjoy every moment of a wedding day. Our real weddings offer all the inspiration a couple could possibly need when it comes to treating guests to an epic party – some of our favorites include welcome pizza parties in Italy, elaborate party favor rooms for guests to “shop” at their own leisure, and farewell brunches aboard luxury yachts.

Event design and wedding décor is another important part of the wedding planning process; and as these real weddings demonstrate, there’s no limit to what a talented group of wedding experts can create. The tabletops, alone, are works of art – not to mention the intricate wedding cakes that are “almost” too pretty to eat; the custom dance floors that add an extra layer of personalization to a wedding; the lavish and imaginative floral arrangements that only the most skilled floral designers could conceptualize; and the incredible wedding destinations that set the stage for event designers to work their magic. Whether couples are leaning towards a clean and contemporary aesthetic or want to create a jaw-dropping event design scheme inspired by Versailles, these luxury weddings are perfect examples of every celebration style imaginable.

For the majority of our couples, their real weddings take place outside of their current town, making destination weddings the most popular pick. Typically, couples choose their wedding destinations based on where they’ve traveled together, where their families reside, or a place that holds a special significance in their history together. And, on occasion, readers may come across a destination wedding that took place somewhere the couple has never visited before, simply because it has always been a dream to travel to that location. If readers need specific ideas for a destination wedding in Italy, our Real Weddings gallery features several destination weddings in places like Lake Como, Tuscany, and the Amalfi Coast. If plans are still up in the air, they may garner inspiration from intimate celebrations in the UK, Bora Bora, South Africa, Santorini, Austria, and the Caribbean. Alternatively, brides and grooms-to-be may lean more towards the “blowout” destination weddings we’ve featured in places like Panama, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, India, and Monaco.

No matter where a couple chooses to host their luxury wedding or what their décor style may be, one of the most important decisions they’ll make during the wedding planning process hiring the right wedding photographer. At the end of the day, wedding photographs are all that remain after the celebration is over. When choosing which real weddings to feature, our editors look at the wedding photography first – after all, even if a wedding celebration only consists of a private Central Park elopement, a skilled wedding photographer will capture every moment in a way that is timeless, effortlessly beautiful, and portrays a couple at their absolute best.

It is always an honor to publish and feature the work of top wedding photographers, wedding planners, and designers around the world (most, who are available for destination weddings!). We hope you enjoy browsing through these real weddings and reading about the wonderful couples behind these spectacular celebrations.