I fell head over heels for today’s dreamy wedding from the very first image. In a soft palette of pastel blue and greyed jade, Tuchinca & Laurence’s  wedding (all the way from South Africa!), with its romantic outdoor ceremony and beautifully styled reception, is a picture of timeless elegance perfection!…..

And its little wonder when you learn that Tuchinca has been involved in more than her fair share of Pinterest worthy weddings through her vintage décor rental company Moi Décor Hire! “I love all things romantic, vintage and boho but have an appreciation for clean minimalism too. I have been working with brides for 6 years, so when it came to my wedding I knew what I wanted from the beginning – from the dress to the flowers to my hair, to the bridesmaid’s dresses! “

So, after a romantic proposal in Dubrovnik last July, the couple set about planning their dream wedding, but despite Tuchinca’s wedding experience, the journey to their big day wasn’t the bed of roses you might expect. “At first I wanted to elope because I was against the idea of a large wedding. A small wedding was out of the question because I am half Portuguese and Laurence is half Italian and half Jewish, so we have relatively large families. After much deliberation we decided to have a wedding and even though I was decided on many of the details I found the planning process quite stressful  (thanks mostly to the first venue cancelling!). But at the end of the day it was our day and so I just did what I thought was best. I wanted our guests to have good food, good drinks and to thoroughly enjoy our wedding, so I focused on that instead of getting caught up in ordering the perfect bistro chairs for the reception or choosing a designer dress or shoes.”

“My wedding dress made me feel like a vintage Hollywood movie star! I have always loved off-the-shoulder sleeves and soft tulle, so I knew the dress had to have a lot of tulle. And I wanted something that was quite simple, that was timelessly chic – I wanted to channel the old glam Hollywood feel.

I found it before we had even set the date or the venue! I went with my mother to Bride & Co., with the idea of just having a look to see which silhouettes would suit me best. I didn’t think I would find my dress there! (At that stage I didn’t even know if we were going to have a wedding or if we were going to elope!) My dress was the first one I tried on…and what I saw in the mirror gave me such goosebumps! I knew then that this was the look I wanted. My mother confirmed this when she smiled and said “I think we found your dress”.”

“My sister and step daughter were by bridesmaids. I also wanted them to wear tulle because it would go well with what I was wearing and would complement the soft, organically flowy look I was going for. I wanted them in the same dress but mismatched hues of blue and green, and they both looked so gorgeous!”

“My mom used to design wedding dresses, so she created my veil. She also hand-beaded the clip, which was very special.”

“My father passed away from cancer four years ago, so I asked my cousin who was very close to my dad to walk me down the aisle. He was so touched that I asked him, and got tears in his eyes. Walking down the aisle was surreal – it was certainly a moment to remember. I remember thinking how pretty everything looked as I saw it for the first time…. it looked like a fairy tale in the garden! There were white petals strewn down the aisle, and a vintage style gazebo was decorated with my stunning candle chandelier, the same foliage as my bouquet and some pretty voile curtains we hung to the back to add softness and a touch of romanticism to the ceremony.”

“Our reception space was a long low-ceilinged patio with long banquet tables. Vintage string lights were hung from the ceiling to create an intimate bistro vibe. We had 6 long tables and decided to create different looks as a lovely way of incorporating as much of my décor as possible because I love it all!

The décor was an eclectic mix of vintage brass vessels and candlesticks, white milk glass bottles and candelabras, an array of vintage trophies and vintage lanterns with old vintage bookstacks and mercury votives. The flowers were a mix of white hydrangeas, roses and lisianthus, with foliage from the garden. We also had a beautiful foliage installation over the head table!”

Pearls of wedding wisdom from the bride…

“Weddings are overwhelming to plan and it’s very easy too you feel you need to do it the way everyone else does it – and you really don’t. Do what suits you. I didn’t print invitations; I chose to do e-vites instead as I didn’t want the stress of the invitations not reaching their destinations I didn’t have a wedding band, just my engagement ring because one ring is enough for me. I didn’t have my own designer perfume, because I forgot to get one! I used my sisters perfume instead!”

“Kelly Jaynes Cake Boutique made our wedding cake and it was outstanding – 3 tiers with a bottom tier of death by chocolate, a middle tier of lemon poppy and a top tier of red velvet. The accompanying cake pops were a mix of blueberry cheesecake and carrot cake.” How delish does that sound???

“For my bouquet I wanted something large, organic and cascading. I also wanted different muted hues of greens, as it went well with the muted blue colour palette. I gave a picture I found on Pinterest to Terry from Ribbon Design as inspiration and she created something that was even more spectacular than the brief!”

Tell us a little bit about your photographer…

“A client who had rented décor from me even before I got engaged used Clareece and that is how I came across her. I wanted someone who did soft natural light photography and I loved her eye for detail. She has a talent for bringing out the best in an image.  She is calm and keeps you at ease and has a special touch when it comes to her photographs.”

Isn’t it all just heavenly?? I am so in love with the color palette! Huge congratulations to beautiful bride Tuchinca and her hubby Laurence; as well as a big thankyou for allowing me to share their beautiful day with you here on Chic Vintage Brides. Special thanks also to their wonderful photographer Clareece Smit who captured every detail so perfectly! And if her exquisite fine art style of photography has you swooning, be sure to pop across to her website www.clareecesmitphotography.com to see more of her work, and you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

For more modern-vintage wedding inspiration take a peek at this incredibly elegant Art Deco styled wedding shoot, this Sunstone Winery shoot full of olde world romance, or this beyond romantic garden wedding inspiration that took place at the most perfect venue for a vintage wedding! Or for something a little more intimate, how about this delightful Spring elopement – in an orchard of blossom no less!

Amy

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Contributors & Credits

Photography ~ Clareece Smit Photography // Wedding Planner ~ Terry Parenzee from Ribbon Creative Studio // Wedding Dress ~ Bride & Co. // Rentals & Décor – Moi Décor Hire // Bridesmaids Dresses ~ Jenny Yoo (Annabelle) // Wedding Cake ~ Kelly Jaynes Cake Boutique // Makeup ~ Made Up by Janna // Venue ~ Longmeadow Venue // Groom’s Suit ~ Tiger of Sweden // Groomsmen Attire ~ Eurosuit // DJ ~ DJ Nelo Dance Jam Entertainment //