Off The Beaten Path Weddings loves their Hospitality Ambassadors!

Posted on November 28, 2013 by barefootbridechilla

We take *so* much pride and joy in every Off The Beaten Path Wedding, and sharing photos with all of our readers is always such a pleasure. When the photographer sends those files after an event, it’s always fun to oooh and aaah over each image, and choose the best to share with everyone. BUT today, we are taking a minute to share some “behind the scenes” shots of our staff doing their thing. We’ve definitely learned that it takes a village to produce an Off The Beaten Path Wedding, but lucky for us – we have a wonderful group of hospitality ambassadors (also known as service staff) to make every event possible. Now that our season is over at Off The Beaten Path Weddings, it’s nice to look back on the fun moments with staff and appreciate the fact that they are both hard-working and chill… after all, it is the season to share what you are thankful for!

All of these photos are from Holly & Jim’s chill day, see a snapshot of the Bridechilla™ below!

Thanks again to our wonderful OTBPW staff for being such a chill group of people. And also, thank you to Melissa Phillips for providing these photos!

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5 Ways to Get Your Groom to Help Out with Wedding Planning

Posted on November 5, 2013 by barefootbridechilla

Traditionally, a wedding day is all about the bride. All of that fanfare that surrounds the bride, however, can often leave the groom feeling left in the dust. After all, the bride isn’t the only person getting married; the groom is a pretty integral part of the wedding.

Guest Article written by Amber Kingsley

If you are getting married, don’t let your groom feel like he is playing second fiddle. While he may not be able to help you pick out your gown, you can let him feel like he is part of all of the planning and excitement by giving him some special tasks to attend to. He will appreciate the attention, and you will appreciate the help.

Groom1 via Shutterstock

Registry Duty: Registering for all of the things that you will need as you start your life together is a really fun process, and it is one that your groom should certainly be a part of. In fact, you can put him in charge of this important task. Of course, you want to be a part of the registration process (you don’t want to sleep on bedding that you think is completely dreadful), but you can let your groom handle setting up and updating the registry. He’ll get a kick out of having this duty and it is one less thing that you will have to worry about.

via Off The Beaten Path Weddings & Jessica Burke

Venue Shopping: Your wedding is a celebration that will honor both you and your groom, so it is only fair that he help pick out the place where this grand event will occur. Ask him to do some research with you on potential venues. Let him choose a few places to look at. Of course, have him go with you to check out the different venues and welcome his opinions and reviews. You can even take it one step further; once you have both decided on a venue for your affair, have you groom handle all further communications with the staff.

via Off The Beaten Path Weddings &

Vendor Visiting: You will require the services of a bunch of people in order to successfully pull off your big event; a florist, a caterer, a photographer and videographer, limo drivers, music and whoever else you think you will require the services to make your big day your dream come true. Let your groom help out with choosing the vendors. Ask him if he wouldn’t mind helping you choose some vendors to consider and bring him along on your visits to each one. You can even ask him if he thinks that there are any other special vendors that will add an extra special something to your day; a cigar roller, perhaps.

via rockmywedding.co.uk

Tuxedos: You have your wedding dress and the bridesmaid’s dress to pick out. Why not let your groom pick out the attire that he and his guys will be wearing. Go along with him so that you can offer your opinion and see what choices he is considering (and so that you can nix anything that is an absolute no), but let him have his moment in the sun while picking out and trying on different tuxedos.

via Off The Beaten Path Weddings & Catherine Hall

If it weren’t for your groom, you wouldn’t be getting married. Make him feel like he is as big a part of the day as he truly is by involving him in the planning process.

Amber Kingsley is a freelance writer from Southern California. She has contributed to a number of blogs, covering travel and style. When she’s not writing she loves traveling and spending time with her dog. To view more of her writing, visit the Bellezza Spa blog.

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Meet our favorite Petaluma Farm!

Posted on October 31, 2013 by barefootbridechilla

Question: What do roses, hydrangeas, large calla lilies, tulips, viburnum, lilac, stephanotis, ranunculus, green foliage, and beautiful seeded eucalyptus ALL have in common? They all can be found at the Neve Brothers Greenhouse in Petaluma, California. We wanted to give this beautiful farm some Bridechilla™ LOVE simply because all Off The Beaten Path Weddings depend on the Neve Brothers for event florals. At Off The Beaten Path Weddings, we adorn every table with centerpieces full of understated beauty and embellish the rest of each Off The Beaten Path property with fresh-off-the-farm florals from this Petaluma greenhouse. Take a look below at some of our picks for past events.

With no surprise, we’re not the only ones showing some love for this incredible greenhouse. For more information on the Neve Brothers Farm, you can also check out this post on flirtyfleurs.com.

Want to get in touch with this chill farm? Here is how you find them!
Neve Brothers
2645 Bodega Avenue
Petaluma, CA 94952-1602
(707) 778-2326

Space at San Francisco Flower Market
674 Brannon Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 495-6195

And last but not least, here are some of the beauties from our last (man, that went fast!) Off The Beaten Path Wedding of the 2013 season.

Aren’t Katie and Ilan’s flowers gorgeous? We shared this on our Instagram (@otbpw), but thought it deserved an appearance here too. HUGE thank you to the Neve Brothers for being a great floral resource for us here at Off The Beaten Path Weddings. See you next year!

Off The Beaten Path Weddings Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Emily & Grant, October 20th, 2012

Posted on October 20, 2013 by barefootbridechilla

Midway through October and we’re reminiscing as we share our very last anniversary post for 2012 Off The Beaten Path Weddings. Emily and Grant made their first mark on our blog in January when we introduced their wedding motto, W O O P A . But in case you forgot, we can refresh your memory now on what their chill wedding motto meant.

/ woo-pa! /
definition:
I. adj: a term to express excitement, joy, or happiness.
II. noun: the official Wood/Patrino wedding motto.

We’re so thrilled to spend our today wishing our Bridechilla™ , Emily, and her husband Grant a very happy anniversary. All photos by the talented folks over at onelove photography.

From the Bridechilla…

The theme of our wedding was “woopa”. this is a nickname our friends call us that joins our two last names- Wood & Patrino. we made a sign of vintage marquee letters that lit up which read “woopa” on the side of the barn. Dinner was served next to the barn under a grove of trees with twinkle lights hung from tree to tree. We sent everyone home with “woopa pies” (whoopie pies) that my mom had made from scratch. We really wanted the wedding to be colorful which would really create the fun party energy that we were looking for. It was a very rustic country setting, however I wanted to incorporate a sophisticated chic element with color, as I didn’t want it to be overly rustic. I would say it was a rustic chic wedding. The tables had navy and white runners with colorful flowers. The boys in the wedding party wore navy & white gingham shirts, khaki pants, navy vans & a navy pink tie. The girls wore navy dresses with fuchsia heels.

We wanted our wedding to be an amazingly fun party in the middle of the vineyards with fabulous food and wine. We really just wanted it to have a light-hearted sentimate, so that the guests could really relax and have FUN. Nothing stuffy about it.

(via Style Me Pretty)

We loved Emily & Grant’s color palette, such a beautiful and FUN event to end our season on last year.

Don’t forget to see more of this beautiful OTBPW + WOOPA magic on Style Me Pretty!

Also, see this chill couple in action in this video of their Off The Beaten Path Wedding by Steven Bailey.

Until next summer, when we celebrate our 2013 anniversaries from this season… CHEERS.

Wedding Planning + Styling: Off the Beaten Path Weddings

To many many many more chill years of love and happiness. -Bridechilla™ & Off The Beaten Path Weddings

PART ONE: Interview with a blogging Bridechilla™-to-be (beabridechilla.com)
Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Niamah & Darren, July 28, 2012 (beabridechilla.com)
Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Erin & Byron, July 21, 2012 (beabridechilla.com)
Bridechilla™ Tip #34 (beabridechilla.com)

Off The Beaten Path Weddings Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Emilie & Jim, October 6th, 2012

Posted on October 9, 2013 by barefootbridechilla

We’re just about through our first week of Fall and in sync, we are celebrating another fantastic Off The Beaten Path Weddings couple we love. Emilie and Jim had one of our very few OTBP weddings that take place during Fall, and we just love the touches of orange that paralleled with the beauty of this season. We’re so thrilled to spend our today wishing our Bridechilla™ , Emilie, and her husband Jim a very belated, but happy anniversary.This couple has shown us such great love and appreciation, and today we want to celebrate them!

So, below we remember some of the special moments of their chill day through beautiful photos taken by our friends at Onelove Photography. This wedding is full of seasonal details designed by Mary Ellen Murphy & the team behind Off The Beaten Path Weddings, take it all in!

From their invitations and stationary to their wedding day color choices, Emilie and Jim had a day embellished in just the right amount of seasonal touches. With pops of orange, pink, and white, their reception and wedding day kept the brightness and light mood of Summer, but introduced the beautiful color schemes of Autumn as well.

And of course, white pumpkins make for perfect escort pieces.

This Off The Beaten Path Weddings couple was so chill, and so was their wedding party which included a special (and very furry) guest.

Don’t you love Emilie’s sweater? 😉

What a beautiful wedding for us to look back on and celebrate. Can’t believe it’s already been a whole year… Happy anniversary to this chill couple.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY EMILIE & JIM!

Wedding Planning + Styling: Off the Beaten Path Weddings

To many many many more chill years of love and happiness. -Bridechilla™ & Off The Beaten Path Weddings

PART ONE: Interview with a blogging Bridechilla™-to-be (beabridechilla.com)
Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Niamah & Darren, July 28, 2012 (beabridechilla.com)
Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Erin & Byron, July 21, 2012 (beabridechilla.com)
Bridechilla™ Tip #34 (beabridechilla.com)

Off The Beaten Path Weddings Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Melissa and Ian, September 29th, 2012

Posted on September 29, 2013 by barefootbridechilla

We’re so thrilled to spend our Sunday wishing our Bridechilla™ , Melissa, and her husband Ian a very happy anniversary. Below we remember some of the special moments of their chill day, and we also sit back and let their talented photographer tell us how they stayed relaxed and so anti-zilla while planning, memorable moments and photos, anniversary advice, and what made their wedding, styled by Mary Ellen Murphy & the team behind Off The Beaten Path Weddings, so special and chill.

All photos were taken by our amazing friend and Off The Beaten Path Magic Maker, Wendy K Yalom.

As their photographer, you must have a favorite shot from their wedding. Which one would it be and why?

I could easily name 10 images from this wedding that are favorites – The first look, Melissa preparing to walk down the aisle with her dad, the table beautifully set in the golden September sunlight, the end of the evening with the full moon shining over the celebration and if I had to select just one – it would the image of Ian nuzzling Melissa in the vineyards.

We had planned to slip away at sunset to capture a few quiet moments between the couple in the vineyards and discovered the FULL moon had just risen, stunning. The setting of this image is outstandingly romantic and what I love most about it is how solidly Ian is embracing Melissa in this photo and how beautifully happy and relaxed and in love she looks in his arms.
Chills when I look at it.

Tell us some memorable details about Melissa and Ian’s day.

A couple of key moments occur to me. A close friend of the Melissa & Ian reading this gorgeous passage from Emily Dickinson during their ceremony –

“It’s all I have to bring today
This, and my heart beside
This, and my heart, and all the fields
And all the meadows wide
Be sure you count Should I forget
Some one the sum could tell
This, and my heart, and all the Bees
Which in the Clover dwell.”

Melissa’s dad toasting and the resulting uproarious laughter.

The wild Armenian dancing.

Late night s’mores and cigars.

What was your favorite thing about working with Melissa and Ian?

Melissa & Ian are the perfect blend of fun, easy-going and stylish. I heard a quote recently that somehow applies here – “I don’t take photos for money, I make money so I can continue to take photos”. I make money so I can continue to have the pleasure of capturing couples like Melissa & Ian and working with incredible people like The Off The Beaten Track folks.

How did Melissa embrace the anti-zilla and keep her chill on their wedding day?

She was awesome! Melissa has great tastes and knows what she loves, my guess is she knew she was working with great people, she had awesomely devoted bridesmaids at her side and she continued to take moments for herself whenever she needed them.

One year of chill love for this fabulous couple. Do you have any advice/words of love to send their way?

What could I possibly way to a couple that clearly knows how to love and trust one another. If I had to say anything, I would say ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY your love as often and deliberately as possible.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MELISSA & IAN!

Wedding Planning + Styling: Off the Beaten Path Weddings

See more of Wendy’s work here

To many many many more chill years of love and happiness. -Bridechilla™ & Off The Beaten Path Weddings

PART ONE: Interview with a blogging Bridechilla™-to-be (beabridechilla.com)
Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Niamah & Darren, July 28, 2012 (beabridechilla.com)
Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Erin & Byron, July 21, 2012 (beabridechilla.com)
Bridechilla™ Tip #34 (beabridechilla.com)

PART TWO: Interview with a blogging Bridechilla™

Posted on September 26, 2013 by barefootbridechilla

One month shy of marrying her hubby-to-be, our Off The Beaten Path Weddings Bridechilla™ Julia Bayard was blogging away about her planning experience as well as everything “preppy and fabulous”. From Wedding Planning 101 to stylish adventures with her now husband, Tom, this Bridechilla™ has been inspiring us to encourage all brides to start a blog on their journey to the aisle. One month before her wedding, we interviewed Julia about her experience with Off The Beaten Path Weddings and how blogging has kept her chill throughout the experience. Find more about Julia’s pre-wedding journey here, and read below for our interview with her on the DAY OF her wedding! All photos from the #juliaandtom Instagram feed.

So, how are you feeling today Julia?

I’m in a good mood! Here I am, sitting in full hair and make-up, in my wedding dress… it’s kind of surreal. Is this really happening? I am so happy to have everyone I love here with me today.

There are so many things to be excited about right now, what are you looking forward to the most today?

For over a whole year I have been so consumed in this day; making sure everything will come together and finally it is my turn to just relax. I am excited to simply enjoy myself with everyone I love and care about.

Tell us about your experience with Off The Beaten Path Weddings.

It was great. Mary Ellen was a real expert and helped streamline the wedding planning process. She got our vision right away and was able to make many decisions without our involvement, which was amazing considering how many decisions we needed to make otherwise.

How has blogging about your wedding planning experience helped this process as a whole? Did you ever get any great advice from fellow bloggers and readers?

Oh absolutely- everything from what to register for “don’t register for like life you life now, register for the life you will lead” to getting ready tips “begin hair and makeup before you think you need to because you will for sure run late.” It was helpful to both be able to vent/get advice from a large network and also share any great resources we found.

How have you kept the anti-zilla attitude through this whole experience?

Mary Ellen did a wonderful job working with vendors and partners to provide us with the best options possible. That really helped reduce the stress because we knew we were in good hands 🙂

It’s been 1 month since our first interview with you. What are some things you think all brides should remember in the final month of planning?

The end is in sight! The final push is usually the most challenging but it’s so worth it when you can relax on your big day!

Side note: check out how Julia & Tom’s reception grew even more beautiful as the night went on… talk about lighting love!

Are you a Bridechilla™ sharing your step-by-step, month-by-month experience with the world? Please send your link to us so we can stay in tune with your planning experience and be on hand with any chill advice you might need for this experience!

Find Julia Bayard’s Blog, Tartan & Sequins by clicking here be on the look out as she begins sharing the official photos from her wedding by Onelove Photography. Find Tartans & Sequins on Facebook and Twitter. Congratulations to Julia and Tom!

Off The Beaten Path Weddings Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Molly and Gavin, September 22nd, 2012

Posted on September 22, 2013 by barefootbridechilla

We’re so thrilled to spend our Sunday wishing our Bridechilla™ , Molly, and her husband Gavin a very happy anniversary. Below we remember some of the special moments of their chill day, as told by their event stylist, Mary Ellen Murphy of Off The Beaten Path Weddings. All photos taken by Allison Fairfield Photography.

What was your favorite thing about working with Molly and Gavin?

Molly and Gavin’s fun-loving spirits made them a pleasure to work with… Congrats to you both!

How did Molly embrace the chill & be a total anti-zilla?

Molly welcomed her little pup, Ruby, to the day, always a chill move for our brides 🙂

Tell us some memorable details that stood out to you about Molly and Gavin’s wedding day.

The couple’s location was a dream! And their color palette just accented all of the beauty with pops of orange and pink.

Words to us from the bride, “Thank you so much for everything you and the OTBPW team did to make our wedding such a great event. The wedding was altogether fantastic and Gavin and I enjoyed every minute of it! It turned out exactly how we had envisioned it and we wouldn’t have changed a thing.” Thanks Molly!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOLLY & GAVIN!

Wedding Planning + Styling: Off the Beaten Path Weddings

To many many many more chill years of love and happiness. -Bridechilla™ & Off The Beaten Path Weddings

PART ONE: Interview with a blogging Bridechilla™-to-be (beabridechilla.com)
Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Niamah & Darren, July 28, 2012 (beabridechilla.com)
Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Erin & Byron, July 21, 2012 (beabridechilla.com)
Bridechilla™ Tip #34 (beabridechilla.com)

Off The Beaten Path Weddings Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Perla and Brian, September 8th, 2012

Posted on September 8, 2013 by barefootbridechilla

We’re so thrilled to spend our Sunday wishing our Bridechilla™ , Perla, and her husband Brian a very happy anniversary. This couple has shown us such great love and appreciation, and today we want to celebrate them! So, below we remember some of the special moments of their chill day, and we also sit back and let the couple tell us how they stayed relaxed and so anti-zilla while planning, how married life is, anniversary plans, and what made their wedding, styled by Mary Ellen Murphy & the team behind Off The Beaten Path Weddings, so special and chill. Photos by The Becker.

Happy anniversary! Any big plans?

Not really, since we are moving. But we are going to Italy next month 🙂

What was the best part of your wedding day?

Saying I do to the man I love. But beyond that we loved twisted willow as our location, it was just a beautiful setting.

Tell us about your planning experience.

The planning was great. And everything was executed great. Recommendations such as the tomato bar still resonate with our guest today.

Any advice for brides trying to avoid stress while planning?

Definitely hire a planner! Beyond that talk with your partner and agree on a vision and that will minimize so much stress!

One year of chill love – congratulations! So far, what has been the most valuable lesson learned in keeping a strong marriage?

Your relationship keeps growing past the marriage celebration. Remember the basics!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PERLA & BRIAN!

Wedding Planning + Styling: Off the Beaten Path Weddings

To many many many more chill years of love and happiness. -Bridechilla™ & Off The Beaten Path Weddings

PART ONE: Interview with a blogging Bridechilla™-to-be (beabridechilla.com)
Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Niamah & Darren, July 28, 2012 (beabridechilla.com)
Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Erin & Byron, July 21, 2012 (beabridechilla.com)
Bridechilla™ Tip #34 (beabridechilla.com)

Off The Beaten Path Celebrates One Year of LOVE: Lani and Patrick, September 1st, 2012

Posted on September 1, 2013 by barefootbridechilla

We’re so thrilled to spend our Sunday wishing our Bridechilla™ , Lani, and her husband Patrick a very happy anniversary. Below we remember some of the special moments of their chill day, and we also sit back and let the couple tell us how they stayed relaxed and so anti-zilla while planning, how married life is, anniversary plans, and what made their wedding, styled by Mary Ellen Murphy & the team behind Off The Beaten Path Weddings, so special and chill. Photos by Onelove photography.

Happy anniversary! Any big plans?

We are going to stick around the Bay Area — hiking, biking and relaxing.

What was the best part of your wedding day?

It’s hard to pinpoint one thing that stood out from the others! I honestly loved everything.

Tell us about your planning experience.

We lived in NYC at the time of the planning so it was frustrating at first not to be more involved in-person. That said it ended up being a pretty painless experience once we were able to let go of the things we couldn’t control.

Any advice for brides trying to avoid stress while planning?

Talk to a few different friends and/or family members who have recently been married and get their advice on planning 101. There are so many little details that ARE important and others that may seem like big deals but aren’t — it’s best to talk to people who have done it before and can give you a hindsight view. And if you are concerned about cost (which most of us are) getting creative with things like bringing your own alcohol (if the venue allows) and asking family members to contribute to the dessert table are simple ways to shave off thousands.

One year of chill love – congratulations! So far, what has been the most valuable lesson learned in keeping a strong marriage?

Relationships are works in progress and while we have our arguments, what has helped us through the first year is open communication and never going to bed angry. Also, spending time with close friends and family (now that we live on the West Coast, close to our childhood homes) is vital to the strength of our marriage.