Jennifer Wood-Adams: A Beautiful Beach Wedding on a Budget!

Date: March 26, 2011 at 5pm

Location: Marshes Lighthouse, Manteo, NC

Reception: Adrianna’s Restaurant, Manteo, NC

Photographer: Matt DeJesus Photography

Planner: that would be me

Florist: The Embellishers, Outer Banks, NC

My theme was elegant Moroccan with the colors of eggplant and amber. 

Nick and I met on January 2, 2010 on a day trip to NYC. I was living in Rye, NH and he in Chesapeake, VA. He had a friend in Boston that he was visiting over the holidays. I had a photographer friend that organized the day trip and he had friends from NH and MA that were coming. Nick’s friend happened to be in the group and invited him to come. We met on the bus trip from Boston to NYC, hit it off the entire day and the rest is history.  There are many more details on our wedding website: www.nickandjen.matthewdejesus.com 

Planning tips:

1.       Try to purchase used decorations. Websites like the WeddingBee.com and BravoBride.com are fantastic! I found them very useful and have sold almost all of my decorations through them!

2.       Think outside the box.  Try to design centerpieces that will put money back in your pocket after the wedding is over OR create them as gifts for your guests. 

3.       DIY. Design your own tags, reserved seating signs, place cards, etc. It will save you so much money. It’s also a great excuse to have friends and family over to socialize and help with the process.

4.       Communicate with your vendors and make sure they truly understand what you are looking for and are willing to work with you and your budget.

5.       Don’t feel cornered by all the “wedding etiquette” rules. Be brave and be non-traditional. 

I chose Maya Couture because of the variety of dress selections. My sales assistant, Misty, took the time to really help me find my style. I could not have been happier with my dress. 

Jennifer wore Maggie Sottero's "Annalise" and Nick wore the Alfresco suit by Jim's Formalwear.  Jennifer is a local photographer with "Shine with Jennifer Leigh" at www.shinewithjl.com.  

"My Maya Couture Experience" Advice From a Bride: Kim Parham Grubb

Every woman dreams of her wedding day and finding that perfect dress.  It is one of the most important aspects for the bride when planning her wedding. I too envisioned finding the perfect wedding dress for the perfect wedding day.  To complete this important objective, I visited the premier bridal studio in Hampton Roads, Maya Couture, to find the dress I had always dreamed about.  When entering the beautiful showroom, I was overwhelmed by the countless and amazing bridal gowns to choose from.  The consultant really took the time to find out exactly what type of gown I was looking for down to even the smallest detail.  After trying on a variety of gowns, I found the wedding gown that was made for me.  The gown was an ivory and satin, A-line dress dazzled with crystal accents on the straps, a creation by designer Jim Hjelm.  The theme of the wedding was simple elegance and this dress encompassed that vision. Maya Couture features other services for all your wedding planning needs. In addition to finding my wedding gown, I was also able to get all of my bridesmaids dresses, save the date cards, programs, reception menus and invitations.  It is one stop shopping at its best! Maya Couture’s commitment to making each bride, like myself, feel special made my wedding planning experience memorable and truly enjoyable! I would like to give a special thanks to the staff at Maya Couture and Maya for helping in making my wedding day so special.

As the store owner, there is nothing more rewarding then hearing stories like Kim's.  At the end of the day, what we want for our brides is for their visions to become a reality, and for our "One Stop Shop" to help them achieve that seamlessly.  Kim was nothing short of gorgeous on her wedding day, and it's testimonials like these that make our job as rewarding as it is!

Have a story for Maya and the girls at Maya Couture?  E-mail us at maya@mayacouture.com with photos and testimonials!

The Beauty of a Quirky Winter Wedding & The Ideal Bridal Consultants!

Even though we live in Hampton Roads, where in January it can be 10 degrees or 75 degrees, brides planning winter weddings still grace Maya Couture to find their dream dress.  Megan Taylor was one of those brides.  She came in the store and worked with Hannah and Misty to search for her perfect New Years Day wedding dress last August.  Because of time constraints and being an out-of-town bride, she bought a beautiful sample gown that we'd just gotten in.  She was all about the atmosphere of the event, and with snow on the ground and her girls in red, the scenery was gorgeous for their wedding day.  See her photos below, with a review that she wrote later:

I just wanted to send out a special Thank You to you and your staff...especially Hannah and Misty.  I was in the shop last August, and ended up purchasing a sample dress on a whim.  It was the PERFECT dress for my slightly unconventional wedding.  Our wedding was held in Vermont on New Year\s Day (1.1.11).  We were married by our good friend who was ordained online, we had a flowerboy, groomsmaids, and the actually ceremony was in pub.

Again, please thank Misty and Hannah for their help.  And let Misty know that we ended up with a Dave Matthews song.

Cheers!

One of the great things about being a bridal consultant is being able to help with all aspects of a bride's wedding.  We can help you visualize the full outfit, and each consultant has "specialties" in different areas.  Misty and Tyler are our more alternative consultants with tattoos and indie music tastes.  Felicia and Patsy give great perspectives as former mothers of brides and grooms while still being in touch with what's current today.  Melinda is from Australia, and is getting married this weekend, so knows what it's like to be in that very moment!  Sarah is our resident fashionista, who also works at a modeling agency on the side.  Laura and Anzen see things from a design perspective- Anzen is our in-house designer with a degree from VCU, and Laura is new on board with a fashion degree from Virginia Tech.  Courtney is the ultimate "girl next door".  No matter what, you're guaranteed to find the perfect consultant to help you plan your dream wedding- whether it be a quirky Vermont winter wedding at a pub or a traditional wedding in a cathedral!