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.

An Intimate, Blush-Inspired Wedding At Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco, California

“I have never seen myself as a romantic girl, but that totally changed when it came to our wedding,” says Xuewei Xia.

A Classic Wedding at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California

The love story of Michelle Le and Jonathan Leu began when they first met at a friend’s house party in Minneapolis.

A Classic and Elegant Wedding At San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, California

In 2008, Edwin Glaeser moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy.

A Modern, Eclectic Wedding At River Roast Social House in Chicago, Illinois

Nicole Izbicky and Marla Merchut met in 2002, when they were both in middle school.

A Traditional Indian Wedding At Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland

The first time Arif Zaidi called Ummul Nusairee, she thought he was a telemarketer.

An Elegant and Timeless Wedding at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC

Danielle and Brendan Cafferky first met during their freshman year at Virginia Tech. They were informally introduced through mutual friends and over the years, became

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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.