Jenn & Brian’s wedding at Yamashiro Hollywood; Photo by Coco Gallery
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
I was recently at a client meeting with one of my most geekalicious couples. This pair has been working together to plan a wedding that will be incredibly personalized and is designed to incorporate the entire scope of their many fandoms. Admittedly, this is where my job gets really, REALLY fun on a personal level. If you know me, you know I’m a geek girl as much as I’m a wedding planner. When those two worlds collide in a professional capacity, and I’m trying to figure out the rules of Stormtrooper dinner breaks (A: Disney rules apply – helmets are never to be removed in front of guests.), I get openly excited. However, somewhere over the course of our conversation, the bride popped off with an innocent little question that struck me as profound:
“Do you do normal weddings?”
I thought it was fascinating that she would ask this because, of course, we very often produce more traditional weddings.
Nielle & Alfred’s wedding at Venice Beach; Photo by Rachel McCauley Photography
Jenn & Brian’s wedding at Yamashiro Hollywood; Photo by Jason Zalameda, Coco Gallery
Queen Mary Wedding Reception, Photo by Rawtography
Or at least I thought we did. But then this enlightening little interchange followed:
RB: Of course we do “normal” weddings. Hence the name: Rebel. Belle. We have “Belles” and an entire Belle Gallery devoted to them.
Bride: Yes, but even your Belles have a little…something…going on, right?
She’s right, of course. What we do best over here at Rebel Belle is wedding personalization. So, yes, even our Belles do have a little something going on. That’s the beauty of the changes seen in the wedding industry over the last few years. With the advent of Pinterest and an assortment wedding blogs that come in just about every flavor and style, the lines between traditional and non-traditional have become somewhat blurred. Many couples who don’t consider themselves traditional also aren’t the type of people who invent a Lightsaber wedding cake knife. We get that, and so do our friends over at Offbeat Bride who have coined their own perfect term for this style of wedding: Offbeat Lite. People who identify with this style tend to be more down-to-earth than they are over-the-top, but they still would like help from vendors who really “get” them.
With these types of weddings, alternative venues such as restaurants, historic buildings and other non “blank hotel ballroom” choices abound; and creativity in the floral and food selections are all the rage.
Beth & Randy’s wedding at Castle Green, Photo by Joanna Wilson Photography
Sarah & David’s wedding at The Culver Hotel, Photo by MiBelle Photographers
Creme Brulee Shooters at Beth & Randy’s wedding. Photo by Joanna Wilson Photography
Mini Key Lime Pies at Beth & Randy’s wedding, Photo by Joanna Wilson Photography
Wild Succulent Bridal Bouquet at Sarah & David’s wedding, photo by MiBelle Photographers
Most of all, reflection of personal style is key.
Erin & Matt’s wedding at the Planes of Fame Museum, Photo by Rad + In Love
Erin & Matt’s wedding at the Planes of Fame Museum, Photo by Rad + In Love
Vintage stewardess inspired bridesmaid, Photo by Rad + In Love
For us over here at Rebel Belle Weddings, this is the New Normal. So, yes Virginia, we do “do normal.” We just do it with a Rebel Belle flair!
Photographer credits and links in order of appearance: Coco Gallery, Rachel McCauley Photography, Rawtography, Joanna Wilson Photography, MiBelle Photographers, Rad + In Love.
