Today is my parents’ 29th wedding anniversary! I had seen their wedding album a couple of times growing up, but seeing the photos as she put them on facebook was something else. Here are these true vintage photographs capturing two souls beginning a life together. Here are two wonderfully happy-and-in-lovebirds about to build their nest.

I have always admired the strength of their marriage. Their love has been through a lot (I don’t need to get too personal on here) and every time, they always end up coming out so much stronger and ready to take the world. I understand I am very lucky to grow up surrounded by love, and I can’t thank my parents enough for being the first two. So happy 29 years Mom and Dad, and I wish you an infinite amount more!

(I love that getaway shot!)

Of course this post wouldn’t be complete without music! I asked my parents for some of their favorite love songs:

LaRue – New Orleans Ladies
Exile – I Want to Kiss You All Over
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – We’ve Got Tonight
Joe Cocker – Up Where We Belong
Elton John – Blue Eyes

Friendly reminder! Don’t forget about the rad giveaway going on this week!

Everything that Red Leaf Studios touches turns to gold…perhaps they should be named Gold Leaf Studios?! When I came across this lovely session with Siera, I knew it would make for a great bridal inspiration for all of you Hi-Fi readers. I know bridals typically tend to be a Southern thing, but I think it’s starting to spread – and these images are too good not to share! Plus, I’m sure a lot of you will go nuts over her dress!

Photos By: Red Leaf Studios

Looking for that perfect accessory?! Don’t forget about the rad giveaway going on this week!

I love hearing about couples that built their relationship around mixtapes. I’m an avid mix maker, so when I first came across Raechel’s blog (and then found out she was planning a wedding) I knew we were kindred souls! I’m so stoked to finally get to see images from her and Alex’s day – and to get a glimpse of the tunes that carried them throughout the night. ‘Cause you know when a couple is wanting to PARTAY that it’s going to be a good’un!

Raechel chimes in with lovely words: Music was the foundation of our relationship from the get-go. Since the first week we first met, him and I exchanged countless mixtapes back and forth. Since planning our wedding, we knew that we had to weave music throughout all the details. Our cupcakes, which were served in lieu of cake, were topped with sheet music that was cut into the shape of butterflies. The quote ‘Livin’ Our Love Song,’ was printed on the invitations and candy bags.

(LOVE THIS!)

My husband belongs to a DJ crew called MindzAlike. Naturally, some of his fellow crew members DJ’d our wedding. We hand-picked all the music ourselves, except for the open dance section which we trusted his fellow crew members with. We both have such a wide range of taste in music. From classic soul to old-school hip hop to jazz to indie-rock and 80’s pop. It was difficult to narrow down all the songs, but we had one goal and one goal only and that was to make our wedding a true PARTAY, and that’s we did.

Cocktail Hour and Dinner
Vitamin String Quartet – Yellow (Coldplay cover)
Broken Social Scene – Looks Just Like The Sun
Hall + Oates – Kiss on My List
Incubus – Echo
John Legend – PDA We Just Don’t Care
The Cure – Just Like Heaven
Sting and the Police – Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Zero 7 – Swing
Feist – Inside + Out
Washed Out – Feel It All Around
Heartbeats – The Knife
The Bird + the Bee – Private Eyes (Hall and Oates cover)
Outkast – Prototype
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
Willie Hutch – I Choose You
Hall + Oates – One on One
Flying Lotus – Fall in Love
The Charmels – As Long As I’ve Got You
Patrice Rushen – Remind Me
Troop – Sweet November
Alexander O’ Neil + Cherelle – Saturday Night Love
Spandau Ballet – True
De Barge – I Like It
Tears for Fears – Head Over Heels
Outkast – Prototype
Incubus – Stellar
Michael Jackson – The Lady In My Life
Bobby Caldwell – My Flame
The System – Don’t Disturb This Groove
Rufus + Chaka Khan – Sweet Thing
New Kids On the Block – I’ll Be Loving You Forever
M83 – Kim + Jessie
Bobbie Brown – Ronie
Luther Vandross – If This World Were Mine
Midnight Star – Play Another Slow Jam
Zapp & Roger – I Want To Be Your Man
First Dance: Tom Brock – There’s Nothing In This World That Can Stop Me
On one of our dates, on our way to Big Bear, we spent the whole ride up playing a game where he’d play an a original break/sample and I’d guess which rapper sampled it, and so we thought it’d be perfect to use this song sampled by Jay-Z for our first dance.

Hula Hoop Battle Songs
To determine which tables get excused to the buffet line first, we thought it would be fun to do a hula hoop contest. Hands down, this was probably one of our favorite moments from the wedding. Not only was it hilarious seeing people battle each other, but with this we were able to fulfill another one of our goals – to have our guests truly involved in our wedding.

The Doobie Brothers – What a Fool Believes
Marvin Gaye – Got to Give It Up
Paul Hardcastle – Rainforest
Cut Copy – Saturday

Father Daughter Dance: Carol Banawa – Iingatan Ka
My mom passed away about six years ago, and this was her favorite karaoke song. It’s a Filipino song that talks about taking care of one another and never leaving the other person’s side.

Mother Son Dance: The Beatles – In My Life
His dad passed away two years ago. We chose this song because on family road trips, The Beatles was always on rotation.

Cake Cutting: Willie Hutch – I Choose You
Bouquet Toss: MIA – Paperplanes (instrumental)
Garter Removal: R. Kelly – Feelin’ On Yo Booty
Garter Toss: A Tribe Called Quest – Scenario

Open Dance
Marcia Griffith – Electric Slide
Casper – Cha Cha Slide
Cupid – Cupid Shuffle
Earth, Wind, & Fire – September
Earth, Wind, & Fire – Let’s Groove Tonight
Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover
Nu Shooz – I Can’t Wait
Bell Biv Devoe – Poison
Bobby Brown – Every Little Step
Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam – I Wonder if I Take You Home
Madonna – Holiday
Michael Jackson – Rock With You
Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
Prince – Kiss
Zhane – Hey Mr. DJ
Cindy Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Beyonce – Single Ladies
Soulja Boy – Swag On
Lil’ Jon – Get Outta Your Mind
Lil’ Jon – Get Low
LMFAO– Shot Shot Shot
GS Boyz – Stanky Leg
Ludacris – How Low

At the end of the night, our wedding reception turned into what seemed like a club, a lot of people were drunk, and my husband and I were hella sweating, but we loved every minute of it, and would do it all over again.

And look how rad this is! They sent over a photobooth video! How fun!

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Vendors:
Photographer and Videographer: Anika London
Day-Of Coordinator: Something Blue Weddings
Invitations: Mayanrocks
DJ’s: DJ EdRoc and DJ Julz
Florist: Kristine Pili (kristinepili@yahoo.com)
Cupcakes: BC Cakes (bccakes@hotmail.com)
Lighting: Pro Motion Entertainment )
Make-Up: Rita (rltrinidad84@yahoo.com)
Hair: Jhigs
Birdcage Veil and Bridesmaid’s Flower Accessories: Raepinky (bride)

Hey hey! Don’t forget about the sweet giveaway going on this week!

Happy Friday the 13th!! Hope you’ve got a weekend of happiness planned! This Friday Favs is extra special as there’s a giveaway in this entry! Scroll on through these awesome finds from around the web, and don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win an awesome somn’ somn’ – see below for details!

style me super cute!

wow it’s so hard to pick a favorite shot from this session!!! holy moly!

steamy sixties e-sesh…le wow!

A PHOTOBOOTH PROPOSAL!!! omg

what a rad sneak peak!

what a fun looking ensemble!!

rockin’ invites complete with a led zepplin quote!

I had the awesome pleasure of making a mix for Debbie’s Ultimate Road Trip – 40 songs to excite your ears!

GBM’s Volume 12!

this super 8 video – SO CUTE!

the song is great, but the video -omg wow! thanks michael!

attention LOST fans!! have you seen weezer’s new album cover?! lol

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Alrighty! Let’s get to the good stuff! You remember the radtasic Hi-Fi Wedding of McKay and Joey? Well this talented lil’ lady is a wonderful designer! She creates swoon worthy clutches (and other handmade items!) that would be the perfect touch on your wedding day….or any day! I’m so excited that one of you lucky readers can win a costumed designed clutch by simply leaving a comment below with a favorite love song! The contest will be open until midnight (central time) of Friday the 20th! Winner will be selected at random and notified via email!

last two clutch shots via our labor of love

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Before delving into a boudior session, Jessica (the photographer) and Tanya decided it would be fun to do to retro shoot! With one of my favorite props (stax o’ wax) and other timeless vintage details, this was a perfect fit for Hi-Fi Weddings!

Photos by: Jessica Quadra

A couple of Fridays ago I linked to a Twin Peaks inspired Day After Shoot, and now (drum roll please) I’m totally stoked to bring you the actual wedding of Jenny and Luc! Their magical wedding was captured with the romantically powerful shots of Feather Love. With so much love and talent bursting from the seams of this DIY wedding, the kickass playlist only makes it better! Plus with a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, and an interpretive dance?! How can you go wrong?!

Jenny talks about the day on Noa’s original blog post: The wedding was a massive endeavor of fun, but without the support of Luc, our families and our friends it would have been impossible. With the hopes of saving money, I went all out DIY: designed letterpress invites, inserts, labels, ‘Save the Date’ coasters, RSVP custom-stamped vintage postcards, scoured the internet for vintage postage stamps, designed our wedding website, ordered flowers direct from the farm, found all vendors, made all iPod playlists for the party, etc. and…eventually I learned how to ask for help. We wrangled some amazingly talented friends and loved ones to participate and they helped make it a magical day. I planned the wedding over the course of a year while working full-time/freelancing as a graphic designer. I felt the most creatively fulfilled when working on this huge project. (Dear Brides, I would love to help you/discuss any print/web design or event design ideas).

I love that Jenny shared some secrets about the whole design process. They asked each other questions about the wedding…so cute!

So many evenings when Luc would come home from work (he is also a graphic designer at a branding firm), we would bounce ideas back and forth, and below is a portion of the questions we asked ourselves in order to create the best wedding imaginable:

Where do we want to get married? Under a big tree (major bonus for a carousel, ferris wheel, and huge pavilion nearby)
Are we going to play “Pony” by Ginuwine when all our friends get on the carousel? Yes
Are we going to play “Pony” twice? Yes
Look at this amazing photographer Noa’s work, we have to book her, right? (2 years ago) YES.
Should we include Prince’s: “Dearly Beloved. We are gathered here today to get through this thing called Life. Electric word life that means forever…” in our vow ceremony? Yep.
What should we do the day after the wedding? Twin Peaks brunch and Beach Bonfire Camping Party.
Let’s make cocktail names for a Font Bar since we are graphic design nerds. Okay! Good Times New Roman, Bodini Martini, Happy Akzidenz, Futurita, Baskerville Sour, Trade Gothic.
Do we need a fog machine? How is that even a question? Yes.
Should we use these old woodcut Falcon etchings for the cover of our kraftboard CD favor? Of course.
Do you think it’s too much to make 68 hanging candle jars for the tent and 300 candle jars for the tables? No. Candlelight is the best way to create ambiance in the tent.
I can’t interpretive dance to “Come Sail Away” in the long gown. Should I wear a Kate Bush inspired frock for our first dance? Yes. And I’m glad I did: Our First Dance!!
“Should I cut my hair?” – Luc. Don’t let them say your hair’s too long, cause I don’t care, with you I can’t go wrong. But yeah, maybe just a little.”

Ceremony:
We were lucky enough to have an insanely talented best friend and cellist play the ceremony music. Kestrin Grubb Pantera (yes, THE Kestrin) suggested she play some Bach. We gave her free reign to rock whatever Bach she felt appropriate…and it was perfect.

Cocktail Hour:
Various gems from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack to set the mood, “Do it Again” and “Peg” by Steely Dan especially for my Dad
“Here Comes the Night” by Them
“These Eyes” by The Guess Who
“Fallin” by Connie Francis
“Satellite of Love” and “I’m So Free” by Lou Reed
“Head Start” by Bobby Hutcherson
“Kiss is On My List” by Hall and Oates
“Biggest Part of Me” by Ambrosia
“Bring it On Home” by Hawkwind
“Happy Together” by The Turtles
“Kiss You All Over” by Exile
“Can You Feel It” by Jackson Five
…to name a few.

Carousel Ride:
Pony by Ginuwine on repeat

Dinner:
“Mon Amie La Rose” and “Amitie” by Francoise Hardy
“Day Tripper” “1-2-3” and “The Sidewinder” Herbie Mann & Tamiko Jones (for some punchy/swanky numbers)
“Blue Velvet” by Bobby Vinton
“Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin
“Earth Angel” by the Penguins
“Hot Love” by T. Rex
“California Dreamin'” by The Mamas and the Papas
“Heart of Gold” and “Sugar Mountain” by Neil Young
“Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell
“These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding
“Never My Love” by The Association
“Can’t Get It Out of My Head” ELO (for good measure)

First Dance:
“Come Sail Away” by Styx

Dance Party:
Began with “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince, see attached screenshot

Our CD Favor Mix: “2 Have & 2 Hold” a soundtrack to our favorite memories and best road trip mixes:

1. The Man in Me by Bob Dylan
2. Love is Strange by Mickie and Sylvia
3. Fallin’ by Connie Francis
4. Sand by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra
5. Lucifer Sam by Pink Floyd
6. Memory of a Free Festival by David Bowie
7. I’m Gonna Dress in Black by Them
8. No More Heroes by The Stranglers
9. Lady by Styx
10. Love Man by Otis Redding
11. Let Her Dance by The Bobby Fuller Four
12. Automatic by The Pointer Sisters
13. The Nightingale (Twin Peaks Soundtrack)
14. Roadhouse Blues by The Doors
15. The Final Countdown by Europe
16. Sister Christian by Night Ranger
17. Perfect Day by Lou Reed
18. I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher
19. King of Carrot Flowers by Neutral Milk Hotel
20. Bonnie and Clyde by Serge Gainsbourg

Click to enlarge the playlist:

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Photo Magic: Feather Love Photography
Venue: Calamigos Ranch in Malibu
Print & web design: Jenny Ryf Doucedame
Wedding website: jennyandluc.com
Wedding day Floral/Lighting Design: Yuval Pudik & Russell Salmon
Bouquets & Boutonnieres: Susan Tom Nellis of Peony & Plum
Makeup: Sara Wilson
Hair: Shelby Pence
Ceremony Cellist: Kestrin Grubb Pantera
Bride’s dress: Casablanca Bridal
Bride’s shoes: Dolce Vita
Groom’s suit: J.Crew

Recently, I’ve been spotting a lot of people’s awesome posts about receiving the Beautiful Blogger Award and reading their fun and random “10 things”. I love stuff like that! Usually those “random things” are the best…and a neat insight to someone I’m already enamored with! I was thrilled when I came across both Ever Ours AND Bridalhood‘s post about winning the Beautiful Blogger Award because they passed it along to me! I was like a giddy school girl trying to pick out a photo and compose my list! Thanks ladies for passing along the award and letting me join in on the fun! xoxo

And now I get to pass it along! So if you ladies would care to share, it would be awesome to hear your ten items of randomness!

Casa de Kaloi (Steph, my dear friend and partner in photo crime!)
Feather Love Photography (cause who wouldn’t want to peep into her mind?!)
Le Belle Bride (no one’s swanky quite like Chantale!)
Whimsical Wonderland Weddings (who doesn’t love whimsy?!)
Rock n’ Roll Bride (we all need a bit of RnR in life!)

Photo by: Yours Truly! It’s our front yard curry plant!

Click to listen, right click “save as” to download:
Tennis – Marathon

Today’s Tuesday Tune is by the Denver based husband and wife duo, Tennis. Contrary to the name, this song is about a nautical adventure…and it’s upbeat riffs and catchy “ooo”s are bound to get stuck in your head. Although it’s not super lovey-dovey, this song would make a great addition to a boat/beach/coastal wedding playlist!

Still hankering for more?! Check out all of the past Tuesdays!

I love when couples stay true to themselves! Jen and Eric wanted a night of pure fun and kept it real with hits from the 80s and 90s! Paired with a sweet outdoor wedding, it was an awesome day for sure! Plus anyone that includes New Kids on the Block – amazing! Jen shared some insight:

Our inspiration for music was mostly for it to be as nostalgic and fun as possible. Eric and I don’t really keep up with popular music that much, yeah we are kinda out of the loop, so we stuck to what we know best….80’s and 90’s. We also made sure we mixed in some classics and asked our fantastic DJ, Mike McCoy, to pick some popular tunes that people would want to hear. Mike had a great website where people could request what they wanted to hear.

Unfortunately, our playlist has been taken down, so I don’t have a copy of it. But, I do remember that we ended up with an eclectic collection of music including: Journey (a favorite of mine and Eric’s), Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, New Kids on the Block, Bel Biv Devoe, Green Day, Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble’, Ella Fitzgerald, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Madonna, CCR, Motley Crue, Paula Abdul, Rick Astley, Guns N’ Roses, Joan Jett….and many others that define our childhood memories. Most of my favorite photos took place during a Michael Jackson war that sprung up during Billie Jean…classic. We can say this about our choices; they made for one of the most fun nights of dancing we have ever spent. There is nothing better than laughing with your friends and dancing like a maniac!

Awesome Photos: Micah & Megan Photographers

I’m gathering quite the page of kick ass vendors*. These are people in the industry that not only would you hire for your special day, but you can just as easily sit down with and have a beer (or coffee). And since Hi-Fi is all about the tunes in our lives, we’re gonna get to know what these peeps dig on musically.

With a push of the shutter Lyndsey freezes what her eye is capturing in life. Her photos posses the energies of these real moments, and provide a wonderful glimpse of history. As a self proclaimed cupcake lover, her images are as sweet as frosting!

Can you describe your life (so far) in 3-5 songs?
My life in music…so hard to sum up in 3-5 songs. These are the first ones that came to mind. Lots of meaning behind them, but didn’t know how much description you wanted!
Just Dance, Lady Gaga…I can always count on dancing to make me happy!
Lightning Crashes, Live
A New Day Has Come, Celine Dion (Reminds me of the boys in my life…my husband, son, and doggie)
Watch Me Shine, Legally Blonde Soundtrack (Love the theme that you can do anything you set your mind to!)

What is your favorite love song?
Since love songs have always been my favorite, that is a hard question!! I’ll go with my favorite wedding love song, The Way You Look Tonight. We danced to it at our wedding and it was magical. Oh, and I still love Eternal Flame by the Bangles. I know, cheesy!

If you could go see anyone perform live who would it be?
I’d LOVE to see the Glee cast perform. If I could see anyone who ever lived, it would be Elvis for sure.

What is your preferred format of music?
My ipod touch has all my music at my fingertips!

Are you a musician? If so, what do you play? If not, what would you play?
I’m not a musician…but I do have a secret dream of being a pop star. I love to dance, and I’ve always wished I could belt it out.

*Do you know someone who should be on the vendor page? Just email me and let’s chat!