When I say today's wedding is no ordinary celebration, I truly mean I don't think we've ever shown a wedding quite like Emily and Freddy's. These two have uncomparable style, they are themselves and their wedding in Las Vegas is truly inspiring. Their wedding is phenomenal, a mix of vintage gothic glamour and everything from Emily's amazing wedding gown to her reception-time surprise for Freddy is truly unique and so personal. Whether you love vintage or rustic, glam or low key, it is difficult not to be impressed by Emily and Freddy's showstopper of a wedding. But more than that, we adore that Emily and Freddy are true romantics, their love for family and friends was woven through every element of their day. So it's a joy to share, thanks to The Gemmers.
So how did this fabulous couple met? Emily's sister knew Freddy and having seen pictures of each other from time to time, both were eager to meet. The only problem was Emily lived in Los Angeles, and Freddy in New York. Luckily one weekend Emily was visiting New York with her band (she used to sing with them) for a CD release. Remembering Freddy lived in New York, she took a leap of faith and hit Facebook to invite him along. Freddy did show, and serendipitously they had some mutual friends who were going too. Each not knowing the other was also smitten, Freddy took a while to nervously approach Emily (ah c'mon Freddy, she asked you on Facebook!). But once he got up the courage, they got on famously and found it hard to leave each other's side. Emily left New York but they promised to stay in touch, which led to a long distance relationship for 6 months. That was enough to convince them both to move to Las Vegas to be together. What can you say, when you know, you know.
Having met in New York, Freddy and Emily decided they would visit the city as much as possible now that they both live in Las Vegas. On one particularly romantic visit Emily and Freddy headed to Central Park where they scrawled Freddy loves Emily on a tree trunk. For their proposal it was back to the same spot, but this time accompanied by two friends Sean and Ashley, they had to find their tree to see if their declaration of love remained. Emily explains, "As we got near the spot of the tree... Freddy and Sean went straight up and over the rocks as Ashley and I trailed behind. As we were hurdling over the rocks, I heard Freddy speaking to a group of people sitting on the rocks. He asked if he could take a picture of them, as he thought they looked like the cast of The Real World, or Friends, or some other show about people who have to deal with each other but don't want to. Anyhow, since Freddy is always such a friendly guy, I thought nothing of it and continued up the rocks as he took their picture. By the time Freddy finished taking their picture and chatting, I was over the rock and heading towards our stump. As I normally do, I was busy filming the stump and talking about how "Freddy loves Emily" no longer remained on the stump." Emily didn't pay any attention when Freddy asked the other people if they'd mind taking a picture of them, but when his next words were "Cause I'm going to bow down and ask my girlfriend to Marry Me!" she was utterly taken by surprise. You'll never guess what she said...  Well of course, it was a big 'Yes'.
How adorable is Emily and Freddy's pooch Ludacris? His little suit was custom made for the day!
Emily and Freddy originally planned to marry in Oregon but as Emily's grandfather's health isn't too good, they decided to have the wedding in Las Vegas where he lives so all the family could be together.
When it came to the dress Emily had a very particular idea of what she wanted (lace, with long sleeves) and it didn't prove easy to find. After trying on too many dresses to count Emily struck gold and found this unbelievably beautiful vintage dress, dating back to 1947. A real showstopper the dress was customised slightly by Emily's mum, adding additional lace to the wrists and hem. Stunning!
Wanting to make sure her bridesmaids looked (and felt) themselves, and as beautiful  Emily told each to chose their own dresses. The only rule when buying? It must be white, and you must absolutely love it. Emily's maid of honor (and sister) even wore their grandmother's headpiece from her wedding.
You really can't beat vintage for fabulous detailing, that lace is just divine. Karen has been swooning for months over this dress. 
Getting married in Vegas Emily and Freddy were both dead set that it wouldn't be your typical Vegas wedding. No bright lights, and no Little White Chapel. To achieve this they picked a venue that was secluded from Vegas city lights and surrounded by gorgeous greenery, lakes and the most enchanting chapel.
The ceremony was an elegant affair with super stylish kids (the flower girl headpieces were made by Emily's sis and the baskets and wands by Emily)Â as little helpers and a violinist playing Sigur Ross for Emily to walk in to.
The chapel was lit up with candles and decorated simply with lush greenery. The perfect décor for a romantic winter wedding.
It was certainly a wedding to remember.
Not to be outdone by the uber stylish girls Freddy and his groomsmen were decked out in crisp black suits and dapper bow ties.
Accessory wise Emily bought Freddy some vintage cuff links of Etsy to complete his look, while Freddie bought Emily her beautiful gold cross necklace. Emily's pearl earrings are a family heirloom, worn by every girl in the family for their wedding day, as is her engagement ring and wedding bands. "The diamond in my engagement ring is my great-grandmother's, and Freddy had it placed in a custom designed setting. My wedding bands are my grandmother's (mother's side) wedding bands, there are three of them, because at one point she thought she lost one and bought herself another one - she then found the lost ring. I have three - past, present, and future."
 
 
Decadence with a twist was the order of the day when it came to the decor for the wedding reception. Lots of personal details were brought together with help from Emily's mum (who was decorating up until 45 minutes before the ceremony!), with a huge amount of thought and love as Emily explained... "The centrepieces were from our collection of antique candles, clocks, candelabras, statues, etc. Each table had a different collection of antiques displayed along the table. My mother and sisters and I selected which antiques would be on which table (depending on the guests at the table), and boxed the decorations for each table. Couldn't have grandma and grandpa sitting at the table with the antique skeleton now could we? Also we wanted all of our friends and family to be a part of our day, so we collected their families' wedding photos and framed them and displayed them throughout the reception." Using décor you already have in your home is an excellent was to decorate your venue, not to mention you'll save yourself so much time and money trying to source alternatives.
The cake topper was another family heirloom which Emily also treasured... "Our cake topper was my grandparent's, and every couple in the family has used the same one since. It's a family tradition."
Emily and Freddy had a ballerina perform as part of their reception "We also had a beautiful ballerina dance at the beginning of the reception to a song from Les Miserables called "Suddenly". Freddy and I were at a Bridal show, and you had the chance to win one wedding wish, and he said he wanted a ballerina (for me because I used to dance). We didn't win the raffle, but I knew I had to make his wish come true. His favourite song at the time, which always reminded him of us, was "Suddenly". Therefore, I hired a ballerina and she danced to that song after we made our entrance into the reception."
Now that was a surprise! Freddy in turn surprised his bride with a view of some pretty fab fireworks. The look on her face just says it all. Such a beautiful and original wedding. If you're in the middle of planning Emily has some brilliant advice "My advice would be two things: my father told me to please never forget (during the planning) why you are doing this - you love each other and want to be together for eternity. Also, after the photo hour, take a few minutes, just you two, and cherish the moment. Once you go back into the crowd of people, you won't have a moment to just look at your future and take it all in."
A huge congratulations to you both, thanks so much for sharing it all with us! A big thank you also goes to The Gemmers for capturing it all so beautifully. To see more of their work head on over to www.thegemmers.com
The Wedding Details:
- Ceremony: The Hilton
- Wedding Dress: Xtabay
- Shoes: Christian Louboutin
- Flowers: Enchanted Florist
- Groomsmen’s suits: Lanvin & Vera Wang
- Accessories: Xtabay, Etsy
- Ceremony/Reception Music:Â Michael Spadoni
- Cake: Freed's BakeryÂ
- Stationery: Momental Designs
- Make Up & Hair: Amy Lara of Square Colour Salon, Dottie Vee of Heads Will Roll Beauty Salon, Spencer Lopez Make-Up
- Grooms Wedding Ring:Â David Yurman
- Videographers:Â Just 2 Guys Creative
