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I stumbled upon Erin Gallagher's gorgeous work a few months back and just love it. There is something somewhat architectural about her pieces and yet they scream elegance. Understated elegance for a modern bride...
The best part? Erin will work with brides on their own jewelry, or for their bridesmaids, with collections started at $20 (prices go up from there). She will also give price breaks when you order more than 5 pieces. Pretty good, right?
One of my favorite jewelry designers, Sonya Renee, has recently launched a bridal line...a stunning collection catered to brides and gifts for their beautiful maids! Gina at Sonya Renee designs jewelry that is chic, simple and yet all class. I was introduced to her work a while back, when my best friend, Katie, ordered the most precious earrings for all of her maids. I am still in love with them, so needless to say, when Gina sent me her newest collection, I was smitten...
Aside from the fact that these pieces are gorgeous (so my style), I love that Gina has something for everyone...so many different price ranges, colors and style to choose from. Her new cushion cut stones are perfect...the white topaz for the bride, the sweet colored stones for her bridesmaids. My personal favorite, however, is that amazingly simple, circle necklace in the bottom left photo.
Check out the new Sonya Renee Bridal collection when you have a minute. She takes custom orders and offers nice price breaks when you order in larger numbers.
More fun jewelry finds coming throughout the day!
This next Dear Abby was titled "Color Choice Disaster" so I think that our bride really needs our help!
Q: Our color palette is basically apple green as the domineering color with blush pink and light turquoise as the sub colors. I knew I should’ve picked less colors, like two instead of three. Right now I’m so confused in the mixing and matching of all three together. First of all, what do you think about the color palette? Do you think I’ve picked too many colors? If so, what would be your suggestion? It’s 3 months away from the wedding! :(
What do you guys think? Too many colors?
A: I have to say, I agree with many of the comments that you need a foundation color. It would ground your palette in a way that these lighter colors simply can't. With that said, I also think that you can look at this palette in a couple of ways. If you want a variety of light colors, make sure that you vary the hues and add in elements with pattern or texture (vintage teacups with prints on them, great patterned napkins, bouquet's filled with multiple colors) otherwise, your overall look will run the risk of seeming somewhat bubblegum-ish.
When I was playing around with your palette, I was really drawn to the two shades of green, paired with the pink. It's kind of preppy chic, which I love. I struggled with the blue. So, my thought it is this...
What if you used your varying shades of green as your foundation colors...letting deeper greens sit next to lime greens. Have your maids in a great pink dress, with gold strappy heels and a bright white and green bouquet. Bridesmaids make for FABULOUS decor so although the palette might seem predominately green and white, the accent of the girl's dresses will add a lovely splash of color...
Pink dress by BCBG, Ring Pillow on Soiree Charleston, Green Leaves by Rosenow, Table Numbers on Soiree Charleston, White Flowers on Soiree Charleston, Pink Invitations by Peculiar Pair Press, Cocktails on Soiree Charleston
Also remember that some colors can come rather creatively...if you're having your wedding outside, the blue of the sky or the ocean will provide a beautiful accent color that goes with just about everything. You can bring in greens and pinks through the cocktails that you serve. Hope this helps!
Our next Dear Abby question is in regards to bridesmaids dresses which I know we ALL struggle with!
Q: My bridesmaids mean the world to me. They are all very different in their shapes, skin tones and financial status'. So, I thought I would make it easy on them and just ask them to buy their own black bridesmaids dress. Our wedding is in the Spring and will likely be outdoors. Will this work? Should I choose an accent color?
What do you guys think about wearing black in a Spring Wedding? What secondary color(s) would you pair with the classic shade?
A: I think that using black dresses is always classic. Always chic. No matter what time of year it is. It's the colors and the styles that you pair with the black that really create the style of your wedding. When I first read your dilemma, I immediately thought of that amazing Real Wedding that we featured a few months back, sent to us by Cotton Idea Studio. I love the pairing of the fresh, crisp green and whites with the oh-so-sophisticated black. So, that's just what I've envisioned for you...
Little Black Dress by Bluefly, Green Flowers (top right) by Rosenow,Floral Design, Necklace by Nordstrom, Bridal Shot by Trevor Hoehne, Green Flower Box by Vesou with photography by Trevor Hoehne
I would love to see your bridesmaids dresses accent the dresses with delicate gold necklaces and strappy sandals. Accessories should stay light and airy. The bright green bouquets will add that pop of Spring that you are looking for.
Honestly, as long as you stick with hues that are clean and bright...anything from whites, to peachy pinks to beautiful yellows...you can't go wrong!
It's Dear Abby day and I am so excited to share this first question with you. One of my dearest friends, Cat of Cat Seto and Paper Studio in San Francisco, sent me this dilemma that her clients Tien and David are going through. Here's the story...
Tien and David met in grade school and wanted to get married in their schoolyard. They recently discovered that the school denied permission to be married there because the school did not meet earthquake requirements. To make a long story short, they are having to move their ceremony to the ballroom where they are having their reception. They are looking for a few ways to incorporate their schoolroom love story into their affair, in a ballroom setting. They don’t want it to be too themed, but they do want to infuse their wedding with a few fun details.
Cat has enlisted the help of SMP and our readers, along with Minhee of Paper + Cup designs whose recent school themed wedding was featured in Martha Stewart, to help.
You can read Tien and David's whole story over at Cat's blog Shop Friends. I know that the couple would love ANY and ALL ideas that you guys have!
***
I thought it would be fun to ask my favorite event designer, Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming! to help out with some ideas and suggestions for this cute couple. And I am beyond thrilled with the tips that Lisa has come up with...classic details that would add a touch of whimsy and a huge handful of charm!
From Lisa...
These ideas are brilliant, Lisa!! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing some of your genius with us! I am also loving all of our reader ideas...keep them coming! Too cute!
In light of today's contest, I thought it would be fun to explore the Hello! Lucky site a little bit. If you haven't already, check out their incredibly chic and inspiring blog, filled with samples of their own work as well as great real weddings and fun finds...
They also have a brilliant etiquette section that has tips like...
Give yourself breathing room by ordering extra invitations. These can
serve as keepsakes and as reference for your florist, officiant,
wedding planner, and anyone else involved.
Ask the post office to hand cancel the invitations when they're ready
to be mailed. Stamping machines can be brutal-especially for delicate
elements such as wax seals
The biggest taboo is stating outright on the wedding invitation where
you registered. If you're not sending save the dates, at least include
a separate card with the invitation that gives the address of your
wedding website.
So, aside from all of the really beautiful products they sell (like gift wrap that would add a splash of color and a hint of pattern to your wedding favors), the Hello! Lucky site also has fun little treats that can really help inspire you to create a completely chic wedding!
I hope everyone had a great weekend. Since we've had such a nice time with our TWO weeks of Unique Weddings, it seemed almost sad to just start the day with a regular post. Instead, I figured we could all use a little contest pick-me-up!!
The OH-SO-TALENTED girls over at Hello! Lucky are giving away 100 letterpress Save the Date cards to one lucky Style Me Pretty reader! Pretty good contest, isn't it?
Here's the deal...simply answer the following three questions in our comments section from now until this Friday, May 2, and you will be entered to win a set of 100, single color, letterpress save the dates. To give you an idea of just how great this giveaway is, these would normally run you close to $400!
Okay, here are your questions...
How would you describe your ideal wedding style (modern, vintage, etc.)?
What color palettes are you loving right now?
What motifs or themes do you envision being part of your wedding?
Can't wait to hear what your feedback is...there is nothing better for a small business than hearing direct market feedback so that they can create products that you will love. The girls at Hello! Lucky will choose their favorite answer as the winner!
I am totally in love with this next wedding, sent to us by Joe of Joe Elario Photography...it's kind of like a really great fairytale. The black accents paired with that perfect pink and the naturally bright green. The mime, the insanely perfect cake display. I love every detail!
Here are a few notes from Joe Elario...
Okay, this isn't so much a Unique Wedding...rather a unique wedding toast. Our friends over at AMC Video sent this clip to us which was shot at Tween Waters on Captiva Island, Florida. The bride, Amy, is a commercial actress who recently made an appearance in several Turbotax commercials and the groom, Brad, is an actor - he recently made an appearance in an episode of Scrubs on NBC.
Click here to see the video clip!
I sat on my couch cracking up laughing, then crying, then laughing again at this incredibly funny, sweet, endearing (the words could go on and on) speech! Just click on the link above the photo, which takes you to the AMC Video blog. The video is on the left...enjoy!
The next wedding in our Unique Weddings Week series was shot by the team at Red Ribbon Studio this past summer in Minneapolis. I love the combination of tradition and modern, sweet and incredibly sophisticated. The bold, vibrant colors tell me so much about this beautiful couple and it really seems like a wedding that would be so much fun to attend...
A little note from Maribeth at Red Ribbon Studio...
A rainy day for a wedding, but the rain didn't dampen the energy of this fun wedding with great modern style. Under the hip style guidance of MiMi Design (who found those great umbrellas), Kristin & Justin executed a modern look with bright pinks and oranges carried throughout the day. They used many great vendors including Wisteria Design for flowers and Gateaux for their cake.
They also had a vintage photo booth for guests to enjoy and paste photos into their guest book.Their escort and place cards were calligraphed by an amazing Minnesota talent, Crystal Kluge. Inside each escort card envelope was a lottery scratch ticket.
As guests left for the night, they were treated to chocolate bars wrapped in a thank you message...so chic!
I wanted to take a quick break from our Unique Wedding Week to let you guys know about my recent interview with The Wedding Planning Audiocast...
They just launched their newest series, Meet the Bloggers, which is kind of a behind the scenes look at the wedding blogs that you know and love. I am really thrilled to be a part of the series as The Wedding Planning Audiocast has logged interviews with such personalities as Colin Cowie, Mindy Weiss, David Tutera and Marcy Blum to name a few. Christy, over at June Bug Weddings, did the first interview and I hear there are other great ones on their way!
So, if you're at all curious about what goes on here at Style Me Pretty, or you just need a coffee break....definitely check out the interview. Oh and you'll even get a sneak peak at our new logo that will be introduced in the coming months!
Our next featured wedding was sent to me by Paul of Paul Rich Studios, an incredible photographer out of our Little Black Book. The couple, Myra and Matt, were married on 9/8/07 in a gorgeous do-it-yourself inspired affair. Myra has since started her own business designing embellishments and hair adornments, Twigs and Honey, stemming from her experiences preparing for her wedding. She is receiving a ton of great attention which is so deserved!
Here are some of the beautiful images from their affair...
Myra has been sweet enough to share some of the details with us...
My hubby, Matt Callan, and I tied the knot in Gervais, OR at Willamette Mission State Park on September 8, 2007. We held our ceremony under an enormous Black Walnut tree in the middle of the afternoon on a perfectly sunny and warm day with around 180+ guests. The wooden arbor was created by Matt! He even hung the ribbons!
All the bouquets and flower arrangements were created by the bridal party the day before the event. We were trying to save on costs and bought the more expensive flowers at a florist and more basic flowers through Safeway in bulk. My mom used to do wedding and church flower arrangements, so I most definitely utilized her expertise.
Almost everything was handmade by me, but some items were created with the help of family. For name card olders/decorations/favors, I planted around 200 corkscrew willow clippings in mini terra cota pots and finished them with live moss. Matt and I wanted something that would look cute and that guests could take home, plant, and cherish for years (and corkscrew willow trees are so whimsical to look at and so easy to grow!). I created all the name cards by hand which were these little flags that guests would "plant" into the name card pots. They were displayed in a large wooden box that my dad built and planted with moss.
All the centerpieces, I planted myself using purchased pots and plants from Home Depot and Lowes. It actually cut down on costs for traditional all flower centerpieces and we let guests take them home to enjoy for months, maybe years to come. The tables also had several glass vases on each which I purchased at IKEA. The table names I made by hand using bird prints and used Crate and Barrel name card holders to display them. Many of them blew away during the evening with the breeze!
The mini box favors were assembled with family help and were composed of jordan almonds in our wedding colors, tissue paper, and a little tag with our anniversary date and "thank you" note. The napkin and utensil sets were straight out of Martha Stewart Weddings. I loved the look and ordered a ton of tissue paper wholesale online, found the perfect napkins at IKEA, got utensils from our caterer and with a ton of help from family, made all of the literally up until the day before.
The giant green lanterns I purchased in bulk through a couple online sources, one of which was Ebay and were strung by family. The lights also had dangling ribbons, which I literally purchased by the roll through Ebay sellers (so much cheaper!). The cake topper birds were created by Ann Wood Handmade and the wedding cake was created by Myriad Cakes.
All the programs and invitations were also made by myself using purchased fonts, clipart, paper from PaperZone, and a really great HP deskjet printer. After not being able to find the perfect head piece to wear and while wanting to DIY on everything, I created my own hair accessory (sans the veil) and all the bridesmaid hair pieces. My wedding gown was custom designed by myself and Elizabeth Dye - she of course did all the sewing and most of the work!
Thank you so much to Myra and to Paul Rich for sharing this lovely wedding with us! We've had a few requests for pictures of the centerpieces and the utensil sets. Here you go!
We only have a few more weddings in our Unique Weddings Week, part II! This next one was sent to me by Little Black Book member, Marc at Studio 306, from a couple who was married at the Round Barn Farm in Minnesota...
I chose this wedding for a couple of reasons...first, that incredible location. The barn is not only gorgeous, but it's architecturally interesting and so unique. And I really think that this couple only enhanced the beauty of their site through their rustic, minimalist decor. The second reason that I picked this wedding to feature...the details. Every detail is perfect. Perfect for the space, perfect for the overall style. The little bird place card holders, the simplistic but gorgeous hanging votives...every detail is both masculine and feminine...pretty, but rustic.
But to be totally honest, the main reason that I picked this wedding...THE CAKE! Check out this awesome cake that the bride designed as a surprise for her groom....
This great Mario Brothers Cake was designed by the oh-so-talented team at Gateaux. And, a few other quick mentions to the brilliant vendors....Flora Bella for creating those gorgeous arrangements and Mi Mi Design for the planning and coordination!
Thank you so much to Studio 306 for this beautiful wedding!
More to come!
Our next unique wedding was sent to me by Maribeth at Red Ribbon Studio and it's one of the more charming weddings that I have ever seen!
From Maribeth...
Francesca & Dylan were married at a farm outside of Chicago that was a special spot to the couple. The groom is a chef, so food was very important (and delicious). They had an adorable pie table in lieu of a cake. The couple is also huge fans of the Chicago Cubs, so the tables were named after favorite Cubbies, and seating cards were on photos of the Wrigley Field marquee.
Too cute!!
This next unique wedding was sent to me by one of our incredible new Little Black Book members, cakelava out of Oahu, Hawaii! So of course, it's ALL about the cake. Or in this case, the cakes...
Beautiful Photos taken by Chrissy Lambert / Coordinating and Planning by Mona Hirata, Weddings by Grace & Mona / Cake by
Cakelava / Floral Design and draping on tent by Yvonne Floral Design (another Little Black Book member!) / DJ
Entertainment by Midnight DJs / Band by Greg MacDonald (Calypso Band) / Plants by
Kamaaina Land & Plant Rentals
This couple was married in January at their own beach house in North Shore, Oahu. They decided that they wanted 2 wedding cakes,
an elegant one to match their
colors of red, white and black and the other to be the more fun cake that
showed their more playful side. Everything on both cakes is handcrafted,
including the custom bride and groom surfing figures, which cakelava has regular
requests for.
This next wedding is one of the prettiest, most romantic weddings I have seen in a long time...inspired by French country elegance, in an urban setting...
The colors are so muted, and yet they are simply beautiful. I love that the bride and groom let the beauty of their day really shine through in every detail....
Kitty Maer is the talent behind these oh-so-beautiful shots...so thank you, Kitty, for sharing! Kitty also mentioned that the bride, Megan, is a graphic designer and crafted most of the decor herself including that incredible cake!
You can see the entire wedding on Kitty's slideshow...grab a cup of coffee and settle in, because it's an absolutely beautiful look at an absolutely beautiful day.
I hope everyone had a great weekend! I had so much fun posting all of the gorgeous and unique weddings last week, that I've decided to continue our Unique Weddings Week for a few more days. I still have a handful of absolutely perfect weddings to share with you, so let's get right to it!
This wedding was sent to me by one of our readers, Kim, who was married June 16th, 2007 in NYC at The Angel Orensanz Foundation. Almost everything for their big day was a DIY project so she has tons of great information to share with us! First, though, you have to see how drop dead gorgeous this couple is...
Okay, now for the details. Kim's details are so incredibly innovative...ideas that I've never seen before, but am convinced should be mainstays in wedding decor!
Here are some of Kim's fun DIY projects...
1. RSVP cards - we ended up getting some wonderful notes from our guests, along with drawings and decided to reuse the reply cards from our guests as their escort cards. Their table number was rubber stamped on the front left and all cards were divided into alphabetical order and hung on brown grograin ribbon from the second floor balconyh.
2. Family photos - to the left of the RSVP cards, we had the balcony were our cocktail party was - and the main reception room was downstairs. To hide the changeover - plus include all of our family member, we printed 8" x 10" black and white photos of our siblings, parents and grandparents. All photos were mounted to black board with old-fashioned photo corners and labeled.
3. Candy Bar - I had the idea of making an old fashioned candy bar (for favors) since day one of planning and I scoured the web for various sized apothocary jars - and we choose our very favorite candies plus some beautiful swirled lollipops and barber-poles from Hammonds Candies. To hold the yummies, we made hand-silkscreen candy bags with our new last name and the wedding details.
4. I printed our wedding programs - and set up a postcard style guest book for people to write notes to us. We house the "guest book" in a cute brown/teal hat box and its filled with treasured memories from our guests.
5. We worked with Barb Salzman for Hatch Creative Studio to find an alternative to boring white linens - something that would go with the whole sparkley - mirrored and mercury glass candlesticks we went with for the tables. We found an amazing English wallpaper - it had the most wonderful pewter background with an all-over flourish print that transformed our simple idea into a magical setting. Lastly, I hand-beaded all the table numbers - using mirrored seed beads (for all 20 tables) and affixed them to candlesticks using pearl head pins.
6. I customized my wedding shoes with the initals of our first names - (based on a service that Stuart Weitzman offers (for upwards of $75) for under $10.
7. I made custom sashes for each of my lovely bridesmaids using ivory satin ribbon overlayed with beading and had my florist incorporate the same ribbon into my bouquet handle. The girls were also given a crystal broach for the front of the ribbon - to secure it to their Vera Wang dresses.
8. I bought the cupcake tower online and decorated the entire thing with ribbon (brown and beige) plus I hand-painted hair color on 150 tiny bride + groom's hair (didn't realize the bride/groom cupcake picks we bought came sans hair-color. For our cake topper, we borrowed my parents from 30 years earlier.
9. I hand-made the earrings and necklaces for my bridesmaids as a part of my gift to them.
10. We hand silkscreened our Save the Dates and Out of Towner's goodie bags.
It's clear that all of Kim's hard work really added that special element to her wedding...that spark of personality that her guests must have loved. Thank you so much, Kim, for sharing this with us!
Some of the most unique and beautiful weddings come when two cultures are blended...and the couple allows each of the cultures to define the style of the day. This wedding, sent to me by one of our readers, is absolutely stunning. The bride is as beautiful as they come and the details that she infused into her day are just as lovely...
The gorgeous photographs were captured by Little Black Book member Boyfriend/Girlfriend Pictures in Canada. The elegance of day and the unique beauty of this couple seems to shine through in every picture. Here are some of the detail images from this gorgeous day...
The lovely bride, Naushin, has offered some details...
Our wedding was held at Parkwood Estate (www.parkwoodestate.com) in Oshawa, ON (45 minutes east of Toronto). One of the attractions at Parkwood are the many different gardens they've cultivated... our ceremony was in the Sunken Garden, our pictures were taken all over the estate as well as in their Italian Garden, and our reception was under a crisp white tent in their British-inspired Formal Garden.
The mainly chartreuse color scheme was inspired by my mother's vintage gold, emerald and pearl choker and earrings that I had always dreamed of wearing at my wedding. We added in accents of chocolate brown and used ivory as a quiet, elegant base color.
My husband is Hungarian and I am Pakistani and so it was really important to both of us to blend our cultures together. Consequently, I wore a traditional hand-made wedding lehenga (the fabric, color and embroidery of which were also inspired by my mother's jewellery) and my bridesmaids all wore custom-made saris in our green color. The groomsmen wore tuxes, as did my husband. A family friend was kind enough to sew the flower girls' silk ivory dresses with green sashes. We bought the fabric wholesale at $40 for two metres and the dresses were sewn for $10! Talk about a fantastic deal :)
We compromised on the menu and had summer berry salad, live bbq'ed steak, ratatouille, and spicy chicken arrabiatta with naan bread, as we wanted a light, fresh menu. This was followed by a lush and indulgent dessert-table with 10 different kinds of cakes, pies and pastries on offer.
We decided on using orchids as a theme-extension of our color palette since I love cymbidium and dendrobium orchids and their vivid green color. We had three centrepieces per table as we chose to go with rectangle tables covered in ivory fabric. The centerpieces were square glass vases-- tall ones with dendrobium stems and lily grass sitting on a bed of white marble pieces flanked on either side by two shorter square glass vases with a single, large cymbidium orchid with lily grass looping over it, also sitting on a bed of white marble.These were placed on chocolate brown linen runners that ran the length of the table that we had sewn as it was way more economical than renting them. We had white wooden folding chairs to complete the summery look.
We gave out three different favors throughout the day- sandalwood fans to cool our guests down during the ceremony as it was open-air and outdoors, mixed gourmet spiced cashews in clear plastic cones to snack on in lieu of hors d'ouerves (budget-saving tip!), and hand-made, ginger-spiced fortune cookies in white take-away containers with custom fortunes. All were tagged and/or beribboned in green and chocolate brown by myself and my bridesmaids.
Thank you so much to Naushin and to Boyfriend/Girlfriend Pictures for sharing this beautiful wedding with all of us!
For the record, I am loving our Unique Weddings Week. It's so fun for me to write about weddings that stretch the boundaries of tradition, that reflect the unique personalities of our bride and grooms. And this next wedding, shot by the team at Stella Alesi, is no different. It's all about Bohemian Chic...
Some details from Brian at Stella Alesi...
Chia and Javi's wedding was truly a unique DIY event. Chia, a fashion designer, created her dress, and the grooms wedding outfit as well as the bridesmaids skirts. Javi, an artist and dj, designed the invitations. The wedding feast was prepared with love by friends and family. With the combination of a fashion designer and a dj it was a given that the guests would be colorful.
The day was a perfect March day in Austin, Texas. The wedding took place at the open space of a local garden nursery, Big Red Sun. The Bride and Groom arrived at the ceremony by horse and carriage, to the wedding march played on the violin by the brides niece. After the ceremony, mariachi's kicked off the reception and everyone had a most splendid time. The night's entertainment was provided by the couple's dj friends spinning records well into the evening.
Thanks so much, Brian! More to come later today!
If the last set of images from today's South African inspired wedding were vibrant and full of color, it's this next set of beautiful photographs by Sweetwater Portraits, that has really captured my heart...
You've already heard how the couple met, and how the bridesmaids' dresses were discovered, but Tierney (the bride) has been sweet enough to share with us a few more details from her beautiful wedding story. It's long, but oh so worth it...
Having only met Karen, the fashion designer, a week before leaving South Africa, I expressed my awe and heart pounding excitement at the thought of her being involved in the design and creation of my wedding dress. In her studio in South Africa, she took every possible measurement she could think of since I would be moving back to the US within a few days with no plan to do dress fittings across the world! Only in communication via phone and email, we began the fabulous process of designing my wedding gown together and the dream was realized. On a literal wing and a prayer, my wedding dress made the long 18 hour journey across the ocean in the cock pit of a South African Airways plane with a pilot friend of the designer. And with the most jittery and giddy excitement I have ever felt in my entire life, my then fiance and I went to JFK airport at 5 am to meet the man who hand delivered my precious wedding dress to me from South Africa--- and literally with only a week to go before the wedding!
Having Karen make my dress was meaningful because she is a native South African, from the country which had given me such joy in many forms--- my mission work, my future husband, a new family, an appreciation of natural beauty, deeper spirituality, and so on. She also had close connections to Woza Moya so she hand picked the best fabric beader to execute an idea I had to make my dress even more custom made and special. This beautiful woman and a team of a few other close friends in South Africa came together to hand bead words that hold special meaning for Greg and I--- “umshada" - Zulu for marriage, “South Africa,” “uxolo”- Zulu for peace, “Kruger”national game reserve where we got engaged, the symbol of a cross, etc. When I finally put the dress on, I felt the love and happiness of all the hands that went into creating such a breathtaking dress... and I could not have been more overjoyed.
Another artistically colourful addition to our wedding was a gift from Greg's family, hand carried from South Africa. Since all could not attend the wedding here in the States, they divided up a large canvas into sections, each member (ranging in age from 5 to 65) hand painted their own part of the whole with this theme in mind "We are all born for love." It is the principal of existence, and its only end.
In respecting and honouring different cultures and South African wedding traditions, it was a special part of the reception when several emails and letters from friends and family all over the world were read by Gregs brother in law, one of our groomsmen who did travel to be with us. Hearing the words of true congratulations and pure happiness that we had found one another, from people we care so much about meant the world to us that night (and continues to even now).
The most important factor in planning our wedding was to make each detail meaningful to us and to share that personalized depth with our guests. We wanted to instigate a sense of fun and excitement and happiness through the use of colour throughout the whole day. And in the end, we know it was (and is) clear that we feel like the happiest two people on the face of the planet!
We feel so incredibly blessed and crazy happy in love. Ours is a story we cannot wait to tell our children. We still look at each other in awe that we found each other, in opposite corners of the world, following our hearts the whole way.
There are no words for this next wedding that was sent to me by Julie at Sweetwater Portraits. It's beautiful in a way that I can't put my finger on. It's thoughtful, it's unique, it's exciting. Perhaps it's the story that the bride told me about her day, or the incredibly vibrant colors. Everything about this wedding just makes me smile...
From Julie...
This is the lovely, genuine wedding of Tierney Echelmeier and Greg Norris near Philadelphia. They met in South Africa (Greg's home) and every detail of their wedding was infused with South African customs, colors and designs. As you can imagine, with the African influence it was wonderfully colorful and the fact that Tierney is a self-professed "crazy lover of Crayola." Wait until you see the girl's dresses...they're wildly fun.
From the bride, Tierney...
We are still in total and utter amazement that it took travelling 10, 000 miles across the globe from the United States to Durban, South Africa to meet one another…. absolutely meant to be, without any doubt in our minds!
We met in church. YES! We did…. it actually does happen! We think it’s pretty funny, but we are also very proud that our faith played a huge part in bringing us together. The reason for my journey to KwaZulu Natal, South Africa was to serve for a year doing volunteer work as a nurse in an AIDS hospice, among countless other life-giving and eye opening experiences. Amidst the pure joy of my everyday work, Greg and I began to share our life stories over a few months. Within hours of our 10- hour first date, we knew that there was a deep spiritual connection, that we each embodied exactly what the other had been looking for, and that someday, in our near future, we would be married! So in the crazy fun planning of our wedding in the United States, it was crystal clear from the very beginning that we would incorporate unique aspects of each of our cultures in the biggest day of our lives!
Woza Moya, meaning “Come Spirit of Change” in the Zulu language, is the name of the inspirational gift shop affiliated with the AIDS hospice, where village women, either infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, used their creative talents to change their own poverty- stricken reality. Being a crazy lover of Crayola myself, total euphoria was the intense feeling I got whenever I walked into this beautifully sacred space of colour--- incredible necklaces, beaded bracelets, hand painted fabrics. I knew these amazing women would play a part in my wedding…
Having had the incredible opportunity to attend the Durban Fashion Week fashion show of Karen Monk-Klinjstra, a South African haute couture designer, well known for her eccentric designs and impeccable use of vibrant colours and distinctive fabrics, I started to dream that one of her skirt designs from the show would be for my bridesmaids…. So my sisters (both Maids of Honour, one 8 ½ months pregnant!) and my six bridesmaids wore a Karen-Monk Klinjstra design--- wide vertical panels all shades of green silk (my favourite colour = LIFE) with multi-colored inverted pleats all around the skirt with a small touch of funky vibrant chartreuse tulle at the hemline for a girly flair….
All girls wore hand beaded bracelets within the colour scheme from Woza Moya, made especially for the wedding and shipped over. A South African jewellery designer with a small boutique in the West Village in New York City had picked each bead and created the earrings, each pair unique for each girl for the wedding. And to top it all off, each of the bridesmaids wore their own variation of a leopard print shoe!
More to come from this beautiful wedding!
Day three of our Unique Weddings Week is here and I promise you...the fun is just beginning. Today's first wedding is the epitome of unique. It's filled to the brim with personality and Gothic elegance. It's hard not to fall in love with a wedding like this...
Marisu of zoomworks in Georgia sent me this incredible wedding and she has been sweet enough to share some of the details with us....
I love this next wedding, sent to me by Tracy of Tracy Turpen Photography, because it just seems so easy. So laid back. And most importantly, so fun...
Event Coordination by Caroline Carter and Ashley Lavailee, Photography by Tracy Turpen Photography, Catering by Southern Soul Barbeque, Flowers by Miller Florist, Music by Stingrays Band
Here are some details from Tracy...
Christine and Eric had a relaxed wedding in Saint Simons, Georgia. They infused their laid back spirit into their reception with a down home barbeque feel-- complete with a roasted pig for guests to enjoy. Christine and Eric provided a buffet for picnic style eating along with a cupcake tower to sweeten the taste buds. The couple passed out cigars to all their guests and danced the night away to a rockin' bluegrass band. The couple's ultimate goal was for everyone to let loose and have a good time!
Thanks so much, Tracy, for sending Christine and Eric's wedding to us! This is one of those weddings that I would have loved to attend. Aside from the fact that a good barbeque is one of the best American traditions, this couple seems to be so fun loving and relaxed. It seems that the sole purpose of this affair is to get married, then have a great party with close friends and family. So my style.
I hope everyone is loving Unique Weddings Week as much as I am! Our next unique wedding comes to us from Tara Jordan of Weddings with Tara...
Wedding consultant: Weddings with Tara / Location: Homewood / Photographer: Corey McNabb Photography / Florist: The Bloom RoomCake: Cakes by Jane / Calligraphy: A Fine Line Studio /
I chose to feature this wedding, not just because it's beautiful, but also because the sentiment behind the wedding was just so touching. Here is a bit about the affair from Tara....
Kate and Kevin wanted to have their wedding in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, far away from their home in Houston, Texas. When I first spoke with Kate about their wedding, she told me her mother had passed away from breast cancer just a few years back. Kate wanted to make sure that this wedding reflected her mom's love, beauty and grace.
Since pink is the signature color for breast cancer awareness, we fused this color into every detail in her mother's memory. We even served a signature martini to the guests named the P.I.N.K Ribbon cocktail!
In the process of planning Kate and Kevin's wedding, I discovered that Kate had a love for all things sparkling and a slight obsession with the soft and fun look of feathers! Mirrored chargers, ice carvings, hanging crystals and candlelight brought the sparkle she desired, and feathers were weaved into every detail. Feathers and mounds of baby's breath lined the ceremony aisle for a soft and whispy look. Pink and brown feathers were attached to the placecards to signify the guest's choice of entree, and they were sprinkled in the design of the cake and flower arrangements. To Kate's delight, feathers were everywhere! It was truly a gorgeous evening...
Thank you so much to Tara and to Kate for allowing us to feature this lovely wedding! Stay tuned for more unique, fun-filled events later today!
Here are a few more pictures and fun details from today's featured Birds and Bees themed wedding...
Our lovely bride has been sweet enough to share ALL of her sources for this brilliant wedding...
Shoes: Jessica Simpson and had a pence for luck too from my English Grandmother, Maw.
Jewelry: from Amy Kuschel Bride shop
Other special apparel/accessories/elements you wore: jacket and sash were designed by Amy Kuschel
Groom suit by/from: Selix
Bridesmaid dresses: Jenny Yoo
Groomsmen suits: Selix
Floral designs by: Cherries in San Francisco, Kathrine Oliver
Catering by: PlumpJack Resort, Squaw Valley, CA
Cake/Dessert: Ben & Jerry's "half baked" ice cream bars
Printed Materials (name cards, table cards, etc) by: Katy Jamison, Calligrapher. She also did our place cards, created stamps for our invitations, and designed our labels for our water bottles. She is creative and crafty!
Birds & Bees Custom Decor by: Cherries
***
Here are some interesting tidbits from the wedding...
Bride's Bouquet Flowers was made of dahlias, roses, sweet peas, raspberries, herbs, bees
Bridesmaid Bouquet Flowers were chocolate cosmos, dahlias, sweet peas, raspberries, herbs
Grooms Boutonniere was made of berries, leaves, and dahlia
Groomsmans' Boutonniere was made of dahlia, leaves, and berry
Bird Kites were used for a wedding march from our ceremony to plumpjack where the reception was held. The kites were actually used in the Olympics!
Menu Highlights included ahi tuna rolls, summer salad, environmentally friendly raised pork
The band that played during the ceremony and the "march" was a connection from me being a teacher and going on CA field trips. He was always my camp site leader and he played the guitar for my students. So I called him up in Oregon, where he lives, and he brought his family to play. My only request was "I Will" by the Beatles, which was played as we walked back down.
Hip Service played Scott and my first song via iPod: "Into Dust" by Mazzy Star; for my song with my dad: Joe Cocker's song that Hip Service sang, "You Are So Beautiful"-b/c it was the first song my dad heard after I was born.
We had a PUNK ROCK band to conclude the evening! Los Infernos from Riverside. We shaved my husband's head for the celebration!
Our next wedding comes from Albert at Mulberry Photography...a wonderful photography studio out of Lake Tahoe. Before I share all of the fun details, I just have to show you guys these pictures. The colors, the details, the everything...
I'm sorry, but is that little bumblebee the cutest thing you have ever seen? Thank goodness Albert was kind enough to share a few details from this incredible event!
From Albert...
Emily and Scott mixed in their passion with their pleasures...from their Birds & Bee's theme to their love of Punk Rock. The second reception kicked off with Emily shaving Scott's head, unbeknownst to him for the arrival of the "surprise" punk rock band, that carried the evening well into the next morning! From handmade Bird Kites to the bees and birds hanging from all of the trees, these two shared their personal interests and background in a fun and interesting manner. It's one people will not forget.
Here are some of the details from Emily...
The birds and the bees theme was my mom's idea back when Scott and I first started dating..not for our wedding at the time, rather just excitement about me being an entomologist and him being the ornithologist. Scott and I wanted a nature themed wedding and this idea came back up 6.5 years later! It worked perfectly! We even named our tables by local birds and bees names.
Stay tuned, I have more from this oh-so-cute wedding, as well as sources on all of the fun elements that Emily and Scott incorporated!
Continuing on with our second day of Unique Weddings Week, this next one was sent to me by the lovely and talented Suzi Q of Q Weddings. I have to say, I fell in love with this wedding the minute I saw it. It's the perfect combination of fun and yet totally elegant...
You can easily tell by these pictures that this was a great wedding...filled with whimsical details and shots of personality. I am loving the 60's vibe and think that the bridesmaids and the bride look absolutely darling with their retro up-do's! It's nice to see the entire bridal party embracing the quirky style as well.
I wanted to separate out some of the details in this next set of images, as they are just too cute to not feature on their own...
Suzi has been sweet enough to share some of her favorite details with us...
For their engagement shoot, Carrie and Ed chose the Los Angeles airport and Canter's Deli, so I knew their wedding was going to be different. The first surprise was Carrie and her bridesmaids all done up in 60s hairdos... retro and fun! The fact that her girls were game to do this delighted me.
The wedding was at the Long Beach Museum of Art, but first we hung out in downtown Long Beach, hitting a few favorite cafes and bars. It relaxed everyone and made for great pictures.
Then on to the ceremony on the lawn of the museum, overlooking the ocean. Carrie is a graphic designer and she designed all the printed material in a retro, yet contemporary style. She made little boxes of rose petals for everyone to throw, as well as the program, the place cards, the sign-in cards, even the Warholesque-portraits of her and Ed. All of this in chocolate and robin's egg blue, with circles as a recurring motif. Even the cake had circles on it.
Along with the paper goods, Ed and Carrie created their own decor by finding centerpiece vases (more circles!) and some mod paper lamps from IKEA. Carrie's parents made bride-and groom-cookies as favors, a good friend was DJ (with real vinyl!) and another friend (who is a professional animator) made the cake topper look like Carrie and Ed (based on the engagement photos).
For their first dance, Carrie and Ed re-enacted the Uma and John dance scene from Pulp Fiction. At the end of the night, 40 or so friends hopped on the city bus to go back downtown to celebrate even more. It was a great party for a great couple!
Thank you so much to Suzie Q for sharing this lovely and unique wedding with us! It's definitely going down in my book as a favorite! Check back for another unique wedding later today!
I am absolutely thrilled to announce the launch of our Unique Weddings Week. We've enlisted the help of our Little Black Book members, along with our loyal readers, to help us come up with some of the most innovative, personality-filled affairs. They are budgets large and small (and everything in between), they are quirky and they are sophisticated, they are fun, they are filled with unique touches and they aren't afraid to cross the boundaries of a traditional wedding.
Thank you so much to everyone who sent us these real weddings to devour!
The first comes from Erin of Erin Beach Photography. It's her all-time favorite wedding and I am sure that it will quickly become one of yours...
Erin has shared a few of the fun details that this couple infused into their wedding...
* The bride (Melody Drummond) wore a striking orange dress complete with an orange hat topped by a hand-made orange bird.
* The groom's father hand carved the cake toppers in the likeness of the bride and groom (Nathaniel Hansen).
* Important family members wore gorgeous floral jewelry accents made by Waterlily Pond (a Little Black Book member!)
* The bride made the groom's boutonniere with feathers.
* The wedding itself took place at the highest private residence in Napa, California, The Tawantan, with 60 guests from all over the country.
This wedding is so beautiful and so different from your mainstream weddings. That orange dress is quirky and yet the bride pulls it off with an elegance and a sense of sophistication that I just love. Thank you so much, Erin, for sharing with us!
I hope everyone had a great weekend! We are kicking off Unique Weddings Week later this afternoon and I couldn't be more excited! Thanks to our readers and our Little Black Book members, I have so many fun, personality-filled weddings to share with you.
Before we start though, I wanted to tell you guys about this incredible offer from Little Black Book, Toronto-based photographer Andreas.
Andreas is offering photography services to SIX couples over the next year for a special book project. Destination weddings typically start at around $10000 but Andreas is offering this package to six couples for just the cost of two return airfares and accommodations. So, if you're getting hitched internationally in either Europe or Asia, shoot me an email (abby at style me pretty dot com) and I will pass your information along to Andreas.
Stay tuned for the launch of our Unique Weddings Week!
We had one fleeting day of Spring in Boston yesterday...you know, that perfect 70 degree weather, not a cloud in the sky. Notice the word fleeting, as the temperature is dropping as we speak and the clouds are moving in for a rainy weekend. But, even if we only felt it for a minute, Spring is definitely on it's way!
I thought that I would kick-off your weekend with some seriously beautiful Spring inspiration from Rosenow Floral Design in San Francisco. Erin Rosenow just opened this gorgeous little shop and it's clear that she is all talent...
Oh my goodness, I am just in love with these colors. A perfect mix of orange, pinks and peaches...absolutely lovely. And, this next set of pink florals is so feminine, so flirty, so chic...
Those peonies are enough to send any girl over the edge, right? Okay, how about a shot of yellow? Yellow is so "right now" and I have to admit, I hope it sticks around a while!
Thank you so much, Erin, for sharing these gorgeous pictures with us. Although Erin is based in San Francisco, she will happily travel. If hiring a florist is out of your budget, you MUST look at the Rosenow Floral Design site for tons of color inspiration, floral ideas and really unique designs!
I wanted to post a few more fun pictures from today's sneak peak at our upcoming Unique Weddings Week. This tea inspired wedding, captured by Boutwell Studio, is the perfect example of the types of weddings that we will be featuring. The couple focused on the elements that meant a lot to them, keeping things simple so that the guests could really see the personalities of the pair...
Thank you so much to Boutwell Studio for sharing this wedding with us! If you have a unique wedding that you'd like to share, shoot me an email at abby at style me pretty dot com.
Starting next week, we will be diving head first into a full week (or more) of brilliantly unique, personality filled real weddings. These aren't your standard, traditional affairs...instead, we are focusing on those weddings where the couple really infused their personalities into their big day, designing a style that was uniquely their own.
We've recruited our Little Black Book members, along with our readers, to send us their favorite Real Weddings...with budgets big and small, with styles quirky and romantic. For this series, anything goes. Here is a sneak peak at one of the weddings that I absolutely fell in love with, photographed by one of my favorite photography teams, Boutwell Studio...
Photographs by Boutwell Studio, Catering by Patina
