Style Me Pretty

Albuquerque Beauty ~ Spring Wedding From Twin Lens

March 8th. 2010 by Eddye | 7 comments

Happy Monday to all!  We have a super week planned for the LBB blog … so many stunning weddings ~ all sharing that same glorious wedding passion!

First up ~ we have Lexy and Steve’s New Mexico wedding from Kitty & Craig at Twin Lens. The depth and the emotion that Kitty and Craig capture in each and every one of their weddings is unparalleled.

You can see, from this first shot just why Lexi and Steve wanted Kitty & Craig to capture their wedding weekend … AND why they decided to hold their wedding in Lexy’s parents’ Albuquerque backyard!

From Lexy …

I know I stand with a countless number of people in saying that my wedding day was the happiest day of my life, but I really don’t know how else to describe it. With all of our amazing vendors and the breathtaking landscape combined with the presence of our beloved friends and family, there was little left to ask for.

The only thing that seemed certain about our wedding was that we wanted to have fun and be relaxed enough to be able to laugh. Beyond that, my fiance and I started with very little.

Location came first. We wanted something a bit out of the ordinary and were hoping for a location with some sentimental value. We started to look at a few locations in Southern California (where we live), when it dawned on us that my parents’ house in Albuquerque, New Mexico backs up to the beautiful Sandia Mountains and has a fantastic multi-level backyard.  New Mexico is definitely out of the ordinary, considering all of our Southern California possibilities, and the sentimental value of my parents’ house seemed obvious. My mother’s excitement for our backyard ceremony idea was contingent upon only one requirement… a wedding planner. My sister suggested that I call Rebeca Reategui. All I can say is that there are not enough words to describe Rebecca’s brilliance as a wedding planner. She was there every step of the way to ensure that every last detail was perfectly in place.

When asking for help finding our wedding vendors in the Albuquerque area, we received some great recommendations from a San Francisco based photographer who spent fifteen years shooting weddings in New Mexico. He only gave us one name for our photographers … Kitty & Craig ~ Twin Lens …

After one look at their website, and one in person conversation, we knew why he only bothered with one recommendation. Craig and Kitty are creative photojournalists with eyes for capturing the moment, exactly what we wanted. They are also two of the most enjoyable people to be with, above and beyond what we expected.

Once we had these delightful people in place, and got to start working on the details, we knew we could embrace our location. One of my favorite things about Albuquerque is the beautiful sunsets ~ they cast an incredibly brilliant glow on the Sandia Mountains.

With this in mind I let my bridesmaids choose any dress they wanted as long as it was somewhere on the color wheel between yellow and red, which actually turned out better than I expected. In the same vein, the groomsmen wore orange ties with tan suits.

Our wonderfully creative florist, Andrea Soorikian, put together fantastic centerpieces. I wanted depth of color and texture which Andrea created from flowers I didn’t know existed before I met her.

Angela Reece, and her crew at Walter Burke Catering, put together the perfect menu with a little southwestern flare. We also had a dessert bar that had even those without a sweet tooth going back for seconds. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

{more of the sweets and florals in their gallery}

Their invitations and accompanying wedding pieces were designed by Elizabeth Hubbell …

Calligraphy by Papineau Calligraphy

This is one of those weddings that we’d love to keep on going and going and going with the photos sent to us by Kitty and Craig. But ~ now that we are able to share the whole gallery with you, we’ll let you check out all the pics right here: Lexy & Steve’s gallery

In the gallery, you’ll see a few shots from the rehearsal dinner as well …

Lexy and Steve’s Wedding Vendors: Photography: Twin Lens ,Wedding Coordinator: Rebecca Reategui, Florist: Andrea Soorikian Design, Caterer: Walter Burke Catering, Invitations: Elizabeth Hubbell Studio, Calligrapher: Papineau Calligraphy, D.J.: Matt Mizell ~ Lighthouse Entertainment, Rehearsal Dinner: Casa Rodena, Gown: Vera Wang

LOVE!!

So ~ if you’re as awed by Kitty and Craig’s work as we are, here are some links to see more …

Lexy & Steve’s Wedding {a fantastic slideshow from Twin Lens}

Twin Lens Website

Twin Lens Facebook page

Style Me Pretty Gallery: Steve and Lexy’s wedding

Style Me Pretty Gallery: More Twin Lens weddings previously published on Style Me Pretty! {23 pages of stunning weddings}

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New Jersey Wedding At The Venetian

March 5th. 2010 by Eddye | 9 comments

Melissa and John … oh my gosh!

When Sharrone sent us their HOT SHOT, we absolutely, positively loved it. You don’t know what a HOT SHOT is? Really? Listed under Give Me More on Sharrone’s website ~ it’s a cinematic shoot of the bride and groom taken before the wedding day. If you know anything about our Little Black Book cinematographers, you already know about Sharrone and Fiore Films ~ so you KNOW this film is going to be something good!  No more prep ~  just watch!

SO cute! If you don’t have a smile on your face right now … you clearly didn’t watch the film!

Fast forward and it’s wedding time!  The amazing LBB photographer, Wayne Yuan was there to capture Melissa & John’s celebration in grand style!

” … our first wedding of 2010!  Melissa looked like a Korean pop star (smile), and John never looked happier. There were plenty of anxious moments and a heart-pounding walk down the aisle ~ but after they were married, they waltzed their way into The Venetian’s new ballroom! Followed by a surprise sexy tango! It was an evening full of wonderful memories …

{See their whole wedding here}

Between Wayne’s stunning images and Sharrone’s fantastic films … Melissa & John’s wedding will be remembered forever!

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Photography: Wayne Yuan Photography Cinematography: Fiore Films, Flowers: A & K Floral Designs, Event Design: Magic Moments, Event Planning: Cosmic Entertainment, Venue: The Venetian, Invitations: Gartner Studios

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Glorious Fall Wedding At Solage Calistoga From Adeline and Grace Photography

March 4th. 2010 by Eddye | 9 comments

Jessica and John were married at the beautiful Solage Calistoga in a setting that can only be described as spectacular!

Tiffany at Adeline and Grace Photography has shared many weddings with us at Style Me Pretty … and it seems that each one is just a wee bit prettier than the last!  Jessica and John’s is no exception. Another stunning fall wedding abounding with the lush colors of Napa to LOVE.

Brilliant, isn’t it? All of these images and lots more in Jessica & John’s photo gallery.

Jessica has shared lots of details about planning their special day …

John and I have always known that we wanted to get married in the wine country. We have always had a special love and appreciation for the Napa Valley in the fall – the vibrant orange and reds of the grape leaves and smell of crushed grapes are so unique and memorable.  After much venue research online we went to visit Solage Calistoga. The moment we arrived on the property we knew it was a perfect fit for us. It was the perfect balance of modern and classic. There were barn style cottages and then the modern spa feeling. There was a large lawn for the ceremony and a beautiful room that opened with sliding doors on three of the four sides. And, you cannot forget the bicycles that come with each cottage. We immediately knew it captured the comfortable and striking atmosphere and ambiance we were looking for.

While the location for some is challenging, that was the easier decision for us. As a person that plans corporate events for a living I began to feel the pressure of the details. At work we do events with lavish lighting, sound, and most of all, large budgets. I started with advice from my friend who is a wedding planner at MAP Events in San Francisco. {She is the one that recommended Style Me Pretty!} Little did I know that her simple advice to read the blog would result in a daily fixation. I became increasingly more interested on the trends and latest weddings being held across the nation. Not only did I use Style Me Pretty for the daily dose of weddings but I used the Little Black Book to see local vendors. And, that is how we discovered Tiffany at Adeline and Grace. She is absolutely wonderful to work with and did a magnificent job capturing all parts of the day. And, she even got pictures of John smiling with teeth! We continue get compliments on our photos!

We discovered our florist, Pat Friday by a friend’s recommendation. We could not have been more impressed with the way all the flowers turned out. Pat leveraged the orange of the girl’s shoes and the vibrant colors and textures of fall in all of the flowers. She also worked with the height of our space and incorporated both tall and low arrangements at the reception.  To keep with the wine country theme, John and I decided to name the tables after our favorite wineries we had visited together. One of our bridesmaids donated hundreds of corks and made the escort card holders!

One of our greatest challenges was finding an officiant for our ceremony. John is Catholic and I am Jewish. It meant a lot to us to have a cohesive ceremony that equally represented both sides of the religions. We weren’t having much luck on our own so we began asking for recommendations. Tiffany recommended that we reach out to Judith Caldwell. When we met with Judith we immediately felt a sigh of relief. Judith’s personality and presence was very warm, sincere and comforting. I also knew John was convinced as soon as Judith mentioned her love for the San Francisco Giants.

Neither of us are much of “cake people” so we decided on cupcakes instead. Our friend owns a company called Cakes n’ Cups and we both love love love her cupcakes. John and I selected our favorite four flavors: carrot cake, raspberry lemonade, German chocolate and chocolate raspberry. We had an assortment of regular sized cupcakes and minis so our guests could sample the various flavors.

Throughout the wedding planning process, it seemed that the symbolism of the circle was incorporated more and more into our wedding. Solage Calistoga has a logo of three circles and when we went to look at invitations we were immediately drawn to an invitation by Vera Wang that had similar circles in brown and green. We included this with the table names too. We also decided on a ketubah from ketubah.com that had the same three circles. Finally, the bridesmaids received Anna Beck jewelry which has the same circular look. This element to the wedding, the circles, seems important too since it symbolizes completeness and no end.

Another part of what made the day so special was the contributions that our friends and family made to the day. My brother designed all printed elements for the wedding ~ the programs, escort cards, table names, menus, thank you cards, and more. In a last minute panic, John’s mom (John’s Catholic mom), made the draping for the chuppa for our ceremony by learning about chuppas online. John’s aunt, Meara, is very involved in Mary Kay and offered to do my make up. My friend and hair stylist said she would not miss the day and did our hair. A lighting designer we use for work often offered to donate his lights for our reception~ adding so much warmth. My dad even commented on how much this added! And finally, my dear friend from MAP Events offered to be our onsite day-of coordinator. We feel so fortunate to have had so many people contribute in many different ways. We were very fortunate.

John and I absolutely loved every moment of the wedding. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t think about that day and how perfect it was. There isn’t a thing we would do differently.

You can see the whole wedding from Adeline and Grace Photography in our photo galleries of Jessica & John’s gorgeous day!

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Tiffany and Erica (i.e., Adeline & Grace Photography) cover weddings from coast to coast. Tiffany is based on the west coast … Erica on the east coast. If you visit their website and blog, you’ll see engagement shoots, family portraiture, weddings and even some pretty terrific intimate sessions from pretty much everywhere in between! I was just looking at their blog to see some of their other recent weddings and ran across an article by one of the brides, Juliana ~ about the pros and cons of having those “first look” photos taken. Does it spoil that walking down the aisle moment?  At first, she was opposed to the idea, but then, opted in. The article expresses her feelings about the whole experience! If you’re on the fence about this decision at all, you ought to read it {here}.  Juliana & Daniel’s wedding at Auberge du Soleil is stunning!

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Rustic Elegance From Cori Cook Floral Design

March 3rd. 2010 by Eddye | 15 comments

Cori Cook, one of our fantastic Little Black Book floral designers created an Inspiration Board over on SMP’s Style Circle that she entitled “Rustic Elegance” …

We are SO excited to say that she then went about gathering together a terrific group of wedding talent to make her board come to life! And WOW … did they ever!

The beautiful people, a stunning spot, the bling, the gorgeous flowers, the pretty pretty paper pieces …

They all worked their magic and poof! OH my gosh. {All 60+ images can be seen here}

Here’s what Cori said about the shoot …

We called the Inspiration Board that inspired this shoot “Rustic Elegance” and built the board around amber colored glass, burnt orange details, a barn venue, lots of glitzy jewelry, and a very feminine bridal look. We had a blast putting this together as you will see in our video. Each talented vendor involved was crucial to the final outcome and really did “own” their area of expertise!

What a fabbbbbulous shoot!!

All of these images and so many more are in our photo gallery {here}. So much pretty … all in one place!

And what better way to end than with a film of the day from Rising Moon!

A HUGE thanks to …

Photography: Becky Young Photography, Wedding Planning: Talia Events, Floral Design: Cori Cook Floral Design, Bridal Jewelry: Bebe and Boo, Cinematography: Rising Moon, Wedding Dresses/Veils/Hairpieces: Swept Away Bridal Boutique and Anna Bé Bridal Boutique, Hair Stylist: Girls & Curls, Invitations/Table Number/Favors/RSVP Card: JS Design Custom, Makeup: Makeup by Janine, Venue: Crooked Willow Farms, Models: Ali and James (From Premier Image Agency)

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Wedding Cupcakes In Teacups ~ Love!

March 3rd. 2010 by Eddye | 7 comments

Kristy and Brandon were married in an intimate wedding ceremony with fifty of their closest friends and family surrounding them at the historic Biggs Mansion in Chicago …

Now the home of Il Mulino, the venue instantly appealed to them. Built in 1874, the mansion ~ with its fifteen-foot ceilings, marble fireplaces, gorgeous woodwork, crystal chandeliers and grand staircase ~ offered the perfect ambiance for Kristy & Brian’s beautiful day.

Kristi and Brandon’s wedding was sent to us by two of our fabulous LBB members, RedBliss Invitation Design and Birch Design Studio …

Kristy and Brandon’s florals were chosen to compliment the architectural detail of the historic building, as well as evoke a romantic feeling. For her bouquet, Kristy knew she wanted a luscious, cascading bouquet of white phalaenopsis orchids. Brandon had a matching orchid as his boutonniere. As a focal piece for the ceremony, a simple, elegant fabric canopy was created to fit into a large bay window. The structure was detailed with a charming, vintage-inspired wire chandelier as well as floral and foliage accents. For both the ceremony and reception, varying sizes of low containers presented antique-tone florals, including champagne, ivory, pale pink, and lavender. This romantically muted floral palette beautifully juxtaposed with the mansion?s interior details. Floral arrangements were placed on the wood hutches, fireplace mantels, and ornate tables. Abundant candlelight throughout the venue was key to creating the soft, timeless ambiance Kristy and Brandon desired.

Rich mahogany opera chairs complimented the mansion’s detailed woodwork. Alternating antique china patterns and crystal glassware created perfect place settings atop a creamy taupe lamour table linen. This careful attention to detail created a table that looked as if it was pulled from the Bigg family’s original china cabinet. Custom paper goods, including invitations, menus, escort cards, as well as table numbers, were a central focus of Kristy’s vision and were inspired by the antique chandeliers of the Bigg mansion. Her color palette combined jet black, soft metallic silver, and silky white to develop an art deco-inspired motif. Everything was personalized for the guests ~ even the menus.

And the best thing we’ve seen in a long, long time …

In lieu of a traditional wedding cake, Kristy chose to serve her favorite cupcakes from Swirlz in Chicago. To tie this unique idea to her nostalgic decor, cupcakes were placed in individual vintage tea cups.

Did we just hear a long collective oooooooohhhhhhh?

Chandeliers and crystal and lovely lush roses ~ gorgeous! But cupcakes in antique teacups? Love.

You can see more of the beautiful photos from Kristy & Brandon’s wedding in their photo gallery {here}!

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Thank you SO much to Birch Design Studio and Christine at Red Bliss for sharing!

Wedding Credits:
Photographer~Cara Garbarino, Garbo Productions, Wedding Gown~Amsale, Event Planner~Birch Design Studio, Event Designer~Kehoe Designs, Invitations & Stationery~RedBliss, Cake~ Swirlz Cupcakes, Car Service~Classic Chassis, Location~Il Mulino, Chicago, Makeup~Wendy Kimmel, Hair~Ginger Damato

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