What happens when you combine The Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, inspiration from Kelly Wearstler and an adorable beagle theme? This fantastic, glamorously modern wedding with chic paper goods by Figmint Design and photography by James Johnson Photography. The design is crisp, bold and utterly fabulous with geometric shapes, vibrant colors and silhouettes of the oh-so-cute couple’s pups. Click here to see the full gallery!
From Figmint Design…I would like to share the inspiration behind some of the custom work from my design studio Figmint Design. We recently worked on a wedding that combines Modern Glamour + Beagles + Fashion Inspiration. Figmint Design provided the creative direction, color palette and theme based on the couples personality and venue. That vision was translated to a bespoke invitation suite that was used to inspire all other visual elements (flowers, cake, decor, etc…).
Kelly Wearstler and her book Modern Glamour perfectly capture the vibe of The Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. As a big fan of all 3 of these, when Figmint Design had the opportunity to design something for a wedding there we jumped at the chance. The bride is a fashion designer and the couple wanted a modern celebration that was bold, minimalist yet glamorous, and personal. With big love for their 2 beagles, it seemed perfect to incorporate the love for their pups with the bride’s love for fashion.
In the world of fashion, designers spend a lot of time looking at textile swatches and fabric content. So, what better way to incorporate fashion than to create mock textile swatches and faux garment hang tags as the invitation suite? Custom textile swatches with yellow stitching combined with custom silhouettes of their beagles to create a one of a kind invitation suite and theme. The couples initials K&C are branded on all elements of the invitation suite. The yellow, white, gray, & turquoise color palette along with geometric patterns capture the Hollywood Regency vibe of the venue. The flowers echo the retro minimalist glamour of the venue with orchids and succulents accented by pops of yellow. The cake is also influenced by the elements of the invitation suite complete with beagle silhouette, initials, and geometric motif.
A good dress, whether for your wedding day, a shower, garden party or any other fabulous soiree is hard to resist, don’t you think? Which is why we are very excited to introduce to you our latest Look Book Member, Whitney Deal, whose Fall 2011 Collection is full of some of the cutest frocks we could find. Simple, Sweet and Lovely. Yeah, that about sums it up.
Whitney Deal’s creations are simply adorable and with just one look, you can see that they are the perfect blend of comfort and sweetness, with a touch of simplicity that all adds up to some chic treats for your eyes to gaze through this morning. The best thing is that these dresses are appropriate for every look you might be in need of… wedding day, bridesmaids and all the get-togethers and gatherings that may come dancing across your social calendar. Pop on into Whitney Deal’s Look Book to see a bit of the beauty for yourself. And since you’re sure to fall in love, Whitney Deal is offering our SMP Readers 15% off any order that is placed by December 1st!!! Simply use the code: SMP15.
Okay, I have to admit that I was a little surprised to see this beach wedding in Canada…Silly, I know, but I always picture Canada snow covered. So as you can imagine, I was blown away by the gorgeousness of this DIY beach fete. The flowers, the cakes, the top hats and mustaches all combine to make for a sweet and spunky day that I know Redivivus Photography had a blast capturing. And if you’re like me and love checking out fun and easy DIY touches, then take it from me and be sure to check out the fully gallery here!
From the Bride…As soon as I started our wedding planning, I knew I wanted the ceremony on the beach and to be set in a vintage yet modern theme. Where we live, there are plenty of public beaches but I wanted the perfect one. This one happened to be Stearman Beach in West Vancouver. Perfectly accessible for our guests and what a view.
Much of my planning was thanks to a lot of research especially from Style Me Pretty. I appreciate the DIY projects, which had us hands on for the entire year. I was lucky to work with a good friend to assist me in the design of our programs and reply cards. My favorite part was collecting vases from thrift stores and friends to aid as our centerpieces along with gorgeous pink flowers.
Our day came and there was not a cloud in the sky. My favorite memory is walking hand-in-hand with my father out to our guests that were featured side by side near our homemade chuppah. All in all it was a beautiful and filled with many great memories.
We may be smack-dab in the middle of Fall, but that doesn’t mean we can’t escape to Mexico for a little sun, a little sand and a whole lot of gorgeous this lovely Tuesday morning. Yes, this Playa Mujeres wedding by Juan Navarro is just what the doctored ordered (and more) for those chilly weather blues, complete with a breathtaking location, a fabulous gown, pretty yellow hues and one very stunning bride and groom. Even better? We have an entire day to spend wrapped up in this lovely. Join me in the gallery for even more.
From the Bride… Our wedding in August 2011 at La Amada, Playa Mujeres, Mexico was all about sun, sand and sky. Luxurious beach chic…and so much fun. We chose La Amada for its clean lines and simple luxury — we love the white-washed look and the boutique feel of the property. From my flowing beachy gown to his laid-back white and gray, every moment of our wedding day was relaxed.
We married right at the shore line on a gorgeous blue sky day. We had no wedding party — just us two. My sisters were close by at all times, my ordained Aunt from Bermuda married us, and unconventionally, my two teenage nephews walked me down the aisle. Acting as ushers, my nephews wore white linen pants with pale yellow linen tops — very “Vicery Palm Springs” looking. All the flowers were white — mostly lisianthus, which are beautiful and easy. For our guests, we offered white parasols during the ceremony.
Straight from the beach-side ceremony, guests walked over to the main open-air restaurant for the reception. The ceremony program doubled as a seating chart with table numbers listed on the back for guests to easily find their place. Our signature yellow cocktail was the Sand Dune — named for the beautiful sandy beaches in Playa Mujeres. The reception was a continuation of our beach chic theme — with yellow and orange chair pillows and white lisianthus centerpieces. We chose to use the existing white wicker furniture in the restaurant and kept the place-settings minimal. Mini boxes of citrus jelly beans were set for each guest, along with a custom printed menu. And we can’t forget the dark chocolate cup cakes with lemon frosting — delicious. The reception setup also included the use of the pool sofas that we had brought into the restaurant to create a post-dinner lounge area over-looking the ocean. Our table numbers in white and yellow were part of our custom made printed collection. It was the most beautiful day and these pictures tell that story.
With so many pretty weddings crossing our path on any given day, it’s always fun to see a unique detail or a twist on tradition that really sets an affair apart. Take for instance a barn wedding with a more mod flavor while still incorporating fabulous details that are ever so barn-worthy. Kristen Marie Photography shot this Washington beauty and each image holds so many perfect moments. And the Bride in her reworked wedding dress is so stinkin adorable, we almost can’t stand it. That dotted illusion neckline had us at hello. See more from the day here!
From the Bride…We used a tandem bike theme for the day and used our tandem bike during our engagement photo session. Early on in our dating relationship, we tandem biked in Stanley Park in Vancouver, B.C. and had a really horrifying experience where we got lost on it for about 4 hours! It was a very painful experience (for our rear ends), but it ended up being really funny and it’s a date that was really special to us. That day showed us that no matter what challenges we face in life, we would be able to face them together. And what better way to show us as a pair than to use a tandem bike!
There wasn’t one particular moment I felt was the most memorable, but having all of of the people we love in one room celebrating with us was pretty awesome! And the whole day itself was memorable and just really fun and perfect. The most memorable moment for my husband was the ‘first look’. It was such a private and intimate moment where he finally got to see me in my beautiful wedding dress.
As for advice, use Google Docs so you can edit and share info from anywhere! Also, if you’re planning on saving money plan on doing some DIY projects – you can find a lot of great tutorials online. And remember not to just focus on the wedding day, but the marriage you will commit to.
High School sweetheart alert! These cuties have been together for (believe it) 15 years! Talk about “love is patient, love is kind.” When then finally tied the knot in this California wedding, coordinated by the lovely Kristeen LaBrot Events, the 15 years of hype was completely worthy. If it weren’t for Kristeen, I would have no doubt that it would have taken the full decade and a half to get every detail to line up perfectly – because it was just that good. I’m talking a silhouette artist, a custom gown, made to order flip books, and delish Filipino nosh. Phoebe Joy Photography was the lady behind the camera, and wowza! You’ll definitely need a link to the gallery, so here you go!
Eugene and I were high school sweethearts. We got married during Labor Day Weekend because we had started officially dating on Labor Day fifteen years earlier. Eugene proposed to me two years ago on Labor Day Weekend on an anniversary trip to Washington D.C. in front of the Reflective Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial.
Both Eugene and I really wanted to incorporate Filipino and family traditions in our wedding as well as make sure the day was still a reflection of us. We got married at the same beautiful Catholic church – St. Brendan’s in Los Angeles – that my parents had gotten married in thirty years ago. Both my brother and I were baptized there as well. We exchanged the same “arras” or coins as my parents. Our cord was used by other family members at their weddings as well. It is about 28 years old. Our Bible Bearer carried my grandfather’s bible from 1968. My grandfather passed away in 2002. Eugene and the groomsmen changed from their tuxes into the traditional Filipino formalwear – the barong – for the reception.
Although we wanted our reception to be beautiful, we also wanted to ensure that our guests had fun. We had a photobooth, a silhouette artist, and a flip book station. Our guests loved the flip book station. As guests arrived, waiters served them with drinks and hors d’oeuvres. We had a few Filipino appetizers served, which all of our guests really enjoyed. We also set-up a candy buffet and had an old school popcorn cart. Our inspiration was “vintage chic.”
Purple is my favorite color. Gold, yellows, and champagne were our accent colors because the Villa del Sol d’Oro means House of the Golden Sun. My husband is also a huge Laker fan. We had our reception at the Villa because there was ample room for our guests to walk around and mingle. I had one guest tell me he was in his seat for only 20 minutes to eat and that was it; which was exactly what we wanted. It was the first venue I visited, we then visited ten others… I also fell in love with the idea of having cocktails and the bar in the old library.
Antique keys (also bottle openers) served as our escort cards and favors. With the help of my bridesmaids, we turned picture frames into cork boards with lace. We also added purple lace to candles and jars to give everything a romantic feeling and make them “pop”. Our bridal car was a vintage 1968 Bentley. I love the picture of my husband and groomsmen around the car. Our flowers were beautiful! Our guests went gaga over them. Instead of using the traditional guestbook, we had a photo guestbook and a wish tree.
My favorite part of the day was the father-daughter dance. My dad was singing along to Stevie Wonder’s “You Are My Sunshine of My Life” during the entire dance. Our wedding day is a day that I will always remember as amazing.
I’m a total sucker for a DIY backyard wedding and this one has so much personality and spunk that I know you’ll fall in love with it just as fast as I did. This truly was a family affair and everyone (even the family dog) pitched in to make sure this couple’s day was a unique reflection of their love for one another. The bride cross-stitched all the signs and made the napkins, her brother in-law hand drew the invitations, and her mom did all the gorgeous flower displays that included ranunculus, tulips, pussy willows, and billy balls. Talk about a talented family! Lassara Photography was on hand to capture all the amazing details and as always, there’s so much more in the gallery!
From the Bride…We knew we wanted a wedding that was colorful, intimate, and reflected the things we love without having too much of a defined theme. We also knew that we are lucky to have totally creative friends and family, so creating this event was definitely going be a group effort.
My husband is a professional film blogger and so we framed photos of classic Hollywood couples to identify individual tables and our reception featured a popcorn machine. Our dog, Oscar, was an integral part of the day — he was on the hand-drawn invitations created by my husband’s brother and on the stamps of our postcard-sized RSVPs, which were written in MadLib style. My brother-in-law also drew the icons used on 1″ buttons, distributed as favors to our guests. I took it upon myself to cross-stitch various signs and made the napkins, into which we rolled utensils and tied off with a kraft paper name tag. Music was all run via iPod and it took us months to curate an 8-hour “greatest hits” playlist. One of our best friends acted as our officiant and was ordained for the occasion. My mother is a florist by trade and her shop did all the flowers, incorporating my favorite ranunculus, tulips, pussy willows, and billy balls. We incorporated twine, raffia, and other natural materials throughout the decor — our ceremony arch was hand-built from twigs and we used freshly-cut logs (cut down by my stepfather) as cake stands and to display centerpieces.
As we’re both big fans of Mexican food, we had a make-your-own-taco bar and three separate wedding cakes, one of which was completely vegan. All cake flavors were conceptualized by me and baked by a friend of my mother’s. Another friend made a large paper-maiche pig for our guest “book” note cards. (My husband is known affectionately to his friends as Porkchop.) Finally, family friends were gracious enough to allow us to use their beautiful backyard for the event and though it rained lightly as the ceremony took place, it cleared up for the reception and we were able to dance the night away without umbrellas.
All in all, it was the best day of our lives! We’re so happy that our friends and family were there to join in the fun.
I think it goes without saying that we love weddings, adore all things gorgeous and go all sorts of gaga for a great love story so when this little film fell into our laps last night, we swooned, we squealed, and we knew this needed to be posted immediately. It falls into the category of warm and fuzzy with a side of oh so sweet. Daniel Kim, an ASU alum, Infantryman in The National Guard and Wedding Photographer extraordinaire proposed to his girlfriend of four years through a film, but not just any film, it’s a film that honestly made us tear up about a zillion times and reminded us of what all of this wedding hoopla is really about. LOVE. This is more than just a proposal, it’s a love story, and it is evident from the first 5 seconds that these two are in for a lifetime of happiness.
From the Groom-to-be… I proposed to my girlfriend of 4 years through a video. I shot it myself, focusing and framing each shot before hitting the playbutton and getting in front of the camera.
I showed it to her on our annual trip to San Diego in our hotel room after spending a day at the zoo. I told her to come and watch a video that I had been in riding bikes for a local bike company in AZ. When she sat down on the couch, I hit play and at the end I pulled the ring out from under the couch, got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She said yes! After we hugged and kissed and cried, I took her upstairs where I had her best friends and her sister, who drove from Los Angeles and Arizona, waiting in a separate hotel room. We went out for a night out on the town in Gaslamp Quarter to celebrate after.
I feel like the luckiest guy. She’s always supported my photography and my business, while I travel for weddings and she’s always been there for me, bringing me sandwiches at 2am while I was working away in the photo darkroom, studying for my BFA at ASU. I’m lucky to have found a girl as lovely as her.
It’s not hard to find a pretty wedding. Because weddings are innately beautiful. The vows, the moments, the flowers, the details. All pretty. But the magic…the magic is what takes a wedding from pretty to spectacular. The minute I laid eyes on this wedding, I felt that magic in every ounce of my wedding loving self. It’s Great Gatsby meets Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s unabashed elegance meets charm and downtown style. It’s the definition of beauty wrapped into the most lovely of packages. And it’s the photography, crafted by Amanda K Photography, that takes this wedding to an entirely new level of stunning. This wedding has left a mark on me and although I could go on and on, instead, I’ll just let you devour it for yourself. Click here to see even more.
From the Bride…The venue in itself was exquisite. I had seen weddings at this venue on SMP and knew I needed to visit. Let me tell you, the outside building at first glance scared me a little, but when I climbed up the rustic wooden stairs and into the main room with the antique crystal chandeliers, into all the secret rooms, the hallway of antique lampshades and mirrors, and was surrounded by the beautiful muted blue/gray walls… I was taken to another place in time. I wanted the wedding to feel like Great Gatsby, meets Midsummer Nights Dream all in the middle of old Paris in the 1930s, without it being too themey. Not to mention, the owner of the venue also has a huge collection of antique furniture that she lets you use!
I went back and forth about getting a videographer because we wanted to cut costs. In the end, I am so delighted by how beautifully Kiss the Bride captured the essence of the wedding. I was very skeptical about hiring a florist because I wanted to do everything myself! My florist, Eunice, did such an amazing job with all the flowers! Most of all, my bouquet brought me over the moon ecstatic. I fell in love with my bouquet and she did over and beyond my expectations, and that’s really hard to do! It was filled with so much romance and I had it wrapped with the left over fabric from my wedding dress!
The three most important decisions I made for this wedding were food, photographer, and my dress (of course!) Daniel and I LOVE FOOD. Upon doing my research from wedding blogs, Naturally Delicious came highly recommended. I loved the idea that they used fresh ingredients, even straight from their garden. The food was amazing and our coordinator, Tyler, was over the top amazing. He made sure every single detail of the wedding was on point.We wanted to start the wedding off with drinks before the ceremony to send out the vibe that this was going to be a really good, good night. For the cocktail hour, the chefs created foods to mimic foods from our favorite date spots- pork belly buns from Ippudo, tacos from Cascabel, the shroom burger from Shake Shack, and french fries (because we love french fries)! My mouth is watering just thinking back on the food. They even let us create an ice cream sandwich bar station for our guests. The food was very personal to us and told the story of our relationship through food. We named the specialty drink after my dog, Pickle (the other love of my life). We also had an amazing experience with the liquor store that Naturally Delicious has a relationship with- Heights Chateau. The owner not only paired the wine to the food but to our personality. The wine tasting soon became a dinner filled with delicious food, new friends, and great tasting wine!
Looking for a photographer was not easy because NY is filled with so many talented people. I even looked into photographers that were not local. I had come across an engagement photo shoot on SMP by Amanda K and completely fell in love. The dress, the scenery, the light, the essence… everything about it was what I wanted my wedding to look like and feel like. Once I got in contact with the photographer, Amanda, I knew that I had made the right choice. She was more than accommodating (flew all the way from Oregon) and although the first time we ever met was two days before the wedding… I knew it was meant to be. She has a heart that is beyond this world and I was so blessed and honored that she wanted to capture my wedding.
Now to my dress. I went to so many different stores and tried on so many dresses. I started to grow frustrated by the search and thought that maybe I would never find one. I didn’t want to settle, if I didn’t settle with finding Daniel why would I settle with my dress?! I came across a designer that was debuting her dress for 2011. There is only one vendor in NYC that carries Jenny Packham and I made an appointment the next morning. It so happened they were having a Jenny Packham trunk show and so her newest collection would be in store the weekend of my appointment. EVERYTHING was beautiful. When I came out in the Giralda, the whole shop became quiet and everyone was looking at me. I felt the magic in my fingers and I knew that I had found the one.
Everything was threading together so perfectly… I’m a perfectionist and a control freak, so I had planned everything way in advance. God had other things in mind. On the day of my wedding arrived Hurricane Irene!!! All of my guests and I were worried about the danger we would be in because the venue was in a mandatory evacuation zone and estimated to have the most damage. People told me that when it rains on your wedding it’s suppose to be good luck, well I’m hoping that with a hurricane my marriage is going to be flooded with love/grace/joy unending… and so far it is. All of the vendors were willing to bump up the time to accommodate for a 4 hour time change to avoid the hurricane. ALL of them came on time and ready to work to make my wedding happen. No matter what, plans no plans, I was getting married. Even the guests who lived in mandatory evacuation zones made it! The day was perfectly overcast for the hundreds of candles to light the whole room. In the end, even though everything seemed like it was falling apart… to have a room filled with overflowing love, all our family, and close friends and to finally end a chapter in my single life to be called someone’s Wife (Daniel’s wife), it was Heaven on Earth. I hope that in 40 years from now, with my grand-babies in my lap, I will tell them about this magical day filled with mystery, horror, and love.
You can put away your rose colored glasses this afternoon. We’ve got something so much better to get you through the rest of you day. The most amazing, romantic, sweet California soiree that is bound to put a permagrin right across your face. At least, that is what happened to me when I first opened up this wedding from Julie Mikos | Photographer. The smile hasn’t left my face for days. The whole affair exudes classic romance, and has a nice rosy glow from first lipstick to final kiss. Seriously, I could go on and on about the beautiful bride, the handsome groom, and their sweet as pie flower girls, but I won’t. Only because I want you to maximize your time in the full image gallery. Click here to see more!
From the lovely bride … Everything about our wedding was personal, in that we chose every single detail of the wedding. The head table garland and all floral arrangements were handmade and were absolutely beautiful. It was exactly what we wanted.
We felt strongly that we wanted our wedding to reflect all we love abut wine country, exuding casual elegance. We wanted it to be all about good friends, food, wine and the unbelievably beautiful scenery. Our flowers were soft and romantic. The head table garland was absolutely stunning, stretching the length of the head table. The flowers included David Austin roses, hydrangeas, orchids and other soft, delicate flowers. The colors were soft peaches, creams, bright greens and pinks with pops of brighter coral here and there.
This Los Gatos wedding by Anna Kuperberg is a little piece of fluffy goodness. The whole event, designed and coordinated by Downey Street Events, is like a dream and, if it is, I never want to wake up. It is so magical with its clean and romantic design, neutral and serene palate and fabulously unique details. I especially love the kraft paper covered books with whimsical, white lettering, the soft arrangements of cotton and the clever test tube escort cards. The entire celebration is extraordinary and you can see every lovely little bit in the full gallery!
From the Bride…We wanted to have a very light, clean aesthetic, incorporating things that have been important to us and our families. We decorated the tables with test tubes, Erlenmeyer flasks, and our favorite books so that our guests would be surrounded by tokens from our leisure and livelihoods. And, of course, cotton bolls are just mini versions of white fluffy puppies!
From A Dream Wedding…Rachel & Jason envisioned their wedding color palette as tone on tone florals in a “palette of layers in deep plums, purples with grey & black undertones, staying away from any warm tones”. Eclectic and whimsical accents, randomness to the designs, fun and quirky elements, also incorporating seasonal fruit in the color scheme.
Rachel & Jason’s ceremony took place in the Dunfillan “Ruins” nestled in the rolling Sonoma Valley vineyard line hills at Kunde Estate Vineyards in Kenwood. Guests were then invited to “Boot Hill” overlooking the vineyards for cocktails, dinner reception and dancing. The night was warm and magical.
We chose a variety of mercury glass urns and containers, to offset from the cool toned linens giving a rustic yet elegant feel against the shimmer of the linens.All of the tables were named after their favorite restaurants they frequent in New York and we hand-made the fused glass pieces that were used for these displays.
I’d tell you that I am completely smitten with this Melbourne soiree by Lara Luz, but that wouldn’t quite be truthful. No, I am more than smitten, more than enamored and even more than head over heels in love. I have most definitely reached an entirely new level of obsession with this gem of an affair… and with its vintage chic meets sleek and sophisticated vibe, breathtaking gown, beautiful DIY bouquet and one very yummy cupcake display by Sophisticakes, you can most certainly see why. I’ll be in the gallery soaking up all of this lovely. Join me there for even more!
From the Bride… I’m not sure our wedding was particularly unique, more that it was a gathering of all of our closest friends, immediate family and was just about the things we like. I guess it was just small things that meant a lot to us like the Instax camera (new version of Polaroid), the mulled wine, and wedding photos of our grandparents (all of whom have passed away). Our colors were black and cream. I had originally wanted an accent colour of red. This got thrown out the window in one of my very few bridezilla moments, when I announced two weeks before the wedding that red was out. As for DIY projects, what didn’t we end up crafting? I never expected to be the bride that was completely hands on! I made all of the invitations which were hand-stamped and tied with twine to make little love letters to our guests. I ended up doing something very similar for the thank you notes as well. My trusty team of helpers (my friends) and I made all of the flowers for the reception and ceremony decorations, the cake toppers, boy’s buttonholes and bridesmaid’s bouquets. It was about 3 weeks of paper napkin folding, hot gluing to get there but I think it paid off. They really did look amazing and our guests took quite a few home. I op-shopped for all the china tea sets for our table decorations. Also I made my bridal bouquet but it was pretty easy since they were lilies. My dress was purchased from Fashionlande.com which was ultra budget but surprisingly well made. I had wanted something with a vintage twist so I searched through about 100 dresses online before narrowing it down to 5. The train was what sold me. Lara Luz was our photographer extraordinaire. Barbara Dickinson of Sofisticakes made the most amazing cupcakes on the planet. Macaron de Paris made awesome macarons! And Emma the function co-ordinator went above and beyond for us. Organizing a wedding in only 10 weeks was a challenge! We got engaged at the end of May and were married on the 13th August. We thought that we were moving overseas at the time and both desperately wanted to be married in Melbourne. As it turns out, our plans have subsequently changed but I wouldn’t want to plan a wedding for any longer than 6 months. It was also hard to organize the bridal party. Only one bridesmaid lived in Melbourne during the planning for the wedding and most of the bridal party arrived the night before the actual wedding.
The best part of the day was the reception! For the last 4 weeks all I can think about is a do-over because it was so much fun. I loved that it was all about our friends rather than mostly family or family friends. Also the wedding night – Geoff had organized for us to stay in a suite at the Windsor Hotel on Spring St., which he planned to fit in with our vintage theme. It was beyond amazing!
My advice, be true to what you as a couple want, although I made some pretty big concessions at the last minute, it totally reflected our personalities.
We’ve got quite the pretty blue and yellow fete for you to feast your eyes on this morning! We love all cobalt blue pops of color from the bride’s gorgeous shoes to the wine glasses on the spectacular tables. For this couple, their big day was all about design and food because this beautiful bride is a graphic designer and her hubby-to-be, a chef. Robyn Rachel Photography snapped all the modern, yet classic details and there is so much more waiting just for you in the full gallery. Click here for more.
From the Bride…With me being a graphic designer and my husband being a chef, there were two elements that were important on our special day – design and food. From the moment we were engaged on August 8th 2010, I knew a lot of elements were going to be DIY. Chicago is home for Chris and I. It’s where we both grew up and met each other so there was no other place in the world where we would have wanted to get married.
I started out by finding an amazing blog that had a fun and cute way to ask your bridesmaids to be in your wedding. I created one for each of the girls and a special one for the matron of honor. Cobalt Blue with yellow accents would be the color palette. I find it to be modern and classic. I knew I wanted to also create my own save-the-dates and incorporate photos from our engagement photo session. We hired Robyn Rachel, an amazing and talented photographer in Chicago. She had a great personality and really made us and our entire bridal party feel comfortable in front of the camera. I stumbled upon an amazing paisley print that would set the scene for wedding design and décor. I loved it because it was pretty and whimsical.
To me, the invitations were probably the most important item of the entire wedding. I love print design and it is the first thing your guest sees that has to do with the wedding. It totally sets the tone for what the day will be like. We worked with Magnificent Milestones, AKA my new obsession. Mag Milestones is s super cute stationery shop in Chicago. Even though I did not design these myself, I provided a lot of art direction along the way to create a fun, mixed-font invite complete with a yellow satin ribbon to tie it all together. Once the invites were out the door, I decided to design a few other items myself, playing off the same look and feel. Those items included the table numbers, complete with a modern silver frame on each table. A monogram that was placed on the place cards that were hung with yellow ribbons from a striking tree made of white branches donned with a little spray sparkle. I also designed menu cards, welcome bag letters, and the programs.
We chose to host our reception at the Ivy Room at Tree Studios in Chicago. It is truly a diamond in the rough. Living in downtown Chicago for over 6 years, I never even knew this place existed, but probably walked past it 100 times. It is a beautiful room with hard wood floors and a blank palette that you can completely customize to whatever your heart desired. Just what the doctor ordered. The courtyard has a beautiful path, lights strung on tree branches and lush green ivy everywhere. Kehoe designs helped out with designing the space. Throughout all the planning, I feel like this is where most of the blood, sweat and tears were spent. We worked so hard on this room and the time had come to see it all put together. Surprisingly, I did not cry all that much throughout the day, but when I saw our room for the first time, I cried! All in all the day was perfect. The year of planning was well worth it once the big day arrived. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it the exact same way!
Now for a fantastic wedding with a little bit of spunk. This Ontario wedding by Cynthia Martyn Events Inc. is packed with hot pink details and a whole lot of glam. I love the rock n’ roll meets rustic vibe and all the vibrant, show-stopper details. This is definitely an event with a lot of personality and these images by Jodi Renee Photography show it off with loads of style. Click here to see even more!
From the Bride…When Jay and I decided to get married, my first thoughts (after the initial excitement and slight overwhelming feeling) was…how am I going to get everything done and where should I start. I was never the girl that had her ‘dream’ wedding all planned out with a scrapbook of dresses and cakes though I had always longed for a Vera Wang wedding dress. I LOVE to entertain and wanted to ensure that our wedding was a fun and elegant party. We decided on the Inn on the Twenty in Jordan as it suited both our personalities and incorporated our love of food and wine.
Getting in touch with Cynthia Martyn was one of the best decisions I made. My friend and fabulous photographer – Jodi Rene – referred Cynthia to assist with the planning process. Cynthia ensured that my vision for the wedding came together and added some unique ideas of her own to create exactly what we wanted for our day.
The beverage station with pink lemonade at the ceremony added a fun vintage feel. During cocktails, a fresh heirloom tomato bar was set up with wine and cheese tasting to compliment. Pops of color were everywhere with the linens, florals and décor put together by Cynthia. The flowers by Mimosa Flower Studio were lush, colorful and made the venue come alive. Custom signage created by Laura K Design helped to tie everything together. Jay and I had an amazing wedding day. All of our guests really enjoyed themselves. We had several compliments on how well everything turned out and how much fun was had by all! Everyone worked together to create a the perfect day for us filled with amazing memories that will last a lifetime.
These charming Hill Country nuptials have grabbed a hold of my heart strings in a big way and I don’t see them ever letting go. That’s more than alright with me, though, because I can’t even begin to describe my love for this darling affair, complete with a rustic venue (mind-blowing views included), a beyond gorgeous bouquet and a plethora of uber-sweet, organic touches. Plus, the stunning bride and groom are both rockin’ cowboy boots and, oh, how I adore that. I predict a day spent wrapped up in each and every brilliant image captured by MPrint Photography, but before I send you off to the gallery to gaze away, I couldn’t help but end this little intro with a quote from the beautiful bride… “I just can’t imagine a better way to spend your wedding than dancing under the stars after a perfect sunset with a groom in seersucker.” How very awesome is that?!? Click here for even more.
From the Bride… I spent one weekend in and around Austin looking for a venue, knowing it would have to be a hill country setting. On our last day, I squeezed in one final visit at a new property venture at the suggestion of a friend of my mother’s (you never know who you’ll meet in line at Antone’s when you talk as much as my mother). The long dirt road leading to the property did not exactly scream “this is it!” but as soon as I got out of the car and saw the view, I knew we had found something special.
The uncompromising beauty of this place was enough. Carol at Tres Lunas did an amazing job letting me have the reigns and customizing everything to my style. She even found the beautiful 1915 Model T we drove away in. Meredith at MPrint did an unbelievable job of capturing the sunset behind the huge oak tree, lovingly referred to as Dorothy by those in the know, and the simplicity of the event. The groom’s brother played Moon River on the ukulele as I walked down the aisle. He was so good, we even attracted a few ranch cats- a lovely ceremony surprise. The whole thing was unbelievably perfect and I just can’t imagine a better way to spend your wedding than dancing under the stars after a perfect sunset with a groom in seersucker.
Get ready to take the prettiest of trips to the Italian countryside thanks to these gorgeous images by Apertura. This soiree is what destination wedding dreams are made of. It’s outrageously romantic, yet fabulously fun – even complete with bean bag races! So pack your imaginary bags for a trip of a lifetime that you can take by just clicking on the full gallery of images!
From the Bride…Ali and I met in the Fall of 1999. We had mutual acquaintances and were both in separate relationships. Every once in a while we would run into each other but strangely had never felt anything for one another. Until one day, I had a barbecue at my house in July of 2001 and we both happened to be single. I hustled him at a game of 9 ball, and he demanded a rematch, we set our first “date” to go out and play pool. After that day, we were inseparable. We started as friends and that’s the glue that will always hold us together. I finally managed to convince him to get on an airplane for his first time to take a trip with me to New York. It was on that trip that he proposed on New Years Eve 2007 at the “Top of the Rock” Observation deck overlooking Central Park…6.5 years later! Almost 9.5 years later we were married! It all happened so fast!
The most amazing thing about our wedding has to be all of our wedding guests there with us for the entire week for all of the festivities. The day of the wedding was so relaxed. We all just hung out, ate pasta, and got ready. And the first look was amazing. It was so nice seeing each other for the first time. That moment just brought everything back into perspective. The acoustic guitarist was playing Elvis Presley’s “I can’t help falling in love with you” and we had the whole wedding walk down the aisle with us to the ceremony. It just felt like they had to be a part of this with us, like we were all in this together. My mother not only put together the most beautiful sofreh aghd (ceremony table) I have ever seen, but she also performed the ceremony for us and it just made it that much more special. Anyone who knows her knows just how amazing she is. She started the ceremony by reading an excerpt out of Khalil Gibrans ‘What of Marriage?’. We exchanged vows that had honorable mentions of my spaghetti (Ali’s favorite) and Sports Center (also Ali’s favorite!). I heard there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, and I couldn’t tell you because I was probably too busy crying myself! Once the ceremony was over, the eating, dancing and partying began! We had the most amazing time! Everyone from our parents to my grandmother were jumping up and down, fist-pumping the night away! Donning the infamous neon glasses, we had Michael Jackson imitations, to the “robot” and EVERY member of our wedding party dancing until dawn, the night was the most memorable I’ve ever had!
I love all things intimate, vintage and happy. Yellow is my absolute favorite color because it’s just such a happy color. It’s the only mood I can really see anyone feeling from yellow. My whole inspiration behind the wedding was that I wanted it to look as organic and relaxed as possible while still looking like a wedding. And our most important thing was to have everyone feel like they were a part of our wedding and not just in attendance. I wanted all of the vases, flowers, and even the ceremony table to feel like each piece was different and thrown together. And I wanted people to feel the effort and love that went into making this wedding as special as it was, even though I may be a little biased.
Venue: Villa Vistarenni / Wedding Photography: Erwin Darmali + Ray Soemarsono of Apertura / Decor: DIY
I am just so in love with this backyard beauty captured by Jennifer Bullock Photography. Completely, utterly in love. It’s this fabulous mix of traditional elegance with a backyard vibe, and you can just tell it was this fabulous evening for all the guests. And of course I would be remiss if I didn’t say something about their dapper pup – it would be impossible to steal the spotlight from this adorable couple, but that pooch could come close! There is so much more pretty to be seen my sweets, so be sure to spend some quality time in the full gallery of images today!
From the Bride…My husband and I like to keep things simple so for our wedding we did not want to over-think anything. We knew we wanted to get married in my hometown and have the reception at my parents’ house. On our big day I got ready in my childhood bedroom, we posed for pictures in the front yard, and I rode the familiar route to the church in my dad’s car. The reception, held in the backyard, was beautiful and relaxed.
Even though we had a pig roast, the reception felt more like a garden party than a barbecue because of the beautiful tent, crisp linens, and arrangements of vibrant summer flowers. While the caterers served wine and beer, we were sure to tuck away some spirits and sweet tea vodka lemonade in the playhouse normally reserved for grandchildren. It was a big hit! Guests could be seen sipping their cocktails while playing yard games in the garden or lounging on the hammock. Once it got dark, the garden and brick patio were deserted in order to favor the dance floor under the twinkle-lit tent. Overall, it was a great party and a very magical night for family and friends.
We have a sweet, simple and perfectly Southern vineyard wedding by Edge Design Group to share with you today. Draped elegantly in pretty green and white details with romantic baby’s breath filling the air it’s a little fluffy cloud of goodness. I especially love the bride’s delicate bouquet of orchids, peonies, lily-of-the-valley and tulips. Click here to see all the details!
Fr0m Edge Design Group…The Vinyard wedding was a very southern elegant wedding at Chateau Elan, a winery & vineyard in Braselton, Georgia. Chateau Elan is where southern hospitality meets the gorgeous French countryside leaving you with unforgettable moments and memories. Katie and Jim Vinyard first met through their work partners. They became best of friends and turned that into a loving partnership.
They preferred a traditional, southern ceremony with a dash of one thing that would make it unique. What made the ceremony so unique was the baby’s breath hung above the bride and groom during their vows. The baby’s breath was formed into a halo over them. Baby’s breath in the south is very traditional, but to have it transformed into a halo was what had stood out the most to the guests, the bride, and the groom. The atrium where the ceremony was held was draped with soft billowing fabric creating an intimate setting. The process of hanging drapes is unusual and rarely done at Chateau Elan. This traditional classic ceremony included plush garden florals to stick to the simplicity the bride and groom desired.
However, there was a little difference to the traditional side of the wedding; the reception. The glass centerpieces of the tables were more of a modern element to the reception and the candlelight was a perfect finish as they accentuated the table linens. The Vinyards were happily married at the perfect vineyard! Amazing how that happens.We wish them the best!
Good Morning, SMPers and welcome back to another fabulous week filled with inspiration and pretty galore! We are kick starting your morning, sans caffeine, with this fun and spunky North Carolina fete. We totally love the crisp and fresh color palette of green, orange, and white and think the oh-so-fun pattern of the table runners and bouquet wraps lend such a whimsical and festive tone to the day. And how cute are those little flower girls with their tot sized fists of florals? I know, absolutely adorable! Kickstand Events crafted the entire amazing day and florals while Theo Milo Photography snapped each and every detail to perfection and we seriously can’t get enough. Neither can you? Well, just click here for more!
From the Bride…When Chris and I got engaged on my birthday in April we knew we wanted a Fall wedding and we knew we wanted to have it outside. We both were raised in South Eastern NC and we love the beauty of the outdoors here in the Fall. When we were dating we spent a lot of time taking beach walks and spending time at local parks feeding the geese or turtles. One of these parks, which is near our home is Autumn Hall. It really caught our eye and we decided to pursue the location for our ceremony. To our delight, were blessed with the approval from the HOA to hold the wedding there. Then we had the difficult task of choosing a reception location. Wilmington is rich with beautiful venues for wedding receptions and after looking at several different locations we choose the Bellamy Mansion- a historic home now converted into a museum.
Next on our check list was a photographer. Chris and I both knew of Theo Milo Photography and his photography talents and style were in just the right vein for our wedding! We also knew that choosing the right event planners was a high priority and having been introduced to Kickstand Events through Theo, we went directly to them. The Kickstand girls were exactly who we knew we wanted and with the blessing of my parents (who paid for the wedding) we choose them. They handled all of our Day-of Prep and vendor managing as well as all the decor and flowers for both the ceremony and reception! They were super helpful and very easy to work with and with them taking over most of the planning parts of the wedding, Chris and I were able to focus on developing our soon-to-be marriage.
When it came to stylizing the wedding we both knew I would be making the magic of designing the wedding invitation set happen (considering that I work full-time as a graphic designer and my freelance work consists of wedding invitation design). We liked a more whimsical theme which sat well with Kickstand’s versatile style. We’re not a very traditional couple and we knew that would come out in our styling decisions. I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they could see “me” in all the little touches-the small choices we made-at the wedding. Everything from doing “Coke and Cookies” for our favors to the groom and groomsmen wearing Chucks to the dinner choices, everything was a reflection of our personal styles and our upbringing.
All in all I can honestly say that our wedding day vision came to reality with a huge hand from Kickstand Events. Courtney and Kate helped in every way from designing the table set up to managing the vendors to suggesting guests throw leaves instead of birdseed (which Bellamy wouldn’t allow). Each element we thew at them they were able to pick up and run with! They were probably the linchpin of the entire event! We had such a spectacular time at our wedding and are so thankful to our parents who really made the entire event possible!
