We gave you a quick peek at Adrianne & Stephen’s colorful New Mexico wedding from Twin Lens on Sunday, but that was a mere morsel of the complete picture! Self-proclaimed “foodies,” they planned their wedding around delicious cuisine and the beautiful New Mexico scenery!

From Kitty and Craig … Adrianne & Stephen’s New Mexico wedding was the best of all worlds… rustic, fun, simple, elegant. They were married in an art-deco Catholic church in Downtown Albuquerque and then traveled north to the Hacienda Vargas for an outdoor gourmet luncheon and afternoon fiesta. Going through their photos, it’s hard to find a photo without everyone smiling!! We were honored to have documented their beautiful, flawless day.

You can see more of this delightful day on Twin Lens’ Facebook page and in our gallery!

My fiancé Stephen and I always knew we wanted to get married in New Mexico. Though we both have lived in California for most of our lives, he was raised in New Mexico. We wanted to give our wedding guests a chance to get away for a weekend and explore the beautiful NM scenery.

Stephen’s number one priority was to have delicious New Mexican/Mexican food. We both enjoy eating… our shared meals with family, friends, and one another have been a definitive part of our relationship and love for one another. It was only fitting that our wedding would be a chance to share a delicious meal with our close community. After some internet research, I came upon Marja Catering in Santa Fe. We visited her kitchen and instantly knew that she was our woman! She offered us tastings of carnitas and fresh tortillas as we all talked about our favorite places to eat in San Francisco where we had all lived for a few years. We were sold.

Once we settled on Marja as our caterer, our focus was on finding a venue. We looked at a few locations in Santa Fe and Albuquerque but nothing was quite right. Our vision for our wedding day was to have an outdoor reception that was relaxed, and where our guests could enjoy hanging out and grazing on Marja’s delicious food. We also wanted a venue that reflected the natural beauty of New Mexico. We finally found exactly what we were looking for at the Hacienda Vargas. It’s a quaint bed and breakfast right outside of Albuquerque. It has a beautiful outdoor courtyard with huge trees providing cool shade, and spots of bright turquoise fencing. Once the goat on the property noisily welcomed us when we first visited, we knew we’d found our venue! Hacienda Vargas embodied the perfect rustic charm for our wedding. The owners (Cynthia and Spence) were helpful, sweet, and did a fantastic job assisting us with our preparations.

I did some research on photographers but once we met Kitty and Craig of Twin Lens, we knew they were the ones for us. We first met them at their home (just 5 minutes away from Hacienda Vargas) and we were instantly impressed with their photography; not to mention how lovely and warm they are. Their photojournalistic style was exactly what we wanted for the day, especially since we did not plan to have a videographer. After seeing their photographs and trusting that they understood our vision for the day, we could rest easy knowing they would produce fantastic photographs.

My older brother Christian prepared our beautiful invitations. He’s a graphic designer that’s never done wedding invitations but he created our invitations as our wedding present. We gave him a few ideas of what we wanted, what we hoped our wedding day would be, and a copy of our menu. He exceeded all our expectations. He designed an invitation that gave guests an idea of the mood we wanted to set for the day and a sneak peek of the menu and our wedding attire!

The wedding day could not have gone better. Our ceremony was at the Immaculate Conception Catholic church. Its art-deco style and its location in downtown Albuquerque were in wonderful contrast to our rustic, verdant reception location. My cousin is the priest who married us. This was a beautiful, personal touch to our wedding. He’s also really funny which fit the celebratory mood of our wedding day.

While our guests were whisked away to our reception in a tour bus that we provided, we were off with Kitty and Craig for a few portraits in downtown Albuquerque. We stumbled upon a small farmers’ market and decided to pick up a few things. I love Farmers’ Markets so it was only fitting that we stop by on our wedding day. Locals greeted us with some fresh fruit and hearty congratulations. As it turned out, much of down time during the wedding day was spent with Kitty and Craig. We loved talking and hanging out with this beautiful couple. They stealthily captured many lovely moments during our wedding day and we had the utmost trust in them. Many of our guests complimented us, not only on the wedding photos, but also on how unobtrusive and sweet our photographers were. Because of Kitty and Craig’s style and talent, we consider our photos from the day works of art. I still get teary watching the slideshow they prepared for us and many of the photos are hung up in our home to remind us of our wedding day.

Marja’s food did not disappoint. We had a simple buffet of carnitas, beans, tortillas, fresh salsas, and some roasted shisito peppers that Marja happened to find at the farmers’ market that morning. The food was local, fresh, tasty, and almost all our guests – as well as my fiancé and I – went back for seconds. Everyone feasted. Instead of a cake, we opted to serve sundaes and popsicles. These were both a hit. The sundaes were decadent and the popsicles were a nice way for our guests to cool down since the weather was warmer than we expected. Marja’s staff was friendly and so helpful. We only wish Marja had a restaurant so we could enjoy her food again!

Since we really wanted Marja’s food to shine, we kept our tables pretty simple. We named each table after our favorite restaurants, with the bride and groom’s table named after the restaurant where Stephen proposed to me. We wanted to recreate the feel of an outdoor bistro so we opted for butcher paper and crayons on each table. The crayons were a hit with the kids and the adults. Our guests created some beautiful art work and wrote some fun poems on these simple canvasses!

To add a splash of color and in keeping with our overall food theme, our centerpieces were small silver tins filled with delicious tangerines provided by our florist. We gave our guests small burlap bags so they could take some tangerines home. My aunt did a fabulous job putting these centerpieces together! For our wedding favors, Marja prepared tasty New Mexican biscochitos and I printed and laminated the recipe for the cookies so our guests could make them at home.

Thanks to our vendors, our wedding day was a complete success. We were relaxed and because we trusted our vendors so much, we were able to enjoy our wedding day to its fullest!

Photography: Twin Lens / Caterer: Marja Catering / Flowers: Jessie Abrams / Ceremony Location: Immaculate Conception Catholic Church / Reception Location: Hacienda Vargas / Invitations: Bride’s brother, Christian /  Dress: Deborah’s Bridal

I am constantly blown away by the creativity and talent that our couples possess.  Case in point?  This New York City duo whose urban meets antiquity wedding was a full-on work of art.  From the vintage-inspired gray gown to the illustrations hand-drawn by the bride, there is brilliance and style oozing out of every inch of this metropolitan union.  Photo Pink packed the gallery with even more from this artful affair!

Click here for more inspiration in the full wedding gallery!

Jen and Danny were married October 9, 2010 at the Metropolitan Building in Long Island City, Queens. The Metropolitan Building is a stunning former factory bought by an antiques dealer for storage. The floors are mazes of rooms decorated with vintage one of a kind pieces of furniture and decor. It is absolutely one of the coolest places to get married in NYC. It definitely matched the bride and groom’s artsy-vintage style.

Jen wore a gray-blue 1950’s style gown with pin-curled hair and a cool vintage-style veil and Danny wore a classic black suit. All of the bride and bridal party accessories were etsy-made.

The table art and place cards were painted by the bride herself. Jen is an incredibly talented illustrator and drew 18th century characters, animals, musical instruments, and sailboats to designate the tables. A profile illustration of Jen facing a profile of Danny was used as their logo for their own table as well as on the menus and invitations.

The ceremony was performed by a close friend of the couple with many other friends taking part through readings and music. It was really unique and said a lot of about the couple and the people that care for them. The reception was an awesome party with lots of crazy dancing, speeches, and fun.

Photography: Photo Pink / Flowers: Opalia Flowers / Wedding Day Coordinator: Green Apple Weddings / Ceremony and Reception Venue: Metropolitan Building / Invitations and Placecards: Jen Hill / Shoes: Calvin Klein / Bridal party headpieces: Feathers of Artemis / Veil: Fascinating Creations / Guitarist’s Fascinator: Peacock Pixys / Dress: Kcoline by Caroline Flach / DJ: Mandy via DJ Gaza / Bakery: Karyn Kwok Kakes / Ceremony Guitarist: Jet Mullen

Our last wedding of the day has so much personality and style-savvy tidbits, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what we love the most so we’ll just go with ALL OF IT. It is a gorgeous Los Angeles fete with a Spanish flair and an array of yummy organic florals and plants courtesy of Holly Flora. Yes, we are a tad bit smitten with those lovelies as well as the dreamy images by Jagger Photography. With so much pretty and so little space, there is a plethora of images from this wedding in the gallery so be sure to check it out!

see the FULL wedding here!

Our wedding inspiration came from a place that is very dear to us – our home. Our home is a 1926 Craftsman Bungalow. We wanted our wedding to be a mixture of all the things that made the Arts & Crafts era wonderful: craftsmanship, quality materials, and simplicity. We wanted rich dark woods, pottery, and textiles. We also wanted to repurpose items from our big day for our home. I’ve already replanted all of the succulents used in our wedding in our garden. The vintage wooden box we used for cards was repurposed as a lamp and also now displays my bouquet. For our guestbook we commissioned an artist to paint, using watercolor, my favorite flower – the Calla Lily. We had our guests autograph it and today you’ll find it hanging from our dining room wall. We chose LA River Center and Gardens because we felt it matched our vision for the wedding. We felt the venue reflected a natural environment and it would need very minimal decorative embellishments. For our flowers we wanted lots of texture, unlike the venue’s flora, yet in harmony with it. For our ceremony we wanted a traditional Mexican Catholic wedding. At the beginning of the ceremony our mother’s lit up two candles as a symbol of how they gave us life. We had a sub-ceremony for the exchange of the arras (unity coins) and the lazo (unity cord), as well as the offering of flowers to the Virgin Mary to bless our marriage. We also gave our mothers and grandmothers a single white long stemmed rose to thank them for their love and ask for their blessing as well. My mother gave me a Virgin Mary statue used during the ceremony, which is dear to me and I proudly display in our home. Mariachi Cuicatlan performed the music for the ceremony, cocktail hour and beginning of the reception beautifully.

In the spirit of the Arts & Crafts movement we had a few DIY projects. I collected the pottery from garage sales and thrift stores that were used to line the aisle of our ceremony. I put together toiletry baskets for the guests’ restrooms. With the help of a couple of friends, we made the flowers for the flip-flops that were gifted as dancing shoes. Abel made the favors, which were tequila shot glasses with a wooden base holder. The tequila shot glasses were individually hand-blown from Tonala, Mexico. He also built the wooden frame holding the backdrop drapery for our dessert table. He even made the signs for the mini dessert out of wood and door hinges. The signs hanging from our chairs, novio (groom) and novia (bride), were handcrafted by Abel from oak wood. The seating chart board was made of wood, and then covered in a fabric inspired by William Morris, a designer, writer and painter of the Arts & Crafts movement. Every wood element was stained in dark ebony. His biggest project was a signature drinks fountain – never seen alcohol dance so beautifully! Some of the more sentimental details for instance, were a flower arrangement placed inside a niche on the wall in memory of our loved ones that have passed away. Also, we had a coffee and Mexican hot chocolate station that had a burlap sack filled with pan dulce (Mexican pastries), this was in honor of Abel’s late grandfather, who would visit Abel and always bring him pan dulce in a small burlap sack.

I was such a wreck before the ceremony. I was completely immersed in my thoughts. The whole world went quiet, but the minute I saw Abel all my nervous jitters went away and the world was okay again. My favorite moment of the day was a surprise Abel planned for me. He had “The Cool Cats” band learn our song (How Soon is Now? by The Smiths). It was a cute surprise that brought the tears. I wanted the band to play that song, but they (at Abel’s direction) said they couldn’t learn the song for our wedding and then wowzers there they were – playing it! The love our friends and family gave us and to see their happy faces really made us happy. Everyone told me to enjoy myself that it would fly by so quickly. I had a blast, danced all night and enjoyed all the wonderful details! The big day was so much more than I expected. It was wonderfully executed thanks to our team of vendors, especially our wedding coordinator, Lina Wallace (she was heaven sent) and our photographers, Jagger Photography, they really did a fantabulous job capturing our day.

Photography: Jagger Photography / Event Producer and Designer: Lina Wallace of A Stunning Affair / Floral Designer: Holly Flora / Caterer: Truly Yours Catering / Band: The Cool Cats (no website) /   Mariachi: Mariachi Cuicatlan grp2027@lausd.net / Table Runners: Sashes for Love / Venue: LA River Center and Gardens / Invitations: Peace of Mine Greetings / Other Stationary: DIY by the bride and groom, Jamie and Abel /  Hair and Makeup: Lauren Manzano / Videography: Isabel Gonzalez Videotique / Officiant: Father Jack / Cake and Sweet’s Display: My Sweet and Saucy

I can’t believe the weddings we get to share with you this week.  Each one is totally rad, unique and full to the brim with thoughtful details and personal touches.  This Washington state wedding from my favorite photographer of the Northwest – Ben Blood – just blew me right out of the water.  Set on an island near Seattle and intricately designed by McKenzie Powell Designs, it has an earthy elegance and feel-good vibe through and through.  The full gallery is your one-stop spot for vintage details galore!

Click here for more inspiration in the full wedding gallery!

I couldn’t end this post without offering up this slice of goodness from Cabfare Productions.  It shows off even more of those sweet, sweet details and what looks like one heck of a dance party.  Plus it is set to my all-time favorite wedding song!

Jen was a dream client and so much fun to work with that by the time the wedding rolled around, she felt like a dear friend. Secondly, she has amazing taste, so working with her was easy. She added so many of her own touches to the day which made it truly unique and beautiful, my favorite being the seating card display built with garden trellises and yards of satin ribbon. It turned out fabulously! Both she and Brodie, along with their families were all so kind that it was such a pleasure to have played a part in their day.

The venue immediately set the tone as it sits overlooking a valley and privately owned lake on Whidbey Island near Seattle. After a beautiful ferry ride over, guests were treated to stunning views and a warm sunny day. Because the on-site location of the ceremony is so beautiful, we kept the décor to a minimum. Bundles of eucalyptus lining the aisle and two huge urns of luscious flowers, vines and greenery were all the drama we needed.

Old photos of the couples’ parents and grandparents on their wedding days were displayed in dark blue frames, all set in an antique kitchen hutch with added touches of flowers, vintage linens, and some pretty pink depression glass. Gorgeous vintage hats found by the groom’s mother went perfectly with the rest of the vision.

The venue offers a bit of that rustic charm, yet provides an elegant setting that was perfect for Jen’s request of a family style meal enjoyed outdoors with friends. We filled the long tables with natural looking flowers, using eclectic glass vases of garden roses, veronica, scabiosa, jasmine vine, a variety of herbs and other greenery, giving it a very summery, European feel.

The dessert table greeted guests immediately upon entrance to the barn to provide visual impact, to take advantage of the beautiful string lighting that would act as the romantic backdrop, and because I’ll take any opportunity I get to greet guests with a large gorgeous arrangement.

Wedding Photography: Ben Blood Photography / Cinematography: Cabfare Productions / Event Design and Flowers: McKenzie Powell Designs / Wedding Venue + Catering: Fireseed Catering / Invitations: Good Stock Press & Bindery / Dress + Shoes: Luly Yang

Bella Figura is at the tippy top of our favorites list when it comes to all things paper. And for good reason – they have perfected the combination of unique + gorgeous paper goods. It doesn’t get any better than that. If you’re in the market for stylish save the dates or wedding invitations, Bella Figura is going to be your new best friend. With such a large assortment of perfect in every way designs and all totally customizable, you are sure to find just the right invitation to announce your wedding in style.

Capital P to the retty and these babies also happen to be earth friendly. That’s right, Bella Figura wants to make the world a better place with their eco-friendly letterpress shop. Not only do they donate 1% of sales to environmental causes but they are a wind-powered, carbon neutral company and all of their designs are printed on 100% cotton (tree-free) paper. Three cheers for Bella Figura!

So to recap, we are talking total swoon-worthy wedding paper goods from an environmental loving letterpress shop and…wait for it….they are giving away a $450 gift card (good for any letterpress stationery or invitations at Bella Figura) to one lucky reader! Such a good way to start the week. And entering is a total no-brainer. Simply head over to Bella Figura and check out their collection of fabulous stationery and paper goods, then leave a comment below with your favorite design in their line-up. So easy! A winner chosen at random will be announced on Friday, March 11. So hop to it and start perusing the gorgeousness that is Bella Figura. Good luck!

Welcome back! We hope you all had a lovely weekend! We do have quite a week lined up for you on The Little Black Book Blog so let’s get right to it! First from New York ~ a spectacular wedding from Exquisite Affairs Productions, a gorgeous formal ceremony and killer reception from last August. Kirsten and Chris found so many ways to incorporate their personality into the day. We’re pretty sure you’ll agree it was the perfect blend of elegance with a good dose of fun!

From Kirsten & Chris …
One Hanson is a Brooklyn icon and as Brooklynites we wanted to find a unique spot that reflected us and our home. You can’t help but have your breath taken away when you walk into the bank at One Hanson … its soaring vaulted ceiling and its art deco style is stunning when properly lit to feature all its incredible details. We loved the idea of using the old teller windows, and check signing stations as part of our decor. We had our cocktail hour in the massive vault in the basement which a lot of our guests got a kick out of – it was so different than anything else they’d experienced! We loved that our venue gave our guests a chance to have fun in the most unlikely of spaces.

We really wanted people to walk into our wedding and think to themselves, “this is SO them!” Since our wedding venue was an old savings bank we had plenty of inspiration for decor! We had pennies in our floral arrangements during cocktail hour, had a ton of those green banker’s desk lamps, a lounge area with leather bankers couches and of course those lollipops you used to get as a kid when you went with your Mom on the way out.

One of our most vivid memories was walking into the fully decorated One Hanson for the first time before any of our guests. We both had this moment where we stood there agape at the transformation of the space. We couldn’t have imagined that everything could have come together so perfectly – and it was all to celebrate us! So cool.

Kirsten’s Dad is from Germany and is an avid flag collector…, so four flags were hung in the reception room – the German flag, Irish flag, American flag, and the bride’s family shipping company flag. The groom’s family is from Ireland… so we offered Spaten and Guinness on tap in steins and pint glasses respectively. Chris is a huge soccer fan.. and runs the Northside Soccer League in Brooklyn so having little fooseball people as toppers was one of our personal little touches. The bride’s father also presented a gift to the groom and his soccer team – a customized flag with their emblem! A very special German tradition was also included – the “bridal cup.” The bride and groom stand closely together facing each other with just enough space for the cup between them. The bride takes the smaller cup in hand while the groom holds onto the larger cup. Together, the wedding couple raises the cup up and to their lips to drink. They cannot spill a drop because if you can drink without spilling a drop, love, faithfulness and good luck will be yours forever!

We could not have done our day without Christine Viola and her team from EAP — not only was the entire day flawless, but we had SO much fun planning with her and her team. Also would love to mention John from Flower Michele who unexpectedly passed away shortly after our event. His unbelievable creativity with our floral arrangements and decor made our venue come to life in ways we could never even imagined. Carl and the Abigail Kirsch team blew us away with their most insanely delicious food and impeccable professionalism.

. . .

We always like to ask our couples if they had a “first look” session, and if so, are they glad. Here’s Kirsten & Chris’ response …  We had a first look to avoid the photographing of everyone after the ceremony. We knew that we’d just want to party! Our photographer, Stacey Ilyse, was so much fun! She made the photo shoot an absolute blast by improvising with our surroundings as we walked to and from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. We even stopped at a nearby ice cream truck! Some of our favorite pictures were ones she captured when we least expected it.

Wedding Planner: Christine Viola, Exquisite Affairs Productions Inc. / Ceremony: The Oratory Church of St. Boniface / Reception: Skylight One Hanson / Catering: Abigail Kirsch / Hair: Jennifer Brent / Makeup /Anita Nouryeh /Photography: Stacey Ilyse Photography / Cake: City Sweets & Confections / Flowers & Decor: Flower Michele / Band: The Urban Guerilla Orchestra (UGO) / Invitations & Stationery: Cheree Berry Paper / Sound & Lighting: L&M Sound & Light / Photobooth: NYC Photobooth / Transportation: Double Diamond Limos

Time to rise and shine SMP’ers and gear up for a lovely week of inspiration!  Of course we have just the thing to help the cause – this Charelottesville celebration full of traditional elegance by Paul Morse Photographs is just the pretty you need to put some pep in your step this Monday morning. I am loving the shimmer of the warm metallics in the linens and invitations by copper willow paper studio (and the bride’s amazing necklace!) mixed with the crisp white flowers – it’s a little bit traditional, a little bit modern and a whole lot of fabulous. For even more fabulous, be sure to check out the full gallery.

click here for the full wedding gallery!

From the Bride…Jase and I met in graduate school at the University of Southern California in the fall of 2004 and still live in Los Angeles. I grew up in SoCal, one of the three girls; he grew up in western New York, one of three boys. Though we are opposite in many ways with regards to personality and interests, we’re both old souls nearly identical in our goals, values and feelings about what’s most important in life. After our engagement in September of 2009, we quickly decided that our wedding would occur on October 23, 2010 – six years to the day from our first date.

Having lived in nearly a dozen cities across the U.S. between the two of us, we had friends and family all over the country and decided that a destination wedding would be the perfect opportunity for our guests to get away and get to know each other. I went to college in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it remains one of my favorite places. The late October date would give our West Coast guests a chance to experience a true autumn, with all its brilliant foliage. Charlottesville is also one of those rare places that successfully blends a deep-rooted sense of tradition and history with a modern spirit of progressiveness and creativity–exactly the values we wanted in our marriage.

Since the church and reception venue were both historic properties with architecture and interiors to match, we decided to infuse the traditional feel of the reception space with a bit of a modern touch. I’m not much of a color person and didn’t want to compete with the vibrant colors of the fall foliage, so we chose a palette of warm metallics and kept the flowers all white, creating interest with texture and sparkle by using shimmery and sequined linens, mercury glass, mirrored surfaces and lots and lots of candles. A mix of long rectangular tables and square tables helped give a traditional ballroom a more modern vibe. The groom, groomsmen and our four ring bearers swapped for bow ties for neckties with their traditional black tuxes, and the bridesmaids each wore different cocktail dresses in varying shades of gold/champagne. Many of the little details were particularly special to us, even if no one noticed them: my late grandmother’s bee pin on my bouquet; Batman cufflinks for the groom, groomsmen and ring bearers; a favorite Rilke quote letterpressed on the front of the program.

With the help of our amazing vendors and planner, everything came together wonderfully, though ultimately our design and details simply served as beautiful backdrop for an amazing day and night in which our family and friends ate, drank and danced the night away in what was definitely the party of our lives.

We loved Paul’s work immediately upon seeing his website and blog but knew for sure he was the photographer for us when we met him in person. He captured the feeling and story of the day through amazing candid shots that are truly magazine-worthy, AND got gorgeous portraits, AND was a joy to work with throughout the entire process. Every time we go through our photos, we not only get to look back at our wedding day, but also live it again in a totally different way. We discover something new every time we look at the photos – they are not just the story of our wedding in images, they are all of the stories of our wedding in images, which is such a blessing given that a bride and groom simply can’t be there for every important moment in the whirlwind of emotion and fun that is a wedding.

The day would not have been possible without the expertise of our fabulous planners at Easton Events. The amazing Floral Images developed and executed our vision beyond our wildest dreams. DJ Ray Jarrell of Ray Jarrell Entertainment kept the dance floor full the entire night – literally, only four people left the wedding early! Copper Willow Paper Studio did a beautiful job with our invitation suite, day-of printed materials and calligraphy (I still pull out our invites just to admire them). We felt so lucky to work with such great vendors across the board – wonderful people who did a wonderful job.

Ceremony venue: Grace Church / Reception venue: Farmington Country Club / Planning: Easton Events / Floral: Floral Images / Rentals: Festive Fare / Lighting: Blue Ridge Light Forms / Cake: Maliha Creations / DJ: Jarrell Entertainment / Hair: Moxie Hair and Body Lounge / Printed Materials: Copper Willow Paper Studio / Photography: Paul Morse Photographs / Invitations: Copper Willow Paper Studio

Didn’t your mother always tell you that when you hang around happy people, at the end of the day you’ll be happier … and when you hang around grumpy people, you end up grumpy! Well, the same goes for planning your wedding. Surround yourself with folks who love what they do for a living ~ the wedding professionals who will bring all the expertise of their years and can’t keep the smiles off their faces and we guarantee, you’ll walk away with that same grin plastered across your face at the end of this momentous day! We ~ at Style Me Pretty ~ want to do just that for you! We want to surround you with some guys and gals who have devoted their lives to making brides and grooms happy ~ their own joy is infectious!! And on The Little Black Book Blog ~ we are taking just one more opportunity to showcase their work. The features on the LBB blog aren’t FOR THEM … they’re FROM THEM TO YOU! So sit back, relax and enjoy a few previews from this week’s line-up on Abby’s Little Black Book Blog!

Kitty and Craig of Twin Lens Photography helped make Adrianne & Stephen’s New Mexico wedding a day that was the best! “Thanks to our vendors, our wedding day was a complete success. We were relaxed and because we trusted our vendors so much, we were able to enjoy our wedding day to its fullest!”

photography by Twin Lens

We have Adrianne and Stephen’s wedding from Twin Lens Photography coming up a little later this week on The Little Black Book Blog. If you’d like to see more of Kitty and Craig’s unbelievable style, take a look at their facebook page feature of this wedding!

We also have the most incredible collection of bridesmaids EVER coming up this week! From Cori Cook Floral Design ~ a rainbow of beautiful ladies and gents with flowers and smiles to nudge any one of you into that big huge grin!

photography by Laura Murray

You can see them all ~ up close and personal right here on Cori’s blog!

An excerpt from Wednesday’s feature (from Weddings by Windy) … I’m one of those people who firmly believes in fate, destiny & that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. I love retracing steps in any event figuring out “if this didn’t happen like this, then that wouldn’t have happened, etc.” I also understand, however, that not everyone is on that bus. But I think even the biggest naysayer would have agreed after seeing the shots of Katie & Lee’s October 9th, 2010 ceremony at Veritas Vineyards in Afton, VA outside of Charlottesville. We had about 90+ guests we had to transport from 2 hotels in 2 different parts of the Charlottesville area. One in the city of Charlottesville – The Marriott, and the other from the Best Western in Waynesboro, VA. Of course, the bus carrying the majority of the 90 guests coming from the Marriott… broke down prior to picking anyone up! And it happened at about 5:00 for a 6:00 ceremony! If EVER there is a reason to pay good money for a great venue, great photographers and to have a wedding planner on site – this was it. Into crisis mode we went …

photography by Worthington Photography

As with any great love story, this one, too has a happy ending. So, as they say, for the rest of the story … you’ll have to meet us back here on Wedding Wednesday!

The last LBB Blog preview we’re going to give you today is from a spectacular ~ and I mean spectacular~ wedding choreographed by the brilliant team of wedding professionals at Exquisite Affairs Productions that took place in an A. M. A. Z. I. N. G. old savings bank building ~ Skylight One Hanson.

full SMP gallery here

We’ll pick up tomorrow morning … 10-ish … with EAP’s stunning wedding feature!

Have a wonderful day!!

As you head off into engaged bliss and start planning the wedding of your dreams, one of the more exciting to-do’s on that ever-growing list will be to register. Woohoo! And NewlyWish should be your first stop. They believe that your registry should be as unique and personal as every other part of your Big Day and we couldn’t agree more. Their curated collection of fabulous shops includes stylish items for your kitchen, tabletop, bed & bath, and even home décor. Not only that, but NewlyWish has also included less traditional items such as artwork, food and wine, and tickets to cultural and sporting events. There isn’t one marvelous thing that they haven’t thought of! NewlyWish also happens to have you covered beyond choosing your registry gifts.Their collection of wonderful wares includes super stylish wedding party gifts, favors and welcome bags as well. So not only can you receive gifts but you can get in on the action and give them as well! Total registry perfection.

Why hello again Friday, you sure do look delightful! It’s time to file away another pretty week in the SMP books, and we hope you enjoyed every single second. Before we send you lovelies off into what is sure to be a fabulous weekend, we thought we would give a little sneak peak into a little something coming up next week from the talents of Jessica Claire and Lynde Galloway. We already have ants in our pants to share, so until we meet again – here is a little looksee into what’s on the docket…

If you missed any, here are all of our pretty posts from the week:

an Arizona wedding and day after shoot all in one pretty post  
a modern San Francisco fête
an abundance of COLOR in this Texas affair 
Industrial loving brides, check out this New York City wedding
a lovely trip to Spain
a day FULL of gorgeousness
a completely touching Missouri wedding
a G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S NYC wedding
a wedding full of Sparkle & Hay
and some much needed Spring inspiration

Fun links from around the web:

a perfectly pretty ballerina inspired shoot via Snippet & Ink
a pretty little sneak peak via Brancoprata
a cute as can be baby shower via Dandelion & Grey
a six-layer, rich chocolate malted & toasted marshmallow cake? Yes please. via Sweetapolita

We’d also like to extend a very warm welcome to our newest Little Black Book Members…

Greg Blomberg Photography
Crossed Keys Inn
Italia Celebrations
The Wedding Studio
Cinematic Touch
Mia Bridal Couture
Michael Daigian Design
Cedarwood Weddings
Amy Allen Photography
FH Weddings & Events (Fishhawk Weddings)
Holly Hedge Estate
1740 House
Face the Occasion
Beloved

And lastly, we have a few winners to announce. Drum roll please…

The winner of the necklace by Sora Designs is Lauryn and the winner of the Your Dream Dress gift certificate is Jenna. Congrats ladies!!

Have a happy weekend everyone! We will be back bright eyed and bushy tailed with pretty things to share on Monday! xoxo

There is nothing like an explosion of color to wake the senses and get your mind ready for a fun-filled weekend. Are you ready? This Central Coast wedding is not only color endowed but full of hand-made charm all caught on film by Ahlin Photography. And the florals crafted by April Flowers are beyond words. Seriously this celebration is full of life, love and sure to put a big old happy smile on your pretty faces. Hop on over to the gallery for the FULL day.

see the rest of this shindig here!

Although I’m originally from southern California, Matt and I were living in NY and DC respectively while planning our wedding. On a whirlwind scouting mission, we fell in love with the rolling, verdant hills and lakeside setting of Spanish Oaks Ranch along California’s Central Coast. The Ranch offered a rustic setting yet also a refined indoor space (which differed from many of the barns we visited) and did not proscribe vendors, allowing us to choose freely those we wanted to hire for our wedding day. As none of our family or friends lived near the site, we knew that everyone would be traveling there and reveled in the opportunity to spend an entire weekend with those we love. We rented Flying Caballos, a San Luis Obispo property (that also serves as a fabulous wedding venue), in which to hold a welcome dinner and allowed all of the wedding party to stay together — SO much fun. I’ll just say it: it’s a challenge to plan a wedding from 3,000 miles away while working full-time and living in a different city than your partner! Thankfully, Matt and I divvied up our planning tasks and we stayed on top of it via shared GoogleDocs. (We had a tab for just about every aspect of our wedding weekend.) I also maintained a blog which allowed me to post DIY projects I hoped to take on, as well as inspiring photos and ideas culled from my daily wedding blog review (Style Me Pretty was undoubtedly in my RSS feed :) to share with my mom & friends. Our friends were instrumental in putting it all together. When my friend, Sarah, learned that I wanted to incorporate the Japanese tradition of senbazuru (folding one thousand paper cranes for happiness) she confided that she had been folding cranes since she was in second grade and would love to help. She ended up leading that project, and single-handedly folded hundreds of origami cranes (well, with two hands actually), which we threaded with monofilament to serve as a ceremony backdrop.

Because Matt and I fell in love with the majestic oak trees on the Ranch and planned to wed beneath them, we decided to carry the oak tree motif throughout our wedding. The amazingly talented Dutch Door Press came up with a beautiful design that we used on our letterpress invitation suite and then carried throughout: we created a rubber stamp (that we used on cocktail napkins & to emboss our programs); a friend created an oak tree version of the mini buttons available in her Etsy shop (and it warmed my heart to see people sporting them all weekend); Sarah screenprinted canvas welcome bags; and we ordered playing card favors for our guests to honor our love of card games. Another bridesmaid created cake plates (using antique plates, vintage glass vases, & epoxy) on which the array of tasty desserts sat. My maid of honor saved the day by cutting napkins with pinking shears from various fabric I’d collected over the past year — and she did this the day before our wedding because I sadly ran out of time! I plan to now incorporate those fabric squares into a wedding quilt. I’m an archivist and feel very connected to things from the past, particularly vintage fabric and ephemera. As I travel often for work, I made it my goal to amass an array of vintage doilies, handkerchiefs, tin cans, salt & pepper shakers, and books from antique stores and estate sales from around the country. Each table setting included a mismatched fabric napkin, unique China plate, as well as a personalized menu place card. I embroidered table numbers, a fun project that I saw on Inspired Bride. We eschewed the traditional selection of two “wedding colors” and instead went for a muted autumnal palette that featured gold, terra cotta, rust, sage green, taupe, champagne, persimmon, and goldenrod, and April Flowers did an extraordinary job translating those ideas and the overall feel into the most beautiful bouquets and arrangements.

Some friends, who happen to be professional photographers, whipped up a fabulous photo booth and my bridesmaids all brought along fun & zany accessories — hats, boas, Hilary Clinton mask, you know… — which made the photo booth a serious hit with guests of all ages. Matt and I met one another while traveling independently in Rio de Janeiro in 2005, so we decided to honor our Brazil connection by serving a signature cocktail. To make the “maracuja” come to life, our friends squeezed hundreds of limes, and procured passionfruit nectar from a Bay Area specialty store. It was via Style Me Pretty that I connected with another bride who was married at our venue last year and inquired about her awesome outdoor lighting. She ended up letting us rent the lights (thanks again, Amber!) and the amazing beaus of my bridesmaids hung them. Matt and I edited a video featuring each of us and our families (and allowed us to feature a ton of home movies that I had recently preserved) that we screened at our reception. Crafting a ceremony that reflected us as individuals took time. We each wrote our own vows weeks before the ceremony and pored over potential readings before selecting two simple, yet beautiful poems. Most guests were quite moved by the ceremony, coming up to us throughout the night to tell us how beautiful it was.

Venue: Spanish Oaks Ranch / Florist: April Flowers / Photography: Ahlin Photography / Videography: Fig Leaf Productions / Caterer: Pacific Harvest Events / Cakes: Christine’s Cake Creations / Day-of Coordinator: Sealed With a Kiss Events / Wedding Dress: Saja / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale / Custom Ties & Bowties: Tux & Tulle / Hair & Make-Up: Jessi Skipton of Bluebird Salon / Hair Fastener: Lo Boheme / Transportation: Central Coast Trolley / Invitation Suite: Dutch Door Press / Officiant: Rabbi Jayne Simon / Welcome Dinner: Flying Caballos

We are so excited to share another DIY project from the fabulous ladies of Posh Paperie. These girls are a creative power house and we love, love, love when they include us in their gorgeous projects. Their latest and greatest? DIY Crepe Paper Blooms! They are not only lovely but they also happen to be super versatile. Dress up your favors, add them to your seating cards, decorate your cake table – heck you could even string them down the aisle. The possibilities are endless with these pretties. We’ll let Posh Paperie explain all the pretty details…

Supplies:
crepe paper
scissors
glue dots
ribbon
crystal clear box (can be found at clear bags)
macaroon (or sweet of your choice)

Directions:
1. cut crepe paper in to 4 x 4 squares; 3 squares per bloom
2. stack 3 sheets and fold in half
3. cut into half circle (round the edges)
4. layer the petals (staggered)

5. pinch from the center (underneath) and twist to secure
6. feather crepe paper with fingers to create a full bloom
7. attach bloom with glue dots (and ribbon, if desired) to top of favor box
*another option: put the bloom on a cake ball lollipop

So adorable and the perfect way to greet your guests at their seat. Huge thanks to Posh Paperie for sharing your DIY prowess and to Jackie Wonders for your lovely photography!

Photography: Jackie Wonders / Concept and Design: Posh Paperie / French Macaroons and Cake Ball Lollipops: My Sweet and Saucy

Sometimes it’s not how you want your wedding to look, it’s how you want your wedding to feel. This drop dead gorgeous, design-loving bride wanted an ethereal and intimate feeling affair, and by the looks of the light-infused images from Ben Godkin Photo, I would say she got just what she was looking for. And the guests were no doubt feeling the love with all the personal touches. I personally adore the fact she hid away a pair of white converse shoes after seeing Father of the Bride when she was 8 and was able to put them to good use on this heart felt day. Just precious. There is even more precious to be had in the full gallery, so be sure to stop on by.

click here for even more!

From the Bride… Thankfully, my husband Sam was very simple about the extent of his wedding involvement. No groomzilla here. With a simple, “all I want to do is marry you… that’s it”, I got free reign to do what I wanted. My mom and I were definitely the masterminds behind the design. With a mutual respect for each other’s wishes and a Love of all things design, the process went smoothly. When I first began the wedding planning process and tried to imagine what our wedding day would look like, I couldn’t so much see it as feel it. I knew I wanted our wedding to feel warm, ethereal, and intimate. I have always been completely inspired by nature and wanted to build a ceremony and reception that made us feel enveloped in God’s greatest work. We took inspiration from all types of places; from an intimate little restaurant we spotted in London, to a fabulous magazine spread, to my own unique ideas. As soon as Sam and I got engaged, we ran and booked our venue. I am still not entirely sure how this idea came about, but I somehow got it in my head that we should marry on a ranch. With no ties to this little town of Wimberley in the Texas hill country, we found the perfect venue at the Red Corral Ranch. It was filled with all the charm and warmth we were looking for.

Finding my wedding gown helped the design process as well. After trying on about 100 different gowns, I found the most beautifully eclectic, inspired, Vera Wang dress that just screamed, “Where have you been, I have been waiting for you!!” The rest seemed to flow from there. I wanted people to feel that our wedding was truly “us” and so we infused all sorts of traditions and customs from our heritage. We were married outside on a perfectly crisp fall afternoon beneath a tallis from Israel that my Jewish grandmother had used at her own wedding. Sam snacked on spanakopita at cocktail hour to satisfy his biased Greek taste buds that settle for nothing less than feta cheese. Our reception dinner was filled with South American flavor as a warm reminder of my Peruvian and Colombian roots.

We had so many tiny details throughout our wedding that truly brought us joy. My Peruvian grandmother had brought her deliciously vintage cake topper from her wedding day to share with us. I closed my eyes in the make-up chair while wearing a very special pair of glimmering converse with the white flowy laces that I had stowed away in a box when I was 8 after watching Father of the Bride and swearing on my life I would marry in them one day. Although I had not married in the church, I wanted to keep it close to my heart, so my bouquet held a vintage charm of a church that would pop open and expose the tiniest bride and groom. My engagement ring was a family heirloom from Sam’s yiayia. It is a custom piece that his papou had designed so many years ago for the Love of his life and now their Love had been passed on to us. Our wedding bands were engraved in Coldplay lyrics that we had walked down the aisle to; music that served as a sweet reminder of our young Love when we met as teenagers. I swear, I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried. We were surrounded in details that were incredibly heart felt and special to us in a way that only we could truly appreciate. A feeling of genuineness was so very important. I wanted all of my bridesmaids and flower girls to feel happy and comfortable in their skin so I was more than pleased to pick a color and let them choose the dress of their heart’s desire. I was so happy I did because not only were they happy, they got to show off their beautiful personalities and still coordinate perfectly for the pictures. At the end of the day, the feeling of Love, genuineness and celebration were truly felt by all. Our family and friends were thrilled with great food and great company. Every last person was dancing like their life depended on it.

In a big red barn out in the middle of Texas hill country, we danced, we Loved, we ate, and we danced some more. It was perfect.  We could not have done any of this without the unwavering support from my parents (we Love you!!!). We were truly blessed with such an amazing gift that we find we are still pinching ourselves as we look back fondly at our photographs. Our wedding completely exceeded our expectations in every way and we are so very thankful for that.

Photography: Ben Godkin Photo / Flowers: Last Petal / Event Design: Beatriz Craven (The Bride) and The Girl in Pearl / Event Planning: Jessica from Something To Celebrate / Ceremony Location: Red Corral Ranch / Reception Location: Red Corral Ranch / Invitations: The Inviting Pear / Shoes: Badgely Mischka / Lighting: ILIOS Lighting Design / Cake: Michelles Patisserie / Catering and bar: Primizie / DJ: look no further / Rentals: Marquee / Officiant: Rev John Connor / Dress: Vera Wang

We are all getting a little weary of winter and looking forward to sunnier days and warmer weddings.  Souder Photography has made the transition into Spring a little easier for all of us with a darling photo shoot full of blueberries and lace.  Vintage My Wedding + Southall Eden put together the sweet, delicate vintage details perfect for those of us feeling the cabin fever kickin’ in.  The full wedding gallery is bursting with inspiration for a late-winter, early-spring or any-time-of-year wedding!

Click here for more springy inspiration in the full gallery!

Super fun shoot with one of the most beautiful couples we’ve seen on any blog in a long time.  We thought the idea of Blueberry + Lace is a nice transition from winter to an upcoming spring. With the lace and bright blue and white colors, you hint at winter, but with the blueberries and the gorgeous flowers everywhere, you can almost smell and taste spring in the air. Vintage My Wedding has everything a bride could ever want if she has been saying just that… someone please VINTAGE MY WEDDING! The Bride Room pulled through again with an amazing dress. They are Nashville’s best place to get a dress. Period. Southall Eden is one of the prettiest venues we’ve ever seen, hence why we actually got married there back in September. It’s a paperie making one of kind invitations everyday, and lending a hand with styling the actual weddings that happen there. Shannon at Southall Eden really helped this shoot out in a big way. Yay!

Photography: Souder Photography / Dress: Monique Lhuillier from The Bride Room / Design: Vintage My Wedding and Southall Eden / Flowers: Chase Rivers / Invitation: Southall Eden Paperie / Desserts: Dulce Desserts

Melissa & John were married on the coast of California, in the quaint town of Tiburon, which is nestled amongst the hills, seaside just outside of San Francisco. The ceremony was held at Old St. Hilary’s, an historic hilltop chapel, followed by a reception at the Landmarks Art & Garden Center. The event took place on September 18th 2010, a perfect day with clear blue skies and incredible ocean views that are as beautiful as they are rare in the bay area. -from 2Chic Events and Design

Personal touches made this wedding as sweet as it was beautiful. During the ceremony, Melissa & John’s sister and brother read love letters that the couple had written to each other in high school. Melissa and her mom spent over a year working on DIY personal touches as well, including hankies for the guests, which were hand embroidered with sentiments by Melissa’s mom and were meant to absorb the guests’ tears of joy. The end result was an intimate, personalized and stunningly gorgeous affair.

“John and I wanted every aspect of our wedding to not necessarily be unique in the wide world of weddings, but unique to us. From the décor to the picture perfect little white wedding chapel, I truly believe that our vision came to life the day we were married.

We’re really proud to say that all the decorations were either handmade or recycled. We used distressed wood gathered from a lumber yard to make signs leading the way to the ceremony and reception sites. We hand-stitched our initials onto handkerchiefs for our guests to use during the ceremony (which also doubled as wedding favors!) We gathered old mason jars to use to hang lights throughout the trees, as well as for our table centerpieces. Since my father had passed away the year prior, I placed a picture of him in a locket that was later wrapped around the handle of my bouquet. That way, he was still able to walk me down the aisle.

During the reception, we hosted a “Beer Bar” where various types of bottled beer were displayed in rustic crates. We also served local wine which was gifted to us from a family friend’s vineyard. From my brother’s hand painted cake toppers, to re-using my parents toasting glasses, each of these details helped to create a wedding that was truly unique to John and me.

Even after all that, it was the intimacy of our wedding that really made it special. Along with reciting traditional vows, John and I also read aloud love letters we wrote to each other back in high school (nearly 9 years ago!) Also, with just under 70 guests, we were able to talk with and enjoy every single one of our guests company. In order to ensure that they felt as special as we did, I wrote notes on the back of each of our guests’ place cards personally thanking them for being here and supporting our marriage. They also received homemade cookies (sugar, chocolate chip and snickerdoodles!) when they checked into their hotels. It was very important to us that our guests felt as special as we did.

With the help of the hardest working wedding planner on earth (Sonja of 2chic events rocked it!), a host of amazing vendors and support from our family and friends, our wedding was just that, “our” wedding and we couldn’t be more happy with the way it turned out. “

Photography: Hendricks Kim Photography / Flowers: Accents by Sage {Personal Flowers}, Friend of Family {Church/Reception Flowers} / Event Design: Bride & Her Mom / Event Planning: 2Chic Events & Design / Ceremony Location: Old Saint Hilary’s, Tiburon / Reception Location: Landmarks Art & Garden Center / Shoes: Enzo Angiolini

It doesn’t happen often, but I am at a loss for words for just how much I love this bride and this wedding captured by the darling Anna Sawin. You may know the bride as the voice behind the lovely blog Sparkle & Hay, but I am lucky enough to know her as a genuine friend and even had the honor of being there to see this beautiful day unfold. It was a wedding straight out of story book, with love oozing out of each and every detail thanks to the ever so talented Sarah of TRUE Event and the lineup of extraordinary vendors that helped bring the sparkle and hay to life. With drop dead gorgeous floral design by Hana Floral Design, could-not-be-more-perfect paper by Chocolate Creative Design and beauty by the lovelies at Jennie Fresa Beauty Library (just to name a few), it’s hard to go wrong. We love love like this and couldn’t be happier Miss Sparkle & Hay is now a Mrs.  Need more? I don’t blame you, so step on over to the full gallery for even more sparkle and hay!

click here for more sparkle & hay!

From the darling Bride…Our story begins in Paris, in June of 2009, where Dan got down on bended knee and asked me to marry him in front of the Eiffel Tower. (Well, actually our story begins 6 years earlier on a college campus in Massachusetts, but this is the abridged version!). It is safe to say that when Dan & I became engaged I caught the wedding bug… bad.  I truly enjoyed every moment of planning & designing our wedding with the intention that it should not only be beautiful, but filled with meaningful details in order to tell the “story of us”.  Originally believing that I wanted a destination wedding (preferably a Villa in the Tuscan Hills or farmhouse in the countryside of France) the one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to transport our guests to a different place, if only through the ambience of the party.  This led to an interesting venue search as we began to comb the state of Connecticut for just the right place to say “I Do”. However, the moment we turned down the (slightly hidden) drive of Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Stonington, I knew this was going to be the place.

Pulling up it is as though you are transported to another place, and inside the meticulously revitalized space (I don’t dare say renovated as so much of the building’s authenticity has been preserved) a fantastic raw energy abounds.  The vineyard was originally a WWII aircraft hangar, the interior a delight for the eyes with towering high ceiling, gorgeous exposed wooden beams and ceilings.  The space comes as-is… and lends itself perfectly to personalization through colors, textures, linens, flowers, lighting, and all sorts of fabulous details. At the onset of the planning process to say I was all over the place with my design style is an understatement.  There is no way that I could have achieved this destination wedding in Connecticut idea I had in my mind alone – it was the creative mind and amazing styling of planner/designer Sarah True of True Event who refined my vision to that of a Provençal Rustic Chic style and brought it to life.  In a true collaborative effort, Sarah assembled a dream team of vendors to work on my special day, many of whom I would not have met without her, and am now so happy to call treasured friends.

Our perfectly Provençal rustic chic save the dates by Lucinda Wesson of Chocolate Creative Design were the first step to creating this special experience to share with our guests – a custom printed burlap pouch filled with lavender, a paper airplane (folded from the pages of a vintage French love poem book) cork from Saltwater Farm Vineyard, and piece of hay arrived at each of our soon-to-be guests homes.   Followed by Fleur de Lis tea stained parchment invitations and a dance program reception card packaged in a kraft paper & Parisian map lined envelope with a vintage inspired RSVP postcard – that guests loved so much many called in their responses and asked to keep the cards! The day of the wedding could not have been more idyllic.  We were greeted the morning of October 23 with beautiful sunshine and sparkling blue sky.  Preparing for the big day while surrounded by my bridesmaids, mother, and mother-in-law was such fun!  The lovely ladies of the Jennie Fresa Beauty Library worked their magic on us as we nibbled on our brunch, and I sipped my warm cup of starbucks (the one wedding gift I asked for from Dan).  The smiling face of Yumiko Fletcher of Hana Floral Design delivering my drop-dead-GORGEOUS bouquet was all it took to send me into pure euphoria (mind you this is only at 10am).  Always on cue, the only person whom I would want so close to me on that day (aside from Dan) Anna Sawin, of Anna Sawin Photography arrived just in time to catch me in this glorious moment (and snap a million photos of me running around the townhouse my parents had rented in the borough of Stonington exclaiming “I’m getting married – this is the best day of my life!”.)  A demure, composed bride I was not – you could not have wiped that ear-to-ear smile off my face if you tried.

A Newport Trolley brought us to St. Mary Church in town, where our guests were streaming into the pews (which were perfectly anointed with small terra cotta pots wrapped in twine, filled with silver brunia berries, lavender, blush spray roses, herbs and greens).   From that moment on the day began to fly, the girls were down the aisle in an instant, and then that moment that you wait for your entire life was upon me – my walk down the aisle.  As I took my father’s arm it was all I could do to keep myself from running down the aisle and jumping into Dan’s arms, the moment I saw him there waiting for me I was overcome with excitement and just knew that all was right with the world.  While my father was the one who walked me down the aisle it was very important to me that both he and my mother “give me away”, so she stood up and joined us as we reached the end of the aisle.  We blinked back tears as my father lifted my veil and kissed me on the check, and then there was a slight blunder on our part as Dan & I were so excited to see each other that we kissed immediately there – before stepping onto the alter together.  Needless to say, I was giddy through the entire ceremony and on cloud nine when we were pronounced husband and wife.

Arriving at the vineyard that sunny evening my dreams had already more than come true.  Greeted at the entrance with a St. Germaine & Champagne cocktail (our signature drink) by Jeanette Holliday of Gourmet Galley Catering, I could not have imagined the breathtaking sight that awaited me inside.  Sarah had transformed Saltwater Farm Vineyard into a place beyond my wildest dreams.  A little bit vineyard, a touch of France, a sprinkling of shimmer, a hint of burlap and we were in another world.  The tables, with a blush linen and burlap & lace edged runner, were covered with mercury glass votives, lace wrapped tea lights, and burlap and lace wrapped water bottles (which I made myself!).  The centerpieces alternated per table; half had moss, lavender, and babys breathe filled wooden crates with a burlap covered wine bottle candelabra.  The others had mercury glass pedestal vases filled with lavender, queen anne’s lace, chocolate cosmos, silver brunia, dusty miller, blush Juliet roses, Café au lait dahlias and rosemary.  Carrying the invitation inspiration through, the table numbers and escort cards were recreations of vintage postcards representing places in the world which were meaningful to Dan & I.  On the back of each we wrote a little note to our guests seated at each table thanking them for sharing in our special day.  Another hit with our guests, we were thrilled when a week after the wedding we actually received one of the table number postcards back in the mail – with a note signed by the entire table expressing how much they had enjoyed themselves.  As we took in the culmination of all of the amazing details coming together to create our big day we were spellbound. All of the countless hours of planning had paid off more than imaginable when Dan turned to me and said “Wow… I knew it was going to look good, but I had no clue it would be this amazing”.

Guest cocktailed on the bluestone patio which had been transformed into an outdoor lounge, enjoying the panoramic views of the vines and the long island sound with the live guitar duo J2AM playing some of our favorite songs in the background. The party moved inside as the sun began to set, and the room began to glow.  The meal was flawless; the entrée, a tasting plate, featuring melt in your mouth short ribs and a hazelnut encrusted chicken which we still receive compliments on to this day.  Hours of dancing followed, with guests taking a moment later in the night to help themselves to a drink at the hot beverage bar or make s’mores outside by the fire pit.  Dan & I were able to escape for a few moments from time to time as well, which only allowed us to savor the day even more.  Before I knew it the time for our send off had arrived and cheering guests showered us in dried lavender sprinkled from French printed paper cones.  It was more than a dream come true.

Venue: Saltwater Farm Vineyard / Design and Coordination: Sarah True of TRUE Event / Photography: Anna Sawin Photography / Catering: Anna Lathrop and Jeanette Holliday of Gourmet Galley / Floral: Hana Floral Design / Paper: Chocolate Creative Design / Entertainment: Power Posse Productions & JA2M / Rentals: Rentals Unlimited / Transportation: Newport Trolley / Videography: Tim Ethier Video Productions / Beauty: Jennie Fresa Beauty Library / Dress: Augusta Jones from Kleinfeld New York / Bridesmaids: J.Crew / Bride & Groom Forks: Beach House Living / Guest Book: LovliDay / Bridesmaid and Bride’s clutches: Oatmeal Lace Design / Hanger: LilaFrances

These Vendors are members of our Little Black Book.
For membership information, click here

Hana Floral Design

View Portfolio

There are so many glamy glam details in this New York wedding that instantly captured our attention but the detail that captured our hearts? The fashion! Holy cow, the fashion, the dress, the tuxedo…we are falling for it all. And it marries so nicely with the rest of this city chic affair. DM Events lent their eye for perfect details and whipped up one fabulous party and Meredith Davenport of Christian Oth Studio was there to capture all of the gorgeous images. This is definitely a dream team and a dream wedding if we ever saw one. See more from this G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S wedding in the gallery.

see the FULL wedding here!

September weddings are usually filled with color palettes of red and orange or pink and brown, but this New York City based couple wanted to stay true to their style with shades of deep purple, magenta and black. The Palm House at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens set the glamorous tone for this city soiree!

The first step was to conquer the flowers. We knew they had to be grand, especially when you are celebrating your nuptials in the oasis of a city garden! The arrangements, by Zeze, featured lush purple hydrangeas and pink and purple roses. The bride’s bouquet was utterly stunning, filled with deep purple calla lilies and black feathers, adding another touch of glam to the evening. The botanic themed stationery from Ceci NY was the perfect complement to the nature blooms that filled the room.

Sarah and Colin knew that the key to their city affair was to keep the guests partying – and when Jason Fioto spins, it is always a party to remember! What could be more glamorous than a decadent cake and dessert bar, perfected by Nine Cakes. Attire was not overlooked by this swanky couple – they were decked out from head to toe! From the diamonds on the bride’s dress to the velvet of the groom’s tuxedo blazer – one glance at this hip couple and you know they’re made for each other!

Planning and Styling: DM Events / Photography: Meredith Davenport of Christian Oth Studio / Venue: Palm House at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens / Flowers: Zeze Flowers / Cake and Desserts: Nine Cakes / Stationery: Ceci NY / DJ: Jason Fioto of Generation Events / Make-up : Anni Bruno / Dress: Jenny Packham from Mark Ingram

If there is one company that knows pretty, pretty paper goods inside and out, it’s Hello!Lucky. Not only is each and every piece coming out of their San Francisco studio insanely beautiful but they happen to  specialize in unique, creative wedding invitations using gorgeous letterpress and digital print methods on thick cotton papers. So you can see why we have been longtime super fans of Hello! Lucky and their newest invitations on the block are some of the best yet…

We told you they are the bees knees of invitation design and they also happen to be really generous to boot. Hello! Lucky has graciously offered up an awesome giveaway and we are super duper excited about this baby. Ready for the juicy details? They are gifting a $300 gift certificate for Hello! Lucky products to not one but TWO lucky readers. Not only that but both winners will also receive a copy of Hello! Lucky’s new book, Handmade Weddings!

To enter this fab giveaway, simply leave a comment below describing your wedding style. Easy, right? We will announce the winners picked at random on Friday, March 11. Good luck SMPers! And be sure to carve out a little time for pretty invitation perusing at Hello! Lucky. You have to plan out how you would spend that $300 after all.

When we first spied this wedding, our first thoughts were … “They’re so pretty … oh so pretty!” All the pretty maids gathering before the momentous occasion of their best friend’s wedding ~ the makeup, the jewelry, the pretty dresses …

… and the bride … oh-so-gorgeous!

images courtesy of DeShelia Spann Photography

Philippe & Emily currently live in San Francisco. He was born and raised there, and she grew up in Indiana. When they chose North Carolina as their wedding destination, a lot of people were asking why. “I grew up going on family vacations to North Carolina to visit my grandparents. I’ve always loved it there, so it made perfect sense to have our wedding there after we decided San Fran was too expensive and Indiana didn’t seem unique enough for the kind of day we wanted to create. The realization that we had guests and family coming from all over the country was the design inspiration for our special day.”

As a graphic designer, Emily has spent the last 7 years designing invitations for other brides. She wanted her invitations to be simple, clean, & fun but also convey a touch of elegance. The charm of the invitations came from the combination of printing techniques that were used. The words in script were printed in metallic foil – silver, gold, and rose gold – while all other words were letterpressed into the different fine colored papers from Crane’s Palette Collection.

The wedding ceremony was held at St. Andrew’s-Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wilmintgon, NC. The reception took place at the Dudley Mansion, located on the Cape Fear River and only a few blocks from the church. Besides being a historical gem, the Dudley has recently been completely refurbished and redecorated. It is a feast for the eyes and could easily serve as the setting for the O’Hara mansion in Gone with the Wind. Guests were able to experience that Southern sophistication while inside the mansion. Philippe & Emily created a fun, relaxed, family-style barbeque atmosphere in the backyard where family and friends relaxed and celebrated.

The reception decor was simply fabulous, designed with beautifully lit tents and cozy furniture. The floor plan showcased the left side for cocktail hour, lawn games, and umbrella tables, the back left for dancing and lounge areas, and the front and back right side for the dinner tent, bar, and additional lounge seating. {See more images in the Style Me Pretty Gallery!} Seafoam bottles were filled with the couple’s signature cocktail and displayed with the straws on a table so that guests could grab one when they first arrived. Edison lights hung over the dance floor and throughout the tent. As a graphic designer, Emily loves all things paper, so she picked out some of her favorite wallpaper patterns and incorporated them into coasters, photo backdrops, favors, & lampshades. Table centerpieces incorporated antique turquoise bottles and candles.

Food stations were set up around the yard: Antipasto Station with cured meats, olives, cheeses, breads, dips, and fruit ~ A deconstructed salad bar where people can create a salad with fresh toppings ~ A starch station with chipotle sweet potato fries, breadsticks, garlic & bacon mashed potatoes, and hush puppies. The chef manned a large outdoor grill where he prepared Grouper, Shrimp and Grits as well as other southern fares for guests. A dessert table showcased the families favorite cakes and pieces as well as the couple wedding cake, a San Francisco Giant’s inspired cake.

The night ended with Emily and Philippe headed off to sparklers and a Rolls Royce. As guests left the venue they were greeted with Light Night Snack filled with two old school Coke bottles, a beef sandwich and potato fries. It was a celebration filled with great family and friends, good food and great decor.

Photography: DeShelia Spann Photography/ Flowers: Jennifer Rose-Sandy, Salt Harbor Designs/ Event Planning and Design: Salt Harbor Designs/ Cater: Marcus, Culinary Creations/ Ceremony Location: St. Andrews Covenant, Wilmington, NC/ Reception Location: The Governor Dudley Mansion, Wilmington, NC/ Invitations: Emily Larson Designs/ Reception music: Brian Hood, Active DJ / Lighting & Power: High Performance, Steve Peterson/ Shoes: Rachel Roy/ Dress: Carolina Herrera Fall 2007 Collection / Bridesmaid’s Dresses: J Crew / Bridesmaid’s Belt: Emily’s mother.

What captures my heart most about this wedding is not the dress or the bouquet or the decor but the incredible, beautiful and strong family at the center of it all.  There is so much love and joy that radiates from each and every image by Hawes Photography.  How wonderful that The Gifted Wedding was able to give them such a spirited celebration of love and life and they were able to have a perfect day together.  Visit the full gallery for more heartwarming inspiration!

Click here for more inspiration in the full wedding gallery!

It’s hard to know where to start with Ryan and Amber’s story. The most obvious place is to talk about their daughter, Harper. Harper was born with an extremely rare form of cancer. It is so rare that they have better odds of winning the Powerball… twice. Not surprisingly, Harper became the immediate focus of Ryan and Amber’s life. They scheduled their life around doctor’s visits, chemotherapy treatments and enjoying their time with their baby girl.

When it came time to plan their wedding, they knew they needed help. Somehow worrying about the exact shade of wedding colors and planning a menu paled in comparison to their daily challenges.  So they turned to The Gifted Wedding. This newly formed St. Louis organization provides dream weddings to couples faced with unique financial situations. The Gifted Wedding organizers were inspired by the Creek family’s story and set to work planning.

We were truly blown away by the entire day. The Gifted Wedding volunteers organized a celebration that truly honored Ryan, Amber and Harper’s life. They made sure every detail was perfectly done, from buses to transport the wedding party to a wine bottle guestbook to kids games on the lawn of the winery – the entire day was infused with fun and personality!

Unfortunately, just a few short weeks after Ryan and Amber were married, Harper lost her battle with cancer. While this is nothing short of a tragedy, it’s not the end of Ryan and Amber’s story. They are two of the strongest people we have ever met. They are optimistic in the face of insurmountable odds. They have a fighting spirit that continues to march on. And that’s why it’s hard to know how to tell their tale. It’s equal parts sadness and hope, and it’s important for you to know both as you get a glimpse of just one of the happiest days of their lives.

Photographer: Hawes Photography / Venue: Balducci’s Vineyards / Appetizers – Cafe Mosaic / Tent, Lighting and Linens: Crown Rental / Bridal and Flower Girl Attire: White Traditions Bridal House / Custom Stationery: Your Day Your Way Custom Stationery / Custom Wine Box/Card Box: M. Haley Design / Disc Jockey: A Touch Of Class DJs / Transportation: The Wine Wagon / Airbrush Tanning: Envy Mobile Tan / Digital Photobooth: PhotoboothStL / Videography: Milestone Productions / Bridal Accessories: Jenny Present Custom Jewelry / Dessert Bar: Augusta 4H Club / Favors: Bunny Cakes StL Custom Cakes and Desserts / Florist: Windy Hill Cut Flower Farm / Centerpieces + Decor: Hillermann Nursery and Florist + Fahr Greenhouses, Inc. / Bride and Groom Accommodations: Hermann Hill Bed and Breakfast / Flower Girl Gifts: Build-A-Bear Workshop