Romance seems to be born and bred at Saddlerock Ranch and we have tons of gorgeous weddings from that very spot to prove it. The latest edition to the team is this perfect specimen photographed by Bradeon Photography with breath-taking design and styling by Cassandra & Company Weddings. It is oh so pretty and definitely worth a visit to the gallery for a peek of more from the day.

see more from this romantic affair here!

While their romance started on the beach, Viveka & Matt were looking to capture a warmer, more earthy feel for their September nuptials. After an extensive search (from Newport to Santa Barbara) they found their fit with Saddlerock Ranch’s estate property. Nestled among the growing grape leaves and many unique animals (Viveka was in love with the horses but the baby buffalo enchanted her nearly as much) their reception was a lively dance party that went well into the night. Family flew in from Peru to begin the celebration in Santa Monica at Saint Monica’s Church (home parish of Maria Shriver; where she married Arnold Schwartzeneger in 1991) in the early afternoon. The aisles were trimmed with huge bouquets of babysbreath which echoed her lacy Vera Wang gown. Her seven bridesmaids wore custom party dress that were trimmed with velvet in keeping with their hand held nosegays. To set the tone her invitations were a custom designed by Annie Carolin of Flite Design. The soft pink paper was letterpressed with silver ink and hand torn finished with a wax seal and bound with ivory twine. Echoing the romance that Viveka had her heart set on the first dance for husband and wife was a sweet rendition of “I Know You”. Couches sat close to the dance floor so that all of the guests could enjoy snuggling with white fleece blankets. Before the end of the night a taco bar created by Jaimi Willis of 24 Carrots Catering was set up with every imaginable fixing to offer a final nod to their guests.

Photography: Bradeon Photography / Cinematography: Shark Pig / Flowers: Holly Flora / Event Design and Planning: Cassandra & Company Weddings / Ceremony Location: Saint Monica’s Church, Santa Monica, California / Reception Location: Saddlerock Ranch, Malibu / Invitations: Flite Design / Shoes: Pour La Victorie / Catering: 24 Carrots

Alright summer brides, get ready to soak in some serious, sunny inspiration for your upcoming affair. This Texas soiree by Jenny DeMarco Photography is complete with parasols for guests to shade the hot summer sun, bridesmaids holding fans in lieu of flowers, and a bridal bouquet complete with raw cotton. Y’all, it’s just precious all around, and you’ll want to mosey on over to the full gallery to soak it all up.

click here for the full wedding gallery!

From Jenny of Jenny DeMarco Photography…I met this wonderful couple in June and am absolutely astonished at what an amazingly beautiful wedding they pulled together in just a few short months with so many challenges (like it being outside in August!) Even with the crazy Texas heat, Robin couldn’t have looked more radiant and their wedding couldn’t have been a classier affair. They really looked after their guests and put some truly original personal touches to their wedding. Their wedding ceremony was held at 10am with a brunch reception that immediately followed in Dripping Springs, just southwest of Austin, Texas. To combat the heat, the bride used beautiful paper fans instead of bridesmaids bouquets. When the guests arrived, they were also given paper parasols with a note that said ‘please shade your self’.

Robin’s family formerly owned a seed company and she used their family heirloom burlap seed bags as table centerpieces, which was also the inspiration for the decor. The colors and burlap theme ran through out their wedding details. Robin even carried raw cotton in her bouquet. To tie in the yellow from the ‘corn’ seed bags and also tie in the summer season, Robin used lots of yellow lemons and citrus in her details. These included lemon drops on the tables and lemon bunt cakes as desert. Robin and Andrew served brunch to their guests which was provided by one of Austin’s best caterer’s, Royal Fig. The day’s menu consisted of crème brûlée french toast, eggs benedict, handpicked cheeses from Antonelli’s cheese shop, a bloody marry and mimosa bar, and of course, the cinnamon roll tower (above). Dear lord, hope you weren’t dieting that day, the food was beyond amazing.

Robin also had TWO engagement rings..lucky gal! Andrew worked with a jeweler to custom design the ring on the right, incorporating stones and metal from both Robin and Andrew’s families. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite ready when they left for their African safari trip. Andrew proposed on top of a mountain in Africa with a ring he purchased a ring from a local craftsmen in a village while they were traveling, made from silver and giraffe tail. When they came home from their travels, and the ring was finished, he gave her the ‘real’ engagement ring. Finally, Andrew gave Robin a rock with their names engraved on it for their first valentines together. He picked it up on the corner of South Lamar and 6th, where they bumped into each other and ended up on an in-promptu first date. They have been collecting rocks from their travels and special places ever since. So, naturally, they incorporated rocks with their initials r+a stamped on them.

Photography: Jenny DeMarco Photography / Event Design: Robin and her mother Connie Bagley / Invitations: Minted / Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Dress: Casablanca / Venue: Camp Lucy, Dripping Springs / Catering: Royal Fig / Cake: Nothing Bundt Cake / Day of Coordinator and Rentals: Alisha Anderson of DS Part Rental / Music: Continental Graffiti / Florist: Love Punk Events / Bridesmaid’s Dresses: J.Crew / Bridesmaids Shoes: Madden Girl

We are so happy to return to one of our favorite venues – The Dana Powers Barn – along the sunny coast of central California.  There are already so many fantastic details at the barn, like their amazing wall of vintage mirrors, sweet chalkboard signs and collection of mason jars, that the rest of the design just comes easy and naturally.  Each and every wedding always looks like a dream and this is by far one of the dreamiest with photographs by Christan P Photography.  You’ll definitely want to make your way to the full gallery to see the rest of this rustic day of romance!

Click here for even more inspiration in the full wedding gallery!

This vintage inspired wedding had many fun twists making it a very personal affair.  Andrea was super creative, making her own centerpieces of layered corrugated cardboard boxes holding a wonderful assortment of succulents.  Her floral palette included succulents, but we also incorporated feminine English Garden roses,  lush dahlias and whimsical billy balls to the personal flowers.

This venue is completely a stylist’s fantasy – so many little details abound and serve as wonderful accents to the wedding.  This couple was super fun and very willing to step out of the traditional box of what weddings usually are.

Photography: Christan P Photography / Venue: Dana Powers House & Barn / Flowers: panacea event floral design / Photo-booth: Snap Cubby

This outdoor Maine wedding by David Wittig Photography, described by the couple as Great Gatsby meets a Mid Summer’s Night Dream, is just filled to the brim with personal, heart-felt touches. I am so in love with this couple, their sweet love story and their darling family that made the wedding all come together so beautifully. I am also quite enamored with the darling Bride’s hand-painted pink tulle treasure of a gown by Vera Wang. Swoon! There is a lot to love about this affair, so float on over to the full gallery of images for even more.

click here for the full wedding gallery!

From the lovely Bride…Alex and I met and became friends in the summer of 2005 when we were both living in New York. We were both students in our university’s writing program and though there was a fabulous amount of flirtation, we stayed friends and nothing more for years. There were times when we spoke everyday and times when months went by without a word. Alex left New York for Austin and later moved Santa Fe; I got a dog, Finnegan. In 2007, Alex was ready to come home to Manhattan and I offered him my couch while he looked for a more permanent home. To make the story short, and spare you awkward details, Alex moved in but never slept on the couch. He found an apartment in Chinatown, but after living there for only a few weeks, he called and said he wanted to come home. And he did. We both felt so lucky to have fallen in love with our best friend that we began discussing marriage right away. Neither one of us had ever had a great desire to be married but we were certain that we had found our partner, and with Finn, we were very much a family. Alex first mentioned getting married in his mother and stepfather’s backyard more than a year before we got engaged. I had never imagined a wedding before, never put a napkin “veil” on my head as a child, never thought of colors, or cake, or big white dresses, but as soon as Alex mentioned his mother’s lovely home I knew it was right. On May 1st, 2009, Alex proposed in the rain on Pier 54 with Finn by his side.

When it came time to plan the wedding, our ideas took shape around our location. Though we are now living in Chicago, Alex’s family are all in Maine, where he grew up, and his mother’s Holden, ME property felt nothing short of dreamy to us. We wanted a small and simple, fifty-person, homemade wedding with personal touches. We wanted the wedding to sing and radiate love and joy. We wanted laughter, family, comfort and peace. And we were lucky enough to have everything we wanted. We were also so lucky to have such giving families. Alex’s stepmother made me a gorgeous bouquet of sweet peas; his mother baked our delicious pink cake. My mother made our favors, tiny burlap bags full of wildflower seeds from Maine and Illinois, and included a little note with our “love story.”

Alex and I also knew right away we wanted nothing too traditional. White or ivory didn’t seem quite right for me, so I went with a hand-painted pale pink Vera Wang gown, with layers and layers of tulle, like elegant cotton candy. Our dress code, “Dress In Your Pleasure.” We invited the guests to come at 5:30 for cocktails and nibbles, as it was really important to us to let people know we wanted them to relax and enjoy themselves; we wanted nothing formal. We joined everyone and drank St. Germain cocktails, and snaked on figs, cheese, and fresh vegetables from Alex’s mother’s garden along with delicious bites of bacon, swordfish, and of course, lobster—it was Maine!

Our ceremony was held at 7pm, just as the sun was beginning to set. Our wedding party was comprised of our two dearest friends who walked Finn down a mowed path to the tree where Alex was waiting (Alex’s stepfather had carved our initials into the tree, an Eastern White Pine). My father and I followed shortly behind, while the Beatles’ “All You Need Is love” played through the summer breeze. And as neither Alex nor I are religious, we asked two other dear friends, Howard Skolnik and Robert Milanowski to officiate the ceremony as Alex and I so admire their relationship and their respect and love for one another.

Alex and I had been buying lanterns since we got engaged and a few days before the wedding, Alex hung all 50 of them in the branches of the tree; he would later tell me this beautiful feat was a valentine for me. We also collected vintage tablecloths, which I placed on the ten tables we scattered around the property; mason jars full of fresh flowers from the garden and more lanterns held them down against the day’s strong wind. A mix of music from Andrew Bird to Django Reinhardt echoed through the tent. As we are both writers, we wanted to write our own vows. They were full of tears and laughter, as was the entire wedding. And after a very romantic kiss, and a short breath away together, we arrived in the tent for toasts, cocktails, cake and dancing. Pure happiness. We wanted a wedding that felt like a Gatsby garden party and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, what we got was the best day of our lives.

Dress: Vera Wang / Photography: David Wittig Photography / Catering: The ChiChi Chef / Stationery: Float Paperie

Turn Loose the Art Photography just may have captured the best group shot in the history of Style Me Pretty along with a super fabulous New York City affair full of romantic candlelight, an interesting venue and spot on styling by Marcey Brownstein. All of this seems to be a recipe for success and we have a feeling you city brides-to-be are going to be bookmarking the heck out of this fete. We know we definitely are. See more of the pretty details in the gallery.

see the FULL wedding here!

Kerri and Jeff planned their wedding in the exact opposite way all their friends did. They found a unique venue, a four-story townhouse at the edge of the West Village and Meatpacking District in NYC. They planned their timeline around an evening ceremony, with guest looking down from the balcony surrounding the entire townhouse. Later in the evening the ceremony space became the dance floor, DJ-ed by a club dj rather than the typical wedding entertainment. Also, rather than a traditional sit-down meal for dinner, they provided tray-passed tapas and mini meals throughout the evening. As an homage to Halloween, they provided opera-style masks for their guests to wear during the reception. One other very cool thing? Bono of U2 fame ran into them at the Standard as they were leaving to walk over to 632 on Hudson!

Photographer: Turn Loose the Art / Event Designer & Catering: Marcey Brownstein / Hotel: The Standard / Venue: 632 on Hudson

We see a lot of vineyard weddings around here but this might be the first from the great state of Virginia.  It is a lovely mix of everything that we adore about winery weddings but with a little Southern charm thrown in.  The romantic, rosey hues are fine companions for the more rustic, but elegant, setting.  Holland Photo Arts did what they do best and captured all the beauty that surrounded them.  This is only a snippet of the pretty-in-pink, vintage infused Southern fête so make sure to spend some quality time in the full gallery!

Click here for even more inspiration in the full wedding gallery!

When my husband Jeremy proposed, he fully expected me to already have the entire wedding planned and pull out my Monica-Gellar-style binder from under the bed. While I have dreamed of my wedding since before my first Barbie, I definitely did not have the wedding all mapped out, I just knew I wanted something relaxed, vintage chic and “style me pretty” inspired.

Jeremy is from Colorado and I am from the DC area where we call home, but we have family all over the country and virtually no family that live nearby. After looking at venues all over the country, we finally found Veritas Vineyard in Charlottesville, VA. It was the perfect combination of the things we both love. Jeremy loves the mountains and outdoors and my favorite place is my grandmother’s farm in Illinois. Veritas had the best of both worlds with a gorgeous mountain landscape and surrounding farm grounds and a classy barn-like venue.  Once we had the venue selected, it was easier to describe the feel we were going for- romantic and casually elegant with personal touches. I really wanted a romantic, soft feel and opted for a soft pink and off-white for the colors, with black accents. We found ways to add “vintage” touches by wrapping lace around clear vases and using antique looking vases outside. I also used a piece of lace from my mother’s wedding dress to wrap around my bouquet as a little tribute to my mom.

We quickly learned how fast a wedding budget can disappear, and looked for ways to set priorities. My cousin (also a bridesmaid) is a wedding planner in her spare time and advised us to pick three things to focus on and then get creative with our budget on other things. That was some of the best advice we got at a time when we didn’t know where to begin! It was pretty easy for us to narrow down our priorities to the venue, photography, and music. Luckily, the setting at Veritas was so gorgeous that we didn’t need a lot of extra decorations. We cut back in other areas by printing our own invitations through printablepress.com, getting my veil on etsy.com, going for low centerpieces (which met the intimate feel of the wedding more anyway), serving beer and wine, etc.  My favorite part of the planning was finding ways to add personal touches through the finer details. We brought in a local beer (actually called Love beer, very appropriately) because Jeremy is a big fan of microbrews; added fresh raspberries to the pieces of cake as a tribute to my grandmother, since we always had fresh berries on her farm growing up; used an atlas as our guest book, in honor of our love of traveling; made our programs “fans” with different puzzles on the back to keep guests busy pre-ceremony, in honor of my love of games; had a cousin sing our first dance song, etc. For most of those details (like the beer, raspberries, etc) we had little frames placed nearby that said what it was and why it was important to us. Looking back on it now, all of the DIY, (budget-friendly) details that we added are what made the wedding feel like “us”.

Our photographers, Bill and Anne, really captured our excitement and all of the little moments that we wanted. It was beyond hot the day we got married (close to 100 degrees!), which made getting pictures outside more challenging. (Luckily, as a bride no one will ever tell you that you look sweaty, just that you are “glowing”!) We only had a short time for pictures right after the ceremony, so later on Bill and Anne quietly pulled us out of the reception for a few minutes to capture some shots outside as the sun went down. By that time it had cooled off tremendously and it gave us a second to catch our breath, take everything in, and have a moment to be alone… everyone was eating so it was a great time to slip out, unnoticed. Then we came back for toasts, cake, dancing, and s’mores before a sparkler send-off!

The wedding planning process was definitely different than how I had fantasized about it pre-engagement (in other words, somewhat stressful at times). But when it all came together, it was exactly what I had hoped for and even more than I could’ve imagined!

Photography: Holland Photo Arts / Coordinator: Barb Lundgren of Barb Wired / Venue: Veritas Vineyards / Officiant: Reverend Claire Goodman / Ceremony Musicians: Encore String Quartet + Hillary’s cousins, Larissa & Lucas / Baker: Teri Edwards of Cakes Unlimited / Floral Design: Hedge Fine Blooms / Reception Musicians: 10 Spot Band (through Sam Hill Entertainment) / Videographer: Linda Henry with Blue Mountain Weddings / Dress: Monique Lhuillier, Bliss line

We have another Wednesday full of wedding after wedding of fabulous inspiration and galleries full of to-die-for images coming your way. Are you ready? Wednesday just might be the new Friday for SMPer’s, and we won’t fight that feeling. Let’s begin this lovely day in Colorado with a fabulously cheerful affair from Angie Wilson Photography, shall we? A delightful blend of pink and gray, this flirty fete was as fabulous as it was fantastic. But you mustn’t forget, there is so much more prettiness to flip through in the full gallery.

click here for the full wedding gallery!

From Angie of Angie Wilson Photography…Danielle and Nicolai were married  9-17-10 at the lovely Ryssby Church–a quaint, Swedish building just outside of Boulder Colorado.  Danielle and Nicolai sent beautiful letterpressed invitations to guests and gave hand-stamped bags filled with Boulder snacks (Izzies and Boulder chips) as a welcome gift. Beautiful bouquets of pink flowers adorned the ends of the church pews in a simple yet sophisticated style, made from decorative paper and ribbon.  The fragrance of the flowers filled the air in a way I’d never experienced before—it smelled amazing and really set the tone for the wedding ceremony. Live prelude and processional/recessional music was played by a guitarist, violinist and accordionist who played whimsical songs from the French film Amelie.

Danielle chose pink and a complimentary smoky gray tone as the main colors tied throughout all of the wedding details.  The flower girls bouquets were even topped with a handmade pink ring pillow to hold the rings as they walked down the aisle. The church grounds were beautiful and large enough that we were able to take all bride and groom photos there without driving to another location.  The green from the grass and surrounding trees worked as a complimentary hue with their pink and gray color scheme.

The reception was held at the Rembrandt Yard in downtown Boulder, where Danielle and Nicolai had small gift boxes set atop each guest’s dinner plate.  The box was wrapped in cheerful pink decorative paper with gray ribbon holding a small tag which read “Merci” in a playfully handwritten style. Small cupcake towers acted as dual-functioning table centerpieces and dessert. Tables had a whimsical yet beautiful vibe with each one adorned with various small vases (medicine jars, etc.) holding different flowers, always matching the cheerful pink color scheme.

Photography: Angie Wilson Photography / Ceremony Location: Ryssby Church, Longmont Colorado / Reception Location: Rembrandt Yard, Boulder Colorado / Flowers: Petals / Cake and cupcakes: Mulberries Cake Shop, Denver / Officiant: Reverand Beverly Fest / Catering: Catering by Design

Matt & Enna Grazier, two of Style Me Pretty’s fabulous destination photographers, captured this idyllic wedding at The Moorings Village ‘in the heart of Islamorada’ in the Florida Keys last October. We’re just sharing a smidge of the weekend celebration. The Grazier’s have two  features on their blog with many, many, many more shots from the festivities ~ Sunrise At The Moorings and The Wedding.

Rachel and Aaron live and work in Boston MA. During their engagement they traveled to visit relatives in Florida and while there they took a road trip to the Keys. They fell in love with the beauty of the Moorings Village and the amazing food at Pierre’s restaurant on Islamorada. They invited roughly 60 of their family and friends to join them for a weekend on the Keys. The couple stayed at The Moorings Village which is a picturesque beachfront resort with gorgeous palms reaching out over the water. The sun rises on the Moorings beach, so on the morning of the wedding Rachel and Aaron woke early to watch the sun rise together from the hammock at the end of the pier. {See the Grazier’s full sunrise blog feature here}

Pierre’s restaurant hosted the ceremony and reception and is located directly across the street from The Moorings. Pierre’s beach allows a perfect view of the sunset, so Rachel and Aaron planned the ceremony so that cocktail hour could be spent admiring the sunset from the balconies at Pierre’s. Rachel and Aaron are major foodies, so the meal was a big deal and Pierre’s certainly delivered! The morning after they hosted a brunch at a nearby beach front home, and at the end of the brunch they sailed off on a small hobbie craft.

For more of the details and the amazing scenery from this Florida Keys destination wedding, head on over to Grazier Photography’s second feature of Aaron and Rachel’s wedding!

Photography: Grazier Photography / Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone/ Musicians: Carlos Abanto / DJ: Mike Berrios, MB Entertainment / Invitations: Heather Jeany / Programs and menus created by Bride and Groom/ Flowers: Petals With Pizazz / Hair: Ciao Bella Salon/ Groom’s Attire: Perry Ellis / Ceremony and reception at Pierre’s / Beach cottage & portrait location: The Moorings Village / Officiate: Debbi Ballard

Hola Mallorca! You are a feast for the eyes indeed, especially when your beauty is captured by the purveyor of fine photography, Leo Patrone. And this bash is so beyond your everyday destination wedding. We could seriously stare at the chandelier clad trees and cheeky signage all live long day. Join us and take a pretty trip to Spain via the gallery.

see more of this Spanish beauty here!

Right from the start we knew that we wanted a relaxed wedding with a garden party feel. In the UK we don’t always have the best weather (!) so we knew we should make the most of the Mediterranean climate! We wanted to create a midsummer nights dream atmosphere, so knew that we would need fairy lights and soft lighting around the garden. Initially we had hoped for the wedding breakfast tables to be scattered around the garden, amongst the trees. However, in the days leading up to the wedding it seemed that the British climate had followed us and rain was predicted for our big day…not to be beaten, we hastily arranged for a marquee to be set up in the garden so that our guests could enjoy the wedding breakfast under cover. Thanks to the ingenuity of our caterers, they were able to build the marquee around a 200 year old olive tree in the garden, which was then decorated with love hearts and fairy lights. It really was an amazing feature. As it happens, the sun shone throughout our big day and there wasn’t a rain cloud in sight! It did however help having the marquee as a focal point for the festivities.

We always knew that we didn’t want to be tied to a colour scheme – we didn’t want to detract from all of the beautiful colours and plants in the garden. Instead we opted for muted, antique style colours – for example, my sister Rebecca wore a mink Dessy bridesmaid dress with gold shoes and a dusky pink flower in her hair, and my Kurt Geiger shoes were lilac with a pink trim. The flowers matched this relaxed theme, with lots of pale greens, soft pinks and whites. Our florist Andrew from the Black Rose did an amazing job of creating a ‘just picked from the meadow’ effect for the centre pieces. In the months leading up to the wedding we’d spent weekends gathering antique glass bottles which were then used as vases in the centre of all of the tables. Each table had 5 or 6 bottles of all different heights.

My lovely Dad passed away 3 years ago but it was important to me that he was still part of the day so I set up a table with photographs of members of our family on their wedding days and used different photo frames obtained via antique shops and ebay to display them. It meant so much to be able to look over and see a picture of my Mum and Dad on their own special day, over 30 years earlier.

When our guests were sipping champagne cocktails and eating Mallorcan canapes on the roof terrace immediately after the ceremony they were treated to the sounds of two amazing spanish guitar players who our brother-in-law Kike found performing in the streets of Palma, Mallorca. They really set the tone with their funky take on a classic spanish sound. We decided against having a band or DJ in the evening and instead hired a sound system and hooked up our laptop so that we could play from a pre-prepared play list. Putting the playlist together was actually the hardest part of the wedding preparations! Thankfully the preparation paid off as little did we know we would need enough music to keep our guests dancing until 6am!! After much indecision we eventually chose ‘At Last’ by Etta James as our first dance together as husband and wife.

Photography: Leo Patrone Photography / Dress: Amanda Wakeley from Quello in Kenilworth, Warwickshire / Bride’s shoes: Kurt Geiger / Groom and Best Man suits: Ted Baker / Groom’s shoes: Paul Smith / Bridesmaid dress: Dessy / Bridesmaid shoes: Office / Catering: Tot a Punt Catering in Manacor, Mallorca / Flowers: The Black Rose, Mallorca / Guitar players: amazing street artists from Palma in Mallorca! / Hair: Pula Suites

We wanted to take a moment to fill you lovelies in on a little update to our first ever SMP E-Glossy. Not only does it have a home on Style Me Pretty for you to peruse when ever you so wish but now it is available in a PDF format as well. You can download the magazine right here and even view it on your ipad! We’ve broken it up into three parts to make it a bit more manageable but its still a ton of fabulous inspiration all in one pretty spot and now in a shiny new PDF format to boot. We didn’t want to leave anyone out after all.

If you are new to the block and have yet to flip through SMP’s Best of 2010 Mag, you must.go.now. Seriously, it is filled to the brim with a whopping TWENTY of the most swoon-worthy, delightful fetes to grace the pages of SMP in the past year. Plus there are awesome buying guides for several of these weddings to help you recreate those perfectly styled looks. So hop on over and start perusing. We have a feeling you are going to fall head-over-heels for it as much as we have.

The gals at Amorology are all about the details.  They are the queen bees of taking what a couple loves and creating a magical event that is perfectly personal and unique.  Take this gorgeous La Jolla affair at the always elegant Estancia and photographed by Llanes Photography.  It is the perfect blend of romance and style with personal touches galore.  I especially love the gold-painted bottles as centerpieces!  For more from this wine-inspired wedding head on over to the full wedding gallery!

Click here for more inspiration in the full wedding gallery!

Jenna + Nick were one of those lucky couples that knew exactly what they wanted to incorporate into their wedding when they approached us. They came to us excited with a theme centered around wine & romance. Not only did they want the wedding to reflect their love of each other, they also wanted us to create a intimate environment for all of the guests attending.  We had so much fun coming up with ways to infuse their passion for each other love for wine into their wedding.

As soon as guests arrived at Estancia La Jolla, the sign-in table hinted toward the theme. It boasted a larger than life wine bottle which guests left personal messages on. The ceremony site was to die for with two full arrangements that held branches and flower balls flanking the couple as they gave their vows. Twigg Botanicals incorporated a  fall color scheme here with the mix of caramel, burnt orange, wine, coral, and white roses, as well as garden roses, peonies, dahlias, hydrangea, and orchids. After the happy couple sealed it with a kiss, guests were ushered to the cocktail area which was set up as a lounge and wine tasting stations. Guests sampled Jenna + Nick’s favorite wines while reading stories that were posted on easels next to each tasting station. During this time guests made their way to the escort card table where they had to find their names out of boxes overflowing with fresh grapes. This then lead them inside the reception room, which we had transformed into a hip dinner party area that reflected the couples’ loves.

Jenna owns a clothing boutique in Solana Beach, so we knew we couldn’t just do a traditional winery wedding. It definitely had to be the perfect mix of romance and style, just like the couple. We achieved this vibe through the usage of modern spray painted wine bottles that lined the long dining tables and mixed in with the more traditional lush arrangements. Even the table linens reflected this contrast. They were a classic elegant print, but in a bright contemporary gold. The perfect backdrop for the beyond gorgeous flowers created by Twigg Botanicals. On each of the tables, one of the spray painted wine bottles had a custom label that read the table name, which of course were all named after types of wine. Also adorning each place setting were favors boxes with custom labels created by Brightly Designed. The labels varied in shades of rich burgundys, corals, and burnt oranges, with a message on top that read ” Kiss me again and again, for your love is sweeter than wine.” The boxes held delicious cookies on the inside!

During the night, guests definitely made a point to stop by the photo back drop, that we created just for the couple! It seemed fitting to have a giant route 29 logo on the backdrop, since Nick had proposed to Jenna at their favorite winery located off of route 29, Vineyard 29 and the wedding took place on October 29, which is also Jenna’s favorite number!! The backdrop read ” In search of fine wine on route 29,” and was also used earlier in the night behind the escort card table. We helped guests get into the photo booth spirit by giving them grapes and wine bottles as props. The night’s festivities came to a close as Jenna + Nick were sent off by guests blowing “bubbly” as they departed. The night could not have been more beautiful or more Jenna + Nick.

Photography: Llanes Photography / Flowers: Twigg Botanicals / Event Design + Planning: Amorology / Venue: Estancia La Jolla / Paper Elements:  Brightly Designed / Hair Accessories: Lucia Bella

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Our Fashion Look Book is loaded with stylish attire and accessories perfect for you and your entire bridal party.  We are beyond ecstatic that Simple Silhouettes just updated their collection with even more adorable dresses for each lovely lady.  Even the wildest color scheme can find a perfect match in their extensive and unique palette options.  The dresses are simple enough to adorn with any accessory you desire but each shape has a ton of character and is equally flattering.  Check out some of the lovelies included in their latest collections…

Aren’t they just yummy?  There are even more styles from Simple Silhouettes in the Look Book!  Long, short, plum or peach, there is an option for every shape and figure.  I would wear any of these pretty little numbers, especially that blue beauty with the coral shoes, way beyond the wedding day!

All brides want their besties to feel and look their best in their bridesmaid attire.  Your gals will be thrilled when they see the selection at Simple Silhouettes.  You might even find a dress, or two, for yourself!

I am loving this stunning bouquet, I am loving this darling couple and I am loving the industrial oasis that is The Foundry for a venue. That’s a lot of loving for a Tuesday, and it was all captured by the talented Karen Wise. A terrific blend of culture and style, it’s one of those weddings where it seems as though New York City was an honored guest, and for good reason! There is so much inspiration in this wedding for the industrial loving brides out there, and it’s all wrapped up in one full gallery of fabulous images.

click here for the full wedding gallery!

From the Bride…It was a year ago this month that Matt proposed.  One would think that after dating for five years that I would know exactly what I wanted. There was no question that I wanted something smaller than the traditional Indian wedding and that we needed to incorporate parts of both of our cultures. We realized quickly, that if were going to have people make the trek to New York (I am from California and Matt is from Illinois), we better have a fantastic venue, great food, and lots of dancing.

Once we walked into The Foundry, everything fell into place. The venue is beautiful, an industrial oasis just outside Manhattan.  Its architecture and ambiance speaks for itself. We used their suggested vendor list and quickly recruited the dream team that would help make our wedding the most memorable day of our lives.  We needed to find a DJ that could easily transition between the horah, bhangra, and west coast rap.  The answer—DJ Gaza. As a good friend said months later “the best wedding DJ ever.”  My feet still hurt from dancing the night away.

Our caterer, Yen Ngo with Real Food Catering, not only designed a wedding menu that met all of our needs, she was, for all intents and purposes, our wedding planner. She helped our ever-evolving vision come to fruition (including indulging us in our hot sauce station).  She also introduced us to our florist, Melarosa, who knew exactly what I meant when I said I wanted flowers that I could not buy at the corner store and a focus on texture.   The bouquet could not have been more perfect.

Finally, Karen Wise, the amazing photographer. I wanted someone who still worked with film and knew that The Foundry was not an easy venue to shoot and shoot well.  She made it look easy and made everything look beautiful. We look through our pictures and still cannot believe how she captured our special day.  We did not have a videographer, but I can feel the moment we were pronounced husband and wife and the emotion in my father’s speech just from looking through the hundreds of amazing photographs. Thank you, Karen! Wedding planning is far from easy in a place like New York City. With a patient groom and fabulous vendors (and the internet) you can have and do anything you want and truly make your wedding your own.

Photography: Karen Wise / Flowers: Melarosa / Event Design/Planning and Catering: Yen Ngo, Real Food Catering (Indian Food-Chola) / Ceremony and Reception: The Foundry / Invitations: Bride and Groom / Bride Shoes: Butter / Grooms Shoes: Allen Edmonds / Bride Dress: Melissa Sweet / Groom Suit: Ermenegildo Zegna / DJ: DJ Gaza

We previewed Taylor & Jeff’s weddings from Studio Foto last night ~ but Krystal & Paul did such an amazing job with the photography on their own blog {here} and {here}, we wanted you to take a look at their features first. Now, though, it’s time for the reveal here on the LBB Blog…

First ~ a really SWEET story from Taylor!

The morning of our wedding, Paul and Krystal came over to present my parents with a project we had been working on together earlier that year. They had never received a wedding album of their own, they only had original proofs. Krystal worked to scan and edit all the images for them and create the most special wedding gift for them–an album of their own with their wedding images… over 25 years later!

My most cherished memory is walking down the aisle at the church. It was a very special moment to walk with my father and see the faces of everyone who has been a part of shaping my life. During the ceremony I presented Jeff with his late Grandfather’s wedding band to wear as his own, inscribed with both wedding dates.

I was born and raised in Newport and knew I would be married there. Jeff and I also knew it would be the perfect destination wedding for our out of town guests, allowing us to incorporate our personalities while sharing our favorite things about our City by the Sea.

Our wedding revolved around “classic Newport,”  with inspiration from our church (the same church where John F Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier were married). We followed a very classic black and white color scheme with accents of cobalt blue and deep purple.

We wanted the reception to be reminiscent of an old Newport Ball and fell in love with Belcourt Castle. The space allowed us to have a very unique format to the wedding, creating an intimate dinner space downstairs and then dancing upstairs afterward upstairs. The courtyard was a wonderful area for the cocktail hour as well as a place to return, later for after dinner drinks and cigars! Lounge spaces throughout the venue provided the perfect finishing touch!

The day was full of wonderful memories and unexpected surprises. My father surprised us by singing a song with the band that brought everyone to their feet!  I had also always planned to change into a second reception dress during the evening. All of my bridesmaids found matching fringe dresses in black and changed with me ~ such a fun way to get the dancing started!

Looking back on the day there is not a thing we would change, we danced the night away with all of our family and friends around us and the entire weekend was everything we had imaged it would be thanks to our amazing vendors. I hope every bride feels on her wedding day the love and happiness we felt that day.

Our sincere congratulations to Taylor and Jeff ~ and a huge thanks to Krystal and Paul at Studio Foto!

Studio Foto is available to capture your dream day ~ wherever that may be!

The Photographers: Krystal & Paul at Studio Foto / The Wedding Planner : Richard Carbotti / The Wedding Dress : Monique Lhuillier / The Bridal Salon: Hannelores Bridal Salon / The Shoes : Martinez Valero / The Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist: Kim Smith-Reid from Kira Salon, Newport / The Rings : Taylor is Blue Nile; Jeff’s was his grandfather’s wedding band / The Groom’s Attire : Viking Tuxedo / The Ceremony Site : St Mary’s Church, Newport RI / The Stationery : Trial by Cupcakes Calligraphy / The Officiant : Father Richard Walsh / The Reception Venue : Belcourt Castle / The Floral Design : Perfect Surroundings / The Food : Blackstone Catering / The Cake : Fatoullis Bakery / The Music : Souled Out (band) / The Lighting Designer : Perfect Surroundings

One detail that we are seeing more and more of these days is COLOR…a bountiful abundance of gorgeous color. And that makes our blogger hearts ever so happy. So you can imagine our excitement when we spied this Dallas wedding photographed by the lovely Kate Osborne. It is packing a mega punch of bright hues all wrapped up in a really beautiful backyard wedding. Plus, this fete scored bonus points on our adorable scale with the bride’s uber stylish bangs and the cutest ballet flats. Yep, this is one heck of a pretty wedding and you can see the whole shebang in the gallery.

see the FULL wedding here!

When Mike asked me to marry him on June 25th, it was no surprise I said yes. Little did mike know, I had already ordered my dress back in April. We were married in the Dallas LDS temple and were lucky to be married by my granddad’s best friend/partner in crime. Our reception was held at the Surrey House, a home in the historic district of downtown McKinney, TX, the town where I was born and raised. It was a very simple celebration- no veil, no wedding cake, no wedding party, no dancing and no bouquet toss. We really wanted our personal touch to be seen in all the details. We decided to do a taco bar and a desert table (inspired by Amy Atlas), which included our favorite salted pear and caramel macaroons from The Little Oven Bakery. We did several diy projects to give the reception a “homegrown” feel. I made and sewed the fabric flower garland while on a road trip. I also made the fabric pom poms, with the help of my lovely sisters. The wood slices on the tables were cut from a tree on our farm. I started collecting vintage milk glass and old glass bottles for the flowers. Mike and I planted all the succulents, and the rest of the flowers were done by a close family friend, Sami Hansen. She did a fabulous job! My jaw dropped when I saw my bouquet. When I ask Mike what his favorite part of our wedding was he can never give me just one answer, he starts rambling about practically every detail. It was truly the happiest day of our lives!

Photography: Kate Osborne / Flowers: Sami Hansen /  Ceremony Location: Dallas LDS temple  / Reception Location: The Surrey House / Invitations: Dapper Paper / Dress: Elizabeth Dye / Hair piece: Lo Boheme

We have a very special treat for you today!  A super yummy and scrumptious treat!  To our delight, Wolfgang Puck Catering – as in the world-famous, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck – has shared their advice and tips for putting together the perfect wedding meal.  I especially love the idea of having an Hors d’Oeuvres and dessert only reception to leave more time for celebrating!  I hope you had your fill at lunch because, along with their savvy insider information, we have a full gallery of delectable and savory goodies right from their kitchen!

There are so many details for a couple to consider when creating their dream wedding; from flowers, to dresses, linens, to flavors.  Planning your wedding should be an enjoyable and exciting process.  This should be an opportunity for you as a couple to show your uniqueness.

Every bride planning her wedding has cost considerations.  The Wolfgang Puck Catering team has a variety of creative ways to manage the budget and still create a delicious celebration for your guests.  When it comes to weddings, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck believes, “heart and love inspire everything I do – these are the ingredients that make creating weddings our simplest pleasure.”  Just remember, the focus is on planning a celebration of your love, not whether you have the most luxurious linens or a caviar station.

Here are a few tips from our experts to design your wedding menu and to control your costs while still creating the wedding atmosphere of your dreams:

1. Think about your “must haves” to support your culinary style; seated or buffet, what cultural traditions would you like to incorporate?

2. Don’t forget to include the foods & flavors you both love and try to think seasonal!  They are the freshest, most flavorful, and typically the least expensive items to include on your menu.

3. Serve al fresco dishes. If you are holding a summer wedding or having your wedding somewhere warm, enjoy a picnic style celebration.  Fresh, cool foods are a fun way to celebrate the season and your wedding while cutting down on rental costs.

4. If you aren’t set on an evening wedding, host a brunch followed by a late morning ceremony.

5 .If you are set on an evening reception, follow it with tray passed Hors d’Oeuvres, champagne, and desserts.

6. Skip serving the entrée.  Hors d’Oeuvre and Dessert Stations can fill people up just as much and provide more creative flavor and variety.  Although this is unconventional, it will allow more time for socializing and celebrating together.

7. Try comfort foods.  Serving tasty treats such as Mini Prime Beef Cheeseburgers or Macaroni and Cheese bites are sure to satisfy your guests as well as your wallet.

8. Pass on a full bar and treat your guests to champagne and signature wedding cocktails.  One that we love is from Wolfgang Puck’s Signature restaurant Spago’s incredible pastry chef, Sherry Yard.  For her decadent Malibu wedding,  guests were given the the Sherry Blossom, mixed with tequila, Citronage Liquer, lime juice, Fresh Maraschino Juice, and garnished with a rose petal.

9. Play with subtle aromas.  Incorporating the sense of smell into your wedding celebration is an instant stimulant which creates a welcoming atmosphere to our event space.  Try sitting your candles in fresh coffee beans or accenting your napkins rings with rosemary.

10. Incorporate edibles into your centerpieces.  Try using seasonal fruits or vegetables in vases as they add great color and tend to cut the cost of flowers.

Click here for more delectable goodies in the full gallery!

You don’t have to sacrifice quality in order to keep your expenses reasonable.  At Wolfgang Puck Catering, every event offers a restaurant-quality experience.  Our welcoming hospitality, seasonal cuisine, and innovative presentation will wow your wedding guests.  A delicious meal is an opportunity to thank your guests for making the effort to share in your special day.

Catering: Wolfgang Puck Catering

Here we go with another stunner from Flory Photo!  This creative San Francisco couple keenly incorporated details into the decor that complimented the natural elements found in and around their distinctive venue – the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.  They probably weren’t banking on water being one of those elements but a little rain did not deter them from making the most of their surroundings and having a spectacular party!  Swing on by the full gallery for more from this modern fête!

Click here for more inspiration in the full wedding gallery!

Scott and Christine were married on a stormy day in October at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and when we were left with limited time and locations indoors that we could take pictures I improvised and came up with one of my all time favorite portraits.  Christine looked absolutely gorgeous and Scott wasn’t too shabby either in his Ted Baker suit.  Grace Street Catering did a great job with the food and the cocktail hour was amazing in the glass tower over looking all of San Francisco.

Wedding Photographer: Flory Photo / Wedding Venue: de Young Museum / Wedding Coordinator: Lauren Geissler of Downey Street Events / Stationer: Dayna Patterson of Cards of Wood / Floral Designer: Rhonda Stoffel of Grace Street Floral and Event Design / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Music: Denon and Doyle / Menu and program design: Catherine Fitzgerald printed JASK Digital Print & Copy Solutions / Catering + Cake: Grace Street Catering / Bride’s Dress: Carrafina / Bride’s Jewelry: Elizabeth Weaver / Bride’s Shoes: Nina / Groom’s suit: Ted Baker London / Groom’s shoes: Hugo Boss / Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew

There are so many reasons why we heart Williams-Sonoma and our love affair intensifies each and every time we peruse their collection of goods. Whether you are a master chef, a weekend baker or you love to throw a great party (maybe all of the above), Williams-Sonoma has the perfect wares for your toolbox. And registering with them is a total no-brainer but then again, you probably already knew that. We’ve collected some of our favey fave products for cooking up a big brunch or throwing a fabulous cocktail party. But believe us, our favorites don’t stop there. Williams-Sonoma is the one stop wonderland for outfitting your new home and to make things even better they have an amazing giveaway for one really lucky reader.

One of our favorite things to do when we aren’t poring through gorgeous weddings is hosting a lovely brunch and these breakfast essentials are at the top of our list. Nespresso Citiz Espresso Maker, KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, Chef’n Citrus Juicer, Nordic Ware Egg Waffle Pan & Mix

Another favorite past time? Entertaining friends and family with wine and cheese. Seriously, does it get any better? Some of our top picks for outfitting a great soiree: Williams-Sonoma Entertaining Cookbook, Bee Pressed-Glass Bud Vases, Antonini Olive Wood Cheese Knives & Board, North Carolina Cheese Collection, Vinturi Wine Aerator Tower

So are you ready for the juicy, juicy details? Williams-Sonoma is giving away a $150.oo gift card to one ever so lucky reader. To enter, simply leave a comment below letting us know what your top three picks are for your Williams-Sonoma registry. We know it’s hard to narrow down your favorites to just three but it will be well worth it for one of you. We will announce a winner picked at random on Friday, March 11. Good luck!

This lovely Monday morning, we thought you could use a bit of a kick start – so here is a darling wedding AND a fabulous day after shoot by Sloan Photographers all wrapped up in one pretty little post. Not a bad way to get the day going, right?  An intimate ceremony and reception filled to the brim with darling details, an adorable couple, and gorgeous images from their snowy day after-shoot – ahhh, if only every Monday could start out this lovely. For even more, be sure to check out the full gallery.

click here for more lovely!

From the Bride…We wanted to have a really casual, intimate affair, so we picked a venue that we could have both our ceremony and reception at, and that would provide us the intimate feel that we were looking for. It was perfect, the perfect location, and just the right amount of room to make it feel cozy. The space was already just what we had wanted, from the color of the walls, to the wood beamed pergola on the balcony, and enormous sets of steel doors.

For the Ceremony our florist created a birch arch that had intertwined white hydrangea, and hanging bell glass jars. He hung some of the bell glass jars in the trees surrounding the area, and lined the bridge that led to the park with candles in vases filled with brown beans. We married outdoors in a small park that was just a short walk across the way. It was a lot colder than we thought it was going to be, so my aunt and cousins picked up gloves and blankets for our guests at target the night before the wedding! They turned out to be super cute additions to our already beautiful decor.

For the reception we chose the most beautiful long wooden tables with accompanying benches. Our florist filled the tables to the brim with the most incredible (and I mean incredible) flower arrangements I could have ever imagined. We had the guests take home whatever florals they wanted at the end of the evening, and I think that they were more than happy to do so. For our favors we filled small boxes with mints and caramels from See’s Candy, wrapped them in butcher paper, and tied them with many varieties and colors of ribbons from beaded to lace to shoe lace. The attached ‘Thank You’ tags were from Etsy, along with all of our table numbers. We bought a polaroid camera and left it out for our guests to take pictures, it was a big hit and they are some of our favorite photos from the evening.

Really, aside from getting married to the love of my life, one of the best moments of the day was the speech that my dad gave. He was so charismatic and had such a presence about him that I really hadn’t ever known before. It’s something that I won’t ever forget. Another moment we won’t ever forget is our day after photo shoot with the most fun-loving and awesome photographers that one could ask for. We planned to make the drive to Flagstaff, not fully expecting the HUGE snow storm that made it’s way through that day. Let me just tell you that trying to shimmy on and off a wedding dress in the backseat of a VW was pretty entertaining. My husband doesn’t like the snow very much, but he likes me a lot, so I owe him for being so patient and so wonderful to me about the whole ‘we might get stuck here in a snow storm, I don’t have a coat, and I just walked out in ankle deep snow to see if the building was open so you could pee,’ kind of way. I love him. The four of us spent the morning freezing in the snow, but could not wipe the smiles off of our faces. Our photographers pretty much rocked it. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Photography: Sloan Photographers / Ceremony and Reception site: Scottsdale Arizona Regale / Florist: Billy Pailey of Artistic Surroundings / Catering: Put a fork in it Catering / Dress: Melissa Sweet

Krystal and Paul at Studio Foto captured this classic Newport, Rhode Island church wedding with a stunning reception at Belcourt Castle.  We’ll be back on Monday with the full wedding feature, but first a quick peek and the link to Studio Foto for more gorgeous imagery!

So many beautiful shots from Taylor and Jeff’s wedding at Belcourt Castle … Studio Foto continued it right here!

See you later with the full feature on Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book Blog!