Charming and lovely with extraordinary pops of color, this wedding by Jennifer Colina Photography brings the idea of a garden party reception to an entirely new level.  It also brings a Tuesday to entirely new level if you ask me.  There is just something so sweet and sophisticated about this affair,  and I am sure it will put a pep in your step today. For more loveliness be sure to check out the entire gallery.

click here to see the full wedding gallery!

When Tim and I got engaged, we knew we wanted an outdoor, fall wedding. We both love the outdoors and love the fall—it was a no brainer!  After all, we did get engaged in a hot air balloon during a camping trip.  My parents helped us search high and low, and we found the perfect spot at our hometown’s beautiful botanical garden.  The garden’s beauty had the simple, elegant, romantic, and natural feel we were going for.  The colors we chose were a rustic orange, graphite grey, and ivory, which are not an obvious match, but we immediately fell in love with them.  The flowers were a mix of texture with orange dahlias, garden roses and hydrangeas, which also made for wonderfully hand-wrapped bouquets.  They looked amazing with my bridesmaids’ graphite grey, silk chiffon dresses!I wanted my dress to be a reflection of me, and I wanted the help of my Mother and Step-Mother in choosing it. We all met in New York City in search of the perfect gown. After visiting only a few shops, we found the almost-perfect dress at Pronovia’s. Pronovia’s worked with me to make some custom additions—a one strap detail and sweetheart neckline—making it the truly perfect dress.  I loved the experience, and I absolutely loved my dress!

Many of my decoration ideas came from a mix of blogging inspirations, SMP being one of them of course!  Some of the DIY and details in our wedding were these great pinwheels (tons of them!), escort card boxes made of wine crates from our local winery, and calligraphy by an artist found on Etsy. We and our guests also enjoyed a “photo booth” display that included a white, rustic frame found at a local antique shop, and a cigar bar, inspired by my Dad’s hints and in memory of Tim’s late Grandfather’s tobacco shop, which was decorated with local tobacco items also found in antique shops.  A favorite of mine was our custom made ring bearer’s bowl by Paloma’s Nest that read “To have and to hold, Ashley and Timothy, September 25, 2010,” which will be a perfect keepsake. We designed and created the ceremony programs and menu cards for each place setting. We designed beautiful grey and ivory letter-pressed wedding invitations and tied a rustic orange, satin ribbon bow tie around each one, which Tim had a helping hand in!  I don’t scrapbook very well, so Tim and I collect sticks from the places we travel together and then tag them. We incorporated our collection of sticks as a decoration and also named the tables after them.  My Mom created lavender scented handmade soaps, personalizing each one for everyone to take home as their parting gift.  We were surrounded with love on our wedding day that came together with the most beautiful weather, family and friends. We cannot thank them, or our fabulous vendors, enough for making the day flawlessly wonderful!

From Jennifer of Jennifer Colina Photography – Ashley and Timothy’s wedding day was full of loveliness and extraordinary fun! They were married in a charming Victorian garden right beside Bloemendaal House at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia. It was such a perfect venue for a romantic ceremony that took place under an arbor lined with sculpted juniper topiaries. What made the day more romantic and beautiful were the accent colors of rustic oranges and calming silver grays that can be seen in the bridesmaids dresses, ceremony programs, menu cards, and in the floral arrangements. The celebration continued on while music filled the night. Some guests danced the night away, while others mingled and gave warm wishes to the couple.

Photography: Jennifer Colina Photography / Ceremony and Reception site: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden / Floral design: Kristi Knight of Flower Girls / Caterer: Barbara Geary and Meriwether Gosdsey / Wedding gown: Pronovias / Make up: Allison Leary of Ahead of Hair / Cake: Graham Haddock of Cakes by Graham / Band: Jeanette Cregar of Premiere Band / Invitations: Reaves Engraving / Calligraphy: Pretty Pen Jen for signs and Little Flower Calligraphy for escort cards and table names / Ring bearer bowl: Paloma’s Nest / Wedding Planner: Wendy Wyne and Kelly Walsh of Fête Studios / Second Photographer: Meredith Montague of Meredith Montague Wedding Photography

Destination weddings take on many shapes and many styles ~ for many reasons. Today’s wedding from Gulnara Studio is for THE very best reason of all! Stephanie and Nomar were married this past spring in Puerto Rico …

Their wedding was not only a celebration of their love for each other, but their love for their family and friends … no holds barred. And as you’ll see from these spectacular images from Gulnara, Stephanie’s stunning Monique Lhuillier wedding gown was just as spectacular the next day for a romantic day-after shoot on the beach! See the whole gallery here.

Stephanie and Nomar’s wedding celebration ~ before, during AND after ~ is right here!

We were married May 22nd at the stunning Horned Dorset Primavera in Rincon, Puerto Rico. My husband was born in Puerto Rico; he shared this amazing island with me the first year we started dating and since then we have returned often. Puerto Rico holds a special place in both our hearts, we just feel at ease there. This is why upon getting engaged we decided there was no other place either of us could have imagined getting married.

When planning we decided we wanted an intimate, simply elegant wedding. The grounds of the Horned Dorset are incredibly beautiful so we did not want to overdo any of the decorating. Candles and simple flowers were all we used in both the ceremony and reception space.  The ceremony was held on the balcony overlooking the Caribbean Sea; the views could not have been any prettier. After the ceremony we had a cocktail hour on the veranda and then proceeded to the formal dining room for dinner.

Some of my favorite memories have been made while sitting at the dinner table with family and friends; this is why we decided to have a formal sit down dinner with low background music. We really wanted all of our guests to enjoy the incredible food by Chef Aaron while enjoying the company of family, friends and good conversion. Of course we still wanted to party and celebrate! So after dinner everybody went back down to the veranda to dance the night away!

Gulnara Studio’s Blog Features ~ Part 1 here, Part 2, Part 3 !

Photography: Gulnara Studio / Wedding Coordinator: Maddalena Molli / Florist: Flores y Servicios / Cake: The Horned Dorset Primavera / Band: Orquesta La Criolla / Hair: Aliesha Grange / Gown: Monique Lhuillier / Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Nomar’s suit: Brooks Brothers / Nomar’s shoes: Bruno Magli

We are on a short countdown to Thanksgiving which means family, turkey and a full day of eating is in our sights. This also means that you are most likely pondering the various ways to set your holiday table so to gear up for all of the festivities, we are going to delve into inspiration of the fall/harvesty kind. This wedding is gorgeous, rustic, perfect for pulling inspiration for your own Thanksgiving Extravaganza and all caught on film by the lovely Myrtle & Marjoram. See the rest of this pretty day in the gallery.

see more of this harvest inspired wedding here!

Sara and Ted just celebrated their one year anniversary on October 3rd and I realized that in the past year I never got a chance to share these beautiful photos with anyone. Sara and Ted were both living in NY, so the wedding was a destination and a weekend celebration. Their wedding had such a lovely fall / harvest feel to it, I figured there might be some interest in seeing how they did an autumn inspired wedding with subtlety and elegance. I love the fact that there are pumpkins in the decor. The blue mixed in with the orange gives this wine country celebration an unexpected twist I think. Julie Atwood designed the event and Anne Appleman arranged all the beautiful flowers.

Sara’s shoes were a mauve-y pink Lanvin…mirrored heel and lace up. She gave her maids the sweetest little charm bracelets (all slightly different and personal). Long tables ran the length of the barn and the decor was a mix of harvest flowers and beautiful glass, pumpkins. One of my favorite things about Atwood Ranch is the walk between the ceremony lawn and the barn. Guests stroll down the lane between the vineyards and they couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. The country blues music was perfect for a fall event in a beautiful barn (Performed by the Adam Traum Trio). And the night was topped off with cobblers, cookies, s’mores and dancing.

Photography: Myrtle & Marjoram / Flowers: Anne Appleman Flowers / Event Design and Planing: Julie Atwood Events / Ceremony  and Reception Location: Atwood Ranch, Glen Ellen, California / Shoes: Lanvin / Music: Adam Traum Trio

Although this adorable DIY wedding is a little bit Summer inspired, we couldn’t help but share it with you guys…especially because of the warm, yummy touches that the bride and groom seemed to infuse into each and every detail. Plus I have this thing for yellow and gray weddings. And for succulents. And cute couples that are madly in love. So, for me…this one was a no brainer. If you’d like to see even more, click right here!

click here to see the full gallery!

My husband and were married at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, Ca this past June 2010. We were on a strict budget so being that we’re both designers (I actually plan and design events), we took on the entire event as a giant DIY project. We’ve loved succulents for years and we have a really extensive succulent garden so the very first decision we made when we got engaged was that we were going to use succulents out of our home garden for our wedding. We spent close to two years growing our plants (we had a long engagement) and about a week before our wedding, we transplanted and allocated them for centerpieces, bouquets and boutonnieres. My best friend and business partner made all of the bouquets and boutonnieres using white statis, yellow crespedia, white lisianthus, white hydrangea that we purchased at the flower mart along with our homegrown succulents.

We had a summer wedding so we wanted our colors to be bright and cheerful, yellow and gray together are such a nice combination. A few weeks before the wedding, I hosted a craft party where all of my friends came over to make yarn pom poms, cut fabric for our pickle jars, attach cute little flags to straws, and so many other crafty details. My husband and I tackled our invitations together. I illustrated and he created the layouts and we printed them ourselves from our home studio. All of our paper came from Paper Source.

I wore a J.Crew dress as did my bridesmaids and my husband wore a nicely tailored suit purchased at Zara. The groomsmen all purchased their suits at The Men’s Warehouse for a whopping $150 each! My mother-in-law is a wonderful seamstress so she volunteered to make the flower girl dress and we gifted our ring bearer his suit, which we purchased at H&M.

We wanted to incorporate our families wherever possible so my husband’s father was our officiant and my mom (who was both mom and dad to me) and my youngest brother walked me down the isle. My mother-in-law also makes amazing quilts and we wanted to incorporate her talents into our wedding, so guests where asked to sign quilt squares in luie of a guestbook which will become a keepsake wedding quilt for us.

My husband and I absolutely love lemon meringue pie so we opted for wedding pie instead of the usual cake. We had a local pie shop deliver about 14 varieties including our lemony fave that we cut. My husband loves pickling so we decided to can our own pickles and give those away as thank you gifts. During our ceremony guests received cute little paper bags filled with handmade yarn pom poms that they threw after our ceremony was over. Cocktail hour was kicked off with rounds of bocce ball and horseshoes. Overall what we wanted was an intimate, casual-chic, personalized wedding and I think we got that and more.

Event Design, florals: Bride+Groom and onefourthree Events / Invitations+Paper Goods Design: Bride+Groom / Coordination: onefourthree Events / Venue: Calamigos Ranch / Photography: Colin Wolf-Young / Hair: Erinn McMichaels-Aveda Salon, Thousand Oaks, CA / Make-up: Cassondra Nixon / Ceremony music: Carlo Sabayan / DJ: Phillip Sison / Dresses: J.Crew / Brides Shoes: Seychelles / Groom’s suit: Zara / Groomsmen’s suits: The Men’s Warehouse

This engagement session from Limelight Photography and Chic Sweets is literally one of the sweetest shoots ever!  A mix of completely scrumptious-looking treats with pretty vintage touches makes for a totally fun and rustic picnic shoot but could easily translate into a romantic wedding.  Maybe even this week’s Thanksgiving festivities!  Sharing hot chocolates and s’mores with your sweetie is probably up there on most romantic things to do ever!  There is more yumminess in the full gallery!

Click here for more inspiration from this sweet shoot!

It was important for us to create a scene that reflected our couples’ personalities, who were laid back and F-U-N! So we created the story for this set based around our gorgeous couple sneaking away to have a romantic moment at the beach just before sunset.

Part of what makes shoots so exciting is that plans can change at a moment’s notice. The shoot was originally  intended to take place at the beach, but as we with prepared to set up with Limelight Photography, we both noticed this wonderful field of grass, sand and sea-oats and so right then and there, plans changed! A worn-out blanket was placed in the sand, a few books wrapped in twine, lit some candles and a shawl was set out for snuggling when it becomes slightly breezy. Two mugs of hot chocolate were also put aside as another, simple prop.

We wanted to create a dessert table that feels accessible to our client, but gorgeous! The runner was made from burlap, which in this season, is extremely affordable, as low as $3.00/yard at most retail, craft stores. We also spent a few weeks rummaging through a few garage sales, even our local Salvation Army and gathered as many milk vases as we could. Absolutely love to mix together varied types of milk vases and use one type of flower which can create a striking look.

Since we were using this shoot as an “inspiration” for readers, we wanted to create our desserts without breaking the bank. The marshmallow scene was relatively easy to create. Assorted chocolates were laid out along with different types of fruits, which we thought would be a great pop for the table. Since we wanted to elaborate on the s’mores scene we took plain, chocolate cupcakes, crumbled graham cookies as our topping and then topped off with a marshmallow, drizzled with chocolate ganache (or chocolate syrup). The cake was made by us, however, very simple to make. Two, 8-inch round vanilla cakes (store bought mix) covered in icing. The fantastic part about covering the cake with icing, is that it did not have to be perfect.

This wedding has sent me over the colorful edge with its remarkably bright yet oh so gorgeous palette of citron and red. Who would have thought this would be such a beautiful pairing? But all color aside, this also happens to be a really unique, totally charming wedding. The uber fun bride and groom did hold their nuptials at an Illinois tree farm after all. Genius, pure genius. Adorable couple, vibrant colors, and breathtaking images from Lark Photography = hog heaven for a wedding blogger. And trying to chose which photographs to use was so very hard. There were just that many great ones which means visiting the gallery is an absolute must. See it all here.

see more of this beautiful day here!

I’ve been working with brides and creating elements for weddings for about 5 years now, so my laptop was already full of folders bursting with wedding ideas. But when it came to my own wedding, I felt what probably so many brides feel–where to start? One of the beautiful things about weddings is how much they’ve evolved. These are not our grandparents nuptials. I believe the number one thing your guests should say from the moment they see your invitation to the moment they get in their cars after your reception is “Wow, that was so them.” So Dugan and I decided to start with the things we liked, and try to figure out how to make them all work together from there. My favorite color is yellow. (I believe it’s a completely underutilized “fall wedding color.” Look out your window now and what do you see? Yellow!) Dugan decided he wanted to wear a red tie and so I thought if that’s his one request, I’m going to figure out a way to make it work. (But I did stop telling people my wedding colors were “red and yellow.” Even I think that sounds strange!) I love pearls and feathers and when things look effortless… Dugan likes color and fun, so those were all elements to consider incorporating. I’m so blessed to have some of the most creative women I know as friends–fellow designer, Sarah Axelson and spatial genius, Chrissy Parks. They helped me bring direction and vision to our eclectic mix of ideas and styles, and I had so much fun with them. The final inspiration was a sort of “old meets new,” and “Anthropologieish” became a verb we used often. We wanted everything to have vintage charm, but to still feel happy and fresh and easy. My good friend and photographer Laura was probably the second phone call I made the day after our engagement. I knew that no one would better capture the tone and vision of our day than she would, and I was right.

Sarah designed our invitations. She had an idea from the very beginning, and I was so grateful! I spent hours with my mom at the sewing machine laughing and yelling as the velvet ribbon for the band got stuck over and over again. I finished them off with bright white calligraphy and handfuls of vintage stamps. I made clips for my shoes out of feathers and vintage earrings. My necklace from J. Crew was the first thing I purchased for the wedding. My beautiful bridesmaids’ dresses were also from J. Crew. (I have to say, the fine people at J. Crew treated us like movie stars. It was a great experience to work with them). I choose different accessories for all the girls in our wedding because it was important to me that their individual styles and personalities would get to shine through the uniformed dresses. Dugan did the same for the guys–different ties from Express and shoes from TOMs. His suit and their vests were also from Express. My maid of honor Ashley ventured her Grandmother’s house as a place to get ready, and it was perfect the perfect setting! I loved getting to relax all day with some of my favorite girls in the world. The wedding and reception were at Williams Tree Farm. God blessed us with a completely magical day. The leaves fell like glitter as the sun was setting through the trees. Chrissy peppered the aisle with rose petals and lined it with a variety of vintage candleholders, all hand-painted to match and adorned with unique corsages. Dugan’s mom officiated our wedding, and that was such a special and personal gift. Another treat, our friend and musician Nathan Eiesland of Scattered Trees sang during communion. We laughed and cried and laughed… and when we went to break the glass (a Jewish tradition we incorporated into our ceremony) and the glass didn’t break, I even laughed all through our first kiss! I had fallen completely in love with vintage blue mason jars, and made it my personal goal of collecting as many as possible. Event Floral created the most gorgeous mix of flowers and feathers and berries for the boutonnières and bouquets, and then mixed and matched the flowers in jars throughout the reception to make it feel fresh and easy – like a vase at your own kitchen table. Good friends Jason and Bob made custom flavored brownies for us as favors for our guests, and local apples served as place cards. Each layer of our delicious cake from Patricia’s Pattisserie was a different yummy flavor, and we topped the whole cake off with vintage picture frames. Dugan’s sister Breeze sang during our first dance, and Dugan surprise serenaded me as well. The glow from the candles, lights, and lanterns felt intimate and romantic. It was a beautiful day full of love and perfect little details everywhere.

Photographer: Lark Photography / Event Design: Lindsay Letters and Chrissy Parks of Hello My Dear / Invitation Design: Sarah Axelson of Hello My Dear / Calligrahy & Paper Goods: Lindsay Letters / Flowers: Event Floral / Cake: Patricia’s Pattisserie / Ceremony & Reception Location: William’s Tree Farm / Officiant: Sharon Sherbondy / DJ: Jordan Chance, Luxe Productions / Guys shoes: Toms / Bride’s dress: purchased at Wedding Belles / Bridesmaid dresses & bride’s necklace: J.Crew / Groom’s suit, groomsmen ties & vests: Express

It’s always so fascinating to hear just what goes on behind the scenes at a photo shoot. No matter what anyone says, we so believe that photo shoots are THE best way to get wedding ideas and inspiration out there! This particular shoot was sent to us by Mary at Very Merry Events and included the creative talents of the Floral Design Studio, Mindy LaClair and Silva Stills & Cinema.

the inspiration ……….
They are successful young suburbanites most known for their professional drive—he is a respected engineer and she a talented graphic designer. Whenever their busy lives allow, they take hour-long drives to Sonoma. Contrary to what a trip to Sonoma means to most young folks—a clumsy exploration of the wineries—these two choose to enjoy the tranquility of a quaint cabin, brisk hikes, or slow bike rides along highway 12. When they are not taking in the sites along the trails or roads, they indulge in one another’s company and vast collection of literature. The two are avid readers but use much of their quiet time in the cabin to dabble in some writing of their own. It’s this passion for the written word and great appreciation for nature that they hope to share with their wedding guests …

Click here to see the whole gallery!

the design concept
We all love textures, layering, and personalized details especially when styling an event, wedding, or photoshoot. When we originally came up with the concept for this shoot, we liked the idea of creating an intimate retreat, a getaway from the normal hustle and bustle of the city life. As a starting point to the design concept, we decided to create a bio for the couple and designed around these concepts. We really wanted to mix in modern touches with somewhat whimsical ideas.

Using Cornerstone Garden’s Vineyard Rental House for our natural backdrop setting was a no brainer. This quaint and private area was ideal. The clear ghost chairs against the dark wooden dinner table and vintage plates from Hartmann Studios added just the right touch! Some personalized details such as the metal letters representing the bride and grooms first initials were purchased from Anthropologie. The lace around our glass vases softened the look and gave it an extra amount of dimension. But nothing completed this picturesque scene more so than the soft, subtle, charming florals. Nona of Floral Design Studios is pure genius, as she incorporated succulents, garden roses, and even mushrooms to give it that extra special attention and call to nature.

In another vignette, we hung a birdcage on a nearby tree, which displayed mini books, invitations, and signage designed by Mindy LaClair. The mini books were such a cute detail and even displayed written vows created by the dynamic team: Angie & Alicia of Vow Muse. All the visual documentation and precise lighting were artfully created by Amber Silva of Silva Stills & Cinema along with her second shooter Greg. It is their unique style that makes for awe inspiring photos.

One of the best last minute decisions was borrowing a vintage bicycle from Cyclepath of Hayward. It was a charming way to pull everything together.

We do hope you have enjoyed this nature inspired shoot!

xoxo, Mary Phan of Very Merry Events

Photography: SIlva Stills & Cinema
Flowers: Floral Design Studio
Event Planning & Design: Very Merry Events
Location: Cornerstone Gardens, Sonoma CA
Party Rentals: Hartmann Studios
Invitations: Mindy LaClair
Vows and all things written: Vow Muse
Bicycle Sales: Cyclepath

Good morning friends. I know. Monday mornings are, well, challenging. Especially on a holiday week where you know that a turkey and some mashed potatoes are just around the corner. But, we’re here to make things just a touch easier with one pretty wedding after another, starting off with this absolutely lovely, totally green inspired wedding that photographer Julie Mikos sent our way. It’s simple, it’s beautiful and it will remind all of us just how gorgeous understated elegance can really be. Click here to see even more green goodness!

click here to see the full wedding gallery!

Working with local vendors and supporting green business practices was one of Kelly and Eddie’s main goals for their August wedding. That and to have an amazing celebration supported by friends and family. Kelly and Eddie are both architects with impeccable taste and a strong sense of style they had a clear vision for their special day.

Kelly and Eddie met their florist, Julia Lojo, owner of Bloomies, located in the Rockridge Market Hall, at their local nursery in the East Bay. Julia was just wrapping up a class on floral arrangement using locally grown, sustainable plants when they met. They were striving for a “green” wedding, so much so that they GREW THEIR OWN FLOWERS! Kelly and Eddie’s green friendly idea to supplement their floral arrangements with succulents and dahlias grown in their own garden was an instant hit with Julia.

Julia was the right local florist who agreed to go into their garden the day before the wedding to cut the flowers. Obviously she had to supplement with some flowers, but she managed to harvest a great amount for the wedding. Kelly and Eddie also contributed their own creativity by creating the terrariums that added to the floral centerpieces for each table at the Headlands Center for the Arts “mess hall”. Katie Powers catering staff runs the onsite kitchen; serving organic, locally grown affair of the highest quality. The Headland’s Center itself is a restored barracks from the WWII era, and provides an interesting backdrop for any event. The heavy metal table in the foyer was perfect for escort cards and was soften by a well-suited birdcage with floral arrangement.

On site to coordinate the event, Sadie Waddington, owner of One Big Fish Green Events, located in San Francisco, brought to life Kelly and Eddie’s ideas for their perfect celebration. Lights were hung, air-plants laid in their individual bed of sand and set to hang in glass bulbs, table numbers placed and candles lit. Sadie’s goal to provide each client with an unforgettable experience, one that will last a lifetime, was surely met that day. She managed to coordinate all of these creative pieces for a perfect, colorful and relaxed green wedding in one of my favorite locations. Thanks, Kelly and Eddie for a gorgeous wedding to photograph!

Florist: Bloomies / Reception Venue: Headlands Center for the Arts / Catering: Katie Powers Catering / Photography: Julie Mikos Photographer / Event Planning: One Big Fish Green Events / Photobooth: Magnolia PhotoBooth / Entertainment: Sutherland Entertainment DJ /Acoustic guitar (Owner – Spencer Sutherland) / Wedding Cake: Torino Bakery

Next week is Thanksgiving which means…the holiday season is upon us and with this happy time of year comes holiday cards! There is a whole world out there of gorgeous paper products perfect for sending a little cheer and we have one go-to shop that never fails to deliver. It goes by the name of Minted and it boasts a serious plethora of unique designs sourced from fabulous indie designers.

Printed on thick, luxurious paper these pretties are sure to be the toast of the season. And there are so many awesome uses for Minted’s holiday cards. They are the picture perfect way to share your engagement or wedding photos or maybe you want to make a fabulous photo calendar. These happen to be one of our favorite new pieces in the Minted family. We are talking lovely textured paper, rounded corners and tons of charm. Music to a paper lover’s ears, right? Plus Minted has tons of coordinating accessories. Think delectable card backers, envelope liners and address labels that will have your holiday greetings arriving in style.

So now that we’ve made picking your holiday cards super duper easy, the only thing left to do is shop! Lucky you, the folks at Minted are about as cool as they come and they are offering SMP readers a nifty 15% discount on all of their holiday products through November 29, 2010. Just enter coupon code SMP15 at checkout and let the savings begin. ‘Tis the season.

Details, details, details … we have a penchant for them in the wedding world and with due cause. They can seriously bring a wedding to a whole other level of swooniness. You know, the kind of details that make every inch of a wedding seem even more perfect than the last. Well, we continue to be blown away week after week by all of the fabulous tidbits, bobbles, trinkets and other fabulous pieces coming our way and this week was no exception. We should have known when it started with the most out of control gorgeous Parisian details and finished up with succulent heaven in a barn. Yep, just another beautiful week at Style Me Pretty.

you are going to DIE over all of the elegant details of this garden wedding coming up next week from Cunningham Photo Artists

Enjoy these pretty posts and we look forward to seeing you on Monday!

a Parisian photo shoot that we want to live inside of
dreamy meets DIY in this Utah wedding
a classy Rhode Island number
Jackson Hole plays backdrop to a western chic fete
an all out gorgeous dream wedding in the Bahamas
a beautiful blushing bride isn’t the only colorful accoutrement in this Napa wedding
a day chock full of pretty
romance is the word of the day with this Georgia soiree
the cutest cakes we ever did see in California
a New York garden wedding that has us squealing with delight
say oh la la to urban romance with this chic shoot

Fun links from around the web:

we can’t get enough of all the handmade items from Wedzu
our love of cake has hit a crescendo with these beauties via Oh Joy
make a whimsical addition to your first toast as Mr. and Mrs. with these fab glasses via Mrs. Lillien
wishing we had a whole bookcase full of these revamped classics via Twig and Thistle

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

Ron Grandia
Jessica Fern Facette Photography
XOXO BRIDE
Photobooth Planet
Rowell Photography
Brett Dorrian Makeup Artistry
Blush Floral
Shutters on the Beach
Elan Makeup Studio
Sally Duvall

And last but not least, the winner of the Ken + Dana Giveaway is…

Liz! Congrats on your gorgeous new engagement band lucky duck.

Have a wonderful weekend lovelies! xoxo

We are always asked what the one piece of advice we would give to all brides would be if we had the chance. And we generally say the same thing…splurge on things that will truly add something to your wedding and skimp on those that guests will barely remember. Case in point, the welcome bag. Although it’s lovely to get a paper bag with some water, some peanuts and a map thrown in, it’s also money spent that isn’t always appreciated…or remembered. I know, that stings. But it’s really true. Well, enter Mélangerie Inc. the cute girls behind some of our favorite wedding day ideas and the designers behind these absolutely awesome new State-By-Food Tote bags, the perfect tote to welcome your guests in style…

So seeing that they have such a great eye for awesomeness, we’ve asked the girls at Mélangerie Inc. to give us a few ideas as to how to craft the perfect wedding welcome bag and man oh man have they delivered. So whether you snag a few of these perfect totes for your guests (they give discounts for order of more than 10) or you go with something else, these ideas are both affordable and TOTALLY adorable.

Inspired by our new State-By-Food tote bags (which illustrate a food from each great United State), we took up the challenge of curating Food-Themed Wedding Welcome Gifts for 5 of our favorite US cities. Each gift contains edibles, from the gourmet to the everyday, that represent the flavor of their respective city. From Brooklyn Brine Co.’s Pickled Fennel Beets to Sonny Bryan’s BBQ Sauce for Dallas, and a Dunkin’s Donuts gift card hailing from Boston, we have included inspiration for all palettes and budgets. Fill up our State-By-Food totes with your own local goodies, or have Melangerie Inc. do the work for you!

(from left to right) Bazzini Pistachio Nuts / Dean & Deluca Turkish Apricots / Apple from Union Square Greenmarket / Bialy from Hot Bread Kitchen / Manhattan Special Coffee Soda

(from left to right) Olive Oil + Sea Salt Roasted Almonds from Larder / Brooklyn Brine Co. Fennel Beets / Brooklyn Brewery’s Local 1 / Ragged Butte Bison All Natural Buffalo Jerky / Liddabit Beer & Pretzel Caramels

(from left to right) Lobster Lollipop / Boston Harbour Tea Tin / Boston Baked Beans from Union Oyster House / Red Sox Peanuts / Dunkin Donuts Gift Card

(from left to right) Hot N Hot Giant Jelly Beans / Jalapeno Cornbread Mix / Deep Friend Peanuts / Dr. Pepper / Sonny Bryan’s BBQ Sauce

(from left to right) Small Sour Dough Loaf from Boudin / Strawberry Lavendar Jam from Slow Jams / Scharffen Berger Chocolate Bar / Qupé Chardonnay / Edible San Francisco Magazine

We’re wrapping up this week with THE sweetest wedding trailer from Suzanne and Jeremy Doublestein of Three Ring Media in Atlanta, Georgia!

First, a little bit about the newlyweds ~ Jenny, who was studying nursing, had no idea that that she would find her future husband during a spring break trip to Arizona. Daniel, a Georgia native, was attending school in the Phoenix area when a mutual friend invited Jenny to come out for spring break. Their initial meeting didn’t lead to many sparks, as the two didn’t talk much at first. One night the group decided to go for a motorcycle ride in the desert. Jenny was solo and didn’t have anyone to ride with, so Daniel invited her to ride along. On that ride she found Daniel’s Rock-n-Roll exterior as appealing as his kind and compassionate nature. And Daniel found an instant attraction to Jenny’s easy going nature, and willingness to try new things. Their road of love found only a few potholes during their long distance courtship. After Danny’s graduation the two moved to Georgia and began planning for marriage. Watch their video, and experience the story of two easy going friends that found their road to love an easy ride.

Daniel & Jenny’s Cinematic Trailer from Three Ring Media on Vimeo.

Venue: Chota Falls in Clayton, GA / Photography: Steffi Smith of Cariad Photography / Cinematography: Jeremy Doublestein of Three Ring Media / DJ – DJ Teddy B of Pure Entertainment

Jeremy & Suzanne Doublestein founded Three Ring Media in Atlanta GA, with the desire to communicate their couple’s stories through video. Their marriage serves as a personal inspiration to help others find the common theme of their new life together, and produce story based videos that reflect the uniqueness and significance of each couple’s marriage. In short, they are fanatical about story, and they believe that the wedding is just a chapter in the couple’s life. Put another way, you could say they make marriage videos, not just wedding videos.

Oh me, this one’s a doozy. Every time I thought I had seen all the details of this wedding by Cameron Ingalls, I would stumble upon a beautiful image to find another fabulous touch hidden in a nook or cranny. Each detail is completely elegant yet rustic and styled to perfection. Not to mention, the bride’s stunning bouquet and floral arrangements by Modern Day Design are just the epitome of rustic chic. I’m beside myself with love for this wedding, and I’m sure you will be too. For each and every detail be sure to check out the gallery.

Click here to see the full wedding gallery!

Lots of details went into our big day! I pulled inspiration from old pictures, rustic barns and all things romantic. From paper flowers made out of old sewing patterns to silver candelabras, I wanted the day to have a rustic elegant feel with a touch of whimsical. My mom and I dreamed together and went on the hunt to find old books and scrabble letters for the centerpieces. My dad built the arbour which meant so much to me. It was beautiful with curly willow intertwined and laterns hanging from it. Tim and I love the country and the barn was the perfect mix of chic and rustic.

Photography: Cameron Ingalls /Venue: Dana Power House /Flowers: Modern Day Design / Catering: Sea Shanty Catering /Cupcakes: Amy Bakes Cupcakes / Dress: Pronovias /Music: Miguel Bowser & Band / Hair and Makeup: Reeda at Faces  & Alamode / Invitation Design: Katie King Rumford

Every now and then I see a set of wedding photographs that are so beautiful, so mesmerizing, I am actually tempted to order prints for my own home. Then I realize that it’s someone else’s wedding and that people might think that was a little weird. So instead, we preserve them here on the blog where I can come pore over them time and time again. Such is the case with this next wedding, photographed to undeniable perfection by Australia based wedding photographer Marcus Bell. This wedding and the images that followed are pretty much as gorgeous as you can possibly get…with a sense of romance, of mystery, of total passion tucked into each and every one. And if like myself, you are desperate to see even more, click right here.

click here to see the full wedding gallery!

We first met at high school in Perth. In fact, in that first year at high school, when we were just 12, we shared a kiss on school camp. Being typically awkward adolescents, what followed was silly practical jokes and constant teasing characteristic of young affection. We simply stayed friends through the remainder of school. After school we separately forged our paths. It wasn’t until 13 years later that a mutual friend from school, Jacqui (who was later to be my bridesmaid), decided that they we be perfect together. Jacqui had a few quiet words to David who immediately increased the frequency of his sweet messages via email and phone. David then flew from his resident Melbourne to my home in Perth to take me on our first date, and then a second, before flying home. In his speech at our wedding, David said he knew within the first five minutes of that first date that I was “the one”. I was instantly swept off my feet as well.

We had 12 weeks to plan our wedding. Not long after setting the date David flew off to India and then directly on to the West Indies for cricket – leaving all the planning to me. This is not an unusual story (i.e. groom leaves all wedding planning to bride) but in my case I was reluctantly organising a large wedding I didn’t want for a groomzilla who was dictating from afar! Furthermore, a volcanic eruption in Iceland mean that flights were cancelled across Europe and Heathrow airport was closed the day before David was due to fly home. Not the additional stress a bride needs! Needless to say he made it home in time (about three days before the wedding) and managed to write his speech, memorise his vows and learn how to dance in record time.

Our wedding day was perfect! We couldn’t have asked for anything more. It was elegant, sophisticated, fun and just plain amazing. The venue, Stones of the Yarra Valley, is breathtakingly beautiful. Choosing to marry in Melbourne in autumn was a little risky but the sun was shining and the autumn leaves were stunning.

Choosing a gown was difficult for me. All wedding gowns are beautiful and I just didn’t know how to select one. I was tortured by girls who told me they “knew the minute they tried on their dress that it was the one” or girls who “always knew what they wanted”. I think I tried on every dress in Melbourne and scoured the websites of every renowned wedding dress designer. In the end I went to Helen Manuell, of Manuell and Moore, who had previously made me a gown for the Allan Border Medal. She made this gown especially for me. It is perfectly fitted and because it has no buttons or zips it feels like a silk glove. I love it.

We had some photos taken before the ceremony and before our guests arrived so Marcus orchestrated our first meeting in private and captured it on film. They’re some of our favourite photos. Marcus was relaxed and fabulous. We don’t remember having most of our photos taken but Marcus was always there capturing magical moments. We will treasure the pictures of us sharing intimate moments, sneaking a kiss and holding our family members close. We didn’t want to pose and Marcus’ journalistic style was just what we wanted. He captured all of the emotion in the real moments of our day. He is amazing. Every moment was a highlight and Marcus was there to capture it all!

My Dad is ill and couldn’t make the journey to Melbourne for the wedding. We left everyone wondering who would walk me down the aisle and when it came time, I arrived at the chapel door alone, and walked a little way down the aisle before David walked down to collect me and we walked down the aisle together. It was really romantic and set the tears flowing in the chapel.

We wrote the entire ceremony ourselves, from beginning to end. We wanted the whole ceremony to be personalised and we included all of the things we wanted to say to each other on our big day. We memorised not only our vows but all of the other beautiful things we wanted to say about each other. David forgot a small part and had to ad lib but he spoke from the heart, was hilarious, and gave our ceremony the perfect combination of tears and laughter.

We hired Tom Carty to play during our ceremony and pre-dinner drinks. He is exceptionally talented and his repertoire covers most of our favourite music. We felt very fortunate because he left his tour of the UK briefly to come to Melbourne and play our wedding then flew back to resume his tour. He is amazing. Any songs he didn’t know he learned especially for us.

We filled the reception with flowers. Mostly roses in antique pinks and creams. They were stunning. Victoria Whitelaw completely understood our desire for class, elegance and beauty. She was amazing to work with. We wanted to give our guests gifts that would remind them of us, and our amazing wedding day, for years to come. We gave our male guests Mont Blanc pens and the girls designer (Gucci, Versace, Burberry) silk scarves. They loved them!

At the end of the night, our guests formed an arch for us to run through to our waiting Rolls Royce. We were flying out just hours later to our honeymoon in Koh Samui, then on to our second home in Nottinghamshire, England. It was an emotional farewell after spending such a short time with our families and friends from Perth and knowing we wouldn’t see them for another six months.

We planned our wedding in 12 weeks and it was a fairytale. Don’t let anyone tell you that you need 12 months to plan a wedding, it’s just not true.

Gown: Helen Manuell for Manuell & Moore / Photographer: Marcus Bell of Studio Impressions / Ceremony + Reception Location: Stones of the Yarra Valley / Caterer: Stones of the Yarra Valley / Reception Decorations: Victoria Whitelaw / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridal + Bridesmaids Accessories: Jeanette Maree Jewellery / Wedding rings: Blizzards Fine Jewellers / Groom’s attire: Ferrari Suit Hire and Sales / Bridesmaid’s outfits: Toni Maticevski / Celebrant: Father Joe Giacobbe / Stationery: One Post /  Transport: Classic & Prestige Car Hire / Hair and Make-Up: Melinda Wain / Cake: Cake Palette

A long, long time ago way back when, I was in design school and one of the very first things I learned was grey makes other colors POP. I thought this was so strange at the time but if you think about it, it’s completely true. On a grey day, the trees look greener, the flowers seem brighter and this California Ranch wedding is the perfect example. It is an explosion of pretty color all captured by Acres of Hope Photography and we are loving every second of it. In fact, grey just might be our new favorite color. Who are we kidding, it totally is. See more of the bright, happy details in the gallery.

see the FULL day here!

Nate and I got married on a very misty afternoon at my grandfather’s ranch in Potrero, California. We chose my grandfather’s property because of its beautiful oak trees, large boulders, and we felt his red barn would be an awesome place for a reception. For a do-it-yourself bride, this was the perfect place to plan a wedding. The venue was owned by family, who invited me to come and set up things before hand. My grandpa also helped immensely with heavy duty tasks in getting the barn in ship shape. This made setting up the day before the wedding a lot less hectic.

I wanted my wedding to be a little bit country, and a little bit vintage, and thought the barn would be the perfect place to do that. Country details we used included bales of stray used as tables for galvanized buckets that held the drinks, a large chalk board for the seating assignments, and burlap runners made by with the help of my friends Ann, Sandy, and my sister-in-law Kandra. I also used mason jars to display assorted orange flowers, as well as candles filled with blue and orange buttons. To bring in my love for all things vintage, I used antique children’s books and antique glass for the cake table. I also love feed sack fabric from the 1930’s and decided to use a variety of prints with orange and blue tones in them for bunting flags (thanks mom) that hung in the doorways of the barn. I am also a lover of old vintage sweaters, and thought it would be fun to switch things up by wearing a blue vintage cardigan during the reception. My favorite detail of my whole wedding, which was an idea my groom came up with when he was in Iraq, was a root beer float bar. To achieve the root beer float bar, we ordered a keg of beer, a jockey box, and set it up on a table with a vintage table cloth on it. The table was decorated with little fabric flags, displayed in orange soda bottles filled with colorful jelly beans. Even though it was outdoors, it was fun to give my guests a retro feel of going to an old fashioned soda fountain. All in all, my wedding day was perfect! I was surrounded by people who love me, details that make me smile, and a man whose hand I will hold forever.

Photography: Acres of Hope Photography / Flowers: Jasmine Creek Florist / Ceremony and Reception Location: WestStar Ranch (private) / Caterer: El Indio Mexican Food / Cake: Twiggs Bakery

If ever there was a wedding that looked just like this, and if ever I was lucky enough to be a guest, I think I would die right there on the spot. This is the most gorgeous wedding inspiration I’ve seen in a long time and I can SO see it translated into a real wedding…particularly in a really cool loft space. Designed by the girls at Luxe Fete Event Planning and Design Studio, this is one of those features where you can kick your heels up and just soak up all of the prettiness. Click here to see even more!

click here to see the full gallery!

This concept photoshoot is our interpretation of an urban love story. We sought to design something industrial yet ethereal, glamourous yet raw, and something just plain ole’ pretty. The minute I knew we were designing something with an urban flavor is the minute I knew we had to do it at The Nuage Studio. The Nuage Studio is 6,000 square feet of bare open walls, high ceilings and smoky gray elements – perfect to ground the pretty and girly elements we wanted to play with. All of this in MIAMI.

While touring the space we fell in love with their tall, stark white crocodile-textured royal table and high back sofas. We paired the table with Kartell inspired bar stools because (a) they are sleek and (b) they allow you to absorb the open space, a feeling we definitely wanted to invoke. One of my favorite elements is the natural cracks in the concrete floor. Something haunting about them, something beautiful about them, something real.

To soften the design, we paired beautiful pink peonies and roses with rough edges like chipped mirror containers, cracked goblets and crocodile-textured furniture. We then tried to infuse glamour by incorporating a grouping of three fabulous floor sized Venetian mirrors and an amazing modern chandelier from Modani. Textured linens, like a deconstructed rosette, a micro sequined, the classic pintuck and a super-fab Flokati rug in the lounge area tied everything together so romantically. Mirrors + Pink Peonies + a Loft Space = URBAN PRETTINESS.

Flowers and Design: Luxe Fête Event Planning and Design Studio / Photography: Ambrosio Photography / Couture Furniture and Linens: Nuage Designs / Location: The Nuage Studio / Mirrors and Lighting: Modani Furniture

“When children find true love, parents find true joy.” What a quote! Look to a father at the wedding of his princess to hear sentiments that will rock your soul. That’s just one of the many things that struck Joanna at Diva Productions about Jana and Brent’s Destin, Florida wedding.

Brent and Jana were high school sweethearts. Little did they know when they were fifteen, that thirteen years later they would be married! When Joanna started reviewing their wedding film footage, she knew exactly where the focus should be. Family. Their love and their love of family brought tears to her eyes …

The Proposal
I came home after work on a Thursday evening and did my usual routine. Got the mail, walked into the kitchen and started going through it. I came across a letter that was addressed to me and had a return address from Destin, FL with the sender’s name, “Mr. Wright”. My initial thought was I had been put on a mailing list because my parent’s have a place in Destin, so we are there often. I opened the letter and unfolded a beautiful floral paper with the most poetic words on it about love. I was like, “what is this??” Then, I turned the page ….”Will You Marry Me?”. I turned around and Brent was on his knee with a dozen roses in one hand and the ring in the other. “YES!” I screamed as tears of joy streamed down both of our faces. He told me to go get dressed as he had a night of romance in Atlanta planned. It was the most PERFECT night.

The Inspiration
I wanted our wedding to be a magical, romantic, enchanted garden! One of the special touches we had included was a WISH LANTERN that we set off after our 1st dance. It represented the bride and groom shedding their worries and starting a new life together.

The Wedding
My parents own a place in Destin that is a home away from home for us. Brent and I knew we wanted to get married there. When we were looking at venues and stepped foot on the Palazzo’s property, we both looked at each other and said “this is it”. It just felt right! Shelby Peaden Events did an over the top job of planning our dream wedding. Everything was more than we ever could have expected. She is a true joy to work with and has such refreshing ideas! Dine by Design was our caterer. Kim did an exquisite job with the menu. Everyone still talks about how great the food was. Not, to mention how terrific her staff was. The bartenders, servers and everyone was just wonderful! Confections on the Coast not only made a cake that looked too good to be true, but the taste was out of this world!! Rhonda is so creative and a true artist. I don’t think there’s anything she can’t create! Fiore Florist in Pensacola did a OUTSTANDING job on our decor and flowers. Everything was so beautiful that it brought chills when we first saw everything. Everyone describes our wedding as magical! JUST what we wanted!

The Memories
Diva Productions did a fabulous job of capturing our day on film. They made a beautiful movie for us that we will cherish for the rest of our lives! Lauren Kinsey Photography’s energy is amazing and made us feel like rock stars!

Brent’s twin brother, Ryan, gave a very emotional speech, as did my father. My Dad’s speech was amazing and there was so much love behind it. Another very special moment was when we saw a hummingbird at the bar hovering over a pear martini. Brent’s grandfather passed away several years ago and his thing was hummingbirds. He loved them!!! So, we think that was him!

Other Special Touches
Daffy Apple is where we ordered our caramel crunch apples for our favors. They were so cost friendly, adorable and delicious! We wrapped them in a cellophane bag and tied them with a black raffia ribbon. We stuck a sticker on them that read “Love is Delicious!”

Coordinator & Event Designer: Shelby Peaden Events / Photographer: Lauren Kinsey Photography / Cinematographer: Diva Productions / Wedding Gown Designer: Venus from La Raine’s Boutique, Atlanta / Bridesmaids: LOVE by Enzoani / Jewelry: Family brooches on bouquet / Floral Designer: Fiore / Invitation Designer: Paper Diva / Cake/Desserts: Confections on the Coast
Caterer: Dine by Design / Hair: Two Fishes Artistry

Be sure and take a look at more of Diva Productions films on their blog!

One we recently featured ~ Pretty In Pink!

A sweet, sweet short film: Sunday Best!

A choreographed first dance: The Time Of Their Lives!

AND ~ just in case you missed it ~

Joanna explores the if’s and’s  & but’s of Hiring A Wedding Filmmaker ~

featured here on The Little Black Book Blog!

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

Shelby Peaden Events

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Have you ever wondered what a wedding would look like if it were the joining of a computer programmer for Etsy and a freelance writer/blogger? Well wonder no more. These New York nuptials are the crème de la crème…all out gorgeous…an explosion of beautiful fall details and maybe our new favorite wedding to date. Of course, no wedding is complete without the fabulous vendors behind the scenes and this wedding is boasting some mega-heavy hitters. Robert Sukrachand lent his hand to the picture perfect images while Hatch Creative Studio created a masterpiece of floral proportions. THE Sylvia Weinstock made one extremely gorgeous cake and the paper goods were tackled by Hello!Lucky AND Ceci New York. All in all, total perfection. See the rest of the day in the gallery.

if you think it couldn’t possibly get any prettier, then you need to see the gallery!

Eli and I saw our wedding as a public expression of who we are as a couple. We chose to have a traditional Jewish ceremony, but spent a lot of time making it our own. We added our own vows and wrote our own translations for the seven blessings. The intimacy of the ceremony was incredibly special for us and brought all our guests together beautifully. It was especially important to me that I looked and felt like myself when I walked down the aisle. My wedding dress took awhile to find, but as soon as I tried this one on, I was crying. It was the most gorgeous second skin I’ve ever worn. When Eli saw me that day, I know that he saw the woman he chose to marry. We tried to bring in as many DIY touches as possible, though we discovered that takes a lot of time! Among the highlights: My brother made our wooden ring box by hand—he even sewed the tiny pillow inside; our chuppah was my mother’s beautiful handiwork, and included 64 sunrays (for our song, “When I’m 64”); I made the bridesmaid necklaces, with each of our birthstones wrapped into the back clasp; Eli sang to me, backed by the band and his college a cappella group (easily one of my favorite moments of the night); and our wedding was entirely gluten free and delectable to boot!

I imagine that every bride has a favorite idea for her wedding, and mine was the mailboxes (Barb’s gorgeous creation!) filled with personal notes that we wrote for each of our guests. Writing those notes was a wonderful reminder of why each person was there with us that night and we loved watching how thrilled the guests were when they saw them. The energy at the reception was electric from start to finish. We felt so warmly surrounded by all our family and friends. At the end of the night, I knew we’d thrown an amazing party when all of our guests started screaming for an encore! As we were driving back to the hotel, totally exhausted, we could not stop talking about the day. We wanted so much to keep the moment, to just hold it and have it for one second longer. I feel so blessed to have the memory, to have a wonderful husband, family, and friends, and to have so much love in my life.

And a note from the Groom … I just want to throw in a few additional details. One – the band was off the CHAIN. They were tight as hell and had obvious passion and joy while performing. Everyone was dancing – even my other computer programmer friends (which is, like, a feat). Two – my suit was made from LASERS. Yes, it’s true! Alton Lane measures you with a super-futuristic laser booth and creates a suit that fits like a glove. They also are patient with the fashion-inept. Two thumbs up. Three – some other handmade touches include the Save the Dates (taken by my co-worker), the amazing website (made by Nadia and myself, which includes a custom-built online RSVP thing), and a recording booth that guests could use to leave us a fun voice message (assembled by me and Nadia’s dad, and complete with mad fun prompt signs, made by a friend of Nadia’s). Four – if you’re reading this and are planning for your wedding, know that all of those ridiculous nights when you and your spouse-to-be are wringing your hands and bandying about questions like “should we use plum or sage for the ribbons on the gift bags?” actually do pay off. It was such a mind-bending pleasure to see all of the details that Nadia and I had agonized over come together into a coherent event that was much more than the sum of its parts. I hope that viewing our pictures is inspiring or useful to you in some way.

Venue: Wave Hill / Caterer: Great Performances / Cake: Sylvia Weinstock / Florist: Barb Salzman of Hatch Creative Studio / Photographer: Robert Sukrachand / Band: Urban Guerilla Orchestra (Elan Artists) / Makeup Artist: Victoria Moyer TheDown2EarthDiva@gmail.com or 484-716-4775 / Hairstylist: Courtney Benedetti / Day-of Event Planner: Annie Lee of Daughter of Design /  Stationery: Ceci New York / Save the Date: Hello!Lucky / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang / Groom’s Suit: Alton Lane / Ketubah: New Ketubah / Officiant: Rabbi Andy Bachman / Congregation: Beth Elohim

I have to admit. Before I ever fell in love with this wedding…I fell in love with the wedding cakes. It was the one picture that just totally stole my heart and convinced me to look a little deeper at this absolutely charming, totally DIY affair. Of course it helps to have one of the most amazing backdrops that just happens to be your parents backyard, but still. This wedding is the definition of rustic elegance and I for one, am smitten. Photographed by Lori Huneke of Images by Lori, it’s definitely bookmark worthy. Click here to see even more!

click here to see the full wedding gallery!

Several years ago, my parents acquired property in the unbelievably beautiful and lush Capay Valley of Northern California. The valley is best known for sustainable and organic farming practices, as well being an extremely close-knit community – both of which have been of major importance to Steve and me. The olive farm plays host to everything wonderful in our lives, all revolving around the celebration of friends and family – birthdays, holidays, olive harvests, and regular old, fun-filled weekends.

Because of this, it was only natural (and perfect) that the farm is where Steve staged his proposal; November 2, 2009. After setting a date for the following September, and after having many conversations about how we envisioned our wedding, we came to one conclusion: the most important thing was not to lose sight of why people have weddings in the first place. We wanted our day to be a celebration of our love for each other, and our love for family and friends. Our first wedding decision: to be married at the farm.

Because the farm is so naturally serene, it was important to only add accents. We didn’t want to overdo it, just simply enhance the natural beauty of what was already there. We were lucky to have an old, rustic barn, a red water tower, an enormous pecan tree, a quaint little porch, and an amazing team of helpful family and friends. Rather than choosing specific colors for the wedding, we enveloped a color palette – dusty, vintage-inspired colors, similar to that of Anthropologie. Burlap embodied the wedding as our textile of choice. It was elegant, yet right in line with the vibe of the farm. We used it as table runners, curtains, covers for the hay bales, and to dress the aisle for the ceremony.

Each of our centerpieces were slightly different from one another, and were composed of antique bottles, vintage cloth-covered novels and cookbooks, mason jars with handmade wire handles, small aluminum flower pots, and brightly colored bowls. The bowls were filled with lemons, the flower pots with strawberry plants, and the bottles and mason jars with flowers. The centerpieces ended up serving as a very special and sentimental part of the wedding because of all the help we had gathering its parts – my sister planted the strawberries, our good friends from Full Belly Farm composed the flower arrangements, the wire handles for the mason jars were made by my mom and I, and my entire family was on a constant search for antique books.

My aunt and cousins designed our wedding invitations, and played the violin and cello during the ceremony. My parents’ best friend, Jimmy, was our officiator, and we had my eight year old cousin sing a song amidst the ceremony. A friend of my mom’s made a wooden sign reading “Steve + Sara,” another friend gave us the tree stumps for our wedding cakes. I made the table numbers and place cards, and we had an entire team assembling the place settings, complete with a book page from Charlotte’s Web wrapped in the napkin and tied with hemp twine.

Of the 220 guests attending the wedding, about thirty were children. These thirty exuberant kids were another loving and important ingredient into what made our wedding so special – the liveliness and happiness that was cast by their little, happy spirits was pure magic. All in all, our wedding was a dream come true. We celebrated our love. A large portion of this had to do with bringing our friends and family together to work so hard on making this day so special. When people work together to reach a common goal, and the end result is better that anyone ever imagined, a very special and rewarding connection is made.

Photographer: Lori Huneke, Images by Lori / Dj: Denon and Doyle, Chris / Event Coordinator: Amber Firestone / Caterer (paella): Chef Ciado / Cakes: Market Hall Bakery / Flowers: Full Belly Farm / Makeup: Michelle Maddux and Sheila Cassani / Dress: Nicole Miller / Shoes: J Crew / Hair Accessories: J Crew / Bridesmaid dresses: J Crew, Club Monaco / Invitations: Gayle Strang / Save the dates: wedding paper divas / Decanters: CB2 / Groom’s suit: Express Men / Groom’s shoes: Banana Republic / Wedding décor/details: Alameda Antique Flea market / Olive Oil: Capay Oaks Farm

Sarvenaz and Kevin’s story tells like a fairytale. They had their first date in Cannes, and then a third date in Monaco, their first ‘I Love You’s’ were exchanged in Sweden; and this was only the beginning. Fast-forward to a beautiful June day at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel- where they made it official and said ‘I Do’. Their wedding drew from many influences- touches from Sarv’s Persian heritage, a few nods to their love of travel and all things adventurous, and a lot of who they are together as a couple. They love to have FUN, have great taste AND are absolutely crazy about each other …

Their vibrant and rich wedding design featuring all shades of pink, from a bold magenta to a soft pink, with cooler accents of white and ivory. Dark wood accents were added here and there as well to give the design a more organic feel- despite the bold palette. Personal touches included hot sauce favors (Kevin’s favorite) and escort cards made by the bride (she called me while making them SHOCKED that she was enjoying DIY so much!) I hope you enjoy this wedding as much as I enjoyed being a part of it – they are truly a special couple. -Platinum Weddings by Kerrie

Lots more S T U N N I N G images on Kerrie’s blog ~ here

and APERTURA’s blog ~ here!

Wedding Coordination: Platinum Weddings by Kerrie / Photography: APERTURA / Cinematography: Weddings by SML / Flowers: Florals by Jenny / Ceremony & Reception Location: Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel (CA) / DJ/Lighting: Honored Occasions / Ceremony Musicians: Angelica Strings / Rentals: Signature Party Rentals / Beauty: Design Visage / Dress: Stephen Yearick from Mon Amie Bridal / Dove Release: White Flite