Our lovely guest blogger, Naomi of GENERATIONS videostories, has one more amazing clip to share with you!

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Jen and Aaron were both doctors who met in Boston while in medical school. Jen was from New Orleans, where her father was the rabbi of the largest Jewish temple in the city. Originally, their fairy-tale wedding was to have been held in New Orleans; but when their carefully planned celebration (and their deposits!) had been swept away by hurricane Katrina, they decided to go ahead as scheduled. Their wedding was relocated to The Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, where over one hundred of their friends and family from all over the world convened for a fabulous weekend celebration.

White roses from Winston’s decorated every room, from flower-laden chuppah at the Brookline Temple where Jen’s father officiated the ceremony to the cocktail and buffet tables at the reception. The groom, who looked as comfortable in tails as in a t-shirt, helped his dad and all his groomsmen tie perfect bow-ties. Sacramental kiddush cups were brought to be used during the ceremony – one had come all the way from Europe from a grandparent, and one from New Orleans with Jen’s father. Aaron wore the same yarmulke his father had worn on his wedding day, and was married with his late grandfather’s enormous wedding ring. Jen had a patch of lace from her mom’s wedding gown sewn into the underskirt of her new gown.

This whole family was fabulous on camera: Everyone was full of stories about the couple, the day, the courtship, marriage… it couldn’t have been better. Aaron, for all his tie-and-tails sophistication, was one of the funniest grooms we had ever met. Throughout the reception, he swigged on his own personal bottle of bubbly. Everyone cried and laughed on camera within inhibition.

Naomi, of GENERATIONS videostories in Boston, is guest blogging today about some of her favorite weddings…and it’s so much fun to hear from someone behind the lens!

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I first heard about Rachelle and Josh when Rachelle’s mom, Patrice, contacted me from NYC, to tell me that she, her daughter, and her soon-to-be son-in-law all loved our “videostories” and asked if we were available for a June 7 wedding in Newport at the Belle Mer. As film makers, we LOVE the Belle Mer: With its white walls, floating white sheer drapes, rolling green lawn, and light-strung bridge arching across the Narragansett Bay, it reminds me of a mansion straight out of the Great Gatsby. After filming a few weddings there, I realized what a wonderful backdrop the site is for decor – there are so many different-feeling spaces at the site, and all of them feel open and flow effortlessly into one another.

I met Rachelle and Josh only a few weeks before their wedding and they struck me as like one of the happiest, most giggling couples I had ever known. When I showed up to film on the day of the wedding, Rachelle and her “girls” were full of smiles and giggles while getting ready. Truly, they were as sunny as the golden-yellow, flowing chiffon evening gowns they wore as maids of honor. In seeing how classic and gorgeous those gowns looked on all of the girls, I wondered why more brides didn’t try the evening gown department of their favorite stores for attendant’s dresses instead of limiting themselves to bridal shops. Mom, Patrice, wore a  stunning, turquoise chiffon gown that was couture designed and made in Paris, and the bride looked (but didn’t act!) like a princess in her off-white ball gown and diamond accessories.

Mom escorted Rachelle down the aisle where the couple exchanged simple vows under an arbor made of two, white- blossomed trees arching toward one another.  The bride and bridesmaids all carried golden calla lilies. The ballroom was filled with tall, fragrant floral arrangements and the band was lit with cobalt blue and fuchsia LED lights which were a joy to capture on film.  What was most wonderful about this wedding was the profound love shared by the couple and their families. You can see the passion between Rachelle  and Josh most clearly in their first dance, but the warmth and closeness of family surrounded the couple throughout the night.

As the wedding season slows down, I am reminded what a privilege it is to be invited into these most intimate moments of a family’s life. Not only do I get the opportunity to see amazing weddings, but I can also immerse myself in some of the most loving experiences anyone could possibly want to have. Every wedding is a blessing.

Our good friend Anita over at Maliha Creations sent me this fabulous find for today and I had to share! Ivan and Mary is a great store in Charlottesville, Virginia which specializes in adorable bags and really cool belts. I think these totes would be the perfect gift for bridesmaids, or as a present for your overnight guests. I also love that the inside of the bags is almost as pretty as the front. Thanks Anita for sending us some great Friday eye candy!

More from Naomi at GENERATIONS videostories!

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Chad, from the previous featured wedding, was also the designer/planner of the absolutely stunning  wedding of Elena and John in Little Compton RI. Spread across both Elena’s parents’ and their neighbors waterfront properties, three tents and endless arrays of orchid plants contained the festivities for a grand celebration.

Elena and John’s marriage had a most romantic story: Elena was a very successful Boston doctor who was so dedicated to her career that she (according to her doting father) had invested little time or interest in finding an appropriate mate. Elena’s father not only adored his daughter, but so adored his own wife, that he felt that life without a suitable marriage partner was far less than ideal. Upon reading about an author who had written a book advising women on how to attract an appropriate partner, the father immediately called the author and prevailed upon her to take his daughter on as a client. With a twinkle in his eye, the father presented a pair of tickets to his wife and daughter to a Colorado spa where he had prearranged a meeting with this world class marriage consultant. Happy to indulge her doting dad, Elena joined her mom on the Big Adventure. Elena and the dating consultant clicked, Elena began wearing bright colors and jewelry, and soon a sweet man appeared on an internet dating service. When John (the Man) was asked about his favorite holidays, he answered Elena: “Valentine’s Day and your birthday.” It didn’t take long before love had blossomed, a proposal was offered and accepted, and wedding plans were being made.

The bride’s first dress (yes, there were two!) had been designed for HER mother by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ couturier in Harlem NYC. The bride’s grandmother had taken her mother to the couturier to have her wedding dress made some 30 years earlier, and recently Elena had taken the dress to a tailor to have it updated and refitted for her own wedding. Wearing that sentimental wedding dress, Elena was escorted by her dad across a rose-petal strewn meadow to a tented floral-draped chuppah under which she exchanged vows and was pronounced married by John’s  minister father.

Mini-vans escorted the wedding party and guests back to the house where the bride quickly changed into a 1920’s inspired silk charmeuse gown while the guests enjoyed cocktails. The rest of the night was spent dancing to two bands – one Latin, one pop – and toasting each others’ happiness. The tent was gorgeous with lights and flowers climbing high up the tent posts. While the Elena and John laughed their way through a first dance – “Fly Me To The Moon” set to a waltz beat – it was Elena’s parents gracefully gliding across the dance floor together that inspired me to think of why Elena’s dad had taken the first step toward finding his own daughter a loving partner of her own.

Today is really fun…we have asked one of our Boston-based Little Black Book cinematographers, GENERATIONS videostories, to guest blog for us! Naomi and Jack are the force behind Generations and are sharing a behind-the-lens perspective on the weddings that they have shot!

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People often ask me when we started GENERATIONS videostories; and why, after multiple careers including teaching English and counseling individuals and couples, I wound up making wedding films. My partner Jack had been a videographer for a while, mostly in the corporate world, but also doing the occasional wedding for friends and family. In May 2004, a photographer friend invited us to share a table with her at Boston’s first gay wedding expo, co-sponsored by The Lenox Hotel and Bloomingdale’s. We arrived at the show excited about the impending Supreme Judicial Court Decision and thrilled to be supporting the many gay and lesbian couples who would now be able to tie the knot just like other couples in love.

During the week preceding the expo, Jack and I had come up with the name GENERATIONS videostories to distinguish our company as creating wedding films that focused on the generations of people present at a wedding celebration as well as those who would, in the future, have the chance to get to know a bit about their grandparents, great-grandparents, and family friends who celebrated at the wedding.

Chad and Kevin’s wedding was a wonderful mix of cultures and styles. It was absolutely amazing to be filming a wedding designed by one of the truly great wedding planner/designers! I wasn’t quite sure how a Tibetan Buddhist ceremony was going to work with a group of Mariachi players and teenage gymnasts at the BayClub in Mattapoisett… but, suffice it to say, Chad and Kevin pulled it off. All of Kevin and Chad’s female friends were given floral bouquets, and their best friends were all part of a Nepalese silk scarf ritual during the ceremony itself. Harp and flute played as guests entered the private home that was the site of the ceremony, and a luxury bus transported the wedding party to the the Bay Club for the stunning reception. Guests were serenaded by the happy sounds of the Mariachi band; the wedding, held on Cinquo de Mayo, was in honor of Kevin’s profession as a teacher of the Spanish language.

I asked Chad about the red tulips spilling all over the Bay Club reception and was told that after his first date with Kevin, this wonderfully romantic man showed his immediate interest by sending over 100 red tulips. Needless to say, Kevin was smitten. At the wedding reception, Chad continued to charm by grabbing the band’s mic and singing Dolly Parton’s Islands in the Stream to him.

And finally, how can we even discuss the Little Black Dress without paying homage to the ever classic, black and white palette. Of course, this next palette was inspired by the AMAZING Lisa Vorce wedding that we featured just a couple of days ago. Take a basic black and white palette…throw in some incredible mercury glass and a splash of zebra. Suddenly, your look is ultra chic and incredibly modern.

Nicole Miller dress on Bluefly, all other images styled by Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming! and photographed by Docuvitae

So now for the good part. We are having ANOTHER contest! It will debut after our DIY contest (which is starting next week…so get your entries in ASAP!) and the winner will receive a $300 gift certificate to the store of your choice. Here’s the deal. You have to find your favorite LBD and come up with a chic, innovative palette to compliment it. Get creative, because anything goes.

Structure your boards like the ones that I’ve featured today…simple, cohesive collections of 4-6 pictures. The final image needs to be at least 600 pixels across. For tips on setting this up, just shoot me an email. Submissions can be sent in Word, Illustrator, PDF or preferably JPG. The deadline is October 31st. Please include a list of sources for all images.

Can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!!

Now we’re pairing the Little Black Dress with a more rustic, kind of vintage look…

Little Black Dress by Nicole Miller on Bluefly, Flowers by Rebecca Thuss, Gift by Elizabeth Messina and Thayer Allyson Gowdy, Wine by Katie Moos

At first, I wasn’t sure if this look would work. Rustic and vintage usually go with warmer colors like chocolate brown, worn raspberry, soft yellow. But, the more I played with it, the more I fell in love with this palette. It’s very approachable, very simple but elegant. The black adds a touch of sophistication to a more natural style.

I am loving the Little Black Dress paired with fuschia, red and pink…it could be my favorite look so far. It’s a toss up!

LBD by Nicole Miller on Bluefly, Flowers by Crimson and Clover, Invitations by Mr. Boddington’s Studio, Guitar and Florals by Oh How Charming!

Some people naturally go for blues and greens, I go for pinks and reds. I love this kind of Bohemian, Spanish look. It just reminds me of a really great party, filled with family and friends. A candlelit dinner, and a beautiful guitar playing in the background. LOVE!

Okay, now take the same little black dress that we featured earlier, and pair it with lavender. How gorgeous is this palette…

LBD by Nicole Miller on Bluefly, Lavender by Brandon Vick, Invitation by Ceci New York, Purple florals by Rosenow

To me, this look is totally romatic, completely dreamy. It’s striking but in a really timeless way. What do you guys think…does it work?

I am really excited about today’s post…so excited that I actually started working on it days ago which is a rare thing when you have a newborn! As some of your know, the FABULOUS Bluefly just launched their Weddings 2.0 site complete with a pretty killer array of bridesmaids dresses and accessories. Well, this got me thinking. How many different looks can one bridesmaids dress work with?

Take the Little Black Dress for example. Aside from the fact that your bridesmaids will love you, the LBD is such a classic look for your maids. One that you will always look back on as being incredibly chic, incredibly sophisticated. So for today, I thought we’d take the Little Black Dress and see just how many “styles” we can come up with!

The first is about as chic as it gets…the perfect LBD, paired with shots of green and white. It’s modern, it’s fresh and it’s so very “right now”…

Little Black Dress by Nicole Miller on Bluefly, Flowers by Crimson and Clover, Cake by Vanilla Bakeshop shot by Cheri Pearl, Girls by Trever Hoehne Photography

So much more to come!

Today’s real wedding by A Charleston Bride, was all about style. From the amazing color palettes to the soft little details, every element was thoughtful and pretty. But, I have to say, the prettiest part of the whole day…would have to be the bride. Hands down.

And alongside the gorgeous yellow and black palette, sat pretty little details that completely softened the look and allowed the style to stand the test of time…

There is such an important lesson to be learned from this bride…with the help of A Charleston Bride, she really took a look at her surroundings and made sure that each “area” was designed to naturally compliment the space. The cocktail reception was fun and lively, with its bold yellow and black palette. And the dinner was a bit more muted, with corals and greens to accent the beautiful wall color and elegant space. She added the black and white napkin rings to tie the spaces together. Lovely, all together lovely.

When I first started looking at this wedding designed by A Charleston Bride, I noticed the pretty lemon trees, the elegant centerpieces, the sweet sophistication…THEN, I saw the color palette! The brilliantly graphic yellow and black palette that screams style…

How fun is this look? The damask linens next to the bold yellow florals…it says chic all over the place.

When I was featuring the real wedding by A Charleston Bride the other day, I stumbled across today’s featured wedding. I fell instantly in love with the chic color palette and the quaint little details, so of course, I requested to see more! And today, I get to share it with YOU…

Every little detail is filled with charm, complete Southern style. This wedding actually reminds me a lot of my friend Samantha’s wedding a year ago. It has the same sweetly sophisticated look that just makes you smile. I have so much more to come, so stay tuned!

Jesse and Travis over at True Color Events are true geniuses! They are just so enthusiastic and fun to work with!  Even better is that they really reflect the personality of the couple in the event. Not to mention, their planning style is totally stress free for the bride! I love that! True Colors Events just won Seattle Bride Magazine’s Best Planners and Best “Day-Of Coordinators” for 2008! Stress-free, beautiful reflections of bride and groom, I’m loving it!  Check out True Colors’ blog for some real eye candy!

As I was browsing around Chateau de Gateau’s new blog (which is lovely by the way), I discovered Papillon cakes…and they are delicious. Seriously, delicious…

(all photos by Little Black Book member 5ive15ifteen who we love at SMP…remember this real wedding?)

Papillon is a Canadian based company that makes the most stunning wedding cakes you have ever seen. They are so detailed, so perfectly crafted…from the sleek and sophisticated to the romantic, almost french inspired. I have barely scratched the surface with the pictures above, so definitely check out Papillon cakes for some sweet inspiration!

I am heading to NY today for The Wedding Salon’s latest event and would love to see you there! Much to my delight, the Salon is offering ten complimentary tickets to SMP readers in the NY area. The vendors are pretty much unmatched…think Ceci NY and Sylvia Weinstock…so it’s a must! Plus, I’ll be there! If you’re interested, just send an email to Jesuina{at}WeddingSalon.com. The first ten brides to email will receive their complimentary ticket!

Chapeau de Gateau just released their new cake topper designs and I am in love…

These toppers are all charm. But I have to say, this next one is my new favorite…

If you don’t already know about Chapeau de Gateau, you HAVE to check out their newly launched etsy shop. What owner and designer, Alison, can do with ribbon is, well…brilliant! All toppers are handcrafted using Mokuba ribbons and can be customized to compliment you colors.

Today is all about sweet treats…those perfect little sweet details that make your wedding special. And when Liz Green wrote to me about her newly launched company, Bar Candy, I knew I had to share. It’s such a fun, innovative concept and if you can swing it, one that would certainly be a hit at any wedding…

In a nutshell, Liz took her love of mixology to a new level creating these fabulous edible cocktail glasses. They come in chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter cup, and colored white chocolate and are offered in hues to match any palette. Ummm, how cool is that? She also sells custom dessert syrups and mixes that anyone can add to one ounce of cream or vodka or specific liquors and voila…a signature cocktail!

Check out Liz’s site if you have a minute…it’s such a fun way to add some personality to your soiree!

Thank you so much to Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming! and the the team at Docuvitae for sharing today’s absolutely gorgeous wedding.

I know that it’s way beyond many budgets out there, but look to the style of the day for inspiration. Whether it’s the antique silver, white and black palette or the collection of vintage china, there are so many ways to incorporate this type of look into a more modest affair.