Here are a few more details from the oh-so-pretty Amanda Kraft wedding…

From Melissa, the bride…

The theme of the wedding was a shabby-chic garden wedding with ivory and muted greens and blues as the primary colors.  It was very important to match the existing atmosphere of Lauxmont farms, as well as show my own antique, shabby-chic taste.  The ceiling of the rotunda (ceremony site) is green and ivory striped, which was perfectly tied in with the centerpiece containers painted green and white (found on clearance at Michaels, already painted!!) Planning was done by Melissa Rau of the Event Planning Network.

Our favors were personalized coozies with our monogram and wedding date. We served beer from a local brewery to give visitors a taste of Lancaster.

My earrings were made by a Richmond artist, Maryellen Kim of TwistStyle, and incorporated  pearls with a blue stone drop for her something blue.  Rob’s Aunt embroidered a handkerchief for me and my mother, aunt, and grandmother with the “tree of life” and personalized monogram, which all carried during the ceremony. 

The cake was made by Bellamanse and included blue buttercream frosting with fondant lace decor to coordinate with the bride’s gown.  The flavors included chocolate with chocolate filling (my favorite) and white cake with blueberry filling.
 
Flowers were done by Kelly Steadman from All Things Beautiful. My bouquet included white roses and stephanotis with pearl accents and the bridesmaid’s bouquets included blue hydrangea and sweetheart roses.  It was very important to me to have very small bouquets that were easy to handle with little-to-no greenery.

My wedding dress was designed by Mon Cheri, a cap-sleeved ivory lace gown with a fitted bodice and a victorian feel.  The dress was a one-of-a-kind and was bought off the rack over 2 years before the wedding day! The tuxes were men’s warehouse with traditional cummerbunds, and bowties by Peter Blair, Richmond VA.

I thought that this wedding, photographed by the incredibly talented Amanda Kraft, was just too pretty to resist. And, since I get so many emails from brides looking for ways to design a lovey but simple outdoor affair, I thought this fit the bill perfectly…

Here are some details from Melissa, the bride…

Rob and I exchanged vows at Laxmount Farms in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania on May 25th, 2008. After meeting at a college party we began dating and after two years, Rob proposed to me just before we returned to my hometown for the holidays.  It was a total surprise!  Another two and a half years would go by before we would finally tie the knot!

Because Rob is from Raleigh, NC., I really wanted to share my hometown of Lancaster, PA with his family.  Lancaster is a small town built on traditions and values, and I included those aspects in the wedding with a horse-drawn carriage ride for the Bride and Groom to the reception and the setting amongst beautiful Lancaster farmland.  The wedding was held on a Sunday during Memorial Day weekend so that everyone had plenty of travel time.
 
We chose our officiant as a recommendation from friends, who were married in August 2007.  After getting to know Ted (Reverend Edward Mingle), we realized what a blessing he was! Not only did he lead a thoughtful and personal ceremony, he inspired many in the audience with his message. His personal relationship with us was instrumental in my parents becoming members of his church! He answered our family’s prayers in many ways.

Our wedding was all about a casual, but elegant feel with a true expression of our personalities and backgrounds.  We had the perfect weather – 75 degrees and sunny- and we took advantage of that by having the ceremony and cocktail hour outdoors, and all of the guests commented on the amazing view.

So much more to come!

And now for the detail shots…

The pink and brown scheme is adorable. I really wish that I could have seen that cake in person…every tier is so unique, so different and yet brought together…holy cow! What a great design!

Thank you so much to Aaron Delesie for sharing these images. If you are lucky enough to book Aaron for your wedding, your photographs are going to be spectacular. Guaranteed.

Here are a few more gorgeous images that Aaron Delesie shot of today’s featured wedding…

There is just something about a man in uniform! This wedding is just so dramatic and yet, the look is edited so that it doesn’t seem over-the-top. And the pictures, oh the pictures! More to come!

I have been a fan of Aaron Delesie since Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming! introduced me to his work months ago. Check out these detail shots and a real wedding that we featured a while back for a few examples of his work. So, when he sent me the style boards from a recent wedding that he shot, I swooned…

I love the organic nature of the cactus paired with the pretty pink and brown palette. It’s very me. Bringing together mismatched elements just seems right…the masculinity of the exterior with the sweet femininity of the styling (which was done by Brook Keegan of Details Details)

I have more gorgeous photography from this pretty wedding coming so stay tuned!

Here are a few amazing images from reception that followed today’s featured wedding. It’s so warm and intimate, just close family and friends…love that!

Thank you so much to Andrew and Katrina of Sedona Bride for sharing this incredible wedding with us!

Katrina and Andrew at Sedona Bride have been sweet enough to share a few more details about this gorgeous wedding with us…

From Katrina and Andrew (via their blog)…

This was a really fun wedding and we enjoyed our time with this madly in love couple.They were open to almost any creative suggestions we had, and were very excited about us being present with them that day.

The evening ended with an intimate dinner for the couple, their families, and their closest friends. The ambiance was romantic, happy, and very mediterranean, complete with an evening nip in the air, patio fireplace, and candlelights.

This was a difficult wedding to coordinate, given that there were multiple jeeps and hikers, and then also so many locations around Sedona involved. JB at Sedona Luxury Weddings did a fabulous job and we really enjoyed working with her.

The beautiful floral work was by Bliss Extraordinary. Pink Jeeps provided transportation to and from Chicken Point. And lastly, amazing classical Spanish and latin guitar during the ceremony and reception was preformed by one of our favorite local guitarists, Brian David.

I wanted to share a few more details from today’s breathtaking wedding, photographed by the oh-so-talented team at Sedona Bride…

From Andrew and Katrina at Sedona Bride…

The couple was married at Chicken Point in Sedona…Chicken Point is a red rock promontory that overlooks the south end of Broken Arrow. Broken Arrow, for which at least one old western from 1950 was named, is a natural valley situated among an amazing collection of red rocks and mountains, and would take literally years to explore. Chicken Point is accessible only by Jeep, horse, or a long, long walk! As you’ll see in the images below, we took jeeps :)

More to come!

Sedona Bride is one of the most talented photography teams out there and I am thrilled to post this wedding that they sent me! First, the INSANELY gorgeous pictures…

The bride is half East-Indian and her dress was handmade in India. She surprised her fiance with her traditional attire and unbeknownst to her, he donned a traditional men’s gown for the affair. Gorgeous. The combination of the absolutely beautiful fashion, paired with the stark beauty of the location turned into a STUNNING affair with pictures that should be in a magazine!

More to come!

Thank you so much to Heather and Kevin for sharing their big day with SMP! Aside from the fact that the fashion alone is enough to make a girl swoon, the attention to detail and the sweet sophistication of this family inspired affair, is just lovely.

I absolutely adore the chic approachability of this wedding. It just seems so pretty and intimate, filled with perfect little details…

A bit more from Heather…

Wanting our guests to feel as involved as possible, we included a space to fill in a song request on the response cards, then complied the entire playlist based on requests and songs that were special to us. We used our Ipod instead of a DJ, which not only cut costs, but was perfect for a dinner party-style wedding.

Using a selection of our favorite songs played throughout the night, we made CDs for guests to grab on the way out. We enlisted the help of our talented friends Fred Brunton (fredbrunton@hotmail.com) and Kelly Gao (kbg28@mac.com) for the photography, making it very personal and, again, budget friendly.  

With the help of our amazing parents, brothers and sisters, and an awesome caterer (monica@checkerscatering.com), we managed to design and execute every aspect of the wedding on our own.  The attention to detail together with the great company of our guests created a result that matched our vision perfectly!

A few more gorgreous images to come!!

And now on to the reception! Here are the pics first with details to follow…

From Heather…

The reception taking place on the lawn, our guests were greeted with a bucket of comfy flip-flops to change into.  Our cheery color palette of chocolate, green apple, and lemon was portrayed everywhere, from the bright yellow flower girl dresses (J.Crew) to the key lime pie dessert shots.

My sisters and I did all of the baking ourselves, and also made big jars of mojitos and fresh lemonade for the bar.  We ordered the flowers wholesale, then did all of the arranging (including our monogram on the front gate), using concept photos and the talent of my mom and her best friend, interior designers.

Kevin strung strands and strands of bistro lights and dozens of paper lanterns, which not only looked great during the day, but illuminated the yard beautifully when the sun went down.  Votive-filled small mason jars, some hanging from trees, adorned the entire backyard, creating the perfect glow.

More to come!

Since the number one request that we have here on SMP is for Real Weddings, I thought that we could really treat ourselves to a solid week of the prettiest, most stylish weddings that I could find. Yesterday’s colorful affair was a huge hit and I know that today’s vintage chic wedding will be just as loved…

I am going to let the bride, Heather, give you a bit of detail…

From the time we were engaged, Kevin and I envisioned a casual, yet stylish, FUN backyard wedding.  Being extremely family oriented, we wanted a day not only to celebrate our love, but also our relationships with those closest to us. The ceremony was held in a quaint, little old church just outside of Kevin’s hometown, and the reception followed at his family residence, in Pleasanton, California.
 
My cocktail length dress, embellished with raw-edged fabric and tulle flower appliqués (BCBG Maxazria), together with yellow & white polka dot peep toes (Delicious) and old-fashioned birdcage veil (www.myweddingveil.com) completed the stylish vintage feel I was going for. Our wedding party, made up of only our siblings, wore J.Crew, Banana Republic, and Vans. 

So much more to come!
 

Like I said earlier today, this wedding is one of the most intimate and personal affairs I have ever seen. Almost every element was designed by someone close to the bride or groom, ensuring that complete TLC went into every detail…

The wedding itself was held at Kelly’s parent’s home in Ohio. I love the intimate setting and the sweet sophistication of the home. The couple had their close friend, Judy Conway, officiate. The cake was designed by Joe Pileggi, who has been making cakes for the bride’s family for the last 15 years (the cake topper was found on Etsy). The flowers were all designed by Kelly’s aunt, Mary Lest (who is a full-time respiratory therapist, and a florist on the side…love that!).

The ring bearer pillows were made by Kelly’s mother out of fabric from her greatgrandmother’s wedding dress…marigold crushed velvet…and filled with lavendar. Swoon. The favors were varieties of homemade granola, made by Kelly’s sister. It seems that every detail, every touch, was thoughtfully and lovingly designed. Just as a wedding should be.

The couple also did some great DIY projects (aside from all of those mentioned earlier!)…they designed a fabric backdrop, made using 8 yards of IKEA fabric and attached to PVC pipes, so that guests could snap some seriously great pictures. They also designed their own invitations which were printed by 4by6.com and featured they bride’s own photography and a picture of she and the groom.

The photographs were all taken by Steven Mastroianni, who did an incredible job at capturing the color and beauty of the day. I love the simple emotion behind each shot. And, I love, love, love the way the photographs come together to really tell a story. Beautiful.

Kelly and Colin’s ceremony was held at Kelly’s parent’s home in Ohio, at 7 PM with a small reception to follow (light appetizers and desserts only). The family is Greek, thus they had all of their Green Aunts make Greek Cookies, along with macaroons from Sucre, pellegrino and lemonade. It was intimate, it was personal and most of all…it was beautiful!

all photographs by Steven Mastroianni

Nestor Marrero, the coordinator, ensured that the evening went on without a hitch, despite the rain, which started just before the ceremony began. All of the guests were huddled under tents, listening to the string quartet and wondering where the ceremony would take place. The rain stopped at 7:15 and the guests all helped Kelly’s parents wipe off chairs. It was magical!

More to come including ALL of the fun DIY details!

Like I said earlier, I am in love with this wedding (aren’t you tired of hearing me say that!). The colors, the fashions, the details…oh, my!

all photographs by Steven Mastroianni

I know that you guys will be dying to know all about the fashions, so I thought that we would tackle that first…

*The Bridesmaids dresses were all J Crew Ballerina Dresses in different hues, as were the hot pink flower girl dresses.

*The Bride, Kelly, wore a gown by Maris Bridal, Shoes by Report Signature and a Necklace (which is fabulous, by the way) from Banana Republic.

*The Groomsmen Fashions (which you’ll see in coming posts) were by JCrew (pants), Banana Republic (shirts), Brooks Brothers (ties) and Converse. The Groom wore a Burberry tie.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Our guest blogging feature has come to a close and we are now back to our classic Style Me Pretty routine…tons of new real weddings, DIY ideas and so much more. Thanks so much to all of our vendors who provided us with constant inspiration while I was taking care of our little bundle of joy. Let’s get right to it!

When I got an email from Kelly, a Style Me Pretty reader, about her recent wedding, I immediately jumped ship on what I was doing to get it up on the blog. This wedding is one of the most intimate, gorgeous weddings I have ever seen…clearly filled to the brim with tender loving care. Here is a little teaser of what’s to come throughout the day…

all photographs by Steven Mastroianni

I’ll have ALL of the details throughout the day (including fashion sources, DIY ideas and beautiful little touches), but for now, I just wanted to tempt you with with this insanely gorgeous color palette.

I have to say, I am generally pretty boring when it comes to color. My personal style is white…every different shade of white layered among each other. And yet, this wedding has me changing my tune. I looooove the colors. The bold, oh-so-fabulous hues make me want to re-think everything about my personal style. If I haven’t said it enough, I love this wedding.

Stay tuned!

Now Alison is sharing tips on budgeting for a destination wedding. Now that these types of weddings are becoming so popular, it seems like a really important topic!

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In any wedding workbook, you’ll find a budget page where you plan for all the standard wedding expenses (like your dress, your flowers and all that food you’ll be serving to your guests). But what if you’re having a destination wedding? Below are some costs that are specific to destination weddings that aren’t usually mentioned in standard wedding budgets:

Site visit. You’ll want to visit your destination at least once to check out venues and meet with potential vendors.

Wedding travel. Includes airfare, accommodations, car rental, and meals and entertainment.

Flying in vendors or officiant. If you hire someone who doesn’t live in your destination, you’ll be expected to pay their airfare, accommodations, local travel expenses, and per diem.

Group activities. You’ll probably be hosting other events over the weekend, such as a welcome party, rehearsal dinner, and/or departure brunch.

Subsidizing expenses. You might choose to help out with other people’s travel expenses or offer to pay for their bridesmaids’ dresses.

Shipping. Leave a little room in the budget for sending programs, signage, linens, or other items to your destination.

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Great tips, Alison! Okay, now for the serious eye candy. Remember the Palm Springs rehearsal that we featured earlier today? Here is how the equally gorgeous wedding turned out…

So, so pretty. To get a look like this on a budget…here are a few tips:

-Choose a venue that speaks for itself. This gorgeous location didn’t need much in terms of decor.

-Keep the guest list small. By having a small, destination style wedding, you can splurge a bit more on the details.

-Use lighting smartly. Rent or buy large lanterns that house huge candles. Three or four tucked into a corner will do wonders for ambiance. Some destinations only require candles to be magnificent!

-Serve limited choices…one signature cocktail and one champagne. Offer a simple, but sophisticated menu and don’t be afraid to choose the chicken! Spice it up with some great flavorings that are unique to the area.

-Create vignettes…scour ebay for containers (like the wooden ones above) and fill with an array of inexpensive floral buds and greenery. Place them on tables covered with fabric that you’ve purchased yourself. Even better, ask your venue to lend you any tables that they can spare.

Thank you soooo much to Alison for this awesome day of guest posts. Check out both Alison’s site and her blog for tons of great tips and serious eye candy! And, if you are planning a destination wedding, make sure you keep your eyes peeled for Alison’s upcoming book!

I loooove this Palm Springs rehearsal dinner that was designed by Kelsey Sheofsky with Alison Events. The colors, the style, the details…oh my!

Venue: The Parker Hotel-Norma’srestaurant, Palm Springs / Oh-So-Talented Planner is Kelsey Sheofsky with Alison Events, LLC / Invites and Calligraphy Cynthia Warren / Gorgeous Flowers are by Sillapere / Brilliant Photography by Meg Smith

And I have to say, this seems pretty doable on a budget. Here are a few tips…

*Choose a spot that already has great ambiance, that way you can accent rather than design from scratch. Although this was held at a pretty $$ spot, I bet they saved a ton in decor. Scour your city for a cool restaurant to host your event and I promise it will pay off in the long run.

*Use monochromatic pops of color in elements like florals, throw pillows and great food. I love those white vases that are adorning the table…check out this post done by Kim Valee on some great vases. Think single stems in pretty colors.

*Add paper lanterns, either in great colors or in white, to add another dimension of style.

Stay tuned for more tips on planning a destination wedding from Alison Hotchkiss!

I am really excited about today’s guest blogger! Alison Hotchkissis one of San Francisco’s premiere event planners, who specializes in oh-so-fabulous, absolutely gorgeous destination style weddings. Her book, “Destination Weddings; The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Wedding from Afar” is due on stands this upcoming February. Yep, she’s the real deal. And, she is sharing an excerpt of from her book with us today on a topic that is so important….the BUDGET.

So, although I could go on and on, I will just pass the torch over to Alison!

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“When it comes to figuring out your wedding budget, there’s no one magical formula. Despite staggering figures that grow every year, your budget should be based on what’s comfortable for you, rather than what you’ve heard is the average cost of a wedding. The figure will likely end in the word “thousands,” but can start with a two, a twenty, or a two hundred. The answer lies somewhere between what you want to spend and what you can actually afford to spend.

Don’t base your budget on figuring out how much your dream wedding will cost then figuring out how to finance it. If you start with what your wedding could cost, you could easily end up trying to live some impossible expectations (“But I really don’t think our marriage will be successful if we don’t serve caviar at the reception!”).

You’ll either have to scale back, in which case the reality will never live up to the fabulousness of your original plan. Or you’ll stretch yourself thin trying to make it work, charging things you really can’t afford that will seem really frivolous later when you’re trying to buy a house.

Instead, start by figuring out what you have to spend and then allocating it properly. Add up what your parents can contribute, and possibly what your grandparents can contribute (if they’ve offered). Then see what you’ve got in savings. Stretching a little is okay, but when it starts to seem uncomfortable, stop. And while a little credit card debt can seem like a small thing in exchange for your dream wedding, you will likely not feel that way six months after the wedding when you’re trying to pay for real-life items like groceries and gasoline.

Oh, and don’t get caught up in the old etiquette rules about who pays for what. Chances are good that the money for your wedding is coming from a variety of sources—including your own joint savings— so come up with a lump sum, then figure out how best to throw your wedding weekend within that budget. It’s more appropriate for a destination wedding, and, besides: It’s easier!”

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An oh-so-FAB rehearsal dinner designed by Alison Events coming up next!