from kristin at ak event design …

Caroline and Will started hanging out in 7th grade and never stopped.  They wanted a wedding that was fun and modern with lots of white florals ranging from hydrangeas to orchids, the brides favorite!! She was one of the first brides we have worked with that wanted a cascading bouquet and we LOVED IT!!

One of my favorite things about her wedding was her fun wedding invitations. We always tell our brides that the paper products can make the night!! Her wedding invitations were fun and whimsical. They definitely set the tone for the evening!

Her dress was designed by Elizabeth Filmore and was absolutely stunning on her. She wanted to add a bit of style so she added fabulous pink shoes. She had an heirloom handkerchief attached to her bouquet that encompassed the “something old” and “something blue.”

She chose Arlington Hall, a historical building close to downtown Dallas, for her reception site. She loved the southern and classic style of it and was excited about mixing the historic style with her own modern twist. We placed heaters outside and turned the patio into a relaxing outside seating area with banquets and cute pink pillows.

Caroline and Will danced the night away and had a wonderful night with their friends.

They left the reception in a vintage Rolls Royce with Caroline wearing her grandmother’s stole to stay warm in the crisp February air.

. . .

Thank you to all of the brilliant vendors who made this day so wonderful. Congratulations to Caroline & Will!!

Photography: Andrea Polito Photography
Flowers: Bella Flora of Dallas
Event Planning: AK Event Design
Ceremony Location: St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Dallas
Reception Location: Arlington Hall at Lee Park, Dallas
Catering Company: Food Glorious Food
Band: Cuvee
Invitations: Paper & Chocolate
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Dress: Elizabeth Filmore, Warren Barron Salon

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AK Event Design, Andrea Polito, Arlington Hall, Bella Flora of Dallas, Christian Louboutin, Cuvee, Dallas, Elizabeth Filmore, Food Glorious Food, Paper & Chocolate, St. Michael Church, Texas Weddings, Waren Barron Salon, Winter
Post categories: Bouquets, Centerpieces, Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers

Sometimes, we get to share our Little Black Book members’ own weddings, but today … LBB photographer Andrea Polito is one of the lovely maids in the wedding! Her friends Alexis and Andy were married on one of those golden October days (2008) in a gorgeous fall wedding in Dallas!

Here’s what Alexis had to tell us about her wedding…

Our floral designers from Fete des Fleurs in Dallas created the most romantic arch for the ceremony with leaves and flowers in rust, cream, and green. Our wedding was in October and we wanted something with a great fall feel, even though Dallas is still pretty green in October. The venue, Marie Gabrielle, created the perfect backdrop with its beautiful trees and gardens, and the flowers (orchids, moss, ranunculus) and small accents (Jan Barboglio iron candelabras, centerpieces, and chargers; candles everywhere, including hanging from the trees; white lights; matchbooks from For Your Party; caramel apple favors from Tart Bakery with hand-calligraphy on letterpress cards by Bella Figura; the flowy green bridesmaids dresses by Vera Wang; the sparkler send-off; our vintage Cadillac getaway car) just tied everything together.

My amazing photographer, Andrea Polito, is a close friend and did double duty at the wedding by also serving as one of my bridesmaids! She was also pregnant and in heels, but was determined to capture all of the details…which she did! She was amazing to watch and during the ceremony had two staff photographers shooting while she stood by my side! It was really great to work with a friend who also happens to be one of the best in the business! She took time to shoot all the little things that often get overlooked, and those details have been the most fun looking back on.

I wore a gown by Lela Rose, a Texan-born designer who I love. She uses unconventional fabrics in her wedding dresses, and I loved the embroidered lace detail all over the dress. I wanted something with a vintage feel that was also comfortable and timeless, and it was perfect.  I also wore a vintage diamond watch that belonged to my great grandmother and carried my grandma’s handkerchief. I found my clutch on Etsy and pinned a brooch on it that matched the ones in my hair. Even though you really couldn’t see my shoes under my dress, I felt so great peeking down at them and seeing those feathers…They are still on display in my closet!

When asked what the most important thing about their wedding was?

Probably the ceremony and vows…We wanted a very personal ceremony, so we pulled from lots of different vows, poems, and traditions to create a custom ceremony that felt like us. We come from different faith backgrounds, so we blended passages that spoke to both of us. My cousin is a judge in Dallas and one of the only people I know who actually towers over my husband, so he officiated. We recognized our grandparents who were no longer with us and had a moment of silence in honor of them. I was very close with my grandmother, in particular, and carried an embroidered handkerchief that belonged to her with her initials. My husband’s brother and best man read a unique version of “these are the hands” during the ceremony, and it was really special to have members from both sides of our family participate in the wedding.

AK Event Design was there for day-of coordination …

Andy and I both love music and knew from the beginning that we wanted a band…He said he knew it was meant to be when I professed my love for Tom Waits the first night we met. We’re both big fans of 70s and 80s rock (Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin), and I’ve always loved Bowie, The Cars, Talking Heads, etc. We listened to a ton of wedding bands online and then came across Skyrocket, a band out of Austin. They were voted Best Cover Band in Austin by the The Austin Chronicle, and we knew we’d found our band! Their setlist had everything from Hot Legs and Rock the Casbah to Brown Sugar and Whole Lotta Love…We were sold! All of the musicians in the band are also recording artists in their own right, including Trish Murphy who fronts the group, so we knew we were getting the best of both worlds…Really talented and really fun! It was a great pick, because everyone from our generation to the older generation was on the dance floor getting down! My husband even did an “unplugged” guitar solo with the band during American Girl that was the highlight of my night!

Ahhhhhh … such a pretty day! Happy Anniversary Alexis & Andy!

And thank you to Andrea Polito for sending us these beautiful images from the celebration!

Andrea has another terrific wedding that she JUST posted on her blog that also took place at Marie Gabrielle ~ Jennifer & Matthew’s wedding celebration!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AK Event Design, Andrea Polito, Bella Figura, Dallas, Fete des Fleurs, For Your Party, Marie Gabrielle, Tart Bakery, Texas Weddings, Vera Wang
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography

From Kristin at AK Event Design in Dallas, Texas …

David and Julie were a fun couple to work with. They loved bright colors and wanted their event to be FUN! We incorporated the “Four Seasons” into their save the date, invitation, programs, menu cards etc. For example…on their invitation, the belly band said “A Time to Love…” The menu cards said, “A Time to Celebrate.” One of the fun things ~ David gave all his groomsmen black converse to put on at the reception. We also used Flutter Fetti at the end of the night during the last dance. It made a great picture and the guests had so much fun!!

Julie and David were married in August at the Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. The reception followed at The Four Seasons Resort & Club in Dallas.

from the beautiful bride, Julie …

“To everything there is a season…

David and I met at college when we both applied for a co-director position to lead a service organization at Baylor University our respective freshman and sophomore years. David was a long haired, eccentric freshman who knew no strangers, and I was a clean cut, reserved sophomore who was not the least bit interested in “his type.” But, as fate would have it we were selected to co-lead this service organization and through our service became the best of friends and eventually more. Guess opposites really do attract!! At our end of the year banquet, David presented me with a charm that symbolized the four seasons. It was round and was divided into four sections, each with a cut out to symbolize a particular season. A flower. A snowflake. A tree. A sun. He gave me this charm because he felt like it was the perefect representation of the seasons we’d been through together as leaders that past year.

David and I, gluttons for committees, served the following year on a focus group that helped to design a new community center on Baylor’s campus. And what was our inspiration? None other than the four seasons charm. Everything from the light fixutres to the builidng’s name, Seasons Cafe, was centered around that charm. Three years later, it was the eve of my law school graduation and David surprised me with an elaborate proposal that included a walk down memory lane on Baylor’s campus and ended with him on his knee in the middle of the transformed community center, Seasons Cafe, that we’d helped design so long ago.

Thus began yet another season of our life together! When we’d narrowed our potential reception sights down to a handful…the Four Seasons was a no-brainer winner!”

Julie and David’s classically beautiful wedding was followed by an equally stunning reception at The Four Seasons Resort and as noted by Kristin, followed through with the “four seasons” inspiration …

The special lighting effects are just mesmerizing!

LOVE the confetti!

What a pretty, pretty, pretty wedding! Congrats to Julie and David … and as always … Kristin, Angie and Sarah ~AK Event Design~ … fantastic!!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AK Event Design, Converse, Dallas, f8 studio, Fun Fetti, Plano, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Simply Personal Invitations, Texas Weddings, The Four Seasons
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Planners & Designers

Their wedding was sent to us by the extraordinarily creative Little Black Book team (Angie, Kristin and Sarah) at AK Event Design in Dallas. The gorgeous images are from fellow Little Black Book member Andrea Polito.

from Kristin …

Taylor and Mark didn’t want a traditional wedding full of whites and pale pinks. They wanted to have a party full of color!! Taylor, a modern bride, wanted to use bold jewel tones of navy, plum and raspberry throughout her wedding, which was held at the Dallas Museum of Art in downtown Dallas, Texas.

The wedding ceremony was held outside in the Sculpture Garden, also at the Dallas Museum of Art. During the cocktail hour, the groom’s brother serenaded guests with his incredible piano playing while they enjoyed cocktails around the reflecting pond.

The invitations were bold and beautiful on navy blue iridescent paper, while the other invitation pieces had the plum and raspberry colors incorporated. (Invitations designed by Simply Personal Designs)

The colors of this wedding really made the photos pop!

The cakes were another reflection of their personalities. The bride wanted to play with geometric shapes and designs in her wedding colors, while the groom wanted a cake that reflected where he was from, Seattle. We thought this wedding was a perfect event for the DMA because so many things were like artwork. 

The design process of this wedding was exciting and different and we enjoyed every aspect!

AK Event Design … Kristin, Angie & Sarah … y’all did a fantastic job on Taylor and Mark’s wedding!

And Andrea … wow! The photos are sensational!

Thanks to ALL of you for bringing our readers such dazzling inspiration today.

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AK Event Design, Andrea Polito, Confetti, Dallas, Dallas Art Museum, Geometric, Hydrangeas, Mermaid, Monogram, Navy, Plum, Rasberry, Simply Personal Designs, Special Lighting, Texas Weddings
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers

From Kristin: “For the favor at the end of the evening, we created a ‘garden of love’ with tropical cookie flowers. Within the wheatgrass we tucked hibiscus, orchid and plumeria-shaped cookies. Bags and stickers were provided that said ‘Buenos Noches’ !”

Kathy Wright and Company transformed the area into an absolutely lush tropical oasis!

The invitations, designed by Simply Personal in Dallas are just fantastic!

Part I of Kate & Jason’s Rehearsal Dinner can be viewed {here}.  It looks like is was one fabulous party!

A huge thanks to Boucher Photography for the great images! And Kristin, Angie and Sarah … AK Event Design is awesome!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AK Event Design, Boucher Photography, Kathy Wright and Company, Loews Coronado Bay Resort, Simply Personal
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Planners & Designers

Jason’s mother is from Puerto Rico and wanted a Latin flair for her son’s rehearsal dinner in San Diego, California. The location was the Loews Coronado Bay Resort on Coronado Island, with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean and the Coronado Bridge as a backdrop!

Instead of a normal guest book, guests took pictures with a Polaroid camera, filled in information about where they had traveled from to be with the couple, cute stories about the bride or groom and advice for the couple.

One touch that was special to the groom was using his late grandmother’s Puerto Rican recipes for some of the items on the menu. She would spoil her grandchildren with her cooking and as a surprise Sarah was able to give the chef at the Loews the grandmother’s recipes. The groom said, “It was like she was here with us, and the food tasted just like hers, made with love.”

All these beautiful images were provided by Bouchér Photography. Floral Design by Kathy Wright and Company. Invitations by Simply Personal.

Kristin, Angie and Sarah added so many festive touches throughout the affair. From Kristin, “We also incorporated a specialty drink to fit the theme of the event and they were styled with cute stir sticks. The stir sticks were imprinted with the name of the specialty drink. One of our favorite sites to get stir sticks, napkins, coasters and other items to personalize your event is For Your Party.”

We have a few more photos and details from Kristin coming up … so check back in a few minutes!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AK Event Design, Boucher Photography, California Weddings, For Your Party, Loews Coronado Bay Resort, Puerto Rico, San Diego, Specialty Drinks
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Planners & Designers