see the FULL wedding here!

Abbey and John tied the knot this past summer at Annadel Estate Winery in Sonoma, California. They celebrated their vows with a Buddhist inspired ceremony in the property’s nineteenth century ruins, then cocktailed in the oak lined grove, and dined on the sprawling green lawn, under the shade of scattered market umbrellas.

The wedding revolved around an appropriate theme of longevity, so all of the decor was designed to incorporate everlasting floral elements, such as billy balls, manzanita, succulents and scabiosa. Sustainability was also a key feature of the wedding. The table numbers were named after potted herbs, which guests took home at the end of the night, along with the succulents that were strewn throughout. Guests were encouraged to find a way to replant or repurpose all of the floral elements.

Children were not only present, but involved throughout the wedding day and had an absolute blast. The two dapper young ring bearers walked down the aisle with fishing poles that had the rings tied onto the lures, following three lovely flower girls toting baskets full of flowers. They later joined the rest of the kids for dinner picnic style, sitting atop pillows in the grass. John took a particular interest in the design of the paper materials, while Abbey focused on the rest of the decor. Their joint love of food and wine made the catering choice a fun one. John visits Kitchenette (run by Living Room Events) in San Francisco daily for lunch, so hiring Living Room Events to cater was a no-brainer.

Planning and Design: Kelsey Sheofsky of AE Planning and Design / Photography: Lauren Ross / Venue: Annadel Estate / Flowers: Atelier Joya / Catering: Living Room Events / Paper Materials: Hello!Lucky / Lighting: Refraction / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AE Planning and Design, Alison Events, Annadel Estate, Atelier Joya, Classic Party Rentals, Hello!Lucky, Lauren Ross Photography, Living Room Events, refraction
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Napa Valley Weddings, Real Weddings, The Blog

see every last gorgeous detail here!

From Alison Events:

Clara and Charles celebrated their big day in October at a private estate in Healdsburg, California. They swapped wedding vows on a hill overlooking Sonoma’s colorful fall foliage, under a Zephyr tent decorated with multi-hued paper garlands. Guests relaxed on a mix of bean bags, rustic benches and cafe chairs, sharing in laughter and happiness as Clara and Charles made things official.

Following the ceremony, guests headed down the hill to enjoy a three course meal prepared by Paula LeDuc Fine Catering. The meal was served on long wooden farm tables, with wild red and orange flowers placed down the center designed by AE favorite, Ariella Chezar. The pool at the estate was covered with a floor and carpeting to allow for room for additional seating and dancing.

The entire night was magical, but the best part was probably the dance party that ensued post-dinner. DJ Blue from NYC really lit the dance floor up and people danced like mad, late into the night. Photographer Ben Chrisman set up a self-portrait station to capture some wacky moments, that truly reflected the energy of the whole weekend.

Planning and Design: Alison Events / Photographer: Ben Chrisman / Florist: Ariella Chezar / Venue: Paradise, Mint Locations / Catering: Paula LeDuc Fine Catering / Lighting: Refraction / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / DJ: DJ Blue / Hair and Makeup: Nellie Muganda

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Post tags: Alison Events, Ariella Chezar, Ben Chrisman Photography, California Weddings, Classic Party Rentals, DJ Blue, Golden Hill Private Estate, Healdsburg, Nellie Muganda, Paula Le Duc, refraction
Post categories: All Real Weddings, California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Napa Valley Weddings, Real Weddings

click here to see the full gallery!

From Alyssa Brown of Alison Events Planning and Design…Erin and Jeremy got married at a private estate in Sonoma County on a gorgeous summer afternoon. Their whimsical sense of design showed through every last detail, from the card catalog escort card display to the puzzle piece menus. He an astrophysicist, she a law professor and both of them avid readers, their bookish backgrounds provided a lot of inspiration for the big day. In the card catalog, they placed retro candies, wooden puzzles and typewritten cards individually written for each guest, listing out their name, date of birth, table number, subjects they might like to discuss, and people they might be interested in speaking with during the wedding. Table numbers were actual books that represented the interests of the people at each particular table (i.e. Class of ’99 yearbook, San Francisco guide book, etc.).

The floral arrangements on the dinner tables were a mix of bells of Ireland, peonies, scabiosas and more buds arranged in an array of different beakers. The place settings were set with a copy of the Irish Tree of Life and a puzzle piece. Guests were encouraged to put all of their puzzle pieces together, which fit perfectly together to list their menus. After a delicious family style meal in the property’s barn, guests were invited to square dance the rest of the night away while eating hydro ice cream that was being made on-site by a goggle-clad man surrounded by smoke.

Event Design & Planning: Alyssa Brown of Alison Events / Photography: Adi Nevo / Flowers: Natalie Bowen / Invitations: Hello! Lucky / Linens: La Tavola / Catering: Componere Fine Catering / Rentals and Lighting: Classic Party Rentals / Hairpieces: Whichgoose / Venue: Durham Ranch, Mint Locations

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Adi Nevo, Alison Events, California Weddings, Calistoga, Classic Party Rentals, Hello! Lucky, La Tavola Componere Fine Catering, Natalie Bowen, Sonoma
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Traditional Elegance

I know, right? A girl can dream. Oh it gets better…listen to some of these details. Traditional hand woven Mexican linens, mariachis personalized for each guest, a rooster pinata, a mariachi band and get this…a shoe valet!! Crazy amazing. Thanks Alison!

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Post tags: Alison Events, Alison Hotchkiss, Anna Kuperberg, Cabo, Rehearsal Dinner, San Lucas
Post categories: Real Parties

After the ceremony, guests moved to the fire pit lawn where they enjoyed a Lillet cocktail based on Lizzie and Matt’s favorite recipe and an assortment of tray passed hors d’oeuvres which included Sliced new potatoes w/ sourcream & caviar, tuna tartare w/ watermelon & smoked seasalt, rock lobster tacos, and cheese fritters w/ tomato marmalade. Light gray cocktail linens and vintage glass vases in different jewel tones filled with several varieties of white flowers adorned the cocktail tables. The bar was draped in a black and white ticking stripe linen. The escort card display was inspired by Lizzie and Matt’s love for fly fishing. Each dining table was named after a specific fly lure and the display as well as the table names were decorated with hand drawn illustrations of each lure by calligrapher and artist, Cynthia Warren.

The color palette for the whole evening was based off of two of Lizzie’s favorite colors, bright coral pink and a rich turquoise blue. From there we added different accent colors to make each space have it’s own look but still feel cohesive. The inspiration for the look and feel of some of the design elements came from Little Door, one of Lizzie and Matt’s favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. Lizzie has an incredible eye and had an opinion and vision for every aspect of the event. She was a lot of fun to collaborate with and was really inspiring to work with.

For dinner, guests were invited into the Palm Court which is a grassy area filled with palm trees. Custom drape installations by BAM Specialty Fabric Draping created a formal entryway to the space and made the open lawn feel more intimate. We hung chandeliers from the palm trees and brought in a 12′ long mirrored bar for a hint of glamour. The dining linens were a rich turquoise color and were accented by bright coral menu cards, mercury glass vessels, and tons of white hydrangea. Because she could not find the perfect coral pink paper to use for the menu cards, Cynthia Warren decided to paint the paper the exact pantone swatch we picked out. The result had a tactile handmade feel that went perfectly with the rest of the decor. Cynthia created individual cut outs on each menu card to form a window where she attached the calligraphed names of each guest in the place of seating cards. At each guests place setting was a bundle of sparklers tied off with gingham ribbon and a box of matches. The guests dined to the sounds of Ikebe Shakedown, a band flown in from New York.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alison Events, Brown Paper Design, California Weddings, Cynthia Warren, Max Wanger, Palm Springs, Parker Palm Springs
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Palm Springs Weddings

The wedding design, crafted by two girls that never cease to amaze me, Kelsey at Alison Events and Danielle at Brown Paper Design, just might be the prettiest wedding ever with details that are organically gorgeous and pops of color that scream chic. Max Wanger photographed and as I’ve said more than once on SMP…his work is perfection.

The ceremony took place on the croquet lawn under a large olive tree. Danielle Rowe Zunt of Brown Paper Design added color to the space with a thick carpet of rose pedals down either side of the aisle. White orchids were hung from the tree and puddled on the grass to create a modern backdrop for the ceremony. We wanted to keep the ceremony simple so the only arrangements were two large urns full of bright pink peonies that marked the beginning of the aisle. Lizzie and Matt didn’t have a traditional bridal party of men on one side and women on the other. They chose the important people to them and had those people stand with them without splitting up by gender. They also included their adorable dog Harrison in the ceremony who sported a big pink bow. Lizzie walked down the aisle to a Sufjan Stevens song performed by a banjo player. Lizzie carried an wild bouquet of bright sweet peas, imported fuchsia peonies from New Zealand, and angel grass tied with grosgrain ribbon from France. Lizzie wore a Peter Langer gown. Matt’s boutonniere paired pheasant feathers and euphorbia and was finished with a black and white gingham ribbon. The bridesmaids carried different combinations of white sweetpea, green cigar millet, and white peonies, tied off with wide green satin ribbon.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alison Events, Brown Paper Design, California Weddings, Max Wanger, Palm Springs, The Parker Palm Springs
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Palm Springs Weddings

From Kelsey…Lizzie and Matt were married at The Parker in Palm Springs. They chose the hotel for its funky ambiance and mid century glamour as well as it’s close proximity to Los Angeles where many of their guests were traveling from. It was important to them to have a wedding location that was a laid back, fun gathering place for all their guests to spend the weekend together.

Most people arrived Thursday night greeted with custom a Maptote bag filled with hand-picked personal favorites of the bride and groom, like lobster gummy candy, In and Out Burger notepads, Hadley’s date cookies, and saltwater taffy. The couple kicked off the weekend with cocktail hour around the Parker firepit complete with a s’mores roasting station. They were welcomed to the Parker with a custom Maptote bag filled with hand picked personal favorites of the bride and groom like lobster gummy candy, In and Out Burger notepads, Hadley’s date cookies, and salt water taffy. Friday night all the guests were bussed off property to a local Mexican restaurant, Las Casuelas Nuevas for a low key rehearsal dinner celebration. They chowed down on traditional Mexican fare while the mariachi band serenaded the guests into the evening.

Saturday was the big day. Lizzie and Matt rented out the Gene Autry residence at the Parker as the main gathering area for all wedding party and family members. The front door was adorned with a huge L and M made out of flowers by Brown Paper Design so all the important people knew they had come to the right place. Fiore Beauty out of Los Angeles set up shop inside the residence and had a full blown hair and makeup production line going. Lizzie let her bridesmaids pick out their own dresses from J Crew in any jewel tone of their choosing. The result was a rainbow of girls which fit in perfectly with the eclectic feel of the wedding.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alison Events, Brown Paper Design, California Weddings, Max Wanger, Palm Springs, The Parker Palm Springs
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Palm Springs Weddings

So, wasn’t I right…totally loveable wedding. Worthy of a love, love, love shout out for sure. Here are a few more bits of eye candy for you to enjoy!

Back in a flash with the cutest e-session and an AWESOME giveaway!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alison Events, Alison Hotchkiss, California Weddings, Jose Villa, Palm Springs, Parker Palm Springs
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Palm Springs Weddings