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On Bryce & Whitney’s first date, Whitney’s phone rang. And her heart stopped. Her dad had died suddenly. As she made her way through the shock and the grief, Bryce was by her side for every second. They got married off the beaten path, nestled in the orchards of Mt. Hood Organic Farms on a bluebird July day as Mt. Hood provided a stunning Oregon backdrop. Surrounded by friends and family, Whitney made a point to incorporate her Dad into the ceremony in unconventional ways: by wrapping his bow ties around each bouquet, saving her favorite for her own; and by having Bryce wear his socks. The bridal party dressed in a two bedroom cottage with idyllic 60s music setting the perfect vintage scene. With lawn games, live music, wine, and h’ors devours galore, they couple celebrated their union in true vintage chic style. And it was a true pleasure to photograph.

Photographer: Jane Johnson Photography & Design / Location: Mt. Hood Organic Farms / Wedding Coordinator: Cassandra Cass / Caterer: Ginger Powers of Orchard House Catering / Flowers: Lucy Gorman of Informal Flowers / Gelato: Randy Walton of Alotto Gelato / Cake: Jutta Bach of La Joconde / DJ: Michael J Olsen / Pre-reception music: Joseph Appell (Guitar), Benjamin Hartman (Saxophone), Skip von Kuske (Cellist) / Hair and Make-up: Jessica Sappington of Jet Salon / Dress: Augusta Jones bought at Ania Bridal / Videographer: Aaron Almquist

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Post tags: Aaron Almquist, AniA Bridal, Augusta Jones, Informal Flowers, Jane Johnson Photography, Mt. Hood Organic Farms, Orchard House Catering, Oregon
Post categories: Casual Elegance

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From the Bride…When Erich and I began dating, he was just starting his wedding photography business. Although I had never been a girl who dreamed of her wedding day growing up, exploring wedding blogs and photography sites with Erich quickly snowballed into a mild obsession with all things wedding. I figured that designing our own wedding would be a breeze since we had become so familiar (aka obsessed) with weddings over the last few years. It totally wasn’t. We had completely overwhelmed ourselves with so many ideas, themes, color schemes, dresses, venues and moustache-laden photo booths that we didn’t know where our own wedding and sense of style fit in the mix. Finally, it all started coming together when we chose our colors – white, crème, beige, champagne, our wedding colors were “no color,” and from there things quickly fell into place. Our venue (a forest on my parent’s farm) was like a green, tree canopied cathedral, and we wanted to maintain the natural beauty of the area by enhancing it slightly with details and allowing the scenery take center stage.  Keeping the wedding natural and neutral in terms of colors definitely didn’t mean we were lacking in the DIY department. Almost every aspect of our wedding, including stationery, framed signs, flowers and centerpieces, were designed and created by us with the help of our very generous – and talented – friends and family.

For the ceremony, guests first came to a sign in table (a thrift store desk my sister and I found while hunting for other wedding décor items) where in lieu of a guest book they signed antique postcards which then hung on twine tied between two trees. Near the ceremony seating, programs and handmade cones of confetti sat in old wooden crates we borrowed from my grandpa’s orchard. The “altar,” was a small antique table from my parent’s home on top of the oriental rug from my childhood bedroom. We had planned to have a unity candle lighting during the ceremony, but because it was windy that morning we decided to scrap it. My grandma was helping us set up decorations when we made the decision to not have the unity candle on the table for the ceremony, and she kindly offered to let Erich and I use a crystal cross as a focal point on the table during the ceremony. She and my grandpa then gifted us with the cross after the wedding, and it now sits on a shelf in our home. My bouquet, which I made myself the day before the wedding, served as a way for me to carry bits and pieces of family history with me during the day. It was wrapped in lace from the veil both my grandma and mom wore on their wedding days, and on top of the lace I wrapped a beautiful silver and turquoise necklace, which Erich’s mom gave to me at my bridal shower, and was her late mother’s. It made my bouquet even more special to have so many meaningful items incorporated into it.

At the reception, the tables had handmade table numbers made by Erich, and burlap runners sewn by my mom with the help of her good friend, topped with hundreds of antique vases, candelabras and jars we sourced from local thrift stores. Over ten family members and friends did all of the floral arrangements the day before the wedding, with all white and cream flowers as well as hundreds of potted succulents (which my mom grew in one of the farm’s greenhouses especially for the wedding). One of our favorite parts of the reception area was the dance floor. Instead of renting a dance floor, Erich and my dad hunted on Craigslist daily for large rugs and found two perfect, beautiful rugs which we put down side-by-side over plywood as the dance floor area. Erich designed and custom framed a number of large signs for the wedding site, and made one for the dance floor area that said “Cut a rug.” The guests loved the signs, and the dance floor area and sign helped to set the fun, light-hearted mood of the reception.  Other special touches in the reception area included framed quotes and song lyrics that were special to us, and framed photos of our parents, grandparents and great grandparents on their wedding days. Erich and I are so blessed to have strong legacies of love and lasting marriages on both sides of our families, and we wanted to celebrate their loving marriages on our own wedding day.

Wedding Photography: Mastin Studio / Wedding Cinematography: Moetic Wedding Films / Wedding Dress: Augusta Jones / Belt: Kristen Kuehn Designs / Flowers: The Bride’s Mother, Aunts, and Family Friends / Venue: Private Residence / Wedding Planning: The Bride + Groom / Music: Symmetry/Symmetry / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew / Groomsmen Suits: Shyrocks Men’s Wear / Bride’s Shoes: Steve Madden / Groom’s Shoes: Edmond Allen / Bridesmaid Dresses: Various / Stationery: The Groom / Wedding Cake: Cherry City Cakes / Engagement + Wedding Rings: Simon G via Jackson Jewelers / Bride’s Earrings + Bracelet: Nordstrom

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 33 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Augusta Jones, Cherry City Cakes, Edmond Allen, Elegant, Forest, J. Crew, Jackson Jewelers, Kristen Kuehn Designs, Mastin Studio, Moetic Wedding Films, Nordstrom, Oregon Wedding, Shyrocks Men's Wear, Simon G, Steve Madden, Symmetry/Symmetry
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

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From the Bride…High School + College sweethearts Andrew & Amber Nolan were married on June 18, 2011 at Amber’s childhood church in Hampshire, Illinois.  The groom proposed with Amber’s great-great grandmother’s 100+ year old wedding diamond.  For the past 6 years the couple has resided in bustling downtown Chicago working to build their careers, so when deciding a wedding location they were torn.  ”We love our city, but our roots are back home in the country,” notes Amber.  The month of June was selected because that is when peonies are in season.  The bride wanted to remember her beloved Grandmother by using light pink peonies in her bouquet.  She has fond memories of picking them each June in her grandmother’s backyard.  The wedding colors were gray, yellow and white to fit the theme of an old-fashioned affair.  The boys wore formal tuxedos with a bow tie and the girls wore casual gray dresses from J.Crew.

Flowers were meant to look old–like they would at a wedding in the mid 1900′s.  A family friend loaned their yellow 1953 Ford car to use for a photo backdrop in the bride’s parents yard.  The wedding programs described why each person standing in the bridal party was a part of the bride + groom’s lives.  The back reminded guests that the reason the bride was carrying peony bouquet and the handkerchief wrapped around the bouquet was sewn by her great grandmother.  The groom’s cake was a surprise mold of the couples beloved puggle, Jack.  It was draped in the Groom’s alma mater’s colors and adorned with golf balls, tees.  The bride’s father made each wooden table number out of barn-wood from the bride’s grandfather’s barn wood.

In lieu of table favors, the bride and groom made a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois in my memory of the bride’s young cousin who passed away early in life.  Lastly, pictures of the bride and groom’s great grandparents, grandparents, parents wedding were displayed dating back to the 1800′s.  The last dance of the evening was “Back Where I Come From” by Kenny Chesney.

Wedding Photography: Photos by Vitella / Wedding Cinematography: Perspective Video / Orchestra: TKV Orchestra / Flowers: Town and Country Gardens / Day of Event Coordinator: La’Di Events / Ceremony Location: St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church / Reception Location: Boulder Ridge Country Club / Invitations + All Paper Products: I DO invitations by Michelle / Wedding Dress: Augusta Jones / Wedding Cake: Cakes by Dea / Groom’s Cake: Cake Confections / Table Runners: Nicki Bateson / Mr. + Mrs. Sign: True Connection / Table Numbers: Father of the Bride

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Post tags: Augusta Jones, Boulder Ridge Country Club, Cake Confections, Cakes by Dea, Hampshire, I DO Invitations by Michelle, Illinois Weddings, La'Di Events, Nicki Bateson, Perspective Video, Photos by Vitella, St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, TKV Orchestra, Town and Country Gardens, True Connection
Post categories: Illinois Weddings, Traditional Elegance

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From Kate McElwee Photographer…Patty and Nate had a beautiful but very laid back wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, MA.  Patty’s parents are Japanese and to honor her cultural heritage the couple chose some fun Japanese touches including Patty’s bouquet (Japanese style, and topped with two white orchids) and Nate’s boutonniere.  Their florist was a Japanese florist based in Boston. Another cultural touch were Patty’s red shoes and Nate’s red socks, symbolizing good luck in Japanese tradition.

Patty and Nate chose Old South Church because it is a very liberal, open and welcoming Christian church.  They know many gay couples and it was important to them that they marry at a church where their friends would also be allowed to marry.  They were keen to ensure that all of their vendors were also gay-friendly. Their beautiful invitation suite featured original drawings of Old South Church and Boston Public Garden (location for portraits, and seen from reception venue The Four Seasons). When they exited the church, coordinator Fiona of Pink Orchid Weddings had guests line up and wave “yay” “hooray” and “married” flags while cheering the couple.  Patty and Nate left for the reception in a white Jaguar, and guests traveled in trolleys.

Cocktail hour was held in the bar off the grand Four Seasons restaurant Aujourd’hui (site of the main reception) and guests were offered appetizers that included miniature bristol burgers, crab cakes, smoked salmon with corn griddle cakes, truffle parmesan fries served in bamboo cones.  The dinner entree choices were fillet mignon or herb-crusted halibut. Guest favors were photo frames that were personalized with Patty and Nate’s names and their wedding date. After dinner, there was much dancing in the main room (Aujourd’hui) and a photobooth in the bar area, complete with silly props such as mustaches and giant scissors (photos available on request!) The late-night dessert buffet was an impressive array of sweets that included triple chocolate brownies, mini fruit tarts, mini cheesecakes, lemon whoopie pies, vanilla creme brulee, chocolate raspberry almond tortes, and apricot shortcakes. In addition to this incredible dessert spread, the couple had a four tier lemon and raspberry wedding cake from Flour Bakery.

Wedding Photography: Kate McElwee Photographer / Coordinator: Pink Orchid Weddings / Ceremony Venue: Old South Church / Reception Venue: Four Seasons Hotel / Chair Rental: Tommy Wholesale / Floral Design: Hanaya Floral / Ceremony Musician: Harry Huff / Officiant: Reverend Doctor Ken Orth / Trolly: Supertours / Limousine: Excelsior Limousine / Hair: Jennifer Guerriero / Make-up: Veronica Shin / Wedding Cake: Flour Bakery / DJ: Beat Train Productions / Linens: Table Toppers / Wedding Dress: Augusta Jones / Bridesmaid Dresses: BCBG

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Augusta Jones, BCBG, Beat Train Productions, Boston, Cultural Beauty, Excelsior Limousine, Flour Bakery, Four Seasons Hotel, Hanaya Floral, Harry Huff, Jennifer Guerriero, Kate McElwee Photographer, Massachusetts Weddings, Old South Church, Pink Orchid Weddings, Reverand Doctor Ken Orth, Table Toppers, Tommy Wholesale, Veronica Shin
Post categories: Boston Weddings, Massachusetts Weddings, Traditional Elegance

First up is this DC charmer by Gerber + Scarpelli that incorporates the prettiest shades of blues and purples and for all you word nerds out there, the cutest cuff links too. Since the bride is a wedding photographer and the groom works in the event industry, it’s no wonder that their wedding was a spectacularly seamless mix of old and new, traditional and eclectic, and we happen to love every last detail. See even more here.

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From the Bride…When I met my husband Drew in 2005 we bonded over discussions about art.  Books, movies, music, poetry, and photography were touchstones for our nascent relationship, but there was something else that we had in common.  I am a wedding photographer (for Gerber+Scarpelli Photography), and (at the time) Drew was a bar captain for a local Chicago catering company.  We talked about weddings more than is probably healthy, at least for a couple that is just getting started.  Drew left catering but stayed in the event industry, and the conversations continued.  Conversations over dinner or a glass of wine would skip the “how was your day honey” pleasantries and dive directly into the following: “What did you like about that event?”  “Why did they get married there?”  “Why would she wear that?”   “Chicken? Arrgh!”  “Polka band surrounding the Chuppah?  You can do that?” That is to say, weddings and special events have been part of our every day lives since we met.  We knew what we didn’t like and what we did, but synthesizing all of it was going to be a challenge. The added pressure of supposedly knowing what you are doing does not actually help.

We always agreed on the following two concepts.  One, what is “supposed to be done” is irrelevant as long as what is done speaks to the couple being married.  Two, tradition and family are important.   These seem like contradictory ideas, and in many ways they are.  Our mission was to blend the two by using our artistic backgrounds and our knowledge from having worked in the industry. We decided to mix the traditional and the new, the formal and the informal, the expected and unexpected. The challenge was to do so without it looking like a hodge-podge of conflicting ideas. What we ended up with was one gorgeous and killer party.

My overall concept for the look of our wedding reception was “simple and eclectic garden party that just happens to be a wedding reception.” In other words, very understated but elegant.  We had two food stations; one in the house and one outside. My good friend and bridesmaid, Jen Alders (SMP featured photographer extraordinaire), wrote out the menus on vintage chalkboards I found in Chicago. We kept the seating pretty minimal, mostly high boys and cafe tables with a few larger rounds. With no overhead lighting for much of the reception area, we decided to put lanterns on the tables and have white lanterns in the tent.  The amazingly talented Mary Nisi from Toast and Jam (also from Chicago) provided a wonderful mix of tunes. Lauren from Festive Foods incorporated our tastes and family history (my father is Cuban) into the menu including many family recipes. She even brought along a grill master to cook all the meats.  The grill was a classic Argentine Assado manned by a Parrillero in traditional attire.  Drew’s extended family brought dozens of varieties of Italian cookies to grace the sweets table. The Greenworks team, Classic Party Rentals and Ali Phillips made it possible for us to execute out vision perfectly. It was everything we could ever imagine! Overall we ended up with the wedding of our dreams, filled with the love and generosity of family, friends and vendors.

Wedding Photography: Gerber + Scarpelli +  Jen Alders of Alders Photography (a few) / Wedding Planner + Designer: Engaging Events by Ali / Reception Venue: Private Residence / Catering: Festive Foods / Flowers: GreenWorks / Rentals, Linens + Lighting: Classic Party Rentals / Music: Mary Nisi of Toast and Jam / Church: Christ Church Georgetown / Wedding Cake: Silvas Patisserie / Wedding Dress: Augusta Jones via Macy’s / Bride’s Shoes: Custom Nina Shoes / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Alfani via Macy’s + Custom Vans

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Post tags: Augusta Jones, Christ Church Georgetown, Classic Party Rentals, Engaging Events by Ali, Festive Foods, Gerber + Scarpelli, GreenWorks, J. Crew, Jen Alders of Alders Photography, Macy's, Nina Shoes, Silvas Patisserie, Toast and Jam, Vans, Washington D.C.
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance

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From Kelly Oshiro Design… The bride loved gardens, birdies and sparkle, so I came up with the idea of a glamorous midsummer night’s dream. The concept worked out perfectly as the bride’s older sister used to read her that play as a child. For details, little birdies were tucked into the flowers, green sequin linens and a palette of hot pink, purple and lavender completed the look.

The bride was from Mississippi and magnolia is their state tree. I used magnolia leaves in her bouquet and on the ceremony arbor. The bride also loved wisteria, so to mimic the look I used purple lilac tucked into the greenery to create a loose, garden-y look. For the reception, the bridal party sat at one long table, with the bride and groom siting at one end under a domed love seat. For the cake, a traditional groom’s cake was modeled after the groom’s favorite guitar. On the main wedding cake, the groom’s parents’ cake topper added a sweet heirloom detail. Moss, candles, birdcages, and tons of flowers (lilac, hydrangea, viburnum, roses, ranunculus) decorated the reception.

Event Design & Florals: Kelly Oshiro Design / Full Wedding Planning: Kelly Oshiro Design / Wedding Ceremony & Reception Location: Doubletree Resort / Wedding Photography: Kirsten Ellis of Beaux Arts Photographie / Rentals: Town & Country Event Rentals / Linens: La Tavola / Wedding Cake: Montecito Confections / Hair & Makeup: Chateau Belle / Favors: Santa Barbara Preserves / Lighting & Draping: Ambient Event Design / Ceremony Ensemble: The Aurora Ensemble / Cocktail Music: Anthony Ybarra / Reception Band: Nova Jazz / Wedding Dress Designer: Augusta Jones

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Post tags: Ambient Event Design, Anthony Ybarra, Augusta Jones, Beaux Arts Photographie, Bird Cages, CA, California, Chateau Belle, Doubletree Resort, Gold, Hot Pink, Kelly Oshiro Design, La Tavola, Lavender, Mid-Summer Night's Dream, Montecito Confections, Nova Jazz, Purple, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Preserves, Southern Charm, The Aurora Ensemble, Town & Country Event Rentals
Post categories: Whimsical

So what can we take from this first fête? Obviously, the couple choose yellow for their big day. The color closely associated with sunshine, warmth, and happiness. But to avoid the yellow being overwhelming, which is a definite threat, they chose to incorporate the color in the florals alone. Almost all other colors of the affair are neutral, allowing the yellow to take center stage, along with the couple, of course. The black attire of the bridal party, the white bridal gown and linens, and the green foliage backdrop all allowed a minimal amount of the vibrant hue to make a big impact.

Venue: Madrona Manor / Florals: Fleurs de France / Photography: Deborah Laver Photography / Hair & Make Up: Tenia of JS Makeup / Cake:  Fleur de Lisa / Wedding Stationery: Paper Source / Officiant: Michael LeBlanc / Bridal Gown: Augusta Jones, Perla / Bridal Shoes: David’s Bridal / Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Angelo / Groom Tuxedo: Hickey Freeman / Entertainment: Jeanette Isenberg

Next in our lineup is a brilliantly purple hued wedding, captured by Marc Blondin Photography. Click here for the whole thing!

With associations like passion, sophistication, and wisdom, a purple wedding is bound to be good. This wedding differs from the first wedding from Fleurs de France, in the fact that purple is everywhere. It’s on the ‘maids dresses, on the tablescapes, in the florals. It could be overwhelming, if there were no accent colors. My absolute favorite thing about this Napa Wedding is the contrasting Mother’s dress. She picked a color that worked so well with the purple and pink palette, yet was completely different. The wedding was outdoors, which means there was a plethora of green, brown, wood, stone. Each of these colors and textures works with the purple in a different, great way – balancing the vibrancy from the other side of the color wheel.

Venue: The Harvest Inn / Florals: Fleurs de France / Photography: Marc Blondin Photography / Wedding Planner: Sarah Ghazzagh of A Dream Wedding / Catering: Wine Valley Caterer / Lighting: Twilight Designs / Stationery: Crane & Co / Hair & Make Up: It’s A Date at the Powder Room / Bridal Gown: Romona Keveza / Bridal Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaids Dresses: Jessica McClintock / Linens: Napa Valley Linens / Equipment & Other Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Officiant: O.S. Hawkins

Last on our list we have another Sonoma wedding photographed by Deborah Laver Photography. You can see the whole beautiful affair in the gallery.

This one is very different. While the amazing florals from this wedding had a rosy tint, the rest of the wedding was very neutral. There are lots of whites, the color of purity, cleanliness, and peace. This is a great option to go with if your wedding will take place outdoors, where nature provides the most beautiful color palette. The white details of this wedding serve as a canvas featuring the stunning couple and the beautiful Sonoma Wine Country. Very minimal color was used, but the effect is breathtaking.

Venue: St. Francis Winery & Vineyards / Florals: Fleurs de France / Photography: Deborah Laver Photography / Caterer: Elaine Bell Catering / Cake: Michelle Marie’s Patisserie / Wedding Planner: Robbin Montero of A Dream Wedding / Hair & Makeup: It’s a Date at the Powder Room / Linens: Classic Party Rentals / Equipment & Lighting: ATL Events / Transportation: Pure Luxury Transportation / Ceremony Musicians: Notable Talent / Reception Entertainment: California Mobile DJ / Officiant: Rev Peadar Dalton / Wedding Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas / Bridal Gown: Brides by Demetrios / Veil & Accessories: Brides by Demetrios / Bridal Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bridesmaids Dresses: J. Crew / Grooms & Groomsman Tuxedo & Suits:  Men’s Warehouse

All three of these weddings could have had completely different feels if the palettes had changed. All had very similar backdrops – wine country, lots of greens, natural land – but each had a different feel because of the colors chosen. One thing I’ve picked up from studying gorgeous weddings on a daily basis, is that a little color goes a long way. You can see this in all three of these weddings. The yellow florals in the first wedding made the entire affair feel happy. The deep purples in the second wedding were juxtaposed perfectly with the natural world around for a moody, luxe feel. The neutral whites of the final wedding let the surroundings set the mood – clean and fresh.

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Post tags: A Dream Wedding, Alfred Angelo, ATL Events, Augusta Jones, Badgley Mischka, Brides by Demetrios, California, California Mobile DJ, Classic Party Rentals, Color Palette, Color Palette Purple Pink, Color Palette White, Color Palette Yellow, David's Bridal, Deborah Laver Photography, Elaine Bell Catering, Fleur de Lisa, Fleurs de France, Hickey Freeman, It's a Date at the Powder Room, J. Crew, Jeanette Isenberg, Jessica McClintock, Jimmy Choo, JS Makeup, Madrona Manor, Marc Blondin Photography, Men's Warehouse, Michelle Marie's Patisserie, Napa Valley, Napa Valley Linens, Notable Talent, Paper Source, Pure Luxury Transportation, Romona Keveza, Sonoma, Sonoma County, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, The Harvest Inn, Twilight Designs, vineyard, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Inspiration, Wedding Paper Divas, Wine Country, Wine Valley Caterer, Winery
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

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From the darling Bride…Our story begins in Paris, in June of 2009, where Dan got down on bended knee and asked me to marry him in front of the Eiffel Tower. (Well, actually our story begins 6 years earlier on a college campus in Massachusetts, but this is the abridged version!). It is safe to say that when Dan & I became engaged I caught the wedding bug… bad.  I truly enjoyed every moment of planning & designing our wedding with the intention that it should not only be beautiful, but filled with meaningful details in order to tell the “story of us”.  Originally believing that I wanted a destination wedding (preferably a Villa in the Tuscan Hills or farmhouse in the countryside of France) the one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to transport our guests to a different place, if only through the ambience of the party.  This led to an interesting venue search as we began to comb the state of Connecticut for just the right place to say “I Do”. However, the moment we turned down the (slightly hidden) drive of Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Stonington, I knew this was going to be the place.

Pulling up it is as though you are transported to another place, and inside the meticulously revitalized space (I don’t dare say renovated as so much of the building’s authenticity has been preserved) a fantastic raw energy abounds.  The vineyard was originally a WWII aircraft hangar, the interior a delight for the eyes with towering high ceiling, gorgeous exposed wooden beams and ceilings.  The space comes as-is… and lends itself perfectly to personalization through colors, textures, linens, flowers, lighting, and all sorts of fabulous details. At the onset of the planning process to say I was all over the place with my design style is an understatement.  There is no way that I could have achieved this destination wedding in Connecticut idea I had in my mind alone – it was the creative mind and amazing styling of planner/designer Sarah True of True Event who refined my vision to that of a Provençal Rustic Chic style and brought it to life.  In a true collaborative effort, Sarah assembled a dream team of vendors to work on my special day, many of whom I would not have met without her, and am now so happy to call treasured friends.

Our perfectly Provençal rustic chic save the dates by Lucinda Wesson of Chocolate Creative Design were the first step to creating this special experience to share with our guests – a custom printed burlap pouch filled with lavender, a paper airplane (folded from the pages of a vintage French love poem book) cork from Saltwater Farm Vineyard, and piece of hay arrived at each of our soon-to-be guests homes.   Followed by Fleur de Lis tea stained parchment invitations and a dance program reception card packaged in a kraft paper & Parisian map lined envelope with a vintage inspired RSVP postcard – that guests loved so much many called in their responses and asked to keep the cards! The day of the wedding could not have been more idyllic.  We were greeted the morning of October 23 with beautiful sunshine and sparkling blue sky.  Preparing for the big day while surrounded by my bridesmaids, mother, and mother-in-law was such fun!  The lovely ladies of the Jennie Fresa Beauty Library worked their magic on us as we nibbled on our brunch, and I sipped my warm cup of starbucks (the one wedding gift I asked for from Dan).  The smiling face of Yumiko Fletcher of Hana Floral Design delivering my drop-dead-GORGEOUS bouquet was all it took to send me into pure euphoria (mind you this is only at 10am).  Always on cue, the only person whom I would want so close to me on that day (aside from Dan) Anna Sawin, of Anna Sawin Photography arrived just in time to catch me in this glorious moment (and snap a million photos of me running around the townhouse my parents had rented in the borough of Stonington exclaiming “I’m getting married – this is the best day of my life!”.)  A demure, composed bride I was not – you could not have wiped that ear-to-ear smile off my face if you tried.

A Newport Trolley brought us to St. Mary Church in town, where our guests were streaming into the pews (which were perfectly anointed with small terra cotta pots wrapped in twine, filled with silver brunia berries, lavender, blush spray roses, herbs and greens).   From that moment on the day began to fly, the girls were down the aisle in an instant, and then that moment that you wait for your entire life was upon me – my walk down the aisle.  As I took my father’s arm it was all I could do to keep myself from running down the aisle and jumping into Dan’s arms, the moment I saw him there waiting for me I was overcome with excitement and just knew that all was right with the world.  While my father was the one who walked me down the aisle it was very important to me that both he and my mother “give me away”, so she stood up and joined us as we reached the end of the aisle.  We blinked back tears as my father lifted my veil and kissed me on the check, and then there was a slight blunder on our part as Dan & I were so excited to see each other that we kissed immediately there – before stepping onto the alter together.  Needless to say, I was giddy through the entire ceremony and on cloud nine when we were pronounced husband and wife.

Arriving at the vineyard that sunny evening my dreams had already more than come true.  Greeted at the entrance with a St. Germaine & Champagne cocktail (our signature drink) by Jeanette Holliday of Gourmet Galley Catering, I could not have imagined the breathtaking sight that awaited me inside.  Sarah had transformed Saltwater Farm Vineyard into a place beyond my wildest dreams.  A little bit vineyard, a touch of France, a sprinkling of shimmer, a hint of burlap and we were in another world.  The tables, with a blush linen and burlap & lace edged runner, were covered with mercury glass votives, lace wrapped tea lights, and burlap and lace wrapped water bottles (which I made myself!).  The centerpieces alternated per table; half had moss, lavender, and babys breathe filled wooden crates with a burlap covered wine bottle candelabra.  The others had mercury glass pedestal vases filled with lavender, queen anne’s lace, chocolate cosmos, silver brunia, dusty miller, blush Juliet roses, Café au lait dahlias and rosemary.  Carrying the invitation inspiration through, the table numbers and escort cards were recreations of vintage postcards representing places in the world which were meaningful to Dan & I.  On the back of each we wrote a little note to our guests seated at each table thanking them for sharing in our special day.  Another hit with our guests, we were thrilled when a week after the wedding we actually received one of the table number postcards back in the mail – with a note signed by the entire table expressing how much they had enjoyed themselves.  As we took in the culmination of all of the amazing details coming together to create our big day we were spellbound. All of the countless hours of planning had paid off more than imaginable when Dan turned to me and said “Wow… I knew it was going to look good, but I had no clue it would be this amazing”.

Guest cocktailed on the bluestone patio which had been transformed into an outdoor lounge, enjoying the panoramic views of the vines and the long island sound with the live guitar duo J2AM playing some of our favorite songs in the background. The party moved inside as the sun began to set, and the room began to glow.  The meal was flawless; the entrée, a tasting plate, featuring melt in your mouth short ribs and a hazelnut encrusted chicken which we still receive compliments on to this day.  Hours of dancing followed, with guests taking a moment later in the night to help themselves to a drink at the hot beverage bar or make s’mores outside by the fire pit.  Dan & I were able to escape for a few moments from time to time as well, which only allowed us to savor the day even more.  Before I knew it the time for our send off had arrived and cheering guests showered us in dried lavender sprinkled from French printed paper cones.  It was more than a dream come true.

Venue: Saltwater Farm Vineyard / Design and Coordination: Sarah True of TRUE Event / Photography: Anna Sawin Photography / Catering: Anna Lathrop and Jeanette Holliday of Gourmet Galley / Floral: Hana Floral Design / Paper: Chocolate Creative Design / Entertainment: Power Posse Productions & JA2M / Rentals: Rentals Unlimited / Transportation: Newport Trolley / Videography: Tim Ethier Video Productions / Beauty: Jennie Fresa Beauty Library / Dress: Augusta Jones from Kleinfeld New York / Bridesmaids: J.Crew / Bride & Groom Forks: Beach House Living / Guest Book: LovliDay / Bridesmaid and Bride’s clutches: Oatmeal Lace Design / Hanger: LilaFrances

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Post tags: Anna Sawin Photography, Augusta Jones, Chocolate Creative Design, Connecticut, Gourmet Galley, Hana Floral Design, J. Crew, JA2M, Jennie Fresa Beauty Library, Kleinfeld Bridal, Newport Trolley, Power Posse Productions, Rentals Unlimited, Saltwater Farm Vineyard, Tim EIther Video Productions, True Event
Post categories: The Blog, Vintage Chic