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From the Bride… When Jonathan and I started planning our wedding, the list of possible wedding venues was all over the world (Literally!), but each time we’d mention a destination to one of our friends it seemed they would always say “what about Arkansas?”- my home state. We met as students at the College of William and Mary and currently live in New York City, so most of our friends are from the East Coast and had never had the pleasure of visiting the Natural State, so with that in mind we began looking into a destination wedding in Arkansas. A couple of my friends back home mentioned Pratt Place Inn & Barn and as soon as we pulled up the driveway to Pratt Place we knew we had hit the jackpot. A goregous Inn with a big red barn = perfect for a fun Southern barbeque.

I love sharing fun facts about my home state so I couldn’t resist creating an Arkansas themed celebration -especially since this would be a first time visit for the majority of our wedding guests. We introduced our destination by mailing Save the Date cards in the shape of Arkansas, which were absolutely adorable and a huge hit!  To continue our Arkansas theme the guests’ escort cards were outlined by the state and each table was named after a famous Arkansan (President Clinton, Johnny Cash and Sam Walton, just to name a few) and included a brief biography of the person.  We had vintage glass piggy banks that we found at a local antique store on the head table and Arkansas shaped cookies for wedding favors. The bbq dinner menu was displayed on a super cute “swine & dine” poster and wine from local Arkansas wineries was served. And, I have to mention our tables. They were stunning…burlap linens with a lace overlay and mason jars galore and tall arragements of baby’s breath and white larkspar. Simple and elegant just like the Natural State!

Jonathan and I loved every single detail of our wedding but our very favorite detail was the vintage fireplace mantel displaying pictures of our family members, past and present. It was such a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by the beautiful faces of our families! (A big thanks to our wedding coordinator for finding the mantel!)

Wedding Photography: Benfield Photography / Wedding Cakes: Rick’s Bakery / Catering: Catering Unlimited / Floral Design: Jules Design / Music: Mr. Cabbagehead and the Screaming Radishes / Rentals: Festivities / Invitations & Paper Goods: Ashley C. Tucker / Wedding Coordination: J.Bailey Occasions / Wedding & Reception Venue: Pratt Place Inn and Barn / Videographer: NiLo Production Company / Bridal Gown: Lazaro / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Groom’s Attire: Custom by Lord Willy’s

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Post tags: AR, Arkansas, Ashley C. Tucker, BBQ, Benfield Photography, Blue, Burlap Linens, Catering Unlimited, Destination, Destination Wedding, Fayetteville, Festivities, J. Crew, J.Bailey Occasions, Jules Design Events, Lazaro, Lord Willy's, Mason Jars, Mr. Cabbagehead and the Screaming Radishes, Navy Blue, NiLo Production Company, Pratt Place Inn and Barn, Rick's Bakery, White
Post categories: Destination, Destination Weddings

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From Jennefer Wilson Photography… Going into planning, Krissy and Kyle sat down and decided on very few things from the start. One, they knew that the wedding needed to be a laid back, relaxed Austin wedding that focused on details with meaning. They both consider their family to be the most important thing in life and they wanted to find a way to honor their past, enjoy the present, and celebrate the future.

To accomplish doing all 3 of those things, they started with their past – their families. First the date (April 1) was picked, because that was Krissy’s late grandmother’s birthday. Then they brought in elements from both families into their centerpieces which consisted of books, handmade croqueted doilies & handkerchiefs, gloves, jewelry boxes, etc. They also surrounded the reception site with photos honoring their family members that had passed away. They wanted to make sure they enjoyed the entire day so they made sure to include all of their favorite Texas “eats” – BBQ, cupcakes, cookies, and S’MORES! The S’Mores also were a flashback to their days of being campers/counselors at camp together!

Overall, the “theme” of the wedding was just “US,” Krissy and Kyle. Being able to bring in the little details like Kyle’s handmade pottery for communion glasses, their love of the outdoors, and just having FUN was extremely important to them and this idea and theme was certainly accomplished!

Wedding Photography: Jennefer Wilson Photography / Wedding Venue: Texas Old Town / Tandem Bike: Austin Bike Tours & Rentals / Catering: Pok-e-Jo’s Smokehouse / Floral Design: WOW Factor Design / Invitations: Cari Ritchie Sury / Cupcakes: Bride’s Aunt / Wedding Dress: Mori Lee Design from Ventura’s Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: TOM’s / Groomsmen Suits: Al’s Formal Wear / Groomsmen Shoes: Converse All-Stars

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Austin, Austin Bike Tours & Rentals, BBQ, DIY Projects, Grey, Jennefer Wilson Photography, Mason Jars, Outdoor Wedding, Pok-e-Jo's Smokehouse, Purple, Rustic Chic, S'Mores, Texas, Texas Old Town, TX, Wedding Cupcakes, WOW Factor Floral Design
Post categories: Austin Weddings, Casual Elegance, Texas Weddings

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As always, it was a great pleasure to photograph at Healdsburg Country Gardens in Sonoma, California. I thought this late-summer BBQ inspired wedding was adorable! Loved the checkered table cloths and the cherry held escort cards. The BBQ was great too!

Wedding Photographer: Julie Mikos Photography / Wedding Ceremony and Reception Venue: Healdsburg Country Gardens / Florist: Erica Rose Design / Caterer: BBQ Smokehouse Restaurant and Catering / Band: The Wild Catahoulas / Event Producer: Gillian Shenon

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Backyard, Barn, BBQ, California Weddings, Erica Rose Design, Gillian Shenon, Healdsburg County Gardens, Julie Mikos Photography, Rustic, Sonoma
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Napa Valley Weddings, The Blog

all photographs by Misti Layne

From the girls at Hello! Lucky…For this affair, we did the Classic Cowboy design in Bluebell and Lucky Red which complemented the wedding’s rustic Americana style. We created a custom band with a repeating Western star pattern in red to hold all the pieces together.

Maggie is a furniture designer/maker so the couple decided it would be fun to incorporate that into the details in a creative yet subtle way. Stacy McCain, the planner, asked Maggie if she had any wood scraps from the shop (piece that would likely get thrown away and that she would not be able to use for anything) which she did. The table numbers were created using the wood scraps, this also played into wanting to recycle and reuse. She also had some leftover materials which she constructed her escort card board from.

all photographs by Misti Layne

What screams Summer more than BBQ?!? The menu was fun and a nice change of pace from typical “wedding” food. The guests really enjoyed the feeling of a home cooked meal (Salmon, beef, chicken, vegetables, potatoes and sweet corn slaw). The cake was a citrus flavor with fresh berries served on top. This was a nice way to end the hot day with a refreshing and light dessert.

Mary Lois of Loop Flowers did a wonderful job of collecting various cups and containers to use for the centerpieces, this really spoke to our vintage/rustic feel for the wedding. Also keeping with the recycle and reuse idea Maggie collected vintage napkins so that each guest had one at their place setting. She tied ribbon with each guests name, this worked as their place card.

all photographs by Misti Layne

Thank you so much to the girls at Hello! Lucky for sending this over. We are in love! Stay tuned to hear who the big winner is from our Bluefly Giveaway!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ, Fourth Of July, Hello! Lucky, red white and blue
Post categories: Casual Elegance

And here is the breakdown. There are lots of components so it’s lengthy…but, you could craft all or just one and still end up with a pretty great gift for your guests!

Step 1

Food:
Peanuts
Sunflower Seeds
Homemade/Favorite BBQ sauce (homemade recipe found here: BBQ Recipes )
Corn seeds
Dried Red Pepper
AND whatever else relates to YOUR culture!

Materials:
Scissors
Bottle with Stopper (one shown found at World Market, also available at stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby)
basting brush (walmart)
Brown paper bags: 2.5 x 4 inch bags found at craft store, 4.25 x 7.5 inc bags found here or here
Bandanna cut into 16 pieces
Glue (like rubber cement)
needle and thread / sewing machine
Corn Skewers
DIY Paper Labels for food items (these ones available for purchase here)
Safety pins
Leather thread (found at Walmart / any craft store)

Instructions: This DIY is easy!

Step 2: Fold bandanna into 4 parts, then into 4 parts again, and cut on the folds. Fold the bandanna pieces in half with the brighter side on the inside. Sew the edges (easier with a sewing machine) then turn inside out. Attach label with two safety pins, fill with sunflower seeds, and secure by tying a 3 inch section of leather around the top.

Step 3 and 4: Pour your favorite BBQ sauce into your bottle (the homemade stuff is thin, but you may need a funnel with the thicker stuff from the store). Attach your DIY label to the front of the bottle using glue, and let dry. Then place the brush and red pepper on either side of the bottle, and wrap 8 inch section of leather around 3 or 4 times. Secure by tying a knot at the backside.

Step 5: For the corn skewers, simply poke holes in the DIY label to secure the skewers.

Step 6 & 7: Glue DIY labels for corn seeds and peanuts to bags and let dry. Fold the top of the bags and punch/cut a small hole. Then fill with seeds and peanuts. Secure bag tops by folding and tying a 3 inch section of leather through the holes.

Step 8: Give to your guests!

If you don’t want to make your own labels, they are available for custom design / purchase at Tie That Binds!

* * *

Too cute! So much more to come!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, favors, Peanuts
Post categories: DIY Favors and Gifts, DIY Projects, Wedding Favors & Gifts