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From the Bride…We met, 5 years and 3 days before the wedding, at a pub through a mutual friend, (who went onto be our best man) We got engaged in a wind-swept beach in New Zealand at sunset, just over 18 months ago. I am a wedding photographer myself, based in London and photograph weddings most weekends, and just felt I wanted something a little different from what I see each weekend.  I knew I wanted something outside, which counts England out as you just can’t guarantee the weather, (mind you, we have since found out the same can be said for Italy!!!) My cousin who lives in Italy got married there a few years ago, and I loved the informality of everything, and more to the point I loved the food – so much nicer than wedding food in the UK.  I spoke to my aunt saying I would like to find a venue where we could have the wedding that also did accommodation so everything was in the same place, and she said she knew just the place.  I went to visit in the February, and it was perfect.  Ben and I went out again in June, both instantly loved Inalbi, had a look at several others, then decided we were wasting our time as the first one was perfect!  I also loved the idea of having a destination wedding, as a lot of my guest would be traveling from the US, and it meant that everyone was staying in the same place, and you could spend time with your guests either side of the wedding, and so on the wedding day there wasn’t the pressure to socialize with your guests, so you could spend more time doing photos and enjoying the wedding aspect of it.

I had a lot of sentimental things on me on the day: my great great grandmothers handkerchief, my great grandmothers necklace, my grandmothers broach, my godmothers perfume, the silk flowers my other godmother gave me from her hair on her wedding day when I was 7, my great aunt’s sapphire ring, mostly borrowed from my mum, covering my old, new, borrowed and blue.

The ceremony had to be moved at the last minute as it had rained so heavily the day before the chairs would have all sunk in the lawn, but actually it had a real intimacy that it wouldn’t have had if everyone had a seat.  I had written the service the week before, mainly based on the very traditional Anglican church wedding, which I always love, despite not being religious myself.  We included the hymn Jerusalem, as it was my school song, and really patriotic, and gives me tingles every time I hear it.  We had Shakespeare sonnet 116 as Ben is a Shakespearean actor. We had a reading from a childhood book of mine. I walked in to Marc Cohen’s “True Companion,” and we left to Queen’s “Your My Best Friend.” Before the service the dog who lives at the venue decided to join the bridal party, which I thought was hilarious, and then I came very close to tripping over him as we were walking back down the aisle. (beautifully captured by Dennis) My favorite part was the 2 little flower girls, walking down the aisle to Ben, and then they just kept going, up the path and away from the wedding. Very funny – proving that rehearsals are probably a good Idea!

Location, Catering, Wedding Cake + Desserts: Agriturismo Vecchio Borgo di Inalbi / Wedding Coordination: The Bride (Simone Germaine) / Wedding Photography: Joe Cogliandro of J. Cogliandro Photography + Dennis Orchard / Wedding Videography: Friend of The Bride, Alan Ward Collins / Floral + Decor: Alesssandra / Entertainment: Friends of The Bride + Groom / Wedding Gown: Angela Stone / Bridesmaid Dresses: Vivien of Holloway / Necklace: The Bride’s Great Grandmother’s / Wedding Rings: David Webdale / Groom’s Attire: Marks & Spensers / Hair + Make-up: Friend of The Bride, Audra Smith / Invitations: Love Wedding Print / Favors: The Bride / Beaded Hearts: Enigma / Fans + Parasols: Beau-Coup / Celebrant: Samuele Gallorini

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Post tags: Agriturismo Vecchio Borgo di Inalbi, Angela Stone, Beau-Coup, Chic Weddings In Italy, David Webdale, Enigma, J. Cogliandro Photography, Love Wedding Print, Marks & Spensers, Samuele Gallorini, Tuscany, Vivien of Holloway
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

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From the Bride… The idea behind my wedding was to combine classic elegance and country charm. We wanted to embrace our Texas roots and provide a country experience for our out-of-town guests, but also keep things fancy and elegant. We decided to nix the traditional ballroom hotel theme and have our wedding and reception in the small town of Navasota, Texas where my parents own a ranch.

The catalyst for my theme came from the designs of Tracy Brockhouse of Bluebird Designs. She truly captured our vision in a rustic yet elegant wooden backed invitation. Additionally, she created all of our invitations, menus, programs and even designed a family crest that was used through out all of our wedding pieces.

After our ceremony at an old Catholic church, guests headed to a tented reception held on the patio of my parent’s home. We chose an earthy, simple color scheme of whites, ivories, greens and browns. Very early on, I fell in love with the idea of covering the tent with the glow of soft candle light from lanterns. Darryl and Co. made that vision a reality with lantern centerpieces, lanterns on the walkways around the tent and lanterns hanging from the corners of the dance floor on tall clusters of branches. Two antler chandeliers were hung on each side of the tent to tie in the rustic outdoor theme. There were three different flower arrangements designed to give depth and a variance of height on the tables. Some were lanterns with clusters of flowers around the base and top, some were tall topiaries and some were urns filled with floral. We used details such as the table assignments hanging from lantern hooks outside the tent as guests approached, custom made signage around the reception tent made by my father-in-law and tables named after indigenous trees and flowers in the area to tie into the theme.

Since I’m Italian and our favorite restaurant is Carrabba’s we decided to have a 6 course seated dinner by Carrabba’s for our reception dinner. Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour of drinks and appetizers before we arrived and were able to spend time outside the tent at the adjacent pond where we set up a nearby retreat for guests to enjoy a view of the property. The wedding cake was a traditional cream cheese frosting and lemon cake and the grooms cake was a double chocolate fudge cake and chocolate frosting in the shape of a Makers Mark whiskey bottle – the groom’s favorite whiskey.

Shortly after dinner and speeches, The Revelators began playing and dancing was well underway.  The bouquet and garter toss was off the side of a slight hill near the edge of the house and our exit was made out to the exit car by the light of sparklers.

Wedding Photography: Studio 563 / Floral Design & Event Decor: Darryl & Co. / Event Coordination: Emily Moise with Keely Thorne Events / Wedding Ceremony Location: St. Joseph’s Catholic Chapel / Wedding Reception Location: La Dolce Vita Ranch, Private Residence / Wedding Invitations: Tracy Brockhouse of Bluebird Design Studios / Wedding Cakes: Who Made the Cake! / Groom & Groomsmen Hair: V’s Barbershop / Catering: Carrabba’s Italian Grill / Hair & Makeup: Your Beautiful Face / Wine: Becker Vineyards / Band: The Revelators / Wedding Dress: Watters via Brickhouse Bridal / Bridesmaid Dresses: Dessy via Ventura’s Bridal / Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse / Groom’s Wedding Band: Michael Klein’s Fine Jewelry / Bride’s Earrings: Nadri / Bride’s Sash: Kirsten Kuehn Designs / Reception Signage: Father of the Groom / Favors: Beau Coup + Jelly Belly / Sparklers: Sparklers R Us

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Post tags: Beau-Coup, Becker Vineyards, Bluebird Design Studios, Brickhouse Bridal, Brown, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Darryl & Co, Dessy, Green, Ivory, Jelly Belly, Keely Thorne Events, Kirsten Kuehn Designs, Lanterns, Men's Wearhouse, Michael Klein's Fine Jewelry, Nadri, Navasota, Ranch Wedding, Rustic Chic, Sparklers R Us, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Studio 563, Tented Reception, Texas Weddings, The Revelators, TX, V's Barber Shop, Ventura's Bridal, Watters, Who Made the Cake!, Wooden Invitations
Post categories: Texas Weddings, Traditional Elegance

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From the Bride… With Sean being from Indiana and myself being from Connecticut, but now both living in Chicago, we had a difficult time figuring out where to have our wedding and have all of our loved ones be able to make it.  We met at DePauw University in central Indiana, and when I went back to visit the campus, I knew this was the perfect place.  All of the memories came back to us and the beautiful red brick, white columns, and floral details that the campus offered was a great backdrop.  Gobin United Methodist Memorial Church personalized our ceremony for us, and the Walden Inn was amazing, offering us great customer service and a beautiful setting with glass windows that led to the outdoor patio for our guests.

We wanted our theme to be a casual summer wedding with bright colors and garden style flowers.  I wanted the dresses to feel a little bit like the 50′s, classic and timeless, yet simple.  J.Crew had such a great selection, and when I tried on my satin gown, I knew it was the one.  Then I found a simple flower clip to put in my hair that had pearl and flower accents from Etsy.  I absolutely loved the tropical aqua bridesmaids dresses because of the color, but also the light chiffon material that would work in June weather.  Sean was adimant about looking like “James Bond” so of course we opted for black tuxes with a touch of aqua in the groomsmen vests.

My father had passed away just 3 years before the wedding, so knowing that we would be on a budget, but also very emotional, I wanted to feel comfortable with the setting, guests, and finances.  I managed to stay under a strict budget but have a beautiful day, with 125 guests, and amazing food that the venue helped us get a deal on, including Jumbo cocktail shimp, quesadillas, bruschetta for appetizers, and stuffed chicken with asiago cheese sauce, as well as Beef Au Jus for dinner.  We offered an open bar, which our guests definitely seemed to love.

We were very lucky to have Sean’s mom handmake the adorable gifts for our guests, with aqua striping and aqua and white M&M’s that had our date printed on them. I decided to place the flowers in mason jars because I loved that homemade, garden feel.  The florists, Eitel Flowers, completely translated my vision, with every bridesmaid having their own unique bouquet, yet with a similar theme.  I made table numbers out of stationary that I picked up in an office supply shop, and printed the numbers on the floral cards, both in yellow and aqua.  This was such a simple task and really added a nice homemade touch as well.  I decided to put a small shrine up in honor of my father, with a few framed photographs, flowers, and candles next to the guest book so that everyone could take a look at it.

The cake was homemade buttercream from Benda’s cakes and I think I had about 4 pieces!!  We alternated layers of marble cake and vanilla buttercream, with yellow cake and chocolate truffle filling. It was moist and delicious, and definitely completed a great evening.  Sean was lucky enough to get the first taste, all over his face in fact!

It was supposed to be stormy, but ended up being sunny and in the 80′s all day.  Our photographer, Jenna Davis, was absolutely amazing and certainly took advantage of the day!  We loved her artistic, journalistic style, and she picked out the perfect locations on campus.  We were lucky to have great architecture and flowers that offered a great setting.  We couldn’t have been happier with the memories, both in print and in our hearts!

Wedding Photography: Jenna Davis of Jenna Davis Photography / Floral Design: Eitel’s Flowers / Event Design & Coordination: The Bride / Wedding Ceremony Location: Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church / Wedding Reception Location: The INN at DePauw & Event Center (Formerly Walden Inn) / Wedding Invitations: William Arthur / Bride’s Shoes: Coloriffics / Wedding Dress: J.Crew / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Bride’s Hair Piece: Tessa Kim / Bride’s Clutch: Murwati / Brownie Pops: Beau Coup / Tuxedo Bubbles: ForeverWed / Bridesmaid Totes: Wedding Favors Unlimited / Groomsmen Pocket Watches: Groomsmen Gifts / Wedding Cake: Brenda’s Cakes

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Post tags: Aqua Blue, Beau-Coup, Bradbury Photography, Brenda's Cakes, Budget Weddings, Coloriffics, DePauw University, Eitels Flowers, Forever Wed, Gobin United Methodist Church, Greencastle, Indiana, J. Crew, Jenna Davis, Mason Jars, Murwati, Tessa Kim, The Inn at DePauw & Event Center, Walden Inn, Wedding Favors Unlimited, White, William Arthur, Yellow
Post categories: Budget Beautiful

From Emily…(From Left to Right, Top to Bottom)

Photo #1:  Taken at Krug Estate Vineyard / Photo #2 & #3:  Snippet and Ink /Photo #4 Melissa Sweet via Brides.com / Photo #5 & 6 via Beau-Coup / Photo # 7 by Snippet and Ink / Photo #8 by TSOGB / Photo #9 lilribbers by Etsy / Photo #10 on Crafty Rachel Knot Bio

From Emily…

I think incorporating pops of blue and green will go perfectly with the brides preferred color scheme, definitely “shabby chic”.  I love the strands of ribbon with place cards attached.  This would be gorgeous blowing in the wind at the entrance of the reception.I think purchasing various vintage, antique vases and filling them with peonies, roses and gardenias would make beautiful centerpieces! I see this bride wearing a beautiful vintage inspired, lace gown.  The bow, sweet little lace flutter sleeves, and the buttons down the back are oh so romantic!

I think wine cork place cards would be perfect to sit at each guests seat. The candle wine corks would be great to place on the tables for a sweet glow, and romantic feel as the sun goes down during the reception. Considering the wedding is outdoors and in May, guests would probably appreciate having a fan to cool off with.  These beautiful raspberry colored fans would be so cute to sit on guests seats and you could possibly even tie the program to each guests fan.

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Post tags: Beau-Coup, Brides.com, lilribbers, Snippet and Ink, TSOGB
Post categories: Contests, Inspiration Boards

image by Karen Wise…a peak into one of next week’s gorgeous real weddings!

*A sneak peak of Peculiar Pair Press’ gorgeous new Save the Date collection, along with a pretty great giveaway! Plus a first look at their new online wedding invitation line.

*We announced the Beau Coup giveaway winners and the hugely popular Sarah Drake giveaway. Congrats to the lucky ladies who stole the show!

*A Rocker Chic Affair that made us all swoon…you can check out the rest of their wedding here and here.

*A Zebra Inspired reception along with a fun Look for Less Feature…you can see the rest of the reception here, here and here.

*Fabulous Photography Tips by Karen Rusten, along with eight other pretty brilliant photographers.

*A Southern Inspired wedding that will make any girl fall in love. You can see each feature here, here, here, here and a look at the gorgeous, letterpress invitations right here.

*The winners of the Four Seasons Films giveaway and their gorgeous Rustic, Chic wedding.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Post tags: Beau-Coup, Four Seasons Films, Karen Rusten, Karen Wise, Letterpress Invitations, Look for Less, Peculiar Pair Press, Sarah Drake, Save The Dates, Souther Inspired Wedding, Zebra
Post categories: Look for Less, Wedding Favors & Gifts, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Resources

So, we get to choose someone to pass the prize of $300 along to, AND someone to receive the $75 entry prize. Here are our picks!

The $300 Grand Prize: Chandra, who said…”I LOVE the petite julep cups! I would do different containers for flowers and candles in silver containers of every kind and make the look very vintage and “Great Gatsby”. And you could serve mint juleps as the signature drink!”

The $75 Prize: Kristina, who said…”I am going to have to order the Beau-Coup’s green woven favor boxes. I can just picture these boxes filled with chocolates and wrapped with Beau-Coup’s double-faced satin ribbon in navy with ivory and green place card tags attached. This would combine our wedding color and our minimalist just stunning style.”

I’ll be in touch with both winners soon!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Beau Coup for hosting such an inspiring contest. Definitely stop by their blog for fun celebrity wedding tid bits, beautiful real weddings and so much more!

We have the winner from the Sarah Drake Contest and a fun Real Wedding coming up. Plus, there is a pretty incredible not-so-real wedding on the Little Black Book Blog that is a must see!

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Post tags: Beau-Coup, Blog Contest, Contest Results, Little Black Book Blog
Post categories: Contests, Wedding Favors & Gifts

So, I have chosen the always yummy, Gourmet Chocolate Mints as my inspiration for this Sweet Winter Wedding board…

Clockwise from top left: Mints by Beau Coup, Dress by Saks, Nest by Mimosa Style, Chocolate Cakes by Martha Stewart, Flowers by Domino Magazine

I have a deep love affair with Winter Inspired Weddings…there is just something so dreamy, so romantic about the white snow, the beautiful gowns paired with cozy cashmere wraps, the hot cocoa served to guests, the incredibly warm, elegant styles.

For this particular wedding, I thought that it would be gorgeous to find inspiration in the crisp white mints, pairing them with a deep velvety chocolate, a feminine gray/blue and just a hint of pale rose in the florals. Perfect for a wedding in a rustic barn, with candles tucked in hurricane vases of all sizes in every corner. I totally see the bride in a gorgeous lace inspired gown accented with a pretty, soft capulet and a lush flower tucked into a low bun. Gorgeous. Wish this was my wedding I was dreaming about!

* * *

So, You might be wondering why I chose such a simple, rather traditional wedding favor as a starting off point. Well, it’s because I have officially fallen in love with the packaging options at Beau Coup and these cute mints would look so great displayed in huge candy bins among other white inspired candies, with these great take away bags nearby…

Just drape the table with something really organic, like deconstructed burlap sacks (or burlap fabric) to pair with the pristine white candies. You will have that perfect combination of elegance and rustic chic. Thus is the theme for my Beau-Coup, Winter Inspired Wedding!

Now, it’s your turn…pick a favor from the Beau Coup website and dream up your own wedding. All you have to do is leave a comment (no pics necessary) with your ideas and we’ll pass along two gift certificates, one for $50 and one for $75, from Beau-Coup to two lucky readers. Then, if we win the grand prize, we’ll offer our $250 prize to a third winner!

The deadline for your comment is this coming Thursday, the 20th…so don’t delay!

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Post tags: Beau-Coup, Contest, Domino Magazine, Gourmet Chocolate Mints, Inspiration Board, Martha Stewart, Mimosa Style
Post categories: Contests, Inspiration Boards

Materials

Mini Bird’s Nests
Jordan Almonds
4-bar Flat Cards in Butter from Paper Source
Hole Punch
Blue Ribbon
Tulle, cut in large squares
Bird Stamp and Thank You Stamp
Brown and Green Ink

Instructions

1. Buy mini bird’s nests from Beau-coup (3 sets of 12 for a total of about $35).

2. Filled them with 5 baby blue jordan almonds to look like robin’s eggs (I got the Almonds off The Knot wedding shop, with regular shipping they are a total of about $20 for two bags or about 200 almonds).

3. Wrap them in tulle (I bought mine at a fabric store, 3 yards at $1.99/yard).

4. Using blue ribbon, (mine was from Paper Source in “bluebell” for about $4 for 10 yards) tie the tulle together.

5. Cut your 4-bar cards into 4, then stamp them with the green birds and brown thank you.

6. Punch a hold in the corner, then tie the ribbon through. Voila!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beau-Coup, Birds, DIY Project Instructions, Jordan Almonds, Nest, Paper Source
Post categories: Contests, DIY Favors and Gifts, DIY Projects