Click here for the FULL wedding!

What could make this day even better?  How about the highlight film by Mike Picard Videography!

From the bride… On July 16, 2011, Sarah and Zack were married at Belle Mer’s ocean-side lawn with one of the summer’s most beautiful sunsets as their backdrop. An event nearly two years in the making, Sarah and Zack’s vision of a romantically glamorous and chic evening affair came to life. With the help of an all-star team of vendors, Sarah’s love for all things pretty and Zack’s love of being near the ocean were blended together perfectly. Sarah and Zack did not need to look far for inspiration; from the start, they knew they wanted to welcome their guests to Newport with a fun-filled weekend they would never forget. Enter the pineapple, a traditional symbol of Newport hospitality that was delicately carried throughout the event, from the invitation suite to the refreshing signature pineapple mojitos. A beautiful blend of white flowers with fresh lavender and crystal accents filled the salon with a modern, elegant atmosphere, making for an evening that Sarah and Zack feel was nothing less than “pineapple perfection.”

Wedding Photography: SNAP! Photography / Wedding Venue: Belle Mer in Newport, Rhode Island / Wedding Invitations + Paper Goods: Paper Moss / Flowers: Village Arts & Flowers / Videography: Mike Picard Videography / Wedding Cake: Confectionery Designs / Bride’s + Bridesmaids Attire: Allegria Bridal / Entertainment: DJ Raffi Professional Music Production / Cigars: Boston Cigar Factory / Lounge Furniture + Linens: Rentals Unlimited / Hair + Makeup: Breanne, Kristen + Marie of All About You Salon and Day Spa / Ceremony Officiant: Honorable Frank Camera / Ceremony Musicians: Martha Niemiec with Upstairs Quartet (781-640-5980) / Wedding Gown: Judd Waddell / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bride’s Jewelry: Haute Bride / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jim Hjelm

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: All About You Salon and Day Spa, Allegria Bridal, Belle Mer, Boston Cigar Factory, Confectionery Designs, DJ Raffi Professional Music Production, Haute Bride, Honorable Frank Camera, Jim Hjelm, Jimmy Choo, Judd Waddell, Lavender, Martha Niemiec, Mike Picard Videography, Newport, Paper Moss, Rentals Unlimited, Rhode Island, Snap! Photography, Upstairs Quartet, Village Arts & Flowers, White
Post categories: Massachusetts Weddings

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… We spent our first “real date” in Newport, Rhode Island, at a small, cozy bed and breakfast during winter. Newport in winter is truly a unique experience. Historic mansions, cozy restaurants, quiet streets and empty beaches create the setting for a perfect romantic getaway. It became a regular trip for us so when we got engaged, deciding on a location and a time of year to get married was easy. Selecting our venue was also easy. Belle Mer is absolutely stunning. We used white, gray and black accents to create our winter wedding theme. The bridesmaids wore soft gray dresses and the groomsmen wore classic tuxedos. To complement the tuxes, the girls wore black faux-fur shrugs purchased on Etsy. I found my vintage fur stole in my grandmother’s closet and thought it would tie in nicely with our winter backdrop. However to our amazement, we had an absolutely beautiful, fall-like day, which made our photos absolutely breathtaking. For our reception, we wanted to keep it elegant, romantic and most of all, fun! Our escort cards were attached to custom ornaments filled with personalized paper hearts. I used clear glass ornaments, card stock and a heart punch put them together. Flowers by Semia created several types of beautiful high/low arrangements using all types of white flowers illuminated by a variety of candles. In addition to the candles, we used up-lighting throughout the room to add color. The lighting changed color throughout the night to depict transition between cocktails, dinner, and dancing. Also, I added a little sparkle of my own by wearing an embellished belt for the reception, which was inspired by the gorgeous chandeliers at Belle Mer. As for dessert, we decided on cupcakes because it allows guests to select their personal favorite, and more importantly, I’m a cupcake fanatic! We wanted to be playful with the cupcakes and stick to our winter theme so we brainstormed flavor combinations and came up with fun types such as “gingerbread” and “sno-cap.” Confectionery Designs put their elegant spin on everything and created the most delicious cupcakes. If that wasn’t sweet enough, we also gave guests chocolate nonpareils as our favors because the white pearls reminded us of snow.   I have always loved DIY projects, and weddings are the optimal platform to create fun and unique items of your choice. A lot of my inspiration came from browsing through wedding and photography blogs such as SMP and Snap! I would save all of my favorite pictures to my own vision board, which inspired the design of our invitations, ceremony cards, menu cards and escort cards. Using fonts downloaded from dafont.com, products from Paper Source and the help of family and friends, we created our own unique designs for all of the printed items. I think back on how many hours went into these personalized items and how rewarding it was to see the final product – I wouldn’t have it any other way. Wedding Photography: Snap! Photography / Florist: Flowers by Semia / Wedding Venue + Catering: Belle Mer in Newport, Rhode Island / Cupcakes: Confectionery Designs / Wedding Gown: Angelina Faccenda via La Reine / Bride’s Belt: Enzoani “Fabi” / Brides Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bride’s Earrings + Fur Wrap: Antiques Owned by the Bride’s Grandmother / Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levkoff / Black Faux-Fur Shrugs: Alexbridal / Hair: New Leaf Salon / Makeup: Kristina Jones of Alayne White Spa / Invitations, Ceremony Programs + Holiday Ornament Place Cards: DIY by the Bride / Wedding Favors: Chocolate Delicacy / Transportation: Newport Wedding Trolley + Viking Tours / Lodging: Pearls of Newport

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alayne White Spa, Alexbridal, Angelina Faccenda, Badgley Mischka, Belle Mer, Bill Levkoff, Black, Chocolate Delicacy, Confectionery Designs, Enzoani, Etsy, Flowers by Semia, Gray, Kristina Jones, La Reine, New Leaf Salon, Newport, Newport Wedding Trolley, Pearls of Newport, Rhode Island, Snap! Photography, Viking Tours, White
Post categories: The Blog

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…John proposed one year to the day after our first weekend away together at our favorite NYC hotel. I was completely surprised and over the moon happy. On our way home from celebrating our engagement that evening I found myself in front of an all night news stand buying wedding magazines. I couldn’t believe it was my turn to not just pass by this section but to finally start the fabulous adventure of planning our wedding. Being that John and I are both originally from NY but currently live in Boston we decided on a location that was half way between our two homes and Newport, RI was the perfect fit. We decided to do a mini-destination wedding in this beautiful seaside town. Belle Mer was our first appointment and we fell in love.Our wedding theme came easily to us since the venue was on the ocean and we booked a summer date, we wanted a modern seaside chic wedding filled with lots of personal touches that reflected our style. After securing the color scheme and choosing the bridesmaid dresses we went with a navy, bright purple and white color palette with accents of aqua.

Following Style Me Pretty religiously throughout the planning process I was inspired by so many beautiful weddings and took details that I liked and then put our own spin and style on them. I learned what I wanted our photographs to look like and knew I wanted both photos and film to capture our emotions on the big day. Lisa Rigby and Still Motion were the two best vendors who really understood that. Flowers and paper goods were my next obsessions. I wanted peonies & hydrangea everywhere an Stone Blossom seemed as giddy as I was planning out an all white floral palette with the only color being my wedding bouquet. Miss Pickles Press worked with me over the course of a year designing all the paper items and dreamed up the exact look we wanted for our modern wedding. Details were so important to us and we really felt made the wedding special to John and me. I envisioned beautiful pillows, frames, apothecary jars, mirrors, vases everywhere and was able to find them all on Etsy. Every Etsy vendor I worked with was amazing and really gave me custom items to match our wedding. I was constantly surprised when everything came out better then I had imagined.

On the day of the wedding we had the most beautiful weather and everything went as we exactly as we had planned. It was the best overwhelming feeling of love and happiness we have ever felt and will always remember. We will be forever grateful to everyone who helped make all of our dreams come true on our special day!

Wedding Photography: Lisa Rigby Photography / Film Makers: StillMotion / Venue: Belle Mer / Floral Design: Stoneblossom / Wedding Cake + Groom’s Cake: Confectionery Designs / Wedding Dress: Anne Barge via Kleinfelds / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale via L’Élite / Band: Night Rhythm / Cocktail Hour Band: Steel Rhythm / Save the Date: Cheree Berry Paper / Wedding Invitations + Day of Paper Items: Miss Pickles Press / Navy + Aqua Pillows: Willa Skye Home / White + Navy LOVE Pillow: Wrap it Up LLC / Table Frames: Frame it by Jill / Hammered Silver Items: West Elm / Bridesmaid Rings: Toosis / LOVE Dishes: Say Your Piece / Wedding Mugs: Timeless Creations / Ring Pillow: Giggle Room / Silver Urchin Escort Card Holders: Gallery 360 / H&J Wood Letters: Compulsive Collection / Vases for Drink Stirrers: CB2 / Tote Bag Design: QA Design

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amsale, Belle Mer, CB2, Cheree Berry Paper, Compulsive Collection, Confectionary Designs, Frame it by Jill, Gallery 360, Giggle Room, Jimmy Choo, Kleinfelds, L'elite, Lisa Rigby Photography, Massachusetts Weddings, Miss Pickle Press, Newport, Night Rhythm, QA Design, Say Your Piece, Steel Rhythm, StillMotion, Stoneblossom Floral and Event Design, Timeless Creations, Toosis, West Elm, Willa Skye Home, Wrap it Up LLC
Post categories: Massachusetts Weddings, Traditional Elegance

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From Lexi Photography… Marthé and Ryan were married on a beautiful June day at the fabulous Belle Mer in Newport, RI. They got the most stunning weather and the pops of fuchsia in the bridesmaids dresses and bouquets were beautiful against the modern white facade of Belle Mer’s Water Salon. Marthé wore an amazing Vera Wang belted gown and Ryan was in a traditional black tux with a pink tie and suspenders. The girls wore pink Amsale dresses and donned silver shoes, the guys were in the same black tux/pink tie attire as the groom. The reception room was decked out with amazing florals done by Lauren Perkins of Raspberry Bouquet, out of Charlestown, MA. The chairs were dressed with pink leis and the tables each had one of three exquisite centerpieces. The guests carried takeout boxes with their names on them filled with candy that doubles as both a seating card and their favors.

Wedding Photography: Lexi Photography / Wedding Gown: Vera Wang / Jewelry: One World Designs / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale / Hair + Make-up: Sara Faella / Groomsmen Attire: Read & White / Flowers: Raspberry Bouquet / Wedding Cake: Sweet Tooth Boston / Venue: Belle Mer / DJ: Victor from Party Time / Uplighting: Boston Uplights

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amsale, Belle Mer, Boston Uplights, Lexi Photography, Newport, Party Time Entertainment, Raspberry Bouquet, Read & White, Rhode Island, Sara Faella, Sweet Tooth Boston
Post categories: Contemporary, Massachusetts Weddings

click here for even more elegant excellence!

While Ari and I love the excitement and exhilaration of living in NYC, we have visited and fallen in love with Newport, RI every year since we began dating 4 years ago.  The beauty and serenity of this historical sailing town just captured our hearts from the start.  Knowing that this was a special place to both of us, we decided to take a spontaneous visit on a hunt to find a perfect venue for our special day. When we arrived at Belle Mer, it felt like we stepped into a mélange of chic NYC elegance and serene Newport charm with stunning views overlooking both the Harbor and Narragansett Bay.  More importantly, it was large enough to host all of our family and friends who always love a good party!

The inspiration was a blend of vintage elegance and modern, romantic touches so as to surround ourselves and our guests in a warm, ethereal setting. Neutral colors of light beiges and creamy whites with highlights of soft pink helped to create the overall feel. There were amble amounts of candlelight– lanterns that flickered with subtle light during the ceremony, hundreds of tea lights throughout the room, and tall white pillar candles enhancing the beauty of the long staircase and cozy fireplace.  Creamy white and beige roses and fluffy hydrangeas centered the tables and highlighted the ceremony.  One of my favorite elements was an idea that our lovely event coordinator, Venessa put together at the last minute for us! With the cool ocean breeze that was chilling the air that day, we offered our guests hot cider and donuts as they arrived for the ceremony.  It was a wonderful addition to a chilly Fall day!

It was important to us to make certain elements of our day very personal: two of my brothers played their guitars and used their amazing voices to perform acoustics with specially selected songs during the reception, the mother of the groom wrote out beautiful gold calligraphy on all of the place cards, white cakes from our favorite NYC bake shop were brought in and our favorite candies were offered at a candy bar throughout the evening.  My late grandmother also had a meaningful presence in my special day.  I wore her favorite broach on my vintage fur shawl and the pearls from the veil she wore on her wedding day adorned my veil– all as a thoughtful gift from my mother. In lieu of favors, we made a donation to the American Cancer Society to honor of my beloved grandmother and all of our friends and family that have been affected by the disease.

The hours flew by before our eyes with our guests glued to the dance floor, to heartfelt and witty speeches, and an all around fantastic evening.  Our wedding was a story of the love we have for each other and being surrounded by our friends and family made it complete. It was truly unforgettable! Thank you to all of our vendors for making it so perfect!  Special thank you to Melissa Robotti and Kristen Teig of Melissa Robotti Photography for capturing the wonderful emotions and telling the story of the best day of our lives through photographs!

Photography: Melissa Robotti Photography / Flowers: Broadway Florist / Ceremony Location: Belle Mer / Reception Location: Belle Mer / Save-the-dates: BeforeYourParty.com / Invitations: Oblation Papers & Press / Menus and Thank You Cards: William Arthur Stationery / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Dress: Modern Trousseau / Cake: Billy’s Bakery / Band: Synergy / Hair and makeup: Jennie Kay Murphy

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 37 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beforeyourparty.com, Belle Mer, Billy's Bakery, Broadway Florist, Jennie Kay Murphy, Melissa Robotti, Modern Trousseau, Newport, Oblation Paper & Press, Rhode Island, Synergy, William Arthur
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance

From LBB research colleague, Alicia…

I am completely smitten with this wedding! I grew up in New England, so when I think about getting married in Rhode Island, Newport is the first thing that comes to mind. It is the quintessential sailing town, with a mix of quaint boutiques and upscale restaurants.

The pictures of this wedding make it seem like just that, the perfect mix of elegant and fun. Besides the fact that the bride is stunning and her gown is to die for, this wedding to me, looks like one that you wish you had been lucky enough to attend. The venue is Belle Mer which is located on Goat Island, alongside the Newport Bridge.

I am loving the sophisticated black and white color scheme, those cute little fingerprint details, and that amazing ballroom drenched in warm up-lighting! Everything is just so elegant. You can absolutely tell this couple has great style and created one truly spectacular event! So fun!!!!

Vendor Credits: Venue: Belle Mer, Newport RI / Photographer Kristin Spencer / Floral Design by Stone Blossom / Lighting Ormonde Productions / Planner: Donna Kim of The Perfect Details / Gown, Ramona Keveza from Kleinfelds

Love this wedding? There is so much more eye candy on Kristin’s blog, just click right here to see all the amazing details.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Belle Mer, Favorites 2009, Kristin Spencer, Nautical, Newport, Ormonde Productions, Ramona Keveza, Rhode Island, Stone Blossom, The Perfect Details
Post categories: Contemporary, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Style

Their wedding venue, Belle Mer is positively exquisite! The photos from Images by Berit ought to convince die-hard “color” lovers that all-white weddings are simply awesome …

well … maybe just a touch of pink …

Berit’s striking images and the details of the day are on the LBB blog … just gorgeous!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Belle Mer, Images by Berit, Newport, Rhode Island
Post categories: Contemporary, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Decor, Wedding Favors & Gifts, Wedding Photography

Berit is such an incredibly gifted photographer. She has captured the sheer beauty of Belle Mer and all of the stunning details of Kerry & Dirk’s elegant wedding in a pure and powerful way! We really LOVE that each set of images is rich with the colors of the day … from the steely blue-grays in the first set of photos {here}, the creamy whites in the the second set {here}, to the golden browns  ~

Berit’s blog is filled with more gorgeous images from Kerry & Dirk’s wedding as well as MANY others! I swiped a couple to show you their ceremony and a couple of black and whites …

An enormous thank~you to Berit for sharing Kerry & Dirk’s stunning wedding with us!

And congratulations to Kerry & Dirk from all of us here at Style Me Pretty!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Belle Mer, Images by Berit, Modern, Newport, Rhode Island
Post categories: Contemporary, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography