Kyle and I met in college our senior year through mutual friends.  Upon graduation we both moved to Minneapolis and continued our friendship by spending more and more time together until we began dating in 2007.  After two and a half years together, Kyle proposed.  On Valentine’s day, Kyle took me ice skating at our favorite outdoor Minnesota ice rink.  I didn’t think too much of it because we didn’t have any other plans that day and had decided to go ice skating last minute. Kyle’s skating skills have never been impressive; so I was not surprised when he fell to the ground after an aggressive turn.  However, words cannot describe my surprise when rather than crawling to his feet, Kyle instead stayed on one knee and asked me to marry him.  Much to Kyle’s relief, I said yes after spending a few stunned moments on the ice.

We were looking for a venue that was modern, simplistic and had a lot of light. We also planned to have the ceremony outdoors and needed a great space. The Burnsville Performing Arts Center had that modern sleek vibe in the building and also had a beautiful outdoor garden area and amphitheater.   We immediately fell in love with the place.

My inspiration for the wedding was really the colors: yellow and gray. I had seen a gorgeous yellow and gray wedding on Style Me Pretty and fell in love with the color scheme.  I wanted to DIY a lot of items, but also wanted to keep the décor simple and colorful to let the venue shine.  I made chalkboard signs from mirrors, table numbers from scrap wood, made my own hair piece, hand stamped cocktail napkins and spray painted votives gray for the tables. I also found some funky yellow jug and white circle vases on craigslist and used them as my centerpieces.  The florist, Carra Otten, did a beautiful job of seeing my inspiration and putting together amazing arrangements that complimented my DIY projects.

We incorporated a Dutch love letter ritual into our ceremony.  We wrote each other love letters and sealed them in a trunk with a bottle of wine and two glasses.   The trunk will remain sealed until our 5th anniversary when we will drink the wine and read our letters to each other.

I had a brooch added to my bouquet.  It was a gift I had given my grandmother when I was 5 years old. She had held onto it for many years so I wanted to show her how important she is to me. I also had some of my mom’s lace from her wedding dress wrapped around my bouquet.

My most vivid memories are of my first look with my husband and when we released butterflies.  Natalie did a beautiful job of capturing our emotions in the first look.  It was so reassuring to see my future husband and have a few private moments with him before the wedding.  I also loved the butterflies.  The venue had several butterflies flying around and my bridesmaids grabbed a couple for us to release.  It was so much fun, even though I look quite scared in the photos.  My favorite photos also included the ceremony photos. The amphitheater was so beautiful and there is so much emotion in everyone’s faces.

We had frosted sugar cookies from a local non-profit bakery in North Minneapolis that teaches young people employment and interpersonal works skills to prepare them to enter the workforce. I felt it was a great way to support a cause that is important to me (I’m a Recruiter for a living) and the cookies are absolutely delicious.  We did simple gray frosted and yellow frosted cookies.

Photographer: Natalie Champa Jennings / Floral Designer: La Petite Fleur / Event Designer & Planner: Bride / Invitation Designer: Bride / Cake & Desserts: The Baker’s Wife & Cookie Cart / Wedding Gown Designer: San Patrick, from Raffine Bridal / Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: J.Crew / Hair: Jess Pratt from Pixie Salon / Make-up: Mariah Herndon from Mariah’s Beauty Marks / Venue: Burnsville Performing Arts Center

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Post tags: Burnsville Performing Arts Center, Butterfly, Butterfly release, Chinese Lanterns, Color Palette Gray Yellow, contemporary, Cookie Cart, DIY Inspired, DIY Invitations, DIY Projects, J. Crew, La Petite Fleur, Mariah's Beauty Marks, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Modern Wedding, Natalie Champa Jennings, Outdoor Ceremony, Pixie Salon, Raffine Bridal, San Patrick, The Baker's Wife, Wedding Flowers
Post categories: Contemporary, Little Black Book Blog

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Andy and I were really keen to have an intimate wedding day. We have a large extended family, but feel that sometimes huge parties can take away from the importance of the occasion itself. So we decided to have a small event for immediate family only, followed by a large bash on our return for our family and friends. For us La Bandita ticked all the boxes- excellent food and wine and most importantly, the most incredible views we have ever seen.

I took inspiration from my dress for the theme. The antique lace and tulle of my dress was stitched with butterflies. Our wedding invitations were large cream pop-up cards with dozens of glittering gold butterflies which literally flew towards you. We scattered gold butterflies on the table, and stuck some into the candles to blow in the breeze. Andy’s mum spent months crocheting butterflies to hang down and sway over the table.

My Dress is by Jane Bourvis. She designs wedding dresses using antique fabrics and also sells original vintage at her magical shop in Notting Hill, London. She made SJP’s final ‘carrie’ dress in the final episode of the SATC series.

Wedding Photography: Warm Pears / Location + Flowers: La Bandita / Bride’s Shoes: Harriet Wilde / Wedding Dress: Jane Bourvis

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Post tags: Butterfly, Garden Wedding, Harriet Wilde, Intimate Weddings, Italian wedding, Jane Bourvis, La Bandita, Tuscany, Warm Pears
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

So amazing, right? Check out the amazing Highlight Film from Couture Motion!

Jonathan | Francine from Couture Motion on Vimeo.

From Turn Loose The Art … Francine and Jon really just wanted an amazing party. They had a killer venue on the edge of the Jersey Shore with a patio available for guests, lots of great details that made their day unique, and a dance mentality. In addition to little touches like cigars for guests lounging near the fireplace and drink stirrers with messages, they also had a custom cake from The Cake Boss of Carlo’s Bakery.

Adrienne, their wedding planner extraordinaire, was on top of everything from helping to organize family to making sure the ceremony went off without a hitch. Our guests happily joined in the cocktail-style reception with tray passed mini entrees and signature drinks.

Venue: Avenue *Le Club / Wedding Planning: Adrienne Colosimo of Bespoke Affairs / Bridal Gown: Amsale for Christos / Groom’s Tux: Alabaster & Chess / Cupcakes: Carlo’s Bakery / Wedding Invitations: Hornbill Hill / Cinematography: Couture Motion / Floral Design: Flowerful Events / Entertainment: DJ Unique / Hotel: Bungalow / Photography: Turn Loose The Art

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Post tags: Alabaster & Chess, Amsale, Avenue *Le Club, Beach Wedding, Bespoke Affairs, Bungalow, Butterfly, Cake Boss, Candy Bar, Carlos Bakery, Casual Elegance, Christos, Color Palette Purple, contemporary, Couture Motion, Cupcakes, DJ Unique, Flowerful Events, Hornbill Hill, Jersey Shore, Jewish, Long Branch, New Jersey, Turn Loose The Art, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Contemporary, Little Black Book Blog

table numbers, welcome bag tags, valet tags, hanging place cards, coasters, menus, programs, and another gorgeous seating chart …

If you didn’t check out her work when we first announced the Seating Chart Giveaway last week … you really should. Oodles of paper pieces with so many ideas for personalizing your own wedding!

Sooooo…..

We couldn’t wait any longer … we’ve decided to announce the winner of Gourmet Invitation’s Seating Chart Giveaway one day early! We’ve had SO many fantastic entries and as always, it’s just so hard to select one winner. In fact, it was so hard that we are selecting two!!

First winner, selected by Tifany is Julia C !

Julia’s entry …

Hi Tifany, thank you for this wonderful gift! Your designs are pieces of art and I would so appreciate having the opportunity to have one of your amazing pieces showcased at my wedding next March 20th, 2010. I am in love with your invitation set for Molly and Carl. My colors are pink and I am doing a romantic 18th century feel. You see I waited 30 years to find my soulmate we got engaged Christmas eve this past year unfortunely we live in Michigan and my fiance lost his job just shortly after we got engaged. I am trying my hardest to make our wedding day what we both have dreamed of but because of our situtation we have to make some cutbacks. However, having one of your seating charts greet my guests as they walk in would make my day all that more special! thank you!!

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Second winner, selected by Style Me Pretty is Vickie D ! {Because it tugged at my heartstrings … and as the mom of three brides thru the years, I can totally relate to her feelings. And, I love it that moms read Style Me Pretty~Eddye}

Vickie D’s entry …

These are the most elegant options for a seating chart. I am the Mom of 2 brides , marrying within 11 weeks of each other and I am running out of time and money. This would be a lasting treasure for Katie to keep always. What a fun surprize this would be for her. The black one with the chandeler is perfect.

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We will be in touch with both of you soon! And for those of you not selected, please do give the Seating Chart idea a thought. They are a very reasonably priced and an eco*friendly option for your wedding!

Everyone else … head over to Gourmet Invitations website and blog to see the full range of possibilities! Thanks SO much Tifany!

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Post tags: Butterfly, Coasters, Fan, Gourmet Invitations, Menus, Place Cards, Programs, Seating Chart, Table Numbers, Valet Tags, Welcome Bag Tags
Post categories: Contests, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Invitations & Stationery