My wedding day was absolutely everything I could have ever wanted it to be. My fiancé and I had to live six hours away from each other during our engagement because of his job and my schooling, so it was a long a difficult planning process but came out perfectly! I am a Southern California girl and he is an Illinois farm boy, so we wanted to bring together our personalities and our different lives into one for our special day. I wanted it to be comfortable, fresh, and fun! I found a lot of the ideas of blogs, but some of them just evolved through brainstorming together.

We met in Kentucky so we decided to have our wedding at a local winery in Lexington, Talon Winery. It was a gorgeous setting the required minimal decorating. We were definitely on a budget and my mom, sister, and I did most of our decorations. Mason jars and fireflies are two things I love about living in the south. I knew even before we were engaged I wanted our colors to be green, my favorite color, and blue, his favorite color. Also, I knew I wanted light, fresh flowers and to decorate with mason jars. I really wanted to utilize the beautiful space that we had. I loved adding unique touches like a birdcage for letters, or a wooden cake stand.

We chose to do fans for the ceremony because we knew it would be hot! So my mom created templates to make them ourselves. We used shepherd’s hooks to hold our flower arrangements and used burlap and white drapery to decorate the gazebo. I loved using the barn next to the ceremony site for the reception. It had perfect lighting and just felt right. We made our own photo booth, had a remembrance table for family members who had passed away, gorgeous food by DaRae & Friends, and a gorgeous cake table. We love the kids we have in our lives and so we wanted to make sure we had a kid’s table for them to play at during the reception. For the send-off, we tied ribbons in our wedding colors to wands for everyone to wave since we couldn’t use sparklers. It ended the perfect day.

Photography: Cat Satre / Flowers: Jeanie Gorrell Floral Design / Event Coordinator: Planned to Perfection of the Bluegrass / Ceremony Location: Talon Winery / Reception Location: Talon Winery / Invitations: Minted / Shoes: Kelly & Katie / Dress: Galina / Cake: Martine’s Pastries / Caterer: DaRae & Friends / Hair: Lindsey Pace / Make-Up: Ana-Crane Simpson / DJ: Sound Travels

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Post tags: Ana-Crane Simpson, Barn Wedding, Birdcage, Budget Beautiful, Casual Elegance, Cat Satre, Chalkboard, Color Palette Navy Green, DaRae & Friends, David's Bridal, DIY Projects, Flower girls, Galina, Jeanie Gorrell Floral Design, Kelly & Katie, Kentucky, Lexington, Lindsey Pace, Martine's Pastries, Mason Jars, Minted, Outdoor Ceremony, Planned to Perfection, Ring Bearers, Sound Travels, Talon Winery, Wedding Cakes
Post categories: Budget Beautiful, Little Black Book Blog

Photography: Meg Hamilton, Rodeo & Co. & Chris Gaffney / Flowers: Emily Herzig Floral Studio / Venue: Toad Hill Farm / Fabric Dealer: SoSoVintage / Custom Jewelry for the Bridesmaids: Pink Street / Invitations & Custom Printing: Sarah and Pete Fletcher / Day of Wedding Coordination: Compass Rose Weddings

All our fabulous weddings from the past week:

a sweet wedding film straight from New Orleans
a warm affair in Napa, featuring the cutest custom corks
a chic Chicago winter affair in the most amazing vintage venue
a perfect in purple destination wedding in Maui
a Seattle soiree infused with the most fun color palette
a gorgeous outdoor wedding set in the red rocks of Sedona
a beyond beautiful Cabo San Lucas wedding with lots of sand
a modern take on a classic Atlanta art gallery love fest
a pretty and fun wedding in the mountains of Nevada
an Americana chic Army affair in Philadelphia

A few things we’re totally loving from around the web:

a DIY dixie cup garland that is seriously so chic over at The Loveliest Day
a simple & effective way to keep track of whose is whose via Design*Sponge
a little bit s’more inspiration for a new kind of dessert bar from Green Wedding Shoes

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Birdcages, Chalkboard, Chris Gaffney, Compass Rose Weddings, Emily Herzig Floral Studio, Etsy, Outdoor Wedding, Pink Street, Rhode Island, Rodeo & Co., Sarah and Pete Fletcher, SoSoVintage, Summer Wedding, Toad Hill Farm, Wedding Flowers, Weekly Wrap-Up, Wrap it up Pretty
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

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From the Bride… For our wedding, we wanted everyone to have a good time and for it to feel like our wedding. We wanted it to be unique and reflective of our personalities. Both Wyatt and I are self-proclaimed nerds who love books and reading. I love teacups and anything old with a story. We took these loves and created decorations that would be memorable and very Katie and Wyatt. I collected teacups and books from any and every source I could: thrift stores, antique stores, book stores, even my own personal collection. We were able to give our guests a unique gift as well: they took the books and teacups home with them! The bookshelves that my grandfather made for me a few years ago became the perfect backdrop for our wedding: tying together the decor and giving a unique twist to the idea of an arbor or an altar.

Another important aspect of the decor for me was color. I didn’t have any specific colors in mind, I just knew I wanted all of them. I gave my bridesmaids specific colors and told them to pick any dress they wanted. I chose the flowers in my bouquet based on whatever had the brightest colors. Peacock feathers showed up a few times in the decor because of the beautiful jewel tone we could incorporate. Using silk and paper flowers in the teacups meant I could use whatever colors I could find. I wanted the day to have as much bright and happy colors as possible. I am extremely grateful for Jessica Lorren’s beautiful photography: she captured all of the details I wanted to remember and many I would not have remembered. Now I have our entire day captured in stunningly beautiful photographs.

Most of the wedding was handmade by myself, my friends and family, or people on Etsy. I tried to get as many details as I could handmade by talented people: the flower-girl dresses and wands, boutonnieres, my jewelry and hair accessories, photo booth chalkboard, and jewels for the cake all came from Esty.  My amazing grandmother handmade my veil, many people put together teacups or the garland, my best friend Sarah made us our beautiful and fun cakes, my grandfather made our bookshelves and garland, my mom’s cousin put together all of the paper goods, my best friend’s dad drove us away in his boat, even the groomsmen helped by putting the decorations in arrangements on the tables! The handmade element was extremely important to me because I knew everything we used was made with love and hard work.

The day happened better than I could have imagined: we were surrounded by our family and friends, many of whom had helped with the wedding in some way, shape or form: my grandfather and father-in-law were the officiates, my aunt was the unofficial wedding planner, my sister and best friends were bridesmaids, my new nieces were flower girls, my young cousins were ring bearers and program ushers, my older cousins took photographs and manned our photo booth, our DJ was a family friend… it was truly a beautiful day of community, love and joy.

My favorite moments are too difficult to choose. Some of the best moments include walking down the aisle on my father’s arm and seeing everyone who had come to celebrate with us, Wyatt and I dancing our first dance, seeing my grandmother, mother and father all dance to the Twist, our dear friends dancing with us on the lawn, and seeing all the hard work and planning come together in a beautiful day.

Wedding Photography: Jessica Lorren Organic Photography / Wedding Cinematography: StarFruit Productions / Floral Design: The Flower Guys / Ceremony & Reception Location: The Powel Crosley Estate / Caterering: Sarasota Catering Company / Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm / Bride’s Earrings: Bettina Johnson Jewelry / Boutonnieres: Scattered Stardust / Flower Girl Dresses: Boutique Mia / Flower Girl Wands: Finns & Flowers / Ring Bearer Bowties: Tiny Ties / Ring Bearer Suspenders: Zebra Duck Design / Bridesmaid Dresses: Modcloth + J.Crew + Ross / Bride’s Veil: Grandmother of the Bride / Paper Goods: Cousin of the Bride / Wedding Cakes: Friend of the Bride

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Post tags: Bettina Johnson Jewelry, Blue, Books, Bookshelves, Boutique Mia, Chalkboard, DIY Inspired, Etsy, Finns & Flowers, FL, Florida, Green, J. Crew, Jessica Lorren Organic Photography, Jewel Tones, Jim Hjelm, ModCloth, Outdoor Wedding, Peacock Feathers, Purple, Red, Ross, Sarasota, Sarasota Catering Company, Scattered Stardust, Starfruit Productions, Steady Jane, Tea Cups, The Flower Guys, The Powel Crosley Estate, Vintage Chic, Zebra Duck
Post categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Florida Weddings

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From the Bride… When Burton and I got engaged it was a happy moment entangled in an intensely sad time in my life. My mother had just passed away from a horrible bout with lung cancer. As happy as I was I couldn’t imagine planning the wedding without her. Trying to find the dress without my Mom seemed like the saddest thing I could think of. So we just let ourselves enjoy our engagement until things felt stable enough to begin.

That day came about a year after her passing. We decided on a date in the fall (about 9 months away) and started in. We knew we wanted our wedding day to be totally ours. It needed to feel down home, comfortable and inclusive, our food to be fantastic and the guests to be our families and closest friends (150 people). Just like everyone else now a days we didn’t have much money. That fits our style, though. We set a tight budget for ourselves and fought tooth and nail to keep to it as closely as possible. In the planning there was a short list of details that really meant a lot to us and a long list of things that we could care less about. That helped us write the budget and kept us sane and focused in the circus that is wedding planning. We were going to do it our way. That turned out to be so important and made everything so special to us.

We settled on Codman Community Farm in Lincoln, MA, for the location because the space was beautiful, the people were laid back and the price was right. The farm is a working community farm that had weddings there before but had no staff to set up and take down the tables, chairs, decorations, etc. This was a REAL barn and we were going to set it up ourselves (chase a couple chickens out) and take it down the following day! But we knew it was the right place because whenever we went back to visit during the planning we just walked around beaming! It felt like home.

Our budget for catering was $5000 for everything (food, staff, etc.) and great food was one of our priorities. I feel strongly about food ethics so it meant a lot to me to try to have our food sourced locally. Most caterers won’t even start their ovens for that price never mind locally source things. With a lot of persistence I found a local-food-only personal chef on yelp.com that was excited to cook for 150 people and was willing to accept my budget. We REALLY, really lucked out. Through her we also bought 6 buckets of farmer’s market flowers for $25 a piece for our centerpieces and bouquets. Of course, we had to put all those things together before the wedding but that’s a great way to save a LOT of money. The flowers were amazing so it wasn’t hard.

We rented most of the tables, chairs and silverware but were able to borrow all the plates from a friend who collected a bunch of different china sets for her own wedding. It was a nice touch to have all the mix and match plates in the barn. We also bought and borrowed cases and cases of mason jars for the center pieces and for drinking glasses. It just went so well with the barn!

The biggest challenge for us was worrying about how the day was going to come together. We saved a lot of money on labor by doing everything ourselves – but then we had to do everything ourselves!  So for peace of mind I scraped together a little money and hired one person willing to try to orchestrate the set-up and decorations. When the day came so many of our loved ones chipped in without blinking an eye or even being asked. They spent a crazy day and a half making the barn and the ceremony site look magical. They are the ones truly responsible for making the day beautiful.  Our friends and family really went over and above and then showed up the day after to help clean it all up. Amazing. We spent our wedding day overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity of spirit and positive energy. That ended up being what it was all about in the end and that’s the lesson we will carry with us forever.

Wedding Photography: Lara Kimmerer / Flowers: Stillman’s Farm (Arranged by Bride, Groom & Emily Fazzina of Cuisine en Locale) / Event Design & Planning: Bride & Groom / Catering: Cuisine en Locale / Wedding Ceremony & Reception Location: Codman Community Farm / Wedding Dress: J. Crew via Once Wed / Makeup: The Bride / Wedding Officiant: Friend of the Groom

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Post tags: Barn Wedding, Budget Wedding, Chalkboard, Codman Community Farm, Cuisine en Locale, DIY Flowers, DIY Inspired, farm wedding, J. Crew, Laura Kimmerer, Lincoln, MA, Mason Jars, Once Wed, Outdoor Ceremony, Rustic Chic, Stillman's Farm
Post categories: Budget Beautiful, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Massachusetts Weddings

If you missed any, here are all of our pretty posts from the week:

a sweet, summer wedding in Montauk
a gorgeous dream of a wedding in New South Wales
a beautiful Napa Valley wedding with delicious pops of color
a photo shoot fit for a king (or a prince and soon to be princess)
a perfect autumn wedding in Brooklyn
a cliff side Malibu wedding
a day FULL of fabulous fetes
a crisp, clean and classic Laguna Niguel wedding
a meeting of photographer minds in Maui
a to die for Australian wedding

Some fabulous links from around the web:

Our very own Sweet Emilia Jane’s fab work via 100 Layer Cake
Practically perfect rustic table numbers via Eat Drink Chic
Edible cupcake flags via Hank + Hunt

We’d also like to extend a very warm welcome to our newest Little Black Book Members…

Something To Celebrate
Tigerlilly Jewelry
Bella Bridesmaid Manhattan
Bella Bridesmaid New Jersey North
Sal Lauretta for Men
Your Beautiful Face
DE ROSE DESIGNS & FLORAL BOUTIQUE
Reel Life Pictures
Fiori Flowers
The Life Styled
New Leaf flores
Simply Chic Events
Poeme
Erin McLean Events

To apply to become a member of our LBB click here. We’d love to hear from you!

Have an oh so fabulous weekend, and we’ll see you bright and early Monday morning! xoxo

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alders Photography, Chalkboard, Engagement Sessions
Post categories: The Blog

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From the Bride… My husband and I met almost eight years ago in Mallorca, Spain of all places.  That’s right, two Jersey folks ventured out to Spain one summer (I as a nanny and Keith as a grad student studying abroad), and seven years later we were married at The Inn at Fernbrook Farms in Chesterfield, New Jersey.  I always knew that I wanted an outdoor wedding, so after a long and grueling search across the states of NJ and PA, we ended up fifteen minutes from our house on a beautiful farm that has been family run since the 1800′s.

My vision for our July 24th wedding was “modern whimsy and burlap with a touch of antique.”  From the start, I knew I would be embarking on many DIY projects since I had dreamed about this day for so long and wanted it to feel like OUR event and not a cookie cutter wedding.  Overall, it turned out to be a relaxed and personal event that our friends and family are still talking about!  Everyone pitched in to help bring all the elements together which, looking back, is a big reason why everything felt so right.  I was out there along with my bridesmaids setting up the tables just hours before the wedding.

We constructed paper fans for the ceremony with tags that read, “Thanks for being at our one day that says we don’t want to spend another without being man and wife.”  Little did we know how important those fans would be in keeping our guests alive on a 105 degree day!  The chuppah was constructed by Keith and my father the week before the wedding.  We wanted it to be very natural and simple, and constructed the frame out of birch poles with a burlap canopy top.  My father’s wife sewed ALL of our dinner napkins from fabric I collected, each table with their own pattern.  I crafted their corresponding place cards with a scrap of their napkin fabric that I pegged to burlapped boards. We made the burlap table runners, table numbers, and collected hurricane lanterns for the dinner tables. My father’s wife also created our ring pillow which was made out of pieces of material that once belonged to each of our four grandmothers, all of whom have passed.  It was such a nice way to honor and include them in our ceremony.

The flowers were a group effort, led by a family friend.  I wanted the flowers to be simple and classic. I created a loop out of natural twine so that the flower-filled mason jars could hang over the aisle chairs. They came out so beautifully! We also had wreaths hanging at the front entrance and small mason jars on the cocktail tables.  The bridesmaid hyrdrangea bouquets were wrapped in burlap and tied with twine.

The hit of the night was definitely the DIY photo booth that I created using a burlap backdrop and our monogram from Anthropologie.  I bought props from an Etsy vendor and left disposable cameras on a table and let people go at it.  All five cameras were filled with such inventive and fun pictures!

Other DIY touches included chalkboard menu boards, drink stirrers with our monogram, a guest book that contained paper and envelopes for guests to tuck notes into, burlap pocket squares for the groomsmen, handmade wooden signs pointing guests to the ceremony, reception, and cocktail hour and hurricane lanterns filled with floating candles that lined the walkways. We also made dozens upon dozens of homemade cookies that I placed in collected apothecary jars that guests could fill up in cellophane bags on their way out.

Wedding Venue: The Inn at Fernbrook Farms / Wedding Photographer: Di Bezi Photography / Wedding Dress: Ramona Keveza / Men’s Suits: Express / Caterer: Main Street Catering / Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew / Band: The Cherubs / Ring Bearer Ties: The Belle and the Beau / Flowers: Friend of the Bride

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 32 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Burlap, Chalkboard, Chesterfield, Di Bezi Photography, DIY Inspired, DIY Projects, Etsy, Express, farm wedding, J. Crew, Lanterns, Main Street Catering, Mason Jars, New Jersey, photobooth, Pom Poms, Ramona Keveza, The Cherubs, The Inn at Fernbrook Farms, Wooden Signs
Post categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired

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From Shannon Montez… Rosie and Alex had the most perfect backyard wedding! (It helps that they have a vineyard in the backyard.) From the towering oak to the lake and the vineyard, the setting was absolutely breathtaking. I would say the theme of this wedding was “family”. It was so beautifully family oriented, with the long tables and the dinner served family-style. I loved watching the guests pass the food around and enjoy each others company. The handmade details fit perfectly… from the fan/program to the chalkboards labeling things to the vintage cake stands, every detail was perfect.

Wedding Photography: Shannon Montez / Wedding Coordinator: Ana Araujo / Catering: Elaine Bell Catering / Wedding Flowers: Heidi Baltazar, Friend of the Bride / Makeup: Jenni Tay / Wedding Cake: Kristina Osborn / Wedding Dress: Marisa

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ana Araujo, Chalkboard, DIY Inspired, Elaine Bell Catering, intimate wedding, Jenni Tay, Northern California, Outdoor Wedding, San Francisco Weddings, Shannon Montez, Vintage Details, Wine Country Wedding
Post categories: California Weddings, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, San Francisco Weddings, The Blog

1. Birch Cutlery – Found via Green Feet, this adorable birch flatware is perfect for a rustic chic affair. And at a little more than $8 for a pack of 100, it’s kind of a no-brainer. They also have plates and cups for those who just can’t get enough. Oh and I’ve actually used this company before and had a great experience.

2. Mason Jars – Filled with margaritas or lemonade for the little ones, mason jars are a must-have for this type of gathering. Overstock has 2 different sizes depending on the cocktail you serve. Super cute and can be easily customized with a twine wrap, a chalkboard label or simply with a wooden stir stick (see below)

3. Giant Chalkboard – scribble in something simple like your menu or go crazy and chalk in your entire seating chart. We heart these oversized boards for a casual, fun wedding detail.

4. Fuji Instax Camera – We all mourned the loss of the old school polaroids but Fuji is filling in beautifully. We found this perfect little insta-cam on Amazon and are probably going to be buying one for ourselves. Despite the fact that we tied the knot 5 years ago.

5. Wooden Stir Sticks – The stir sticks in the wedding were actually a SUPER easy DIY project that the girls at Carter & Cook put together. They found the sticks and wooden hearts at Michael’s and with a little glue and a black felt pen, they crafted these adorable little details. If you are looking for a quick fix, we love these stirrers from The Stationery Studio.

6. Waffle Weave Napkins – We loved the casual, homey napkins that were used in this wedding and when we found out that they are actually dish towels from IKEA, we did a little happy dance. With a price tag of 4 / $2.99, this is a purchase that should be done and done. Tuck your birch utensils inside and tie loosely with a pretty piece of twine…voila.

7. Twine – We use twine for everything and as you can see…so did Carter & Cook. Wrapped around napkins, votive candles, the bridal bouquets…oh the options are endless. We spotted some at Michaels the other day but in case you don’t want to leave your sofa, Papermart sells it in bulk.

8. Black Scrapbook – The perfect way to keep all of those adorable polaroids that your guests will be snapping found via Kolo Arts. Leave a pen (white if the pages are black) and encourage your guests to write little notes that you can enjoy over and over again. Gussy up the pages with this adorable lace inspired scrapbook paper by Paper Source.

9. Sealed Bottle – LOVE the idea of using a sealed bottle as decor on the table. You can fill with sparkling or flat water, red wine or even a fun cocktail so guests can refresh at their leisure. Finish it off with a round label and you have the cutest, most useful table accessory EVER. Oh and did I mention that they are a whopping $2.99?

I have to say that I was SO pleasantly surprised to see that many of the picture perfect details in today’s wedding were from uber affordable places like IKEA. Add in some DIY, like the beautiful table runners, and this look is as elegant and as chic as you can possible get. Next up, the fashions. Which to me…complimented the style of the wedding to perfection. Casual, but still elegant. Timeless, but totally unfussy.

1. Bridesmaids Shoes – These adorable shoes were Seychelle’s Shimmy Peep Toe Pumps in taupe, found on Endless.com. SO cute right? And I love the low, kitten heel for an outdoor wedding.

2. Men’s Attire – These outdoor, casual suits were from Jos A. Banks in a two button (3 button pictured above). Love them. Paired with a navy tie from J. Crew and it’s a look that is both totally casual and yet totally chic.

3. Wedding Gown – I am OBSESSED with this wedding gown. Might be my favorite wedding gown ever, with the exception of my own. It’s by Melissa Sweet, style name is Liliana and is basically an amazing concoction of ruffles and taffeta. Too good to be true really.Image found via Pre-Owned Wedding Gowns.

4. Bridesmaid Dress – This little number was scored at J. Crew, style name is Erica in classic navy. Perfection.

There were a few more noteworthy items in the fashions from today’s wedding. The bride’s aaaah-dorable headpiece was by Sara Gabriel, her shoes were by Kate Spade and the men’s shoes were by Sperry Top Sliders. Lots of love to Ashlyn at Carter & Cook Event Co. and of course to the beautiful bride and groom who crafted such a lovely day for us all to devour.

If you liked our first Buying Guide…we’ll be tackling this wedding in our weekly newsletter on Thursday. So if you haven’t already, now’s the time to sign on up (right sidebar). XOXO

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 40 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Barn Wedding, Birch Cutlery, California Weddings, casual suits, Chalkboard, endless.com, Fuji Instax Camera, Green Feet, Ikea, jos a banks, kolo arts, liliana, Mason Chars, Melissa Sweet, Navy, Overstock, Paper Source, papermart, Scrapbook, sealed bottle, syechelles shimmy peep tow pumps, the stationery studio, twine, waffle weave napkins, wooden stir sticks
Post categories: Buying Guides, California Weddings, Los Angeles Weddings