Alex and Kendall’s Napa Valley wedding was thirteen years to the day after they met.  A high school service trip to Costa Rica brought them together, and their initial puppy love blossomed into an enduring friendship that followed them to separate colleges and eventually back to each other in San Francisco.  Together again at last, their love for each other grew deeper still and it was only a matter of time before they decided to take the next step and get married (a decision they had each made many years before).

Kendall and Alex wanted to create a wedding that reflected this growing up together.   They wanted the day to feel playful and relaxed, like they are, without losing the elegant and sophisticated elements that maintained the significance of the long-awaited day.  Naturally, Kendall, a fourth grade teacher who likes little more than crafting, wanted to create this atmosphere with as many do-it-yourself projects as possible.  Fortunately her mom, Paula, lived nearby and likes little more than working on craft projects with Kendall.

When Kendall and Alex saw Beaulieau Gardens in California’s Napa Valley they knew it was the perfect setting for their dream wedding.  The space was beautiful and didn’t require any fussing.

Kendall considers her best decision in dreaming up the wedding day was not complying with a strict color palate.  She started with gray and yellow because she loved how gray was sophisticated but not stuffy and yellow seemed so playful against it.    Still, she never felt forced to select details in only these two colors when so many other colors complemented them so well.  Quickly the palate grew with shades of orange, light blue, greens, and even natural earth tones in some of the linens.

Katherine of Cherries in San Francisco completely understood Kendall’s request for beautiful, loose flowers.  Kendall didn’t want anything too structured or within too strict of a color palate.  She didn’t require Katherine to stick within a list of acceptable flowers, instead just trusted her to pick out what seasonal flowers looked best.  The yellow, orange and pale green blooms were incredible.  Yellow, “Billy Balls” for the groom and groomsmen were the perfect, playful accessory.  Old-fashioned tea tins held flowers over yellow and white striped linens in the cocktail area, and a variety of more rustic stone and metal containers held arrangements over natural linen tablecloths in the dining area.  Kendall and Katherine agreed on a flower palate that wasn’t “matchy matchy”.

Going along with this varied palate, the six bridesmaids more an assortment of dresses, with the maid of honor in a long gray dress from JCrew.  Kendall told the girls to look for a dress they liked in gray, yellow or a complementary orange or pattern.  They accessorized with jewelry and shoes in similar shades or neutrals.  Kendall didn’t see the dresses together until the wedding day, and couldn’t have been more pleased.  The various dresses added incredible color to the ceremony and a depth to the photographs that a monochromatic bridal party wouldn’t have achieved.

At some point early on, Kendall decided that the pinwheel was the perfect playful symbol for the wedding day.  She and her mom made over 250 of them using patterned paper, wooden dowels, and ribbon.  The pinwheels became the escort cards for the wedding–a paper strip attached to the dowel had each guest’s name and table number hand-written (in a few different ways).  After making them, they realized they needed some way to hold the pinwheels, so Kendall’ father, Steve, was enlisted to build two 6ft by 6ft foot garden stands.  Painted gray and adorned with pale yellow window planters, the colorful pinwheels looked fabulous and fun.

Viola, from Chewing the Cud in Oakland, California, worked with Kendall to create other paper goods to suit the concept of the wedding.  She used lined school papers and hand-drawn fonts to satisfy the idea of growing up together.  The pinwheel symbol was repeated in gray and yellow on the invitation and on the ceremony programs that doubled as fold-out fans.  Viola also created table number tents that shared numerical facts about the couple (Kendall and Alex met 13 years ago today at table #13).  The menu was done on natural colored paper with “EAT and love well” (a sentiment close to Alex and Kendall’s hearts) displayed at the top.  Chalkboard signage throughout the wedding was in keeping with the playful school concept.

The fabulous food and assortment of desserts (no wedding cake) were catered by Paula LeDuc. Tim Lilly at Paula LeDuc cleverly had the servers all in yellow ties, unbeknownst to us.

Perhaps the highlight of the whole incredible evening was the rising of the full moon in the warm, Napa sky while guests danced under the stars and twinkly lights.

Photographer: Gertrude & Mabel Photography / Floral Designer: Cherries / Event Design & Planning: Stacy McCain / Invitation Designer: Chewing the Cud / Catering, Desserts & Location: Paula LeDuc Fine Catering / Wedding Gown Designer: Amy Kuschel, Astaire Nosegay / Groom & Groomsmen Suits: J.Crew / Ties: Handmade by Emy / Location: Beaulieu Gardens

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Post tags: Amy Kuschel, Beaulieu Gardens, Billy Buttons, California, Cherries, Chewing The Cud, DIY Projects, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Etsy, Flower girls, Gertrude & Mabel Photography, Handmade by Emy, J. Crew, Lemonade, Library, Napa Valley, Outdoor Ceremony, Outdoor Wedding, Paula LeDuc, Pinwheels, Stacy McCain, Summer Wedding, Twinkle Lights, Vibrant Color Palette, Vineyard Wedding, Wedding Photography, Wedding Stationery
Post categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Little Black Book Blog

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

And to top off all of that gorgeous, we have the sweetest little film to share by StillMotion. Enjoy…

Maciej and I are huge foodies. We love food and wine and above all else-CHEESE!  Maciej proposed at Stone Barns while we were on a morning hike.  He packed a picnic of all my favorite cheeses and in one of the cheese wrappers was the ring box. When I opened that cheese he had written “I love you, you are my best friend, will you marry me?” on the inside of the cheese wrapper.

When beginning our wedding planning we knew we wanted lots of amazing food and wine.  We also knew we wanted a rustic theme to carry through as we love being outdoors as much as possible. Calistoga Ranch offered us exactly what we were looking for.  We wanted to keep it small with just our closest family and friends.  It was really important to Maciej and I that we were able to take the time to take in how special this weekend was-and to truly understand the reason everyone was gathered together, to celebrate our marriage.

I had fallen in love with these save the date dish towels I’d seen on Chewing the Cud’s website and I knew I wanted to do something similar.  With Viola, we came up with our entire wedding theme, “One Big Love Feast!” It fit us perfectly-the entire weekend was going to be one big love feast.  We followed the theme with an amazing invitation by Chewing the Cud that was a flattened vintage spoon with our initials on it attached to a heavy card to push the rustic theme.  The spoons were such a nice touch as everyone was able to keep them as a memory.

It was really important for Maciej and I to plan the wedding ourselves as we wanted to feel connected to each part of the wedding-from the readings to the welcome bags for the guests, which included some of our favorite snacks!  Together we had a great time being creative and finding small touches that we hoped would make our wedding feel just like “us.” We welcomed guests to Napa with MapTote welcome wine totes filled with lots of our favorite goodies, including Liddabit Caramels & In & Out notepads.  We had our welcome dinner to kick off the “One Big Love Feast” at Gott’s Roadside in St. Helena.

Our rehearsal dinner was a Mexican theme and it took place poolside at Calistoga Ranch.  Viola designed a colorful window pane to indicate table assignments and our floral designer, Martha, created a floral vision that was PERFECT for our theme. We imported our linens from Las Ventanas resort and added little touches from designers I found on Etsy. My bridal party and myself spent the day of the wedding relaxing and getting our hair and makeup done by Julie Morgan. She was fantastic!

The ceremony was held on the lawn overlooking the mountains and the valley.  Viola for Chewing the Cud took a poem Maciej had written for me and designed beautiful ceremony programs, which sat in a hand crafted box she provided filled with Rosemary. Maciej was born in Poland and although his Aunt was able to travel and be with us, his Grandmother was too ill to travel such a distance.  We wanted to make sure she was represented so as our unity ceremony, Maciej’s Aunt presented him with a shawl that his Grandmother made for us.  He wrapped the shawl around my shoulders to represent our families joining together.  It was a very special moment.

We had cocktails on the lawn as the sun set.  After cocktails we moved to the wine cave for dinner and dancing.   We carried our invitation theme through the spoon and fork with our table seating assignments-everyone was either at the Spoon table or the Fork table.  The guests names were written an attached to either a vintage spoon or fork.  The tables were decorated with lots of moss, loads of cream and green florals surrounded the tables and greenery draped from the hanging chandeliers in the ceiling.  The room felt rich with lavender and the exact elegant rustic feel we wanted.  We had a seated dinner with very special speeches coordinated by my sister and Maid of Honor.  She had each member of our bridal party get up and introduce themselves and say what their lives would have been like had Maciej and I not been born.  When we were young I had written her a list of things that would be missing had she not had been born and she remembered that and used it in our wedding!  It was incredibly special to us.  Our cake was another really special surprise for our guests.  We wanted a cake designed to look like cheese!  Amber from Sweet on Cake was amazing and designed the most realistic looking “cheese cake” I have ever seen!  It looked amazing and tasted even better!

My family are die hard Red Sox fans and Maciej is a Yankees fan-so my Dad surprised Maciej by having everyone put on Red Sox hats he bought and having the band play “Sweet Caroline.”  It was so much fun to see Maciej’s face and to see everyone having such a great time. Dancing to the wonderful music by Ever Music Group followed and then a special viewing of our SDE by StillMotion.  The entire weekend was beyond anything we could have imagined.

Wedding Photography: Meredith Davenport for Christian Oth Studio / Wedding Venue: Calistoga Ranch / Floral Design: Blooms by Martha Andrews / Wedding Invitations & Paper Goods: Viola Sutanto of chewing the cud / Wedding Weekend Coordinator: Karin Kamb of Clever Girl Consulting / Rehearsal Dinner Location: Calistoga Ranch / Hair & Makeup: Julie Morgan / Wedding Band: Ever Music Group / Wedding Cake: Sweet on Cake / Wedding Dress: Amsale / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale / Groom & Groomsmen Attire: J.Crew / Groom & Groomsmen Socks: Paul Smith / Groomsmen Ties: Jack Spade / Groom’s Tie: Ralph Lauren / Wedding Cinematography: StillMotion / Bride’s Flower Hair Piece & Garter: Twigs & Honey / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amsale, Blooms by Martha Andrews, CA, Calistoga, Calistoga Ranch, Chewing The Cud, Christian Louboutin, Christian Oth Studio, Clever Girl Consulting, Ever Music Group, J. Crew, Jack Spade, Julie Morgan, Karin Kamb, Napa Valley, Navy Blue, Paul Smith, Pink, Ralph Lauren, Rustic Chic, StillMotion, Sweet on Cake, Twigs & Honey, Wine Country Wedding
Post categories: California Weddings, Napa Valley Weddings, Traditional Elegance

So let’s get to the goodies… The Bon Bon Mots App can be purchased here, but 5 lucky readers are going to get a FREE Bon Bon Mots App Download PLUS 3 Printed Cards!! (I Wheelie Like You, Let’s Ketchup and Happy Birthday Balloons) I mean seriously, if you got one of these cards in the mail, wouldn’t it just make your week?!? So just comment below with who you would send your first icard out to, and we’ll randomly select 5 SMP Readers and announce the winners this Friday, March 25^th. Good Luck!! And whether by snail mail or by iphone, start sending away!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 140 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chewing The Cud, Sponsored Post
Post categories: Sponsored Posts, The Blog

We wanted to create a tablescape that had a touch of whim and fancy, yet still felt urbane and refined. Our graphic silhouette for the table was the butterfly. Butterflies are such a dreamy, fanciful creature that created instant romance and drama when suspended by the hundreds above the table. We wanted a hint of romance, but wanted to infuse a more multifaceted, edgy vibe and did so by using newsprint and black paper for the cutouts. The newspaper and black paper tied in perfectly with the brick wall and the steel beams. The color palette for the table was gray, black, white and silver. We selected hammered silver utensils and a collection of smoked wine glasses mixed with black opaque wine glasses. The silver Marais A chair was the perfect choice for it’s rounded edges and it’s urban chic feel.

Lining the center of the table was an overflowing arrangement of all-white ranunculus and hydrangea. The arrangement was created to have a full and soft feel created by the different textural flowers. The rounding effect of the arrangement added a contrast to the rectangular shape of the table and the clean lines of the black and white striped French ribbon.

The escort card display was created using one of the steel beams in the loft. Using a variety of different fonts and numbers printed on an assortment of papers created a visual feast for the eyes. Each card was hung with a custom magnet that repeated a graphic icon from the wedding invitation.

For the place cards, we used muted gray plates that had a combination of soft rounded details mixed with more graphic ridges and dots. Each plate had the guest’s name and corresponding magnet icon from the escort card display written on the plate. Menus and table numbers were also transferred onto dinner plates for guests to read upon being seated.

Taking the cue from the layered tulle dress from the inspiration board, our bride wore a beautiful tiered dress, with a custom hairpiece made of silk and fashioned in layers and topped off with the most dramatic rhea whips. Our fabulous hair and make-up team created a natural, glowing look with a touch of flirtiness. As you could tell, they had fun adorning her with the crazy black and white wigs! A touch of detail sparkled its way upon the bride, as she was adorned with a touch of blue by Ashley Morgan. The hand made necklace was made of a rare and fanciful rosecut indicolite tourmaline set with a pave diamond border. The three stackable rings were a gift from her future husband- represented the past, present & future.

We also created a “For the Boys” Scotch bar. We custom-fit the chalkboard inside the antique mirror swivevl frame, which worked perfectly in the space. Custom-designed bottles were wrapped with twine while others were wrapped with French ribbon; all were coupled with black-and-white vintage toppers. Votive candles with custom butterfly cutout wraps added a warm glow to the table and the antique cameras were playful accent pieces.

The precious flower girl couldn’t help but toss all of the little black butterfly cutouts that the tiny white ceramic bowl held. Strands of butterflies and ribbons were hung from the bowl creating a lovely bit of fluttering. Her lovely white dress with black detailing complemented all of the other décor elements from the event.

It’s always fun to have the groomsmen wear boutonnieres that are all a bit different than one another. Shown: a white amaryllis wrapped with a zebra feather, black sprayed poppy seeds with zebra feather accents, and white ranunculus with zebra feather accents. The bridal bouquet was created on the fly, inspired by the gorgeous headpiece. A combination of amaryllis, ranunculus and zebra feathers made for a striking piece. The lines of the bouquet create drama and sophistication that contrast the soft ruffling of the dress.

Coordination and Planning: Stacy McCain Event Planning / Event Design and Florals: Atelier Joya Event Design and Floral / Invitations and Concepts: chewing the cud / Photography: Lisa Neighbors/Blonde Tulip / Cake: Sugarcoat it Studio / Gown and Fashion accessories: Amy Kuschel / Hair Accessories: KAutumn / Jewelry: Ashley Morgan Designs / Make-up: Darlene Carlson Hair and Makeup / Hair: Jim Avila and Associates / Lighting and Piping: Got Light / Linens: Classic Party Rentals / La Tavola Linens / Chairs: Design within Reach / Model: Look Model Agency

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 27 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amy Kuschel, Ashley Morgan Designs, Atelier Joya Event Design and Floral, Blonde Tulip, Chewing The Cud, Classic Party Rentals, Darlene Carlson, Design Within Reach, From Inspiration to Reality, Jim avila, K. Autumn, La Tavola Linens, Stacy McCain Event Planning, Sugarcoat it Studio, Viola Sutanto
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality, The Blog

{if you can’t stand the wait, click here to see all of the images}

Drawing inspiration from portrait silhouettes commonly seen in weddings, we took it one step further and used animal silhouettes to create a surreal black and white fantasy. By selecting a loft space, with black steel beams and rugged brick walls as the location, we set a sophisticated, sleek stage and worked from there to infuse the feminine, whimsical elements that created the perfect balance between masculine and feminine.

The three-dimensional black on black invitations emphasized the graphic language and the various butterfly, bird and plant icons that appear later in the decor and details. The sleek yet feminine typography added a touch of glamour to the overall look.

We carried the same visual language to the 2-tiered black and white cake, by Sugarcoat it Studio, reflected the same icons as the invitations. Dimensionality was created by creating inset white butterfly outlines on the fondant, balanced with similar cutouts in black and white. This play on cascading butterfly silhouettes was also translated onto the tablescape.

Guests were invited to write their well wishes for the couple on butterfly cutouts and hang them on the perfect canvas: a blank white wall. In the process of adding their butterflies, a beautiful art installation was being created and made for the perfect event backdrop. Displayed with the butterfly cutouts was a perfect little white teacup adorned with a graphic number, black pencils with white caps, and a vintage glass dome that housed a petite nosegay of ranunculus, black painted poppy seeds and tiny strands of black butterflies fluttering about. Alongside the bouquet sat two lovely black striped knobs calligraphed with “bride” & “groom”.

Check out Design*Sponge for even more pics and deets on the butterflies!

Coordination and Planning: Stacy McCain Event Planning / Event Design and Florals: Atelier Joya Event Design and Floral / Invitations and Concepts: chewing the cud / Photography: Lisa Neighbors/Blonde Tulip / Cake: Sugarcoat it Studio / Gown and Fashion accessories: Amy Kuschel / Hair Accessories: KAutumn / Jewelry: Ashley Morgan Designs / Make-up: Darlene Carlson Hair and Makeup / Hair: Jim Avila and Associates / Lighting and Piping: Got Light / Linens: Classic Party Rentals / La Tavola Linens / Chairs: Design within Reach / Model: Look Model Agency

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 32 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amy Kuschel, Ashley Morgan Designs, Atelier Joya Event Design and Floral, Blonde Tulip, Chewing The Cud, Classic Party Rentals, Darlene Carlson, Design Within Reach, From Inspiration to Reality, Jim avila, K. Autumn, La Tavola Linens, Stacy McCain Event Planning, Sugarcoat it Studio, Viola Sutanto
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality

This board caught our eye because of its unique and dramatic contrast. In one breath there is the whimsy created by soft layers of tulle in the wedding dress and the full, lush floral arrangements. In a second breath, there is a strong graphic element shown by the sleek silhouettes displayed on the plates and the cake. We thought it’d be fun to play with these stark contrasts and create an event on the interplay of these elements.

Coordination and Planning: Stacy McCain Event Planning / Event Design and Florals: Atelier Joya Event Design and Floral / Invitations and Concepts: chewing the cud / Photography: Lisa Neighbors/Blonde Tulip / Cake: Sugarcoat it Studio / Gown and Fashion accessories: Amy Kuschel / Hair Accessories: KAutumn / Jewelry: Ashley Morgan Designs / Make-up: Darlene Carlson Hair and Makeup / Hair: Jim Avila and Associates / Lighting and Piping: Got Light / Linens: Classic Party Rentals / La Tavola Linens / Chairs: Design within Reach / Model: Look Model Agency

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amy Kuschel, Ashley Morgan Designs, Atelier Joya Event Design and Floral, Blonde Tulip, Chewing The Cud, Classic Party Rentals, Darlene Carlson, Design Within Reach, From Inspiration to Reality, Jim avila, K. Autumn, La Tavola Linens, Stacy McCain Event Planning, Sugarcoat it Studio, Viola Sutanto
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality, Inspiration Boards

So before we get started for the day, I wanted to send a HUGE shout out to Viola at Chewing the Cud, who gave us our shiny new style. I like to brag about Viola a lot on SMP because I think she is one of those designers that just gets it. Here’s a look at her brand spanking new line of eco-chic (and totally afforadable) line of wedding invitations…

You can see more from this collection, which is all printed on recycled or tree-free paper with soy-based inks, on Viola’s gorgeous website. That she also just redesigned. And it’s GORGEOUS. So, thank you so much to Viola and to all the readers that gave us feedback to make this happen!

Oh and we have a day of pretty coming up so fasten your seat belts!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chewing The Cud, eco, Eco Friendly, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

The shoot was based around Viola’s new product line including those fabulous eco-chic gift wrap pieces and her adorable collection of invitations, announcements and greeting cards. I have one of the wraps and when I tell you that it’s insanely gorgeous, not to mention a super chic alternative to paper wrap, I am hardly doing it justice. The design work, the color palettes, the textures…everything is gorgeous. And for those of you that can’t hold off any longer, all of these little goodies can be found at her online shop right here.

Thank you so much to Elizabeth Messina and Viola at chewing the cud for sending us this little tidbit of inspiration. I am trying to hold back from gushing about just how great I think the two of you are, so I’ll just say this. Love, love, love both of you.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chewing The Cud, Elizabeth Messina, Paper Goods, Viola, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery