Thanks to my orange shoes, a beautiful love story, the support family and friends, and a whole lot of luck, we were the 2011 grand prize winners of the Crate & Barrel Ultimate Wedding Contest. The contest enabled us to have our dream wedding in New Orleans, Louisiana. In mid-2011, we relocated to Beijing, China and our guest list spanned 41 states and seven countries. We wanted to give our guests a destination wedding in America that had a unique local flavor, worthy of at least a weekend visit. There is no better place to host a celebration than the French Quarter in the Big Easy, and our wedding mantra was “laissez bon temps rouler” (let the good times roll). Julie Gibson, founder of Studio Grace, designed our save the date and passport like-invitations that reflected both NOLA and our ever-traveling careers.

Romantic, old New Orleans was brought to life thanks to Yifat Oren & Associates, our wedding planner, courtesy of Crate & Barrel. Stefanie Cove, Managing Partner, was with us every step of the way to choose the best local vendors (neither Michael or I are from NOLA) that would bring the vision of Southern charm, cajun comfort, and French elegance to life. Laura Kleinhenz of Docuvitae, our photographers, captured each moment in their authentic photojournalist style. They produced images that were more than just photographs – they were art! Welliver productions shot our wedding video and stayed with us throughout the entire evening.

The day began at the Aveda Paris Parker Salon where the bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and groom, and me had our hair and makeup done. The stylists and artists treated us like old friends, did beautiful work, and gave us a relaxing morning. We returned to our hotel to change; the bridesmaids wore long, ivory Two Birds Convertible Dresses (purchased from Bella Bridesmaid DC), which gave them fifteen different ways to wear their dress. The thick, high-quality jersey fabric was comfortable to wear all day and photographed beautifully. I wore two dresses: for the ceremony, a Pronovias lace gown and for the dinner and at the reception a silk with tulle overlay gown by Vera Wang. I purchased the Vera Wang dress from the most lovely Bridal Boutique I had ever been to: Mimi NOLA. Gail and Mimi, two of NOLA’s finest ladies assisted me and theirs is the only VW bridal boutique in New Orleans. They gave us the most personal attention, service, and advice for hosting a spectacular local wedding. They are the place to go bridal shopping if in New Orleans, hands down. As a nod to how we met, I wore orange pumps and my bridesmaids and flower girl did too. The groomsmen changed into a Calvin Klein classic tuxedo from Men’s Wearhouse and my handsome groom wore his own tuxedo by J.Crew. To give the groom distinction, we had him be the only one in a white bow tie and the rest of his men in black.

We wanted to maximize time with our guests, so we decided to take pictures before the ceremony at one of the most iconic parks in New Orleans, Jackson Square. It sits before St. Louis Cathedral, which provided a stunning backdrop for the portraits. Next, we asked our guests to meet at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, which tucked in the 140 friends and family for an intimate and cozy view of our ceremony. Pastor Stephen Aguillard gave what my Grandfather called, “the best wedding ceremony I’ve ever seen” as he preached about men’s and women’s needs in marriage. We wrote our own vows; Michael read his from a neatly folded piece of paper, me from my iPhone, which caused a few chuckles. It added to the interesting quirk of our young Pastor reading from his iPad, too. Our florals for the ceremony were by Ambiance Flowers and added to our mostly white with a few pops of orange in our bouquets. Harry Hardin’s string trio played Air on the G String for the family procession, Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley for the bridal party procession, and then my father and I entered with Mascagni’s Intermezzo. After a tearful vow exchange, we recessed to the traditional Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.

Joyfully marching out of the church as husband and wife, we were greeted by the brass instruments of the Storyville Stompers, one of the most decorated second line bands in New Orleans. Orange handkerchiefs and white feather boas were handed out to the guests and to their surprise, we began marching down the French Quarter. Michael and I briefly followed the parade in a horse and carriage, but we soon joined the crowd, not ones to miss out on any fun. Locals took pictures from their balconies and some even threw beads! We marched and danced with the brass band about eight blocks to the reception site, Galvez Restaurant, located in the French Quarter on the bank of the Mississippi river.

As the sun was setting, the second line band played for our cocktail hour outdoors in the Dutch Alley next the French Market. White lights streamed the alley, and specialty New-Orleans-inspired drinks and delicious Spanish-Cajun hors d’oeuvres were passed around. When it was time, guests were invited to walk up the votive lined stair case, up to the dining hall where five long king’s tables were set. I remember hearing my mother gasp, “Wow!” Each of the tables had no fewer than 100 candles illuminating the room; some in candelabras, some in candlesticks, and small votives. The room needed no other lighting, and the hundreds of candles were my favorite signature touch. The tables also were decorated by Ambiance Flowers vases with white flowers and baby’s breath. Each place setting contained a hand-written note to each guest, from either Michael or me, thanking them for coming.

Dinner was led by Chef Laura, of Galvez. Even though our event was black tie, we served our five courses family style to make for a more personal meal. Our guests passed around their incredible spanish, american, and french inspired dishes: ensaladas, crab cakes, grilled rack of lamb, paella valenciana, and shrimp and grits. It was cooked to perfection, thank you Chef! Our toasts broke up the courses, and our best man and maid of honor gave memorable and touching speeches. My father went last, and after his invited the guests to the dance floor, in the neighboring room.

The dance floor at Galvez is surrounded by French windows and doors that lead to a wrap around balcony. It’s one of the most romantic views in New Orleans, and our guests could watch steamboats chugging along the river as they sipped cocktails on the Crate and Barrel designed lounges outdoors. Or, inside they could get footloose with us to the incredibly talented, seven piece band, Taboo. They were a show stopper and played everything we asked, plus the favorites that even kept my Grandparents dancing way past their usual bed time.

We served two cakes: our wedding cake was by a local favorite sweet shop: Sucré, and they did a buttercream, three tiered wedding cake and our Groom’s cake (we’re in the South, after all!) was by Courtney Schmidig, a family friend and pastry chef at the French Laundry. I insisted on taste before appearance, so there was no fondant, only delicious butter cream and natural ingredients, they both were outstanding, but Courtney’s took the cake to another level!

We danced until midnight with Taboo and their incredible band arrangement and ended the night with a stellar performance that had most guests ready to continue their evening onto Bourbon street. In the morning, we relived the night over beignets and chicory coffee at Cafe Du Monde and bid a final farewell to our guests. We’re still hearing stories about how amazing strolling down the French Quarter with a second line band was, and the awesome jazz ensemble during cocktail hour, and the candlelit views of the Mississippi at night. Thank you Crate & Barrel, and thank you New Orleans, you gave us all an event to remember.

Wedding Contest: Crate & Barrel / Wedding Planners: Yifat Oren & Associates / Church: St. Mark’s United Methodist / Pastor: Stephen Aguillard / Reception, Catering & Bar: Galvez Restaurant / Invitations: Studio Grace / Photographer: Docuvitae /  Videographer: Welliver Productions / Flowers: Ambiance Flower Shop / Second Line Band: Storyville Stompers / Reception Band: Taboo / Bridal Gown (Ceremony): Pronovias, from Designer Loft, New York / Bridal Gown (Reception): Mimi NOLA / Rings: Blue Nile / Tableware, Lounge, and Decor: Crate & Barrel / Rentals: Your Event Delivered / Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Two Birds, from Bella Bridesmaid / Hair & Makeup: Aveda Paris Parker Salon New Orleans / Groom’s Tuxedo: J.Crew / Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse / Wedding Cake: Sucre / Groom’s Cake: Chef Courtney Schmidig / Farewell Breakfast: Cafe Du Monde

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Post tags: Ambiance Flower Shop, Aveda Paris Parker Salon New Orleans, Baby's Breath, Bass Brand, Bella Bridesmaid, Big Bands, Blue Nile, Cafe du Monde, Candles, Chef Courtney Schmidig, Classic, Color Palette White Orange, Crate & Barrel, Designer Loft, Docuvitae, French Quarter, Galvez Restaurant, J. Crew, Louisiana, Men's Wearhouse, Mimi NOLA, Mississippi River, New Orleans, NOLA, NOLA Weddings, Pastor Stephen Aguillard, Pronovias, Silhouettes, St. Mark's United Methodist, Storyville Stompers, Studio Grace, Sucre, Taboo, Traditional, Traditional Elegance, Two Birds, Vera Wang, Wedding Photography, Welliver Productions, Yifat Oren & Associates, Your Event Delivered
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

From the beginning stages of the planning process, Ken was involved in every part of the planning process. Our three most important aspects that we kept in mind throughout the process were family, friends and romance! The gorgeous St. James Chapel and Trump Tower Chicago locations allowed us to maximize the amount of time we spent with our guests but also take in the beautiful photo opportunities of downtown Chicago.

My dress choice was a total surprise to myself. I had pictured more of a traditional satin top lace bottom dress but immediately fell in love with the contemporary vintage style of Lazaro. When I tried the dress on everyone in the dressing room came immediately over to me to oo and aw and admire the dress. I knew that was the one! It was such an amazing dress that even during photos when it got all muddy, by the time we got to the church, it had dried and all the mud fell off!!

The dress helped set the theme of the wedding — contemporary vintage. Ken described the vision to the florist and they hit the nail on the head with the floral scheme. The flowers were probably my favorite detail of the wedding and I will always remember the unbelievable smell of gardenias in my bouquet!

Everyone says it is good luck if it rains on your wedding day. I always thought this was just something everyone said to make you feel better. Boy was I wrong! I could not have imaged a more perfect day, rain and all. The umbrellas were amazing props and captured some romantic photos being snuggled up under the umbrellas! Had it not been raining, we would not have taken photos under the Trump Riverwalk — where we captured some phenomenal photos reminiscent of the Kennedy’s (or so says Ken!). Some of my all time favorites!

Larry King Orchestra set the tone for the reception and everyone had such a great time. Besides the gorgeous venue, the top two compliments following the wedding were the band and the food. Larry King even timed the memorial day fireworks viewable from the reception to the Katy Perry song firework!

I loved the toasts too…the uniqueness and creativeness of my father’s which laid the foundation to the video, the history toast from the best man, the best wishes from Ken’s father to the most eloquent and heartfelt speech from the maid of honor!

Photography: Riverbend Studio / Event Planning & Design: Engaging Events by Ali / Cinematography: Xpress Video Productions / Flowers: The Flower Firm / Orchestra: Larry King Orchestra / Lighting: Frost Lighting / Ceremony Location: St. James Chapel / Reception Location: Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago / Invitations: William Arthur from Yellow Bird Stationery / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Dress: Lazaro / Wedding Rings and Engagement Rings: Tacori / Linens: BBJ Linens / Bridesmaid Dresses: Coren Moore – Bella Bridesmaid, Chicago

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Post tags: BBJ Linens, Black and White Photography, Chicago, City Views, City Weddings, Classic, Color Palette Purple White, Engaging Events by Ali, Frost Lighting, Glamourous, Illinois, Jimmy Choo, Larry King Orchestra, Lazaro, Rain, Rainy Day, Riverbend Studio, St. James Chapel, Tacori, The Flower Firm, Traditional Elegance, Trump Chicago, Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, Trump Tower, Umbrellas, Wedding Planners & Designers, William Arthur, Xpress Video Productions, Yellow Bird Stationery
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

Brock and Bethlene, both being creative artists, wanted something eye catching and classy with a modern flare. Even though the wedding was going to be in Pennsylvania, an Old Hollywood like flare seemed appropriate given that they live in Southern California. The bride and groom knew from the beginning that they wanted a black and white wedding, which really started their brainstorming process to create an elegant theme for their wedding. A damask print was chosen to elegantly marry the black and white theme. This print was used for favors, table runners, program design and many other features to help tie the entire Old Hollywood theme together. They chose an accent color of yellow to add some vibrancy into the ceremony and reception and to emulate their cheerful and positive outlook on life. With the wedding being at the end of summer, yellow hit the spot.

Their inspiration for their wedding was largely driven by things that were important to the couple as our relationship formed in California. The most important element for inspiration was their family of Serta sheep. Since the sheep were part of the proposal; they absolutely had to be part of the wedding. “Sweet Sheepy Dreams” was the theme behind this elegant Old Hollywood-esque wedding. The save-the-dates, ceremony programs, groomsmen’s cufflinks, and later thank you cards, were all designed by Brock and included many sheep influences.

The Old Hollywood elegance was also incorporated into the flowers designed by Marie Huss of Flowers Sculpture by using bold yellow mums, roses, cymbidium orchids, and calla lilies accented with black feathers and sparkling strands of crystal.

Bethlene’s father officiated the ceremony. This meant that in addition to giving away his daughter to Brock, he would also have to marry them. As Bethlene’s father escorted Bethlene down the aisle, Brock and Bethlene could only describe that first sight moment as “breathtaking.” It took so much self-control for both of them to refrain from kissing each other as soon as they were standing together at the end of the aisle.

Another important element was the inclusion of butterflies, as one of Brock and Bethlene’s first dates was at a butterfly exhibit. Again, butterflies were featured in some of Brock’s designs, and Persnickety Ladies suggested butterfly tags to be placed on each guest’s pillow favor. In addition, and most cleverly, Persnickety Ladies found edible butterfly wafers that were attached, using corn syrup, to every guest’s champagne flute. Bethlene wore rhinestone-butterflies on her shoes and carried a butterfly brooch in her bouquet.

After tying the knot, their memories consisted of a lot of chatting with dear friends and family, a magical kiss along the illuminated driveway, dancing the night away and just continuing to fall more in love with each other.

Photography: Tyler Boye Photography / Cinematography: Blossom Productions / Flowers: Marie Huss, Flower Sculpture / Event Design: Persnickety Ladies / Ceremony & Reception Location: Northampton Valley Country Club / Invitations: Nida’s Boutiq / Short Dress Shoes: Vince Camuto, Miston Ivory / Long Dress Shoes: Aruna Seth, Butterfly Shoes / Short Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Long Dress: Priscilla of Boston

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Post tags: Aruna Seth, Blossom Productions, Bowties, Classic, Color Palette Black White, Flower Sculpture, Highlight Films, Nida's Boutiq, Northampton Valley Country Club, Old Hollywood, Pennsylvania, Persnickety Ladies, Pricilla of Boston, Richboro, Traditional, Tyler Boye Photography, Vince Camuto, Wedding Cinematography, Wedding Films, White Blazers
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Cinematography

We wanted the day to be a celebration of family and friends. We were getting married for the first time in our 40’s and have both lost many dear people along the way. We wanted to remember and include them in the day in some way. We had the names of those who had passed that were important to us and our guests included in the wedding programs. Photographs were a priority for us, since they are truly a lasting record of the day. We took the recommendation of a good friend who used Ulysses Photography for their wedding. Jenni and Ulysses were nothing short of amazing with their artist eye for detail, and we are absolutely delighted with the results.

We wanted understated elegance with a vintage feel for the day and achieved this with various details. The tuxes from Men’s Warehouse, Sophia Tolli Phyllis gown from the Bridal Gallery in Salem, Oregon, the long hand-beaded veil, ceremony shoes by Grace, fun blue Caparros Ulysses reception shoes, and amazing hair and makeup done by Rosemarie Pomilla owner of N.Y. Prostyle and her team, helped provide the timeless feel of the day. We had the ceremony in the late afternoon at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception located on campus of my alma mater, The College of Mount Saint Vincent, because we love that when you enter the Chapel and the campus it feels like you are stepping back in time. We choose the Old Tappan Manor for our reception because it was like going to a ball in the ballroom of a private mansion in days gone by. They only have one event at a time, the renovated space is gorgeous, and the food was wonderful.

We wanted things we love as part of our day. The groom loves music and wanted the ceremony to be the most special part of the day. We had Pipe Major Jonathan Henken play bagpipes before and after the ceremony outside of the Chapel. For the ceremony we had singer Stephanie Budelman and The Devonshire Players string quartet. I love dragonflies, bubbles, fall leaves and various shades of blue. We worked these things into the programs, party favors, wedding party flowers, seating charts, napkins, table linens, invitations, wedding bands, and ribbons woven into baskets for the programs, directions and bubbles.

Photography: Ulysses Photography / Flowers: The Flower Shoppe, New City, NY / Ceremony Location: Mount St. Vincent College / Reception Location: Old Tappan Manor / Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas / Shoes: Grace / Dress: Sophia Tolli / Veil: Glamgal Designs / Hair & Makeup: NY Prostyle / Limo: Top Class Limosine / Cake: Homestyle Desserts Bakery

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Post tags: Bagpipes, Ballroom Wedding, Classic, Dragonflies, Glamgal Designs, Glamour, Glamourous, Grace, Homestyle Desserts Bakery, Mount St. Vincent College, New City, New York, NY Prostyle, Old Tappan Manor, Sophia Tolli, The Flower Shoppe, Top Class Limousine, Traditional Elegance, Ulysses Photography, Vintage Chic, Wedding Paper Divas, Wedding Photography, Wedding Stationery, Winter Wedding
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

After spending months searching for the perfect ring, I set out in route for Charleston on Friday, November 5th. Kate new that we were planning to go to Charleston for the weekend, but she thought we were going to celebrate homecoming at The Citadel with friends. Once we got there, we spent time together walking the streets of Charleston and reminiscing on all of the fun times we spent there. When it was time for dinner, I surprised her by driving outside of town to Middleton Place Plantation where we had reservations at their restaurant. Kate and I have always had a special place in our heart for Middleton Place, and we spent many a nights walking the grounds, sipping wine until the sun went down before heading over for dinner at the restaurant. At one point, this was a date we would have together on almost a weekly basis. Dinner was outstanding, and afterward I proposed to Kate on the plantation. It was beautiful, and she said yes!

The inspiration for our wedding was the venue itself! The simplicity of Middleton Place was really the inspiration behind all wedding colors and style. The bridesmaid’s dresses were sable to compliment the greenery around the plantation. I chose lime green, poppy, and gold as colors for the ceremony and reception.   We incorporated moss in the big S hanging behind the wedding cake and also had moss covered pots with floral arrangements on many of the tables. We had poppy colored linens on almost all tables and had a poppy and gold striped stage skirt. That was one of my favorite touches.

It is a Citadel tradition to have the Sword detail consisting 6 Citadel Cadets creating an archway of swords for us to walk under as we exit the ceremony aisle.

Stacey, Missy and the entire crew at Red Letter Events made the entire evening truly magical.They were right by my side if I ever needed them and made the evening seem effortless! Throughout the planning, Stacey listened to my thoughts and dreams and helped to make them a reality.  It was perfect!

Planner: Red Letter Events / Ceremony: Butterfly Lakes at Middleton Place / Reception: Pavilion at Middleton Place / Caterer: Duvall Catering / Bar: Duvall / Ceremony Music: Classical Charleston / Reception Music: Gentlemen & Their Lady / Photographer: Captured by Kate / Florist: Lotus / Pastry: Ashley Bakery / Rentals: Duvall, Eventworks, PDA Lighting, & BBJ Linens / Bride Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Bridesmaid Dress: Badgley Mischka

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Post tags: Ashley Bakery, Badgley Mischka, BBJ Linens, Black Tie, Captured by Kate, Charleston, Classic, Classical Charleston, Duvall, Duvall Catering, EventWorks, Gentlemen & Their Lady, Lotus, Middleton Place, Military Wedding, Monique Lhuillier, Neutral Color Palette, Outdoor Ceremony, Outdoor Wedding, PDA Lighting, Plantation Wedding, Red Letter Events, South Carolina, Southern Weddings, Sparklers, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Planners & Designers
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

We met at American University in Washington, DC, where we were both students and working in the same campus office. It took a little while for the first date to happen, but when it did, it was a sushi dinner and a walk around the Jefferson Memorial, which Mark knew to be Katie’s favorite. When Mark proposed five years later, he did so by recreating this first date (on the sly, with the help of Katie’s maid of honor, Flannery) and asked Katie to marry him on the steps of the Jefferson.

The Meridian House was the first venue that we visited and we knew immediately that it was the right place for our wedding. We were looking for an elegant Washington, DC venue that had both indoor and outdoor spaces, as we hoped to hold the ceremony outdoors and then move indoors for dinner and dancing.  The Meridian House exceeded all expectations.  Nestled on a one-way street across from Meridian Hill Park, it is a hidden gem that offers beautiful gardens, a one-of-a-kind linden tree grove, and classic beauty, inside and out.  It was instantly our wedding style inspiration, which our florist described perfectly: Old World Luxe.

Our colors were bronze, chocolate and cream, which were featured in our save the dates, invitations, escort cards, place cards, programs, and guest book.  We wanted to do as much ourselves as possible, and worked hard to put personal touches on everything: the save the dates were designed and printed by Mark (and hand-embellished by, with envelopes embossed by Katie); the invitations were hand wax-sealed; the escort cards were hand-stamped and handwritten; the guests’ gift bags were hand-stamped and filled with goodies, including homemade chocolate chip cookies that Katie baked; and the guest book was carefully pieced together by Katie – she filled a photo album with chocolate and bronze envelopes, and stamped and embossed coordinating stickers to seal the “secret notes” guests were encouraged to leave behind.  After reading the entire guest book, we can safely say that while some of these secret notes contained words of wisdom and best wishes, others were more reminders of how much fun everyone had at the reception!

Other personal touches were special to us, because we were able to incorporate, or ask the advice of, people close to us.  Mark’s aunt is an accomplished musician and former U.S. Marine String Orchestra member – she and her quartet, Montebello Strings, provided the music for the ceremony and cocktail hour.  Katie’s good friend from high school is well connected in the music and DJ scene and was happy to introduce us to DJ Cuzzin B, who absolutely rocked out the reception.  Our wonderful photographer, MK, is an old friend from college, who we have known for years and we were so happy to share this event with her.

The day of our wedding, the weather called for rain.  We were lucky enough to take photos outside (slightly cloudy is great light for photos!) but had to take advantage of our Plan B and move the ceremony inside.  This, too, ended up being lucky, as the room we moved into was filled to the brim and made for a very intimate, and very personal, wedding ceremony.  One of Katie’s favorite memories is walking into the room and just filling up with an overwhelming happiness of seeing, so close together, all of the people who mean so much to us in our lives.  It was a very, very special moment.

We worked with our minister, Rev. Jeff Maszal, to create our own ceremony, one that would be very special and personal to us. Our readings were excerpts from larger works that have great meaning for us: from Love and Living by Thomas Merton (Mark) and from Le Petit Prince by Antoine de St-Exupery (Katie). In this second reading, the Little Prince is reminded by the Fox he meets that only with the heart can one see rightly and that he, the Little Prince, is forever responsible for his rose, the rose that he has chosen.

One of Mark’s favorite memories from the wedding is the curveball Jeff threw at us—ad libbing from the ceremony script following this reading, Jeff asked Katie and Mark to look into each other’s eyes and repeat after him: “I am responsible for my rose.” It was an incredibly unexpected, emotional, and beautiful moment.

After the ceremony, the weather held off just enough so that guests could mingle in the linden grove and stroll through Meridian’s beautiful gardens. Out on the lawn, guests played our favorite lawn sports while sipping cocktails. Everyone then moved inside for a family-style dinner, catered by Lebanese Taverna. As food and travel are important parts of our lives, we wanted to incorporate both of these elements into the wedding dinner. An exotic yet accessible cuisine like Lebanese—which is also very conducive to sharing family style—fit that vision perfectly. We also chose French wines to serve to our guests, to reflect both of our years spent studying in France and our shared love for the country (including a white from the Loire Valley, made not 30 miles from where Mark lived). Mark also chose to serve one of his favorite beers, Porkslap Farmhouse Ale, which is brewed in upstate New York not far from Katie’s hometown of Rochester and is known for its refreshing ginger flavor and distinctive bright orange can.

To bid guests thank you and farewell, we sent them off with boxes of French macarons, Katie’s favorite cookie, from Michel Patisserie.  The flavors were Katie’s favorites: rose, pistachio, cafe, and vanilla.  

Our favorite photos from the wedding, in addition to the ones we took with family and friends and the ones that show everyone having a great time, are those that look timeless and will age gracefully.

Photography: Mary Kate McKenna Photography / Event Design: Friends of the bride / Ceremony Location: The Meridian House / Reception Location: The Meridian House / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Floral Designer: Beehive Events / 
String quartet: Montebello Strings / 
Reception DJ: DJ Cuzzin B, Robert Carter /
 Day-of Coordinator: Ashley J. Bolding / 
Invitation Designer: Paper Source / 
Caterer: Lebanese Taverna / 
Cake & Desserts: CakeLove, Michel Patisserie / 
Wedding Gown Designer: Modern Trousseau, from Hitched / 
Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: Joanna August, from Bella Bridesmaid / 

Veil: Sara Gabriel, from Gabriella New York / 
Hair and Makeup: Madeline Wade

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Classic, Classic Color Palette, Color Palette Green White, DIY Event Planning, Flower girls, Jimmy Choo, Mary Kate McKenna Photography, Sidra Forman, The Meridian House, Traditional Elegance, Vera Wang, Washington DC, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

We met back in preschool, but did not know it.  After that, we met in high school, and then went our separate ways for 16 plus years, crossing paths here and there and seeing each other on holidays and mutual friends’ weddings.  A year and a half ago ago, his sister and another mutual friend planted the seeds in our head when I was gearing to move back to California and he was out of a long term relationship. We re-acquainted over Thanksgiving of 2009 and sparks flew!

Matt put the ring on my finger when I was sleeping one Saturday night.  I woke up and he was acting all funny.  I contemplated why, and for some reason looked at my hand and found the ring!

When we envisioned our wedding we wanted fun.  First and foremost. I wanted every person to have fun from start to finish.  I wanted classic, elegant, black tie.  Black tie affairs are so rare and I loved the idea of seeing our friends and family dressed up for a special occasion.  I saw lots of flowers and good lighting, but not too much going on.  Just classic, elegant, beautiful, soft colors.   We had great music. A traditional affair – but not too traditional!

Catering: Four Seasons Biltmore / Venue: Four Seasons Biltmore / Planner: Imagine…Weddings & Special Events, LLC / Floral: Butterfly Floral / Photographer: enLuce Photography / Ceremony Music: West Coast Music

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Post tags: Black Tie, Butterfly Floral, California, Classic, Color Palette Black White, enLuce Photography, Four Seasons Biltmore, Imagine...Weddings & Special Events LLC, Santa Barbara, Wedding Planners & Designers, West Coast Music
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

We had been looking for our venue for two years. I wanted elegant and classic and my husband wanted a more traditional feel with a great after party. It was extremely hard to accommodate both types and I was about ready to give up. My husband actually came across the Millennium Biltmore and I agreed to go see it. We walked in and were blown away by the classic décor and amazing architecture; the chandlers in every room were the perfect elegant touch. We were able to have two different rooms, one for our ceremony that lent itself so perfectly to having a grand aisle we didn’t even have an aisle runner. The other for our reception where cocktail hour was in the same room as dinner but the dining area was raised in separation. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

As for our style, I wanted it to be more elegant and because the venue was so bold with its decor we didn’t want to add too many details to it, our flower choice was to have clouds of baby’s breath at the tables and keep with colors that picked up the smaller details from the venue. Since we were going to Paris for our honeymoon we incorporated small details like the table card holders into our style.

We had been together for almost 10 years before we got married so the whole wedding was really more for our family and friends. The one thing that was for just us were our vows. We wrote our vows ourselves and oddly (or not so oddly) enough our vows were exactly the same! I think its because we are such a big part of each other, it may be silly but he is my other half, I can feel how I am not whole when he is gone, so saying words that were so personal to each other added that special touch to make the ceremony more for us.

My favorite moment was walking up the steps into the grand ceremony room. We had decided not to see each other before the ceremony and it was so worth it. All I really remember is wanting to leave to be with my husband. It was a great day and a great party and I was so happy to see all my friends and family but I just wanted to be with my husband and talk to him about my day. All in all everything was so amazing to us.

Our DJ was so much more than we could ask for, everyone loved how he kept them all involved and gave them an entire experience. This was great news for us because I had such a hard time finding a good one and when we finally found these guys they wowed us, so we were so glad to sign them two months before our wedding! Our photographers also worked really well with our entire family and everyone loved that fact that they were a married couple that worked together.  Everyone commented how it was the best wedding they had ever been to and we actually got a few thank you cards from people thanking us for inviting them to the event of the century. That made us feel great because we really felt the experience was more for them, our love will always and would have always been there no matter what our wedding was like.

Photography: JL Photographers / Flowers: Ariel Yve Designs / Venue: Millenium Biltmore / Invitations: studioTcreative / Dress: Lazaro, from Mon Amie / Veil: Vintage, Groom’s Mother’s / Rings: Robbins Brothers / Other Jewelry: Swarovski / Bridesmaid Dresses: Dressale / Groom’s Suit: Armani / Groomsmen Suits: Men’s Warehouse / DJ: Invisible Touch / Hair & Makeup: Hush Hush Bang Bang / Violinist: Tim Espinoza, Invisible Touch

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Post tags: Ariel Yve Designs, Armani, Baby's Breath, Ballroom Wedding, California, Classic, Color Palette Green Gold, Dressale, Hush Hush Bang Bang Tim Espinoza, Invisible Touch, JL Photographers, Lazaro, Los Angeles, Men's Wearhouse, Millenium Biltmore Hotel, Mon Amie, Robbins Brothers, Roses, studiotcreative, Swarovski, Traditional Elegance, Vintage Veil, Wedding Flowers
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance