And because I might just be the biggest fan of  Elysium Productions in the entire world (this is no exaggeration), I would be remiss to not share yet another one of their wedding cinematography masterpieces…hold onto your hats folks, this one is breathtaking…

Click here for the FULL Wedding!

From Angel of Events of Love and Splendor… Vipula and Dan envisioned a quintessential Indian wedding, embellished in vibrant hues and dripping with luxurious exotic details. With a large guest count and the blank slate of Saddlerock Ranch’s Oak Grove, we embarked on creating three unique settings for their day of celebration. Their wedding was held under a custom-created mandap by the floral and event designers of R. Jack Balthazar. The wooden structure was draped with floral garlands and hanging lanterns for a lavish look. Cocktail hour was held on a nearby lawn, featuring a bar staffed by professional mixologists offering signature cocktails with exotic ingredients such as earl grey-infused vodka, thyme, tamarind syrup and mango puree. Upholstered lounge furniture and embroidered pillows made for a luxe yet warm setting for imbibing. I especially enjoyed working on the escort card table design that played on Vipula’s love of elephants. Escort cards were cut using a custom-made elephant-shaped die, and then nestled in shallow bowls of fragrant and colorful spices. The entire table was covered with elephant figures and statues to further play on the theme.

Dinner and the reception were held in a grand “village” of tents. Instead of a single tent structure, we utilized “destination” tents for dining, a custom-built bar, and a dessert and chai lounge. Sumptuous fabrics, abundant florals and plush furniture made for a spectacular setting that was decidedly extravagant while also intimate and warm. Per usual, my dear friends at R. Jack Balthazar pulled out all the stops for this wedding and did not overlook a single detail in setting each opulent table. The overall setting was nothing short of spectacular. It was pure magic to watch Vipula and Dan’s guests, many adorned in splendid saris, mingling in the lavish scene. 

Wedding Photography: The Image is Found / Wedding Planning + Design: Events of Love and Splendor / Floral + Event Design: R. Jack Balthazar / Weddng Venue: Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, California / Wedding Stationery + Printed Materials: Kristin of Events of Love and Splendor / Wedding Cinematography: Elysium Productions / Catering: Chakra Beverly Hills + Huntington Catering / Mixologists: The Cocktail Consultant / DJ: Anthony of Red Shoe LA / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Linens: La Tavola / Wedding Cake + Desserts: Sweet and Saucy Shop / Photobooth: Smilebooth / Entertainment: Bollywood Step Dance / Security: Sandman Security / Valet Parking: Premiere Valet

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Post tags: Bollywood Step Dance, California, Chakra Beverly Hills, Classic Party Rentals, Colorful, Elysium Productions, Events of Love and Splendor, Huntington Catering, Indian Wedding, La Tavola, Malibu, Premiere Valet, R. Jack Balthazar, Red Shoe LA, Saddleback Ranch, Sandman Security, Smilebooth, Sweet and Saucy Shop, The Image is Found
Post categories: Cultural Beauty, The Blog

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… Zach and I were married in Wolf, Wyoming, and were fortunate enough to have the ceremony take place on my parent’s front lawn overlooking the gorgeous Bighorn Mountains!  I didn’t have a set color scheme like most weddings I have been to. Instead, I tried to keep things classic, fun and not overly matchy. The groom and groomsmen’s bow ties were each different colored stripes, which looked wonderful with their blue blazers. I wanted the bridesmaid dresses to be simple without being plain; I accomplished this by having them wear different dresses in the same champagne color. The details were so much fun to put together!   The main pattern element that linked the wedding ceremony to the reception was black and white stripes. At the ceremony, black and white ribbon was wrapped around all the bouquets, and at the reception, black and white stripes showed up in our table cloths. To make sure that the black and white didn’t look too formal, we incorporated flowers in vibrant pops of yellow and pink roses, white Queen Ann’s Lace, bright green kermits, dark green ivy and yellow Billy Bobs. Other fun details included my grandmother’s blue brooch on the back of my dress, which made the dress very personal and added a vintage touch. The table numbers were classy as well. The image was one my brother did specially for the occasion. The place cards were paper birds and butterflies. Edible paper butterflies adorned our six different cakes as well. Having multiple cakes instead of the traditional one gave us an opportunity to do something different, and they looked so pretty on their cake stands of different heights! In a word our wedding day was quite simply, perfection. The combination of fun patterns, bright colors and the backdrop of the Bighorn Mountains in all their splendor made for an unforgettable occasion! Wedding Photography: Alissa Ferullo Photography / Ceremony: Bride’s Parents’ Home in Wolf, Wyoming / Reception + Catering: The Powder Horn Country Club in Big Horn, Wyoming / Flowers: Babe’s Flowers / Floral Arrangements, “I Do” Sign + “Just Married” Sign: DIY by The Bride + Her Mother / Bow Ties: The Tie Bar / Wedding Dress: The Gingerbread House in Savannah, Georgia (Now Closed) / Groom’s Suit: J. Crew Wedding / Bride’s Shoes: Macy’s / Bridesmaid Dresses: Nordstrom / Hair: Kitt Laidlaw of Tangles / Wedding Cake: Val Green / Chair Rentals: I Do Weddings and Party Rentals / Reception Table Cloths: Custom Made by a Local Seamstress / Ribbon: Save on Crafts / Butterfly + Bird Place Cards: Etsy / Edible Butterflies for Cake: Etsy / Table Number Image: The Bride’s Brother

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alissa Ferullo Photography, Babe's Flowers, Black, Colorful, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Etsy, I Do Weddings and Party Rentals, J. Crew, Kitt Laidlaw, Macy's, Nordstrom, Save On Crafts, Sheridan, Tangles, The Gingerbread House, The Powder Horn Country Club, The Tie Bar, Val Green, White, Wolf, Wyoming
Post categories: The Blog

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… Planning for our wedding was a lot of fun (hard work, but nonetheless fun). The toughest part in the planning process was right at the beginning when we were searching for our venue. We wanted our wedding to feel like a giant garden party so we wanted the backdrop to be natural and set outdoors. After hours upon hours of research, I narrowed it down to three places. After visiting the first two venues, we were beginning to lose hope. But we both instantly fell in love with what we saw when we made our last stop. Surrounded by lush greenery that went on for miles and spilling over with history and character, Ravine Vineyard was perfect for our vintage-inspired, rustic elegance theme. I work as a process engineer, but I grew up surrounded by music and art, and I was dying to create something beautiful again. Even though I knew nothing about wedding planning, I knew I wanted to put as many personal and unique touches into our wedding as possible. I made the centrepieces, the wedding favours, the ceremony programs, the “guestbook,” and most of the décor myself (with the help of my bridemaids, of course!). My father made the adorable wedding signs. My maid-of-honour made our beautiful wedding cake. When the day arrived and it all came together, I was so touched by how much love and warmth was infused into our wedding, since almost everything beautiful that day was handmade with love — which gave everything that day so much meaning.

For the décor, I hunted through antique markets, eBay and Etsy for antique cameras and vintage suitcases. I found a box of vintage linen ends and used them to make signs and wrap boxes. I scored a box of vintage postcards off of eBay and used them as a “guestbook,” where guests were encouraged to pick out their favourite postcard and write a short message, a piece of marriage advice, or their favourite recipe on the back. The white string globes strung up over the sweetheart table in the reception tent took me and my bridesmaids hours to make but it was all worth it when I saw how they turned out. Speaking of my lovely bridesmaids, I absolutely adored their dresses!  I didn’t want the standard matching bridesmaid dresses and I’m so happy that I found this wonderful designer in New York City who makes these gorgeous teadresses using vintage linens. For the centrepieces, I collected, hoarded, and stalked antique turquoise mason jars and wrapped twine around them for a simple and natural look. In these jars, I placed flowers that looked like someone picked fresh wildflowers that morning from a nearby field. Because the bridesmaid dresses were already so colourful, I wanted some sense of colour cohesion so I chose fresh green Spider Mums, Lisianthus and complemented them with purple Statices and Limoniums.  

My favourite moment that day was walking down the aisle with my beaming father and seeing my husband for the first time.  Everything else faded away as I walked towards him.  And as I drew near, I could see that he was crying – not just a few tears but weeping uncontrollably.  You see, my husband never cries, and seeing him so emotional that day made me fall in love with him even more (if that was possible!).  It was an intimate, beautiful, and emotion-filled ceremony – so full of love and joy.  In the end, our wedding day was perfect – more than we could ever hope for. 

Wedding Photography: LivePixels Photography / Venue + Catering: Ravine Vineyard / Wedding Dress: Pronovias / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Groom’s Attire: Studio Suits / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Sohomode / Wedding Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas / Bouquets: King West Flowers / Wedding Flowers: Fifty Flowers / Bride’s Hair + Makeup: Olivia Ha / Musician: Tonino Chiodo

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Canada, Colorful, Green, Ontario, St. Davids, Tan
Post categories: Canada Weddings, Ontario Weddings

From Jason of Jason Avery Films… Patsy and Jeff were married on St. Simons Island, Georgia, at a private estate named “Itylldoo.”  St. Simons is part of Georgia’s “Golden Isles,” which are the beautiful islands that make up Georgia’s coast.  It was a very rainy weekend but in the end it made the wedding even better as they had a beautiful clear tent put up and had the most amazing first kiss as husband and wife in the rain!

Wedding Cinematography: Jason Avery Films / Wedding Photography: Allison Reisz Photography / Wedding Venue: Itylldoo House on St. Simons Island, Georgia

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 1 comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Allison Reisz Photography, Colorful, Georgia, Golden Isles, Itylldoo House, Jason Avery Films, St. Simons, Wedding Video
Post categories: Coastal Georgia Weddings, Georgia Weddings

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… Chris and I met while playing on an Ultimate Frisbee team when I was living in London for the year. After five months of dating I had to return to Canada, but we knew we wanted to stay together. It was a year full of eight hour time differences, Skype conversations and flights back and forth before Chris could move to Canada. Four years later, Chris completely surprised me with his proposal. I thought we were going on a casual weekend biking trip around a few of the Gulf Islands. He had sneakily booked us in at a beautiful resort on Galiano Island. He popped the question and my first words were “Are you kidding me?” followed by a quick “Yes, yes, yes!”

My advice to other brides in wedding planning is to throw out any ideas of “rules” about weddings and focus on what is important to you as a couple. Chris and I knew we wanted our wedding to be a big party with a casual atmosphere. We knew that nature, music, wine and making as little environmental impact as possible were all important to us. We also knew that doing this all on budget was essential. We fell in love with Sun Lotus Guesthouse the moment we saw pictures of the site. A wedding in the forest where all our guests could camp overnight — it was our dream! We had lots of creative room to make this place our own and the owners even composted all the food leftovers for us!

I spent much of the year of wedding planning scouring Craigslist and local thrift stores. Collecting vintage flower plates for the dinner, converting flower print sheets into table cloths and painting old picture frames into chalkboards. My family ate more than their fair share of pasta so that we had vases for the flowers. Many of our friends helped out in imbibing bottles of wine to donate corks that we used to make name-card holders. I found free candle holders on Craigslist and other great deals at bridal swaps. Our good friend Jakub designed our invitations. Instead of mailing invitations and thank-yous or giving out party favors, we emailed them and then donated the cost equivalent to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. Our tables were named after bands that we had seen in concert and we had quotes about love from one of each of their songs. We both have British heritage which we wanted to recognize so we chose to serve a Pimm’s Cup as our signature drink. It’s a popular summer beverage in England. The mint for this drink came fresh from the garden at the venue. We also had my brother carve signs pointing to important cities in our lives into pieces of driftwood that Chris and I had found along the beach. I wore each of my grandmothers’ engagement rings on my right hand so that they could be with us for the event. The speeches were very informal, and I still laugh about our guests’ unrequested, but appreciated, audience participation. We also had the guests write poems to read out to request us to kiss. Our wedding turned into more of a week-long celebration and it truly was so much fun. We couldn’t have done it all without the help of our family and friends and the amazing eye of our photographer, Jennifer Armstrong, who captured our day beautifully. We frequently look through the photos just to check that it all actually happened, and we feel so lucky that it really did!

Wedding Photography: Jennifer Armstrong Photography / Venue: Sun Lotus Guesthouse / Florist: Leaf and Petal / Catering: Parker Productions / Wedding Dress: Sposa Wedding World / Veil: Caroline Calvert / Bridesmaid Dresses: Alfred Sung / Groom’s + Groomsmen’s Outfits: Taylor 4 Less / Groom’s Hat: Goorin Brothers / Hair: Studio One Hair Professionals (250-709-2195) / Makeup: Matisse Day Spa

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alfred Sung, Blue, British Columbia, Canada, Caroline Calvert, Colorful, Duncan, Goorin Brothers, Green, Jennifer Armstrong Photography, Leaf and Petal, Matisse Day Spa, Parker Productions, Sposa Wedding World, Studio One Hair Professionals, Sun Lotus Guesthouse, Taylor 4 Less
Post categories: British Columbia Weddings, Canada Weddings, Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From Eliza Claire Photography: Marie emailed me back in August last year with the email subject “Please say you’ll photograph our wedding!” and I was instantly intrigued! She didn’t have a date set, and wanted to ensure I was available first, so I instantly loved her.

Marie is an interior designer, Marie Nichols who works for house and home magazines, and Simon is a graphic designer so I always knew that this would be a pretty wedding! They got married in Simon’s mum’s back garden – she’s lucky to live in private parkland of an old manor house on the edge of the river Orwell, in Suffolk, England. It’s somewhere that they love and is such a beautiful setting. They wanted to do everything themselves so it was far easier to do it in the back garden and have everything on hand – they also wanted their 6 month old puppy, Dudley, at the reception.

Marie said “We wanted a wedding that reflected us and that most importantly was fun! A vintage style village fete seemed perfect with ice cream, petanque, sack racing, picnic blankets and fish and chips! We knew we couldn’t rely on the British weather (although we needn’t have worried) so we decked out the inside of the marquee like a garden party – fake turf, bunting, faux flowers and real flowers in vintage trophies.” I was left speechless on the morning of their wedding with just how hard they’d worked and how amazing it all looked!

Wedding Photography: Eliza Claire Photography / Wedding Cinematography: Friend of the Bride & Groom / Floral & Event Design: The Bride + Mother of the Bride / Event Planning: DIY / Ceremony Location: St Martin’s Church, Nacton / Reception Location: Private Residence / Wedding Invitations: DIY / Bridesmaid Dresses: Custom / Wedding Cake: The Little Cake Parlour / Catering: Fish and Chip Catering / Transportation: 1966 Austin Healy Sprite + VW Camper via Vanilla Splits / Wallpaper: Louise Body via The Shop at Number 57 / Place Mats: The Groom / Chairs, China, Trophies, Pendant Lights, Hampers & Vintage Suitcases: Vintage Hire at The Shop at Number 57 / Bride’s Shoes: Kurt Geiger / Wedding Gown: Enzoani

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 43 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Backyard Wedding, Church Ceremony, Colorful, Country Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Eliza Claire Photography, Enzoni, Fish and Chip Catering, Kurt Geiger, Outdoor Wedding, Suffolk, Tented Reception, The Little Cake Parlour, The Shop at Number 57, UK, Vanilla Splits, vintag
Post categories: Vintage Chic

click here to see all of the fab details!

Andrew and I currently live in Chicago, IL. I grew up outside Boston and Andrew grew up in the Chicago area. We met when we were both in college at Vanderbilt and continued on to live in Charlottesville, Virginia for 3 years while Andrew was in law school. We loved living in the south, but moved up to Chicago to be closer to family. Planning the wedding from half way across the country was difficult but we pulled it off!

I had dreamed about getting married at Castle Hill from when I was a little girl. When Andrew and I first got engaged we were living in Virginia and later in Chicago. I had sent my mom out to check out venues and luckily she loved Castle Hill as much as I did. I have always been drawn to bright summery colors, but Castle Hill is a pretty traditional venue, so we always had to keep in mind melding my bright colors with the look of the venue. We used bright pinks and greens coupled with navy blue to achieve a summery look. Our décor had a subtle nautical theme, with shells and coral prints on our paper and fabrics.

When I first started envisioning what our wedding would look like I knew I wanted to add lots of personal touches and I wanted to make a lot of things myself. Andrew and I tackled many DIY projects together and our families also pitched in to help. I wanted all of our décor to meld with Castle Hill for an “elegant casual seaside” look. I pulled inspiration from a variety of sources and pulled it all together by using coordinated paper products from Anna Griffin and the matching fabrics, also by Anna Griffin.

The biggest project we took on was the escort card pinwheels. We made each pinwheel by hand and they were a huge hit at the wedding. The pinwheels also made an appearance on the cake, those pinwheels were also made out of paper, just mini sized! Our other projects included-paper pomanders to decorate the aisles, pennant banner to decorate the bar and the lawn, drink stirrers, table numbers, menus, programs (which I hand printed with a gocco). We baked over 1000 cookies for a cookie buffet. Our mothers really came through for us and did a lot of sewing, making all of the table overlays, and the chuppah top.

A few days before the wedding as my mom and I were baking our final batches of cookies for favors, my Mom asked how many hours I thought I spent on making everything for the wedding, I couldn’t even take a guess. “Was it worth it?” she asked me. I replied that I would have to let her know after the wedding was over. Looking back I think all the work and details we put into the wedding made the whole evening the special event that it was. Everything that we and our families made was made with love and creativity.

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Crane Estate at Castle Hill, Ispwich, MA / Caterer: Swartz Catering / Officiant: Rabbi Judy Epstein and Father Bill Nesbit / Wedding Photographer: Heather Parker Photography / Wedding Band + Entertainment: The Return / Ceremony Music: Siman Entertainment / Wedding Florist: Bella Floral Design / Wedding Gown: Watters and Watters San Miguel / Bridal Boutique: Aisle Style, Elmhurst, IL / Custom wedding gown hanger: LilaFrances / Brides + Bridesmaid Shoes: Jack Rogers / Bridesmaid Dresses: Priscilla of Boston / Suits: JoS. A. Bank / Ties: Tux and Tulle (Etsy) / Invitations: Blush Design Studio / Day of Coordinator: Jennifer Potter, Dot your I’s / Table squares + overlays: Groom’s mother / Chuppah: BZ Sustainable Style, the Bride’s mother’s company / Brides Clutch: BZ Sustainable Style, the Bride’s mother’s company

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 29 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aisle Style, Bella Floral Design, Blush Design Stdio, Castle Hill, Colorful, Crane Estate, Heather Parker Photography, Ipswich, Massachusetts Weddings, Pinwheels, Priscilla of Boston, Siman Entertainment, Swartz Catering, Watters and Watters, Whimsical
Post categories: Boston Weddings, Massachusetts Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Whimsical

From the hugely talented Angel Swanson of Love and Splendor, one of the event designers behind the day…

Guests arrived to 3 Stones through a covered trellis leading into a welcoming courtyard. A refreshing beverage station greeted guests with southern sweet tea, French pomegranate juice and sparkling berry lemonades, served with twisty straws and fresh fruit garnish. An old library filing cabinet (an incredible find we discovered at a salvage yard!) was dressed with tufts of moss and floral accents, as well as fresh fruit for ‘picking’ as a pre-ceremony treat. When the ceremony was about to begin, guests were ushered as a group to the site. Along the winding path to the ceremony, guests encountered such conversation pieces as a 6’ wrought iron bird cage (another salvage yard treasure!) filled with florals resembling a majestic bird and its plumage.

The ceremony was held in a beautiful clearing overlooking a lake and the rolling vineyards at 3 Stones. Florist Neil Gilly of Gilly Flowers created an incredible “outdoor chapel” by defining the space using a series of vintage windows, embellished with lush sprays of branches, leaves and florals in autumnal shades. Scraps of an old wooden fence lined the back of the ceremony space, and antique locks were strung on lengths of velvet ribbon along various posts for a whimsical touch. A series of Persian rugs lined the aisle leading up to another dramatic window display.

For guest seating, we used mis-matched wooden chairs (half of which came from an abandoned 1940’s schoolhouse) dressed with turquoise dupioni sashes and vintage brooches, mixed in with mini vignettes of vintage furniture. Stacks of vintage luggage and antique trunks, overflowing with florals, were also featured throughout the seating area. Many of these pieces came directly from the personal collection of Jessica’s cousin, event stylist Kabrel Polak. The bridesmaids wore a unique mix of dresses in various textures and colors that complemented the look of the day, while the men wore ensembles that included suspenders and vests that were a nod to a bygone era.

SO much more to come!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 3 Stones, California Weddings, Colorful, Eclectic, Jessica Claire, Jose Villa, Love and Splendor, Napa Valley, Vintage
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Napa Valley Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Vintage Chic