Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog

Crate and Barrel Winner!

Elaine — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:00:12 +0000

A couple weeks ago we held another fab giveaway from our friend and wedding registry mecca, Crate and Barrel and today we’re happy to announce the winner. The lucky reader will receive 6, yep, 6 sets of the fabulous Couture Flatware. So jealous. These are really the greatest everyday flatware.

So…today’s lucky bride is… Erin, who said:

Just registered at C&B for my upcoming nuptials. Love this stuff!

1. Lucia bed linens – LOVE this color palette.

2. Shun 8″ Ken Onion Knife – Cuts a sweet potato like buttah!

3. Olivewood Cheese board – I think this board pairs well with any cheese spread.

4. GreenPan cookware – It’s PTFE free but still does the job of a non-stick!

This is the second time today I’ve been able to share good news with one of our readers… it’s pretty fun making someone’s day! I love my job. Thanks for participating everyone! Congrats Erin!

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Post tags: Contest, Crate and Barrel Favorite Four, Winner
Post categories: Contests

Inspiration to Invitation Challenge Winner!

Elaine — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:48 +0000

After much deliberation a winner has been chosen for our Inspiration to Invitation Challenge. We’ve teamed up with Sarah Drake to use an inspiration board from one of our talented Style Circle members as the muse for an invitation design. Members were asked to create boards based on a style that they would like to see transformed into a fabulous new stationery design. So without further ado, our winner is Tonia with this blissful equestrian themed composition.

I have to confess… I have a little bit of a horse obsession, so this board makes me deliriously happy. It might just be my perfect day all wrapped up in one. Thank you to everyone who created a design for this challenge. We recieved countless submissions… I know Sarah had a really hard time picking a winner. But alas, there can only be one… so congratulations Tonia. Also an enormous thank you to Sarah Drake and her team for taking on this awesome project… we can’t wait to see the result.

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Post tags: Contest, Inspiration Board, Invitation, Sarah Drake
Post categories: Contests

Inspiration Board Weekend Challenge Winner!

Abby Larson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:12:45 +0000

After MUCH deliberations, we have chosen a winner from our inspiration board challenge. For those of you that missed it, we asked Style Circle Brides to design a board that they would like to see “come to life.” Together with Justin and Mary Marantz, Sarah True of True + Wesson, Yumiko of Hana Floral, Beth of The White Dress by the Shore and Karen of Grapevine Invitations…we are going to bring the winning board to life with a fun and completely inspiring photoshoot. Complete with lots of steal-worthy ideas.

So, although I could blab on and on about this…I’ll instead just announce the winner!

photos above by Martha Stewart Weddings (poms and wedding cake), My Vintage Vogue (bathing beauties), Alessandra Mortola (ice cream sundae and cherry cup) and Nicole Hill Gerulat (table setting, bar, cobbler and recipe box)

We are so thrilled to say that Brancoprata has taken the grand prize! We’re thinking a cherry inspired, picture perfect ode to all things vintage, all things girly. Brancoprata’s blog is filled to the brim with some of the best inspriation boards a girl could want, so make sure to check it out when you have some time!

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Post tags: Contest, Inspiration Board
Post categories: Contests, Inspiration Boards, Vintage Chic

Inspiration Board 7

Abby Larson — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:30:47 +0000

The next board is all about sweet, effortless whimsy…and I adore it!

Dress by Christos Bridal, Ceremony set-up via The Knot, Invitation by Smock, Bridesmaids via Weddings by Zoe Lingard (photo by Aaron Delesie ), Headpiece via Sweet Pea & Fawn, flowers via I Love Lolliblog (photo by Jose Villa)

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Post tags: Contest, Inspiration Board
Post categories: Contests, Inspiration Boards

Bridal Party Giveaway by Bluefly

Abby Larson — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:30:01 +0000

First, grab a cocktail. I know, most of you are working, so maybe just a fruity beverage. Then, sit down and take a deep breath. This next feature is going to absolutely thrill you, just might make you jump clear out of your chair and do a little happy dance.

Here’s the deal. The fabulous team at Bluefly is gifting one lucky bride $1000 to completely style her bridesmaids! Yep, you read that right. One thousand smack-a-roos to their new Weddings 2.0 online shop so that you can outfit your girls in the latest and greatest bridesmaids dresses and/or accessories. And, to make the deal even sweeter, Style Me Pretty is there to hold your hand and give you our own style tips and tidbits of advice along the way (if wanted of course).

With brands like Amsale and Badgley Mischka, Nicole Miller and Vera Wang…this giveaway really is a little piece of wedding heaven. Aside from the fact that your maids are going to LOVE YOU (thus, will probably forgive the bossy bride syndrome the day before the wedding), there really is such an incredible collection of dresses. Whether it’s a flirty frock for a fun, daytime soiree or a classic gown for an evening affair, there is literally the perfect dress for everyone.

If you can’t already tell, I am completely obsessed with Bluefly…seriously, I just spent $450 on dresses last night (eeek!).

So! To enter, head on over to Bluefly’s Weddings 2.0 shop and choose your favorite bridesmaids dress. Then come back here and let us know, with a link, which dress is your number one pick. We’ll announce a winner next Tuesday, June 23rd. Oh and don’t worry…if you’ve already dressed your maids, you can use the money to update your honeymoon wardrobe!

Participants who register for the contest will be automatically opted-in to receive future emails from Bluefly, but will have the option to opt-out after receiving emails.

* * *

Oh and if you are interested in learning more about the Nicole Miller sale (up to 60% off) that we mentioned the other day, click right here for all of the fabulous details!

Stay tuned, we have something really special coming up next! Hint…it includes Bluefly and a certain stylist that we are obsessed with.

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Post tags: Bluefly, Bridesmaids, Contest
Post categories: Bridal Party, Contests, Wedding Fashion

Minted Design Challenge and Giveaway!

Abby Larson — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:30:30 +0000

I am SO excited to announce this really fun contest and giveaway that Minted is offering SMP readers! Minted is an online stationery boutique that works with the best of the best in invitation designers (many of them Little Black Book members). They give independent artists a place to shine, those that feature incredible artistry, exquisite printing, and superb papers…in a nutshell, it’s paper heaven for any stationery fanatic like myself.

So, when they offered to partner up with Style Me Pretty on their Save the Date Design Challenge, I was thrilled to say the least!

Here are a few words from the cute, cute girls at Minted!

We are passionate in our belief that great design is not exclusive to a few big companies, and exists among many independent designers who consumers often don’t hear about. We’re hosting a design challenge where talented independent designers can submit designs into a competition and customers will select winners. Winning designs will be sold on Minted.com.

This is where you come in. Minted is seeking 4 real-life engaged couples, one each being married in the spring (March-May), summer (June-August), fall (Sep-Nov), and winter (Dec-Feb), to serve as the real-life inspiration for our Seasonal Save the Date Design Challenge. The four couples’ stories will be featured on the Minted site and provided to designers who enter the contest, and each designer will choose one of the 4 couples as their inspiration for a Save-the-Date card design.

All four lucky couples will receive 100 free Save-the-Date photo cards printed offset on high-quality paper stock, along with a $250 credit on Minted.com towards the wedding invitations and stationery of their choice. Choose from the top custom invitation brands in the country!

To enter, please send by June 12 the following information to contest@minted.com:

Bride’s and groom’s names

Location of wedding and reception – venue, city, and state

Month and year of upcoming wedding

E-mail address where you can be reached

A photograph (or a few photos!) that designers can use to mock-up their design with if they decide to create a photo save the date card. This should be a photo of you and your fiancé. Don’t worry – if you are chosen as one of the 4 couples, you’ll be given the opportunity to pick a final photo for your actual Save-the-Date cards

This is such a fun contest and I honestly can’t wait to see what the designers come up with for you guys! I am going to be a guest judge on the challenge and we will be awarding the winning designer a fun prize too, so I am beyond excited. Lots and lots of luck!

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Post tags: Contest, Design Challenge, Minted
Post categories: Contests

Corbin Gurkin: Wedding Photography Giveaway … Deadline Approaching

Eddye — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:29:09 +0000

These beautiful photos were sent to us by one of Corbin Gurkin’s beautiful brides, Anna. We will be featuring Anna & Jeremy’s gorgeous wedding tomorrow on The Little Black Book!

Until then, we wanted to be sure you had heard about Corbin’s unbelievably fantastic wedding photography giveaway. There are only 5 days left, so if you haven’t already found your photographer and you’re getting married between September 1, 2009 and June 31, 2010 this is an amazing opportunity!

One very lucky couple will receive complete wedding day photography coverage with Corbin at the venue of their choice (international & destination weddings welcome!), a high resolution disk of all edited images, online posting via Corbin Gurkin, and a custom made 8×8 vintage-style wedding album with 50 images. Judging will be based upon your wedding design ideas, the story behind your venue choice, and your plan to embrace the “old”! Corbin wants to hear how you plan to infuse vintage elements into your wedding day.

from Corbin … this could be a wonderful vintage style dress, re-purposed “do-it-yourself” items, table settings – we want to hear your ideas! If you have already selected a photographer, we do not wish to take away from our talented colleagues’ business, so please do not submit your wedding for consideration. If we are already booked on your wedding day then we will be unable to consider your entry. Your wedding date must take place between September 1st, 2009 and June 31st 2010. Other than that … the sky is the limit … just inspire us!

To submit your wedding please email { photo@corbingurkin.com } with your name, contact details, wedding date, venue, a photo of you and your fiancé, along with a detailed description of your “vintage” design ideas including any useful details about your vendors, color theme, ceremony style, etc. The more visuals the better – we’d love to hear about your style, your gown, how you met, anything to give us a better idea about your wedding plans. The deadline is March 28, 2009.

Now, why is she doing this?

Corbin Gurkin’s photography giveaway was inspired by a new option in her studio … Carnival Vintage. This option includes rental of a truly Vintage 1950’s Photo Booth, unlimited B&W photo strips, a photo booth attendant to assist you and your guests, and personalized design panels to compliment your event.

Those of you who meet the requirements, definitely either post a comment below, or send her a quick email letting her know you’ve just heard about the contest on SMP! The deadline is March 28, so you do have a few days to compile your details and officially “enter”. Again, you’ll need to send all of the info to Corbin {photo@corbingurkin.com}.

The winner will be responsible for Corbin’s travel expenses to their desired venue/location, hotel for 2-3 nights (depending on location), airport transfers, rental car (if needed) … but full photography coverage … that’s fantastic!

We’ll be back, tomorrow with the rest of the photos from Anna & Jeremy’s wedding from Corbin Gurkin Photography.

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Post tags: Contest, Corbin Gurkin Photography, Giveaway
Post categories: Contests, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Photography

DIY Contest Announcement!

Abby Larson — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:00:12 +0000

I’ve been anxious to get another contest underway, but haven’t been able to decide on what the topic should be. Well, since we are working on growing our DIY galleries, thought it might be fun to give you a DIY theme and see what my favorite readers can come up with!

This DIY project was crafted by our DIY Editor, Kathleen, of Twig & Thisle

So…this contest will be called DIY: The Perfect Wedding Favor. Whether it’s absolutely adorable favor packaging, home-baked mini pies, custom coasters, the sky is the limit! Just show us your best go at creating a chic and personal DIY favor that readers can easily replicate using material found online or at national craft stores.

Here is what we will need from you:

*Four to six images of your wedding favor, with shots of you making the favor along with the final product.

*A list of materials used including links as to where readers can purchase the supplies.

*Step by step instructions for designing and crafting the favor.

All entries must be received by midnight on Sunday, March 15th 2009 via email. The contest is open to brides, vendors, etsy crafters, mothers, sisters, best friends. Anyone and everyone who has an idea and a camera is welcome!

The winning entry will receive $500, with three runners-up receiving $100 each. Happy Crafting!!

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Post tags: Contest, Do-It-Yourself Inspired
Post categories: Contests

SMP Loves…Doug McGoldrick

Abby Larson — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:00:45 +0000

But who doesn’t, really? Doug’s work is just that gorgeous. Bottom Line. He manages to capture the beauty in the detail without sacrificing the unbelievably real emotion in each shot. Just take a quick peek at Doug’s portfolio to see what I mean. Oh and guess what…he is hosting THE BEST contest right now on his blog. Definitely check it out if you are interested in potentially winning a free wedding photographer!

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Post tags: Contest, Doug McGoldrick
Post categories: Featured

Wedding Favors Contest by Beau-Coup

Abby Larson — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:45:54 +0000

For those of you that make the wedding blog rounds each day, you already know that Beau Coup is holding a fun contest for us bloggers. To play, each blogger has to choose a wedding favor from the Beau-Coup site and incorporate it into a greater wedding scheme. The winner will receive a $250 gift card to Beau-Coup… which of course, if I win, I will pass right along to one of you! Make sure to read all the way down to hear how you can win!

So, I have chosen the always yummy, Gourmet Chocolate Mints as my inspiration for this Sweet Winter Wedding board…

Clockwise from top left: Mints by Beau Coup, Dress by Saks, Nest by Mimosa Style, Chocolate Cakes by Martha Stewart, Flowers by Domino Magazine

I have a deep love affair with Winter Inspired Weddings…there is just something so dreamy, so romantic about the white snow, the beautiful gowns paired with cozy cashmere wraps, the hot cocoa served to guests, the incredibly warm, elegant styles.

For this particular wedding, I thought that it would be gorgeous to find inspiration in the crisp white mints, pairing them with a deep velvety chocolate, a feminine gray/blue and just a hint of pale rose in the florals. Perfect for a wedding in a rustic barn, with candles tucked in hurricane vases of all sizes in every corner. I totally see the bride in a gorgeous lace inspired gown accented with a pretty, soft capulet and a lush flower tucked into a low bun. Gorgeous. Wish this was my wedding I was dreaming about!

* * *

So, You might be wondering why I chose such a simple, rather traditional wedding favor as a starting off point. Well, it’s because I have officially fallen in love with the packaging options at Beau Coup and these cute mints would look so great displayed in huge candy bins among other white inspired candies, with these great take away bags nearby…

Just drape the table with something really organic, like deconstructed burlap sacks (or burlap fabric) to pair with the pristine white candies. You will have that perfect combination of elegance and rustic chic. Thus is the theme for my Beau-Coup, Winter Inspired Wedding!

Now, it’s your turn…pick a favor from the Beau Coup website and dream up your own wedding. All you have to do is leave a comment (no pics necessary) with your ideas and we’ll pass along two gift certificates, one for $50 and one for $75, from Beau-Coup to two lucky readers. Then, if we win the grand prize, we’ll offer our $250 prize to a third winner!

The deadline for your comment is this coming Thursday, the 20th…so don’t delay!

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Post tags: Beau-Coup, Contest, Domino Magazine, Gourmet Chocolate Mints, Inspiration Board, Martha Stewart, Mimosa Style
Post categories: Contests, Inspiration Boards

Little Black Dress, VI

Abby Larson — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:00:01 +0000

Our next entry in our Little Black Dress competition, “a rich, warm, monochromatic palette that allowed for a wide variety of textures and patterns and ended up being really drawn to the combination of African-inspired textiles and African-American wedding traditions…”

Shoshana Dress with Tortoise-Shell Detailing – from Bluefly.com / African bowls and Textiles – from Brides.com / “Jumping the Broom” – from GrlSixx on Flickr / “Kenya” Serving Utensils – from Zgallerie.com/ Rustic Buternut Squash Soup – from Brides.com

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Post tags: Bluefly, Brides.com, Color Palette, Contest, Inspiratioin Boards, Little Black Dress, Shoshana, Zgallerie
Post categories: Color Palettes, Contests, Inspiration Boards, Wedding Resources

Little Black Book, IV

Abby Larson — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:00:38 +0000

We are continuing on with the LIttle Black Dress color palette competition and I am loving this next entry for the “Grown-Up Goldilocks!”

Bouquet – Martha Stewart / Dress – Milly Scallop Dot Embroidered organza dress from Nordstrom / Quail eggs with caviar – Martha Stewart / Save the Date – Ceci New York / Cloisonne ribbon from Les Bons Ribbon

More to come!

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Post tags: Bridesmaid Dresses, Ceci New York, Contest, Les Bons Ribbon, Little Black Dress, Martha Stewart, Nordstrom
Post categories: Color Palettes, Contests, Inspiration Boards, Wedding Resources

Little Black Dress, III

Abby Larson — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:00:28 +0000

Our next Little Black Dress color palette is pretty in pink…

The black dress is Marc by Marc Jacobs. More to come!

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Post tags: Color Palette Pink, Contest, Inspiration Boards, Little Black Dress
Post categories: Color Palettes, Contests, Inspiration Boards, Wedding Resources

Little Black Dress, II

Abby Larson — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:00:32 +0000

Our next Little Black Dress entry…

The fabulous black dress is by Betsy Johnson. More to come!

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Post tags: Betsy Johnson, Contest, Inspiration Boards, Little Black Dress
Post categories: Color Palettes, Contests, Inspiration Boards, Wedding Resources

Little Black Dress Competition, I

Abby Larson — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:17:36 +0000

Today and tomorrow should be really fun here on SMP…we are going to feature all of the Little Black Dress entries that I have received for our LBD Color Palette Contest! They are ALL really good and I can’t wait to show them off!

In my opinion, the Little Black Dress is such a great, often overlooked option for your bridesmaids. I mean, let’s face it…your maids will LOVE you, they can wear something that is chic and current (and not at all bridesmaids-y) and they really will wear it again. So, for those of you that are considering going the little black dress route…we have some pretty amazing palettes lined up for you!

Here is the first entry…

Black tiered dress with beaded trim by Patra / “Berry Yummy” blackberry cobbler / Tiered flower girl dress / Quilled place cards by Viva Bolivia / Flowers (featuring MarianneTodd photography) Grape wedding cake

More to come!

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Post tags: Color Palette Black Violet, Contest, Inspiration Board, Little Black Dress, Marianne Todd, Patra, Viva Bolivia
Post categories: Bridal Party, Contests, Inspiration Boards, Wedding Fashion