No real wedding. Just really pretty pictures from Karen Wise!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cupcakes, Honey, Hyacinths, Karen Wise
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

This first image is probably my favorite! Ingrid does amazing things with trees in her photographs!

From the earlier post on Natalie and Brian’s wedding, you’ll remember that they had a small bridal party ~ just siblings who were allowed to wear anything they wanted. Natalie loves yellow and incorporated it into the flowers. The splashes of color in an otherwise naturally green surrounding is positively perfect!

Natalie’s precious dress is by Watters Brides and her cute yellow shoes are by Lumiani.

Flowers were by Art In Bloom … Event by Joy of Life Events … Makeup by Carola May …

Natalie & Brian were married at Empire Mine State Park in Grass Valley.

Ahhhhh! I would SO love to have been at Natalie & Brian’s wedding! Congratulations!!

And thank you Ingrid for sharing the joy and the serenity of their day!!

For more of Myrtle & Marjoram’s amazing weddings, be sure to spend some time on Ingrid’s blog and website! Lots and lots of inspiration!!

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Post tags: Art In Bloom, California, Carola May, Cupcakes, Empire Mine State Park, Joy Of Life Events, Lumiani, Myrtle & Marjoram Photography, Outdoor Wedding, Watters Brides
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Photography

Jennifer and Aamer’s Malibu wedding took place at the Adamson House this past May.

from Jennifer …

The inspiration for our wedding style was modern, fresh, and FUN! My fiancé and I didn’t want anything to feel too formal, and we wanted a wedding that really reflected us. Growing up in Southern California, my one requirement was that we HAD to get married by the beach.

Aamer and I are huge music fans, and we wanted to find a way to incorporate our love for music into our wedding. It all started with our invitations that were designed by Tifany at Gourmet Invitations. She came up with the fabulous idea of our invite actually being a CD! She also incorporated a sound wave design, which we carried over into other aspects of our wedding.

invitation suite photography courtesy of The Shooting Gallery

CEREMONY
We were very fortunate in finding the Adamson House in Malibu!  It is a beautiful historical house right on the beach, with a gorgeous sycamore tree and garden.  Our pre-ceremony music was songs that we loved by bands like Radiohead, Coldplay, and The Smiths ~ performed by a string quartet.  I chose to walk down the isle to Teardrop by Massive Attack, which had personal meaning to my groom and me. 

The wedding ceremony was performed by a dear friend of ours under the beautiful sycamore tree.  He did an excellent job of keeping it light and entertaining, while not detracting from the intimate and meaningful moments.  We wrote our own vows, which really personalized the ceremony.  At the end, we released doves in honor of my mother, who had recently passed away.  It was a very touching moment that we will never forget.

COLOR PALETTE
Our main color was burgundy, which we highlighted with a light pink.  Burgundy has always been my favorite color, and even though we had a spring wedding, I insisted that we still use a dark color.  It turned out that the burgundy really popped against the greenery at the Adamson House, which was an unexpected bonus!

FLOWERS
Our flowers were designed by Floral Art.  I carried a burgundy bouquet made from maroon cymbidium orchids, black calla lilies, baccara roses, and burgundy peonies.  I love the way the flowers looked with my white wedding dress.  The bridesmaids carried pink bouquets made from pink lisianthus, roses, and pink cymbidium orchids.  Aamer wore a miniature black calla lily, and the groomsmen wore miniature pink cymbidium orchids to match the bridesmaids bouquets.

Our cake was designed by Vanilla Bake Shop and was actually tiers of baby cupcakes, with a small cake on top.  To keep things fun, we used Batman and Wonder Woman to top it off!

My dress was designed by Rivini and available exclusively at Lili’s Bridal in Tarzana.  When the sales person showed it to me, I didn’t even want to try it on.  I had a completely different idea of the kind of dress that I wanted to wear.  However, once I reluctantly put it on, I never wanted to take it off!

We wanted a very clean and simple look to our centerpieces.  It took some time, but with the help of our fabulous wedding coordinator, Stephanie Lairson, we came up with the idea of submerging flowers in water.  The centerpieces consisted of 3 cylindrical glass hurricane vases in varying heights filled with submerged flowers, that alternated between black calla lilies pink cymbidium orchids, and burgundy cymbidium orchids.  They were all placed on a round dark wood tray and surrounded by votive candles

Our table numbers were actually names of our favorite bands.  One side had the band name written out with the sound wave design and the other side had a CD cover from that band.  The menus were done in our color palette with a burgundy back plate to help them pop against the white table linens.

We absolutely LOVED all of our vendors, but one key person in pulling everything together was Stephanie, our wedding consultant.  Our wedding day was flawless because of her help, ideas, and support.  We can not thank her enough for keeping things running so smoothly!

In addition, our photographers, Mark and Candice from Mark Brooke Photography, were absolutely fabulous!  They take fun and funky images, and are incredibly easy to work with. They did an amazing job making us and our day look flawless.

invitation suite photography courtesy of The Shooting Gallery

MUSIC
Our music was of course a key factor.  We had a fantastic DJ, Richard Blade, who also served as our MC.  Together, we made sure the dance floor was full throughout the evening!

ADVICE
The one piece of advise that I have to give to brides planning their wedding, is to find ways to incorporate little things that reflect you as a couple.  Personalizing your wedding is what will make you and your guests really remember your special day.  Don’t feel like you have to follow any particular set of rules.  Just do what feels right to you, and remember to have fun!

Congratulations Jennifer and Aamer! We thank you so much for sharing your lovely day with us!!

* * *

For more fantastic weddings from today’s featured Little Black Book members, here are some links to their websites and blogs …

Gourmet Invitations … Blog and Website 

Stephanie Lairson … Website and Gallery

Vanilla Bake Shop … Website and Cake Gallery

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Post tags: Adamson House, California, Cupcakes, Doves, Gourmet Invitations, Malibu, Rivini, Vanilla Bake Shop
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Planners & Designers

John is actually one of the founders of the incredible floral studio, Spruce, here in Boston. They did my own wedding so I have had a love affair with all things Spruce for a long time. I am so thrilled to be able to show their gorgeous wedding!

photography by Michael Robinson Photography and Violet Marsh Photography

From the bride and groom…

The mood of the event was fun, but sophisticated. We took our time to develop a menu that would be complex but easy to serve and prepare with this in mind – gourmet comfort food was the perfect answer. We spent a year testing the menu and then spend days in the kitchen prepping. Macaroni and cheese became Four Cheese & Lobster Mac and Cheese with Black Truffle. Our version of the cheese sandwich was Brie, Fig Jam and Arugula on fresh sesame ficelle. The roast beef sandwich became Mini Filet Bites with Carmelized onion and Salsa Verde on crusty baguette. Individual chicken pot pies. Crab cakes were served with a fresh, Asian chili sauce. A friend who is a professional baker provided baked goods such as rosemary & carrot scones, fresh ginger cookies and gourmet whoopee pies ( a HUGE hit!) The cake was a cupcake tower with cupcakes from a local baker – decorated with ribbon and edible sugared pansies, which Nikki spent the summer making by hand.

The flowers were designed by Sarah (Miles) Matteson, my partner and the Creative director at  Spruce Floral. Nikki deferred to Sarah for all creative direction, saying that while she was a graphic designer she knew that Sarah’s expertise in floral design would supersede her wildest expectations. Her only request was that the flowers have a modern garden feel, with unusual elements such as fiddleheads and rich, bold colors.

Guest entered though a winding path of hanging jars of hydrangeas in greens lavenders and plums. Two huge arrangements of hydrangeas and trailing autumns clematis framed us  as wed exchanges vows. The reception was filled with small tables high and low covered with plum & chartreuse linens – glazed ceramic bottles of fiddleheads and dahlias, stone compotes of  dahlias and licorice vine, sweet peas and ruffled heuchera leaves. Each table was different. Nikki carried a bouquet of lavender sweet peas and lady slippers peppered with fiddleheads. Satin ribbons trailed as she walked down the aisle…

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Post tags: Backyard, Cupcakes, Nantucket, Spruce Floral
Post categories: Bouquets, Casual Elegance, Centerpieces, Wedding Flowers

photographs by Steve DePino and Jim Altieri

From the lovely bride…

We chose colors that complimented the colors of the water. Our florist, Elisabeth from Studio Blush, created a beautiful, classic look using mainly white flowers with hints of purple (my favorite color). The arrangements on the long rectangular tables were mainly single bloom arrangements in square vases and all the bridesmaids carried white bouquets also made of single blooms. My bouquet was all different types of purple flowers and wrapped in the lace from my Lela Rose gown-it was gorgeous! There were candles everywhere to keep the lighting very natural. My Mom filled the large fireplace with hurricane lanterns with sea shells and other freestanding candles which was very impressive.

We worked with Judy Paulen designs at Bloomingdales for all of our invitations and save the dates and then personally designed the menu and programs with help from family friends, Rex and Wendy Walden. We printed them locally and kept the theme of using the Sachem’s Head Yacht Club etching on the menu (as we did on the Save the Date). I designed the escort card display so it would cover up an ugly corkboard in the entryway to the ballroom using linen fabric and ribbons in different purple patterns. My friend, Amy, helped with all the calligraphy on the invitations, escort and seating cards. We created seating card holders out of wine corks.

LOVE!! Thank you so much to Steve DePino for sending this lovely wedding our way! Coming up, we’re announcing the winner of the latest Crate and Barrel giveaway.

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Post tags: Butter by Nadia, Christian Louboutin, Color Palette Purple Blue, Cupcakes, J. Crew, Lela Rose, Purple, Sachem's Head Yacht Club, Steve DePino, Studio Blush
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Traditional Elegance

Kakes by Karen is located in Naples, Florida … I LOVE the chic designs and delicate work that went into these cakes!

Here’s what Karen says about her creations on her website, “We pride ourselves in making hand elaborated, custom-made cakes that are never refrigerated, providing our customers a promise of freshness. Our cakes are decorated in high quality, glycerin free, delicious rolled fondant. Each cake is designed separately, working with the client, using only fresh ingredients to ensure quality. Some of our designs have been influenced and inspired by techniques learned from international chefs, as well as various judges and Food Network Cake Challenge winners.”

There are tons more photographs of her work in her cake galleries … all sizes and styles … and her cupcakes are just too pretty! So if you’re anywhere in her area, definitely give her a call!

Next up … candy stations …

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Post tags: Cupcakes, Florida, Fondant, Kakes by Karen, Naples
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Cakes

But rather than let that deter the so-so-so- happy couple … they chose to embrace the day!

Little Black Book member, Heather Dwight of Calluna Events in Boulder, Colorado coordinated Joanne & Jake’s  wedding. She’s written a great piece on her blog about ‘a day in the life of’ a wedding planner based upon Jake & Joanne’s wedding!  The point being … no matter how well organized you are, “stuff” happens. Think of a wedding coordinator as a fireman wearing many hats who puts out lots of little fires! Heather, you guys did a fantastic job!!

Jenna Walker Photographers … Jenna & Katie … are sisters, who each, in their own rights, are mega-talented photographers. They capture the emotions, the passions … and the FUN … that make this day, of all days, AMAZING!

from Jenna’s blog …

Joanne & Jake are the type of people you can’t help but admire. They are the creative types. Adventurers. Authentic, no holds barred. All with the sort of humility that many aspire to, but few attain. Joanne is a well-traveled, sharp-shooting architect. Jake – the Editor-in-Chief of Skiing Magazine: see also witty journalist guised as a ski bum. Put the two together, give them a map – and you’ve got a story worth listening to. Sit down. Grab a beer. They will make you laugh. Given this combination, it was with deep respect that the task of shooting their wedding would become. They know photography. They know clean lines and soft light and composition. But more than that, they understand what is real, what is true, what is them.

. . .

A family full of writers makes for a series of toasts worthy of publishing. Everyone had a go at the mic – even the littlest lady of the family put in her two cents. As a finale to a series of 4 or 5 speeches, Jake toasted Joanne in a laugh-till-you-cry speech.

The precious cupcake flags, table numbers and place cards pictured were made by LBB member, Bird Dog Press. Cupcakes by Tee and Cakes.

For a more complete list of wedding vendors, please see Jenna Walker Photographers and Calluna Events blogs …

And so … there are only a handful of the “best days of your life”. Your wedding day ranks WAY up there. I think Joanne & Jake got it right!!

A HUGE THANKS to Jenna & Katie, … Colby Brown … Joanne & Jake … for sharing this day!

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Post tags: Bird Dog Press, Boulder, Calluna Events, Colorado, Cupcake Flags, Cupcakes, Denver, Jenna Walker Photographers, Place Cards, Table Numbers, Tee and Cakes
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers, Wedding Style

Delish!

Just in case you missed the second post … those are drumsticks (above). Mike is a drummer and Julia secretly had them passed out to their guests at the church. When they were leaving the ceremony, much to Mike’s surprise, they were greeted by the clattering of the drumsticks. Pretty darned cute!

And this is one of my favorite shots from the day!

… more on the way …

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Post tags: Centerpieces, Cupcakes, Desserts, Drumsticks, favors, Justin Marantz, The Carousel at Lighthouse Point
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Real Weddings, Wedding Photography, Whimsical

A lonnnnng time ago, Amanda sent us one of her favorite weddings and as luck would have it, one of those pesky little SMP elves came around and buried the images deep within our  overflowing SMP gallery.  Eeeeeeee–gads! Should I even admit that? But all is well now at SMP, and Caitie and Mike’s wedding was re-discovered … it’s simply charming.

Caitie and Mike’s Appleford Estate Wedding in Villanova, Pennsylvania from Amanda Kraft Photography…

During the ceremony one of Caitie’s bridesmaids sang a song entitled “Favorite Day,” bringing tears to everyone’s eyes. Guests enjoyed cocktails on the grounds at Appleford, with a tented dinner and dancing following.

Fun Wedding Story From Caitie … “For the rehearsal dinner I had one of my bridesmaids alter my mothers floral polyester wedding dress to something halter and shorter. It looked great and my mother loved it! We had a picture of her in it next to the placecards. We didn’t realize it until later, but her dress was the exact colors I had already picked for my wedding! Spooky!”

Amanda asked Caitie, “If there is one thing that you want to express about your wedding day, what would it be?” Her reply, “It was the most fun I have ever had at a wedding!  The energy was amazing, and I didn’t want the evening to end!”

How they met? Caitie and Mike first met while Caitie was waiting tables on a Sunday afternoon in December. Mike came in because it was cold out and she decided to give him whatever he wanted free, just to get him to stay. They’ve been together since Dec. 2001.

Caitie’s proposal story … “During a trip to Rome, Mike proposed. He ended up having to go with his “plan C” because plan A, the Spanish Steps, was a bust (drunk teenagers everwhere) and then I ruined plan B, the Opera. I had been up for 36 hours from the flight and was tired. He proposed in our cute little hotel room in the morning after a good night sleep, starting his proposal with “Do you wouloooooolike this room?”

A few more of the details from Caitie and Mike’s wedding …

Wedding Gown Designer and Description: Atelier Aimee. Strapless, empire waist, pearl beading on the top and silk charmeuse on the bottom.

Tux Designers: Demetrios, Destiny Sand, Two Button Notch Suit.

Something Blue, Something New, Something Borrowed? Blue was the garter from her mother, old & borrowed was her great grandmother’s handkerchief and something new was the dress.

Cake: Instead of a traditional wedding cake, Caitie opted for 5 flavors of cupcakes from Doughmain Baked Goods (cute name for a baker!).

Floral Design from Offshoots: The centerpieces were made of red & green grapes and green apples, roses, daisies, fiddle head ferns and hydrangeas.

Event Coordinator- Merissa Kilbrith, Perfect Weddings

Caterer- Feastivities (LBB Member)

Officiate- Elizabeth Frumin

A huge thanks to Amanda Kraft Photography for sharing Caitie & Mike’s absolutely charming wedding with us on The Little Black Book Blog!

For more of her work, check out her website and blog. And HERE is another of Amanda’s weddings {Melissa & Rob} that we featured on Style Me Pretty!

AND NOW … by popular demand, is a photo that Caitie just sent in of her REHEARSAL DINNER dress (read the story above for the particulars!).

SO PRETTY! (photo on right provided by the lovely Caitie)

Thanks again to Amanda Kraft Photography, a terrific photographer listed in Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book of Wedding Professionals.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amanda Kraft Photography, Appleford Estate, Apples, Atelier Aimee, Centerpieces, Cupcakes, Pennsylvania, Tented Reception, Villanova
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography, Wedding Style

Those are some really fun and beautiful photos, thank you Kim and Niki! We have another featured wedding on the way!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Color Palette Blue White Black, Cupcakes, Details, Elegant, Grooms Fashion, Kim and Niki Photography, Lanterns
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Photography

photos by Docuvitae

From Lisa…

As the final surprise of the evening…my dear friends at the Vanilla Bake Shop set up the most insane “Marie Antoinette” inspired dessert bar which was devoured within minutes. Beyond all the gorgeous decor…I have to say working with Sara and Ian, and their amazing families made everything that much more special. Their wedding was such an extraordinary celebration of love, and Sara and Ian were an absolute blast to work with. We miss our daily e-mails and calls with them!! Thank you as well to Laura and her amazing team at Docuvitae for capturing the event so beautifully.  The images are simply stunning!

* * *

This wedding is such luxury…complete, unabashed romance. And yet, there are elements that you can pull on any budget. The pretty array of simple candles gracing the mantelpiece, the perfect little cupcakes in a simple chocolate and white scheme, the infusion of zebra prints for a pop of chic, the hodgepodge of china that could be found on ebay or in flea markets. There really are so many elements of this wedding that could be interpreted to different budgets and style. It just takes a little bit of imagination!

For my own wedding, we sourced ebay for months collecting champagne saucers to add to our table decor. Each and every piece was different. It not only looked gorgeous, in that elegant mismatched style, it also brought something a little special to the table settings.

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Post tags: Cupcakes, Dessert Table, Docuvitae, Oh How Charming
Post categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

I am so in love with this romantic affair, with such pretty pink details. The whole affair was coordinated by Details Details and I have to say, it was done so flawlessly!

Oh and the bride is actually a pretty well known model/actress! So pretty!

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Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Color Palette Pink, Cupcakes, Details Details, Hair Accessories, Pink Roses, Table Settings
Post categories: Accessories, Jewelry, Shoes, Wedding Fashion

I love the vivid pink from this color palette…strawberry pink paired with bubblegum pink paired with a more raspberry hue. It’s a shock of color but one that just works! Pink is a perfect color to use on a candy buffet because it’s so vivid. It really makes a statement better than the more muted candy tones that you sometimes see (other than white, of course, which is as pretty as it gets).

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Post tags: Atlanta, Candy Buffet, Color Palette Pink, Cupcakes, Our Labor of Love, Pink Week, Vivid Pink, Wedding Dessert Table
Post categories: Wedding Details

Top Row by Vanilla Bakeshop, Second Row by Rebecca Thuss, Third Row by Rebecca Thuss and Red Ribbon Studio, Fourth Row by Taste

I do think that it’s nice to have somewhat of a substantial dessert if you are skipping the wedding cake…maybe an array of fresh baked pies, a selection of great Italian pastries, a hodge podge of miniature cakes in your favorite flavors. Something that guests with a sweet tooth can really look forward to!

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Post tags: Cupcakes, Rebecca Thuss, Red Ribbon Studio, Taste Catering & Event Planning, Vanilla Bakeshop
Post categories: Wedding Cakes

I absolutely love the sweet simplicity of these two cakes. Set among these gorgeous backdrops, these little gems don’t fight to take center stage!

Stay tuned, I even more gorgeous April Reed cakes to show you!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: April Reed, Cupcakes
Post categories: Wedding Cakes