Click here for the FULL wedding!

From Shari of As You Wish Events… Allison and Wes Swank’s goal was to astound their guests in every aspect of their wedding. They started by creating a special save-the-date that had a personal touch by incorporating a hand-drawn image of their beloved cocker spaniel, who played a part in Wes’ proposal. The two had been together for eight years before deciding to tie the knot so they wanted to celebrate BIG. Where better to do that than the big city of Dallas? The couple married at First United Methodist Church right downtown. Family and friends gathered in the beautiful sanctuary, which was decorated with large blooming dogwood branches. After the ceremony, the guests made their way to the historic Adolphus Hotel. The soft pinks and creamy vanilla floral with gold accents created a romantic entry and area for guests to mingle before dinner. After cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, guests found their escort cards, which were each calligraphed by hand, and made their way into an inviting room washed in blush lighting with soft, flowy fabric draped throughout. The table tops were drenched in low, creamy floral arrangements that allowed for easy dinner conversation among guests. The menus were carefully tucked into silk napkins that sat on top of gold chargers to add sparkle and depth to the tables.   After a fun night of dinner and dancing, guests grabbed individually wrapped boxes of Tagalong Girl Scout cookies as their favors. They then made their way out the Adolphus lobby doors to send the newlyweds off by waving hand-painted streamer wands. The Swanks spent the first night of their new life just the way they wanted to, in a beautiful place with great food and entertainment, but most importantly, surrounded by their loving friends and family. Wedding Photography: Stacy Reeves / DJ + Lighting: Marcus Rollins / Wedding Reception + Catering: Adolphus Hotel / Florist: Stacey Murdoch of The Wildflower / Wedding Coordination + Event Design:  Shari Johns of As You Wish Events / Wedding Cake: Lauren Kitchens of Fancy Cakes by Lauren / Wedding Gown: Monique Lhuillier via Neiman Marcus / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale via Bridal Collections by Stella / Groom’s Attire: Ralph Lauren / Calligraphy: The Left Handed Calligrapher

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Adolphus Hotel, Amsale, As You Wish Events, Bridal Collections by Stella, Dallas, Fancy Cakes by Laura, Gold, Lauren Kitchens, Marcus Rollins, Monique Lhuillier, Navy Blue, Neiman Marcus, Pink, Ralph Lauren, Shari Johns, Stacey Murdoch, Stacy Reeves, Texas, The Wildflower, White
Post categories: The Blog

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… When Philip and I got engaged, I had no clue what I wanted our wedding to be like. After doing my due diligence via blogs and magazines, I decided on the theme of “romantic, sweet and classic.” Our most important task was finding the right vendors and after that, it all came together nicely. We chose the soft colors of champagne and blush to set the romantic mood. We then picked out the sweetest flowers we could think of, including hydrangeas, peonies, ranunculus and roses. We also decorated the reception using numerous candles to complement our flowers. We had a great planner at Arlington Hall who assisted us with the details of table linens, rentals, and picking out delicious food. We also landed gorgeous letterpress invitations from SmallPrinter on Etsy. At the beginning of the planning process, I didn’t care much about my invitations, but after designing them with SmallPrinter, they turned out to be one of my favorite details of the wedding! Finding my wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses may have been the most difficult part of planning. I wanted a dress that was unique but still classic and romantic. After looking at every store in Dallas, I finally landed on the Jim Hjelm dress. I knew it was just perfect. Based on my dress, I found beautiful champagne bridesmaids dresses that fit our wedding look perfectly.

Finally, we wanted to send our guests off with sweet treats. Philip and I got engaged in Paris, so we wanted to give a nod to Paris without overdoing it. We ordered wholesale muslin bags online and bought some Paris-themed stamps to decorate with. We filled them with pink and white pretzels to make a pretty favor. We also made the ribbon sticks with blush, champagne and white ribbon for guests to wave as we made our exit. Philip and I literally planned the whole wedding together, beginning to end. All of our hard work made the night so much sweeter to us, and we still get giddy thinking about how perfect the day was with our family, friends, and each other.

Wedding Photography: Stacy Reeves Photography / Flowers: The Garden Gate (214-220-1272) / Ceremony: Royal Lane Baptist Church / Reception: Arlington Hall at Lee Park / Catering: Food Glorious Food / Wedding Cake: Frosted Art Bakery / Wedding Invitations: SmallPrinter / Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm via Stardust Celebrations / Bride’s Hairpiece: Untamed Petals / Bride’s Earrings: Bachendorf’s / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jim Hjelm Occasions via Stardust Celebrations / Hair + Makeup: Angie Williams of AW Wedding Hair and Makeup / Band: The Special Edition Band

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Angie Williams, Arlington Hall at Lee Park, AW Wedding Hair and Makeup, Bachendorf's, Badgley Mischka, Blush, Champagne, Dallas, Food Glorious Food, Frosted Art Bakery, Jim Hjelm, Jim Hjelm Occasions, Royal Lane Baptist Church, SmallPrinter, Stacy Reeves Photography, Stardust Celebrations, Texas, The Garden Gate, The Special Edition Band, Untamed Petals
Post categories: Dallas Weddings, Texas Weddings

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… A few years ago, I met my husband playing drums in a band somewhere in Texas, and subsequently relocated to NYC to study fashion design. He moved (followed me, if we’re being honest) up to the Northeast to attend graduate school in Boston which shortened the distance between us, and for the next couple years, we boarded acela trains and bolt buses until we could be together in Brooklyn after graduating. A job offer moved us back home to Dallas, where Adam proposed at the end of a long cross country drive. We immediately planned a wedding that would reflect our tastes and heritage, and we had a ton of fun doing so. I had picked out a frothy, ivory Vera Wang gown in New Orleans, and soon after, I visited my grandmother on the way home who showed me her little vintage, tea-length dress she was married in over 50 years ago. She actually had the $18 receipt, which I saw with my own eyes! I knew I had to incorporate it, so I planned to wear it during the reception. Somehow she was convinced I was altering it completely to make it more modern, but I surprised her at the wedding with nothing changed whatsoever — not even the waist was taken in, which was unbelievable.

Another amazing part of the day were the flowers, done by Alicia and Adam Rico of Bows and Arrows. The bridesmaids carried little bundles of succulents and anemones, which balanced out my ridiculously impressive bouquet of tallandsia, zerographica and succulents, which were inspired from a bouquet I saw on the cover of a German bridal magazine called Brud.

We had a friend’s string quartet play during the processional, outside on the most perfect October day ever. We didn’t even need all the handmade program fans (inspired by Rifle Paper Co.) my mother and I glued together the week prior. The lovely ring bearer bowl was made by fellow Texan creative Paloma’s Nest, which caused a funny scene when the best man had to bite the rings off with his teeth…
Immediately after exchanging beautiful vows before our family and friends (and putting God above all else), we headed inside the giant warehouse loft to dance to Van Morrison and eat as much BBQ as we could. Our dear friend made a gorgeous croquembouche cake (which had to be remade hours before due to a not-so-hilarious catastrophe with a lab puppy) which we also paired with homemade pies and cobblers on the dessert table. Finally, our guests saw us off in my Dad’s blue 1950′s pickup truck, which we drove back to the Belmont Hotel and swapped into our VW for our cross country drive to San Francisco for our honeymoon. The end!

Photographer: Sarah Kate, Photographer / Florist: Bows and Arrows / Venue: Hickory Street Annex / Caterer: Gil’s Elegant Catering / Entertainment: Good Question Band / Wedding Dresses: Vera Wang + Vintage / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Garter: Florrie Mitton / Ring Bearer Bowl: Paloma’s Nest / Bride’s Ring: Vintage / Groom: Satomi Kawakita / Bridesmaid Dresses: Nordstrom / Groom’s Tuxedo: J.Crew / Groomsmen Shirts, Ties + Bonobos Pants: J.Crew / Lodging: Belmont Hotel / Hair + Makeup: Lure Salon / Bunting, Table Numbers, Cake Topper + Mr. and Mrs. Forks: BHLDN / Program Fans, Cork Table Number Holders, Burlap and Lace Table Runners, Wedding Aisle Floral Mason Jars + Vintage Framed Photos: DIY

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Belmont Hotel, BHLDN, Bows and Arrows, Dallas, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Florrie Mitton, Gil's Elegant Catering, Good Question Band, Hickory Street Annex, J. Crew, Jimmy Choo, Lure Salon, Nordstrom, Paloma's Nest, Sarah Kate Photographer, Satomi Kawakita, Texas, Vera Wang
Post categories: Dallas Weddings, Texas Weddings

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From Sara of Sara Donaldson Photography… The latest entry on Magan’s blog post is titled, “If you love the life you live, you will live a life of love.” Maegan lives a life of love: Her wide-open heart and strong yet soft demeanor draw you in. Maegan was diagnosed with breast cancer two weeks before her 24th birthday. With the help of her beloved, Ryan, she decided to do everything in her power to beat cancer. She endured chemo, radiation, multiple surgeries, infections and hospital stays, with Ryan at her side. Today, she is in remission, married to the love of her life, with a set of beautiful images that captured her truly enchanting November wedding day.

As I prepped my gear for their outdoor wedding, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was going to rain. I packed umbrellas and a rain cover for my camera as a precaution, considering the forecast looked lackluster at best…and thought to myself, it’s ok. If the heavens open up today with rain, it will be heaven’s happy tears. A bright-eyed beauty is marrying the love of her life today, supported and loved by him in a way not often seen. When I arrived at the venue, the amazing team from Bella Flora of Dallas was buzzing about, making the final touches to their exquisite set. Among the box of details I was to shoot, I found, to my tearful surprise, dozens and dozens of vintage hankies, wrapped with a sweet bow and tied with a tag that said, “Happy Tears.” The day swiftly went from gloomy and cloudy to perfectly sunny; the heavens opening up to showcase a perfect sunset and a beautifully mild evening as the backdrop for Maegan and Ryan’s proclamation of love. It was one of the sweetest moments thus far in my career to watch them through the lens that day. I am grateful to have opportunities in my life to provide such lovely people with lasting memories. What a joy. If you would like to learn more about Maegan’s battle with cancer, please visit Maegan’s blog.

From Jaime of Bella Flora of Dallas… When I first met with Maegan and Ryan, they had just decided to scratch their idea of a destination wedding on the beach and keep the nuptials in Ryan’s home state of Texas. Neither wanted a stuffy, super formal affair, but wanted to incorporate the bride’s love of Anthropologie and the groom’s love for cars into their special day. Maegan and Ryan exchanged “I Dos” at Vaquero Golf Club — the same place where they fell in love under a sky of bright fireworks on July 4th. To everyone’s surprise, a fireworks show erupted as soon as the bride and groom made their way back down the aisle. The entertaining show was the perfect precursor to the enchanting reception that was to follow. The porch at Vaquero where Maegan and Ryan had shared many meals had been transformed with a grand tent, glowing candlelight, and fluttery blooms in romantic tones. Guests sat at wooden tables complete with Jan Barboglio chargers, vintage china and paisley printed chairs. Lush garden roses, peonies, hydrangea, queen ann’s lace, and lisianthus spilled out of tall mercury vessels. The eclectic but sophisticated look was the perfect blend of Maegan’s dream and Ryan’s mother’s exquisite taste. Touches of Maegan and Ryan’s personalities were seen throughout the night. Guests snacked on a late night buffet of carnival foods complete with mini caramel apples, donuts, and caramel popcorn. Guests were given vintage hankies for their “happy tears” during the ceremony, and festive pashminas were displayed in a delicate chest that had been passed down through Ryan’s family. In true Isip style, the couple departed in Ryan’s dad’s roaring Ferrari. There was not a dry eye as the couple’s friends shared their love and appreciation for Maegan and Ryan. Less than a year before the wedding, Maegan conquered her battle with breast cancer, and Ryan was there with her every step of the way. Through the chemo, surgeries, and hospital stays, the couple grew even more in their relationship, and it was evident of their love on their wedding day.

Photography: Sara Donaldson / Venue: Vaquero Club / Event Coordination, Design + Flowers: Bella Flora of Dallas / Hankies: Vintage / Wooden Chest for Scarves: Family / Getaway Car: Ferrari / Wedding Gown: Monique Lhuillier / Pashminas: A California flea market / Cocktail napkins + Rentals: Bella Flora of Dallas / Wedding Cake + Mini Vanilla Cakes: Panini Bakery / Food + Chocolate Lava Cakes: Vaquero Club

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bella Flora of Dallas, Dallas, Ferrari, Monique Lhuillier, Panini Bakery, Sarah Donaldson, Texas, Vaquero Club
Post categories: Dallas Weddings, Texas Weddings, Traditional Elegance

Now hows about we finish this party off with an ever so cool film of the day captured by Land Shark. Sound good?

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… Travis and I have been together for over a decade and share a million interests; we also love a good theme party.  We did a lot of waiting around for inspiration to strike but, with so many conflicting ideas,the hardest part was finding a way to focus on something useable and romantic.  Since meeting at an academic summer camp in high school, what has always united us is our shared curiosity and love of learning. Our fantastic planner, Kelly Simants, recognized this and suggested our perfect theme — science!  We immediately set about collecting mid-century science items from Etsy, eBay, vintage shops, bookstores, and our families.  Rather than numbers, each table featured a different science, with guests using 35mm slides and a couple old slide projectors to find their seats.  We also used balloons to transform the space into something a bit colorful and whimsical and unexpected.

We also incorporated other things we love in small ways.  All of our ceremony music was from RPGs that we’ve played together. Our guestbook was a blank world map I created for guests to mark their hometown, favorite city, or where they’re dying to go, and to fuel our own travels. The boutonnieres were cut from an 1806 map of London and secured with clock faces–a little nod to Doctor Who. Our save the date was a short film; our invitations secretly held the story of our relationship; the giant lighted letters were a weekend project with our close friends.  Wherever we could inject a little “us”, we did.

Ask your friends for help with style and execution.  Assemble your dream team of vendors by surrounding yourself with talented people you like and trust–and have as much fun together as you possibly can. We decided we simply HAD to have a wedding because it was the one time we could gather our friends and family in one place, and we firmly believe that the people in our lives are fantastic and should be in each others’ lives.  The most rewarding part of the weekend was watching all the new friendships roll in.

Wedding Photography: Sarah Rhoads Photographers / Wedding Cinematography: Land Shark / Flowers: Talented friends and the groom’s sister / Event Design: The bride and groom / Event Planning: Kelly Simants of Sweet Pea Events / Event Styling: Event Styling by Shawna Marie / Ceremony Location: eM the Venue / Reception Location: eM the Venue / Catering: eM the Venue / Cake: Fancy Cakes by Lauren / Invitations: Vynsie Law (with ferris wheels by the bride’s mother) / Other Paper Goods: The groom’s sister + the bride & groom / Guestbook Map: The bride / Shoes: Hey Lady / Dress: Pronovias / Bridesmaid Dresses: Traffic People / Groom + Groomsmen Suits: Thick as Thieves / Groomsmen Boutonnieres: Talented friends / Officiant’s Suit: Magnoli Clothiers / Hair: Jorge Abrego Jr. / Makeup: Emily Ward / Hairpiece: Twigs & Honey / Jewelry: Petra Domling / Music: DJ ModChap / Rentals: Period Charm Rentals / Balloons: Balloon City USA / Fair Day Dress: Dear Creatures / Fair Day Shoes: Chocolate Schubar / Fair Day Jewelry: We Dream in Colour

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 36 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Balloon City USA, Chocolate Schubar, Dallas, Dear Creatures, DJ ModChap, eM the Venue, Emily Ward, Fancy Cakes by Lauren, Hey Lady, Jorge Abgrego Jr., Kelly Simants, Land Shark, Megnoli Clothiers, Period Charm Rentals, Petra Domling, Pronovias, Sarah Rhoads Photographers, Sweet Pea Events, Texas, Thick as Thieves, Traffic People, Twigs & Honey, Vynsie Law, We Dream in Colour
Post categories: The Blog, Whimsical

click here for the FULL gallery of images!

From the Bride… Caleb and Ashley’s big day was June 25, 2011 in Dallas, TX. We had our ceremony and reception at Marie Gabrielle because we loved the simple elegance of the gardens and restaurant. Ashley loves flowers and bright colors, so the wedding colors we chose were honeysuckle, lemonade, and tangerine. Ashley’s sister Sara was the maid of honor and she helped with the special touches that made the ceremony unique. She made a banner out of roses with Caleb and Ashley’s intitials, which the ring bearers were supposed to walk down the isle during the ceremony. At the last minute that did not work out, but we were still able to use it at the reception. The florist had the idea to hang wicker balls with flowers cascading out to frame the “altar.” His floral pieces were fluffy, danty, and full of color – nothing short of excellent.

The day of the wedding seemed to fly by, but we tried to take it all in, not wanting to forget the special moments from the day we committed ourselves to each other until death do us part! The vows, worship, and communion gave the ceremony the sacred touch we wanted. We realized pretty quickly that we would not be the people we are today without the friendships of our bridesmaids and groomsmen. By the end of the day, we were able to look at one another and smile with contentment as we both noted, ‘It was all worth it’.

Photography: Ryan Ray / Flowers: Peregrins Florist / Ceremony Location: Marie Gabrielle / Reception Location: Marie Gabrielle / Dress: Pronovias / Cake: Panini Bakery

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dallas, Marie Gabrielle, Panini Bakery, Peregrins Florist, Pronovias, Ryan Ray Photography, Texas
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From Andrea Polito Photography… Andrea and Colin wanted an elegant and intimate wedding in the Big D and could not have picked better venues for their dream wedding.  The ceremony at the Rotunda at Chase Tower provided a light and airy ceremony for this sweet couple’s vows.  The newlyweds and their well-wishers then traveled down to street to the Nasher Sculpture Center for their garden party reception.  Decor by the truly talented teams of Urban Flower Grange Hall and Mathes & Co Events made the night.  Chandeliers hung in the trees and love was in the air as the couple and their friends and family danced the night away!  It was such a joy to capture this special night for such a gorgeous and happy couple!

Wedding Photography: Andrea Polito Photography / Wedding Planning: Mathes and Co. Events / Wedding Ceremony Location: The Rotunda at Chase Tower / Wedding Reception Location: The Nasher Sculpture Center / Catering: Wolfgang Puck / Cinematographer: Greg Fiske / Rentals: Posh Couture Rentals + Ducky Bob’s + Suite 206 / Lighting: Beyond / Gospel Choir: Encore Productions / Band: Time Machine / Florist: Urban Flower Grange Hall / Wedding Dress: Stanley Korshak / Hair: Trisha Mayrack of Salon Three Thirty / Makeup: Tina Adams of Mason / Getaway Car: Romantic Remembrances / Transportation: Wynne Transportation / Valet: Gold Crown Valet

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Andrea Polito Photography, Beyond, Dallas, Ducky Bob's, Encore Productions, Gold Crown Valet, Mathes and Co. Events, Outdoor Ceremony, Posh Couture Rentals, Romantic Remembrances, Salon Three Thirty, Stanley Korshak, Suite 206, Texas Weddings, The Nasher Sculpture Center, The Rotunda at Chase Tower, Time Machine, TX, Urban Flower Grange Hall, Wolfgang Puck, Wynne Transportation
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Dallas Weddings, Texas Weddings

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Groom…When we first started planning our wedding, we knew immediately that we wanted to accomplish three things: (1) create a relaxed, intimate setting designed to maximize our quality time with loved ones, (2) give honor to our family and our past throughout the night and (3) incorporate personal touches that held meaning to the both of us. What we didn’t know quite so immediately was how complex that planning could become. Thankfully, we found Elizabeth (with “After Yes”) who was able to translate our quirky style into the lovely wedding that we never knew we always wanted.

Strategically placed couches (covered with antique quilts) and carefully chosen local wines and beer created the relaxed environment we were looking for and a sit-down, four course meal gave us the opportunity to celebrate with our closest loved ones in a small personal setting.

My wife and I look to our parents as living roadmaps to a successful marriage (after all they’ve managed to make it work for some 40 odd years themselves) so a simple way we chose to honor them was to use their wedding colors as our own, blue for my folks and yellow for hers. My sister is famous for her homemade jam’s, so it was a “no-brainer” to gift our guests with her Banana Jam, our personal favorite (so much so that it also made its way as a filling into one of our five different wedding cakes). We were also able to hunt down and put on display old family photo’s of couples going back five generations on each side of our growing family tree.

My wife and I are embarrassingly obsessed with surrounding ourselves with antiques, so why would our wedding be any different? A few of our favorite items were: an antique typewriter serving as our “guest book” (also used when we addressed our invitations), a 1901 gramophone used during our first dance, a 1950’s Chevy pick-up truck used as our “get-away” vehicle and selected vintage Dallas postcards used as place settings.

For days after the wedding we heard over and over again that the night was “soooo you two”… and to us that’s the best compliment we could ever receive.

Wedding Photography: Sarah Kate, Photographer / Floral Design: Bows and Arrows / Event Planning: After Yes / Ceremony + Reception Location: Hickory Street Annex / DJ: Astounding Sounds / Catering: Two Sisters / Cakes: Sugar Bee Sweets / Officiant: Love Notes / Ceremony Music: Serenata Strings / Hair + Make-up: Haute Facade / Invitations + Wooden Signs: Elefant Press / Bride’s Shoes: BHLDN / Exit Car: Dallas Classic Chevy

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: After Yes, Astounding Sounds, BHLDN, Bows and Arrows, Dallas, Dallas Classic Chevy, Elefant Press, Haute Facade, Hickory Street Annex, Love Notes, Photographer, Sarah Kate, Serenata Strings, Sugar Bee Sweets, Texas Weddings, Two Sisters Catering
Post categories: Dallas Weddings, Texas Weddings