photography by Muse Photography

Here’s what Melissa had to say …

I presented Deborah’s calligraphy to my husband in a private moment after the wedding. He was touched. I was so pleased to be selected as the winner because that reading really did embody the sentiment of the day – simplicity. As complicated as love and marriage are, the commitment we make is simple: to love each other no matter what. Having the text of our reading hanging in our house will remind us of that every day. Thank you!

The original LBB feature was really interesting because of the variety of readings that were sent in. If you’re still looking for ideas for your own ceremony, here’s the link to the post:  Wedding Calligraphy by Deborah Nadel Designs.

More about Melissa and Christopher’s wedding …

Our wedding was held at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, AZ. The property sits on 500 acres of pristine desert, overlooking the Valley of the Sun. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as an architecture school and it still grants degrees as well as being open to the public for tours. We feel like we were meant to have our wedding there because they just changed their policy to permit weddings as we were searching for our venue. The property was really the inspiration for the design of the wedding. I chose colors that would complement its desert color palette, and tried to keep all of our decorations simple because we could never hope to compete with the drama and beauty of the property and the setting.

We were able to include our family in the wedding in many special ways. I wore my grandmother’s pearls and my bouquet was decorated with a brooch given to me by my grandmother. My two grandmothers were able to attend, but Chris’s grandmother and grandfather weren’t able to travel. They were each present at the wedding in other ways. Chris wore his grandfather’s cowboy boots, and the scriptural reading (performed by Chris’s mother) was read from his grandmother’s bible. There was not a dry eye when that was announced! We also were lucky to have a number of wedding professionals in the family – Chris’s sister designed all the printed materials (a + joy), my uncle (Anthony Bez) performed classical guitar music for our processional and recessional, and my aunt did my hair.

We thought that the “It’s You I Like” sentiment applied not only to each other, but to our fondness for our guests, so we had tote bags made based on this thought. We wanted something that our guests could take home and reuse (especially important to me since I work in environmental policy).  We displayed them on a table with a flag that said “We Like You, Please Take One” and I think everyone actually did!

Our ceremony was a tribute to the very strong marriages that form the foundation of our family. Our parents have each been happily married for more than 30 years, and our living grandparents fondly remember the 40 to 60 plus years they had together. We had photos from each couple’s wedding day at our guest book table and our minister wrote a ceremony for us to celebrate this theme that was moving, sweet and perfect. My favorite moment of the day was the moment I got to the altar and had the chance to look right into Chris’s beautiful blue eyes. I felt like I was overflowing with happiness and love for him, but at the same time I knew that 125 sets of eyes were on us, wishing us well and also contemplating the love in their own lives. It was a powerful moment.

(photo of invitation courtesy of the designer, Ashley Harms of a+JOY; all other photos from Muse Photography)

I really wanted our guests, who were traveling from all over the country, to get a chance to know the real Arizona desert and see a real Arizona sunset and Taliesin provided that opportunity. Tour guides were stationed around the property and its many buildings to tell our family and friends about the history, architecture and philosophy of Mr. Wright and Taliesin West.

I truly believe that we had the best wedding ever! It is easy to identify the secret ingredient to our success: family and friends!

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Our thanks to Andrew at Muse Photography for sharing the beautiful images from Melissa and Chris’ wedding day!  And a huge congratulations to Melissa and Chris!!

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Credits ~ Venue: Taliesin West, Scottsdale, AZ; Photographer, Andy Andrews of Muse Photography, Phoenix, AZ; Event Design/Wedding Planner/Florist: Carlyn Millea, Risa Whitney Events, Scottsdale, AZ; Cake: Eleonora Levinson, Classic Cakes and Confections, Phoenix, AZ; Catering; Atlasta Catering, Phoenix, AZ;  Stationery/Graphic Design: Ashley Harms, a+JOY, Kansas City, MO; Printing (of stationery and favors): Bezt Impressions, Phoenix, AZ; Videography: Robert Goldstein, Phoenix, AZ, (480) 585-3141; Dress: Kelsey by Modern Trousseau via Hitched Bridal Couture and Creative Planning Salon, Washington, DC; Bridesmaid dresses: J. Crew, Shoes: Stuart Weitzman via Zappos; DJ: Miles Gilbert, SKM Entertainment, Scottsdale AZ, Hair: Kathy Ward, Marcus Hair Studio, Scottsdale, AZ, (480) 991-2044 Makeup: Melissa Glass, Scottsdale, AZ (602) 750-4121.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: a+JOY, Atlasta Catering, Bezt Impressions, Centerpieces, Classic Cakes & Confections, Deborah Nadel Designs, Hitched Bridal Couture, J. Crew, Modern Trousseau, Muse Photography, Risa Whitney Events, Stuart Weitzman, Table Settings, Taliesin West
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Favors & Gifts

Hand calligraphy is a big part of my business and I recently had the pleasure of working with a couple (Janet and Ethan) on the calligraphy for their wedding. After the invitations went out, Ethan asked me to create a design that he could frame and present to Janet on their wedding day. Pictured below is the artwork that I created for them. It is hand calligraphy in multiple colors of gouache on archival cotton paper. The text is a reading from their wedding and features their names and wedding date at the bottom. It was gratifying to work on such a project and inspired me to offer a giveaway to a Style Me Pretty couple to remember their special day. I’m offering a hand calligraphed design using archival inks and paper of a poem or reading from their wedding (maximum of 12 lines of text, maximum overall size 15″ x15″) featuring their names and wedding date.

That’s such a great thing to do … either for your own home or as a gift to one of your loved ones!

Deborah has lots of examples of her work on her website along with examples of the monograms and logos that she creates.

To enter this contest, please leave a comment below giving us an idea of what reading or poem you will be using in your wedding ceremony. Please remember there are text and size limitations. If you’re not sure what you’ll be using just yet … that’s OK. Just let us know you’re interested!!  We will announce the winner on Monday (July 13th) on this same post entry.  Good luck!

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MONDAY JULY 13th UPDATE

And the winner of the contest?

Melissa’s July 9th entry was the one that made Deborah’s heart melt …

It’s you I like, It’s not the things you wear, it’s not the way you do your hair– But it’s you I like The way you are right now, the way down deep inside you– Not the things that hide you, not your toys– They’re just beside you. But it’s you I like– Every part of you, your skin, your eyes, your feelings Whether old or new. I hope that you’ll remember, even when you’re feeling blue That it’s you I like, it’s you yourself, it’s you, It’s you I like.

~ a Mr. Roger’s song

Please see the LBB Blog on July 13th for the complete winning announcement.  A huge thanks to ALL for entering!!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 79 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Calligraphy, Deborah Nadel Designs, Gifts, Give Away, Giveaway, Poem
Post categories: Contests, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Favors & Gifts