Wedding Dress: Dolly Couture / Shoes: Target / Cocktail Ring + Black Dress + Clutch: Kate Spade / Sparklers: Tops Malibu via Mrs. Lilien

AAA-DORE, right? Dolly Couture is tops in our book as I’m sure you agree. These gowns are a dazzling combination of smart, sassy, short and sweet… and all with a vintage vibe.  Swoon.  Plus, with an amazing line of accessories, petticoats and headpieces to complete your style, you’re guaranteed a look that’s drop-dead gorgeous AND ultra-chic on your big day.  And who doesn’t love that?!?

So, here’s where it gets really awesome.  In celebration of our 2011 Best of Magazine, the fabulous team at Dolly Couture is giving one lucky reader a the to-die-for-darling dress pictured above OR a $495 credit to be used towards a dress.  I know. Amazing.

To Enter: Head on over to the Dolly Couture website and leave a comment below telling us which Dolly style is your favorite. (Example – The GORGEOUS Avila Bay)

To Win: The winner, chosen completely at random using a number generator, will be announced right here on SMP on Friday, February 17th.

A big thank you to Dolly Couture for bringing their fabulous style to our Wednesday!  Good luck, SMP-ers! xoxo

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 355 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cocktail Dress, Dolly Couture, Fashion, Giveaway, Little White Dress, magazine, Pink, Vintage
Post categories: The Blog

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride… James proposed in May and the wedding planning began.  We both knew that we wanted a summer wedding, but didn’t want to wait another year, so we chose August, only three months away!  This also allowed our family and friends from out of state to enjoy a mini end of summer vacation in San Diego.  With the support of our families, everything came together without a glitch. Picking vendors ended up being one of the easiest aspects of the planning phase, they all were so easy to work with and had such passion for their jobs, it was amazing! We weren’t really fans of “themes”, but we did know that we wanted it to be classic and timeless.

Once I picked my dress, which was only the fourth dress I tried on, the whole vintage theme started to come through.  My grandmother had also worn a tea length dress that was very similar.  Since my only bridesmaids were my sisters, I let them completely pick their outfits!  Happy bridesmaids make for a happy wedding!  They went with similar styles, which we had custom made at Dolly Couture, which they able to wear again to a black tie event!  We didn’t pick “colors” instead we chose the venue and let that be our guide.  It ended up being a pallet of gold, royal blue, and neutral cream tones.  The minute we walked into The US Grant, we were in awe, because it was just so beautiful.  Once we chose the venue, my sister, who also served as my Matron of Honor, and my brother began to work on all of our paper products.  She designed; he printed, then they both assembled all of the invites, ceremony programs, name cards, place cards, menus, and thank you cards.  Basically every paper product was them!  It was truly a labor of love.  We even based the cake design off of the invites and incorporated our “crest” which my sister designed.

My father officiated and my brother-in-law spent hours creating playlists for the evening.  One song that was very important to us was the song I walked down the aisle to, Maria Elena which had been my paternal grandparents “song.”  Since both had passed away years before, this was a way for us to remember them and add a little family tradition as well, since my sister had walked down to the same song only a year prior!  The day of the wedding my sister did all of our hair and we all did our own make-up.  It was just so relaxed and perfect for us, with a couple of cocktails to start the celebration. Three and a half months definitely flew by faster than we could have imagined, but we wouldn’t have changed a thing.  We didn’t have time to flip flop on our choices, once we made a decision, we went with it!  At the end of the day, we married our best friend and celebrated it with our closest family and friends! It was truly perfect and a night we will never forget!

Wedding Ceremony + Reception Location: The US Grant Hotel / Day of Coordination: Thomas Bui Lifestyle / Floral Design: Embellishmint / Wedding Photography: Michelle Sullivan Photography / Wedding Cake: Sweet Layers Cakes / Wedding Dress: Justin Alexander / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridal Head Piece: Bel Aire Bridal / Bridesmaid Dresses: Dolly Couture / Bridesmaid Shoes: Yves Saint Laurent / Groom’s Attire: Hugo Boss / Hair + Make-up: Bride + Sister of the Bride / Officiant: Father of the Bride / Wedding Invitations: Bride’s Sister + Brother

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bel-Aire Bridal, California Weddings, Dolly Couture, Embellishmint Floral and Event Design Studio, Hugo Boss, Jimmy Choo, Justin Alexander, Michelle Sullivan Photography, San Diego, Sweet Layers Cakes, The US Grant Hotel, Thomas Bui Lifestyle, Yves Saint Laurent
Post categories: California Weddings, San Diego Weddings, Vintage Chic

And the romance is brought to life with this incredible video from Modern 8 Films.  How sweet are these vows?

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From Modern 8 Films… A classic 1960′s “Mad Men” inspired wedding at San Francisco’s historic City Hall Building on March 4, 2011.  Jason and Yvonne wanted a wedding that focused on the simplicity of exchanging vows and bringing family together at City Hall followed by a late lunch. The bride wore a knee length wedding dress, teal shoes, lace gloves, and a bird cage veil.  Bridesmaids chose individual vintage dresses in similar shade and era. Reception held at the swanky Starbelly Restaurant on Market St.  Centerpieces were hand made signs displayed in and around mini succulent gardens.

From the Bride… Our wedding was the wedding that almost wasn’t. Jason and I were both quickly defeated by the reality of the costs of wedding locations and were beginning to be discouraged about even having a wedding at all. We were about to call it quits (and elope) when we found San Francisco City Hall. It was love at first sight and, on our first visit, we booked the date and started planning.

I had no idea how difficult it would be to plan a party for 100 people, but after only four months of planning we were able to pull it off without a hitch. I quickly decided on what mattered and what didn’t, in order to save on costs. Some major savings came from my dress and some DIY decor. The biggest savings was probably from choosing locations that were so beautiful on their own, that we didn’t need to do much to spruce them up. The ceremony had virtually NO decor. We simply rented some chairs and printed the programs and let the bridal party and the orchestra make the bulk of the ambiance. The reception was held at a local restaurant, Starbelly, which we originally just picked for their delicious menu, but it didn’t hurt that the restaurant is beautiful and already had a sort of unique feel.

I knew a big place I could save was on flowers, so I only ordered bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages. For the centerpieces I ordered some plain planters and sourced some succulents at my local farmers market. My dad and I planted them together, which was a fun project that he could participate in. I also made a pomander for the flower girl out of yellow satin fabric that I sewed into little rosettes and pinned into a styrofoam ball. The ceremony venue does not allow petals and our flower girl was only two years old, so a pomander was the perfect solution.  A HUGE help to the reception decor was to enlist some graphic design help. An old friend of mine, Andy Tran, is a graphic design student and I called him up to see if he’d be interested in a few wedding projects. He designed our wedding logo, program, table numbers and signs for the guest book and cards. I turned the logo into stickers to make cupcake flags.  I hired a friend of mine to do the wedding planning. It was great to have someone I knew in the role. I had worked with her as a buyer for years and knew that she wouldn’t let a single thing go wrong. Having so much confidence in her was huge, because when it came time for the big day, I wasn’t worrying for a second. I knew everything that needed to happen would happen.

Our wedding was a blast. We did it our way. We had a lovely and honest ceremony (we had a friend as the officiant) and a lively and natural reception. Everyone commented what a great time they had and how great the food was. By 6pm everyone was on their way and had the whole weekend to themselves!

Wedding Photography: Angi Welsch / Cinematography: Modern 8 Films / Flowers: Church Street Flowers / Event Planning: Emily Adachi, Friend of the Bride / Wedding Ceremony Location: San Francisco City Hall / Wedding Reception Location: Starbelly Restaurant / Bride’s Shoes: Betsey Johnson / Wedding Dress: Dolly Couture / Graphic Design: Andy Tran, Friend of the Bride / Wedding Cake: Pinkie’s Bakery

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Angi Welsch, Betsey Johnson, CA, California, Church Street Flowers, DIY Centerpieces, DIY Details, Dolly Couture, Green, Modern 8 Films, Northern California Wedding, Pinkie's Bakery, San Francisco, San Francisco City Hall, Starbelly Restaurant, Teal, Yellow
Post categories: California Weddings, San Francisco Weddings, Vintage Chic, Whimsical

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From the Bride who also happens to be a FABULOUS wedding photographer… As veteran wedding photographers, Tommy and I had a unique perspective when it came to planning our own day.  We had some big advantages, in that we already had established relationships with many of the best vendors in our area – so, we had a good idea of who we wanted to work with, and pretty much had our pick. We also had some pretty strong ideas of what kind of wedding we wanted to have.  While my parents would have loved for us to have a big ballroom wedding with a band, we really wanted our wedding to feel more like a night out at an incredible restaurant.  We opted to forgo a DJ, and instead amassed a collection of handheld vintage radios.  A radio transmitter allowed us to pump an ipod playlist through them, and it was the perfect backdrop for the evening.

Since our wedding was basically a dinner party, the food was really important to us.  We explored the idea of a strolling supper, but decided that since we weren’t doing a dance party, a seated, multi-course dinner would lend a bit more structure to the evening, and be a real treat for our guests.  We interviewed several caterers before deciding to go with Forte Belanger – we wanted to work with a team that could WOW us with an innovative menu, accommodate some vegan friends, and source ingredients sustainably.  They did just that.  People are STILL talking about the amazing food at our wedding.

As soon as we found the Frank Lloyd Wright Palmer House, we knew it was the perfect location.  It’s Ann Arbor’s only Frank Lloyd Wright home, and is beautifully maintained.  It’s only recently been made available as a rental property, and we were actually the first (and possibly only) wedding to be held there.  The property did present some interesting challenges in terms of staging an event – and we took a BIG gamble planning everything outdoors – but we were so lucky to have perfect weather, so it all worked out.

I knew from the begining that I wanted a short, 50′s-style dress, and I kept on coming back to dolly couture.  I was incredibly nervous about ordering a dress sight-unseen online, but I just couldn’t find anything local that compared.  So, I sent along my measurements, and 6 weeks later the dress arrived – and fit perfect right out of the box.

Limiting our guest list to just 60 of our closest friends and family really allowed us to splurge on the things that were important to us.  We hired an incredible team of vendors that we trusted implicitly, and really let them do their thing.  We had a gorgeous invitation suite designed by local letterpress artist Michelle Baker of Elevated Press.  We gave Michelle a lot of creative leeway with our design and she totally NAILED it – the invite actually references the layout of the Palmer House with it’s geometric lines, and we were able to incorporate that triangle theme through much of our design.  We had a local beekeeper friend harvest the cutest little jars of honey for our wedding favors.  This also lent itself to a really cool display that added some visual interest.  The amazing Liz from Parsonage Flowers was so much more than just our florist – she pretty much styled the entire wedding.  During our initial meetings, I showed her some tearsheets of elements that appealed to me.  Tom and I wanted to incorporate a midcentury/vintage feel, but without it becoming a parody of itself.  I knew I wanted yellow to be prominent, and that I loved succulents and ranunculus.  But beyond that, I was clueless about HOW to actually stage a beautiful wedding.  And with the months leading up to our wedding being, well, wedding season – we were so crazy-busy that we really needed someone to go the extra mile in helping pull the design together.  Liz was such a rockstar – sending me mockups of so many incredible ideas, sourcing the coolest vintage furniture pieces from god-knows-where,  hunting for the perfect fabrics, sewing things together – just about every beautiful detail you see is thanks to her.

Of course, as photographers ourselves, choosing a photographer was a little tricky. We are so lucky to call some of the best photographers in the country friends – but in the end, we could only hire one.  There is so much local talent right in southeast Michigan that almost immediately we ruled out flying someone in.  Than it was just a matter of narrowing the field. We wanted to make sure we hired someone who really excelled at shooting the kind of wedding we were having – outdoors, lots of natural light.  We wanted very organic imagery and knew we were less interested in posed photos.  And of course, we wanted someone who was actually excited about the prospect of working with us (shooting for photographers can be tough!!).  We’re so glad we went with Heather, who is not only a amazing photographer, but such a fun person to be around as well.

Wedding Photography: Heather Saunders Photography / Wedding Venue: Palmer House / Wedding Dress: Dolly Couture (Avilla Bay) / Bride’s Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Bride’s Hair Flower: Lo Boheme / Groom’s Suit: Vintage / Groom’s Shoes: Cole Haan / Catering: Forte Belanger / Wedding Invitations & Paper Goods: Elevated Press / Calligraphy: Betsy Dunlap / Floral & Event Design: The Parsonage / Day Of Coordinator: Laura Davis Events / Makeup: Amber Kaczmarek / Hair: Patty Perone of Luigi Bruni Salon / Photo Booth: The Traveling Photo Booth / Tent & Event Rentals: Special Events Rental

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 30 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 1950's, Amber Kaczmarek, Ann Arbor, Balloons, Betsy Dunlap, Cole Haan, Dolly Couture, Elevated Press, Forte Belanger, Frank Lloyd Wright, Heather Saunders Photography, intimate wedding, Laura Davis, Lo Boheme, Luigi Bruni Salon, MI, Michigan, Outdoor Wedding, Palmer House, Paper Lanterns, Special Events Rentals, Stuart Weitzman, The Parsonage, The Traveling Photobooth, Vintage Chic, Yellow
Post categories: Vintage Chic

see the full cake cutting fantabulousness here!

And the fun doesn’t stop there… there’s lots more eye candy where that came from. All the drool worthy inspiration is brought to life in this gorgeous film by Lola Film + Video.

Style Me Pretty ~ Inspiration to Reality ~ San Ysidro Ranch from Lola Film + Video on Vimeo.

Ariel fills us in on the design inspiration behind this shoot:

This “Anniversary Cake Cutting Party” is 50% inspiration, 50% reality, and 100% the result of the efforts of some of my favorite bridal industry friends.First off, I have to start by saying that I was one of the very lucky brides to have had my wedding cake created by Sylvia Weinstock. It was pale pink, with gold lattice piping, covered in thousands of hand made sugar flowers and stretched to nearly 6’6″ tall. It was a perfect reflection of our theme and a girlish wedding fantasy realized.

When it came time for my husband and I to do our traditional Anniversary Cake Cutting, we had the hardest time deciding whether or not to demolish the exquisite top tier of our cake. We took great care to freeze our cake in all of it’s original glory ( sugar flower topper an all). It just seemed like shame for this a work of art to meet such an anticlimactic demise. Being the event planner that I am, and huge fan of Style Me Pretty, I suggested that we turn this ordinary act into a celebration and photo shoot. A celebration of love, prettiness and cake….a photo shoot for the possibility of inspiring brides-to-be as well as newlyweds to keep their wedding day dreams alive long after their vows are exchanged.

A big fantasy element for me with this shoot were all of the gorgeous linens provided by Wildflower Linens. Their stunning Blush Crepe Back Satin linens, gorgeous Butter Empress Lace overlay , Blush Curly Willow chiavari chair covers made the table-scape the talk of the Ranch (the San Ysidro Ranch). On the dessert buffet table, we used Blush Crepe Back Satin linens and a fabulous Gold Lilybelle overlay. The layering of textures and colors looked downright dreamy if I do say so myself. For both our wedding and this shoot, we used Classic Party Rentals’ Vintage Gold china, but for the shoot, I incorporated “London” sterling silver chargers as a cool base for all of the buttery gold tones of the china to “pop” off of. The stemware used was a combination of my own personal collection, mixed with 75 year old cut crystal that had been given to me by my maternal grandmother. I love incorporating familial elements whenever possible because family traditions are what make wedding and event experiences extraordinary. Eddie from Tic Tock really ran with my whimsical theme and created perfectly lush and loose, vintage silver contained arrangements using roses, peonies and scented geranium foliage. He really went above an beyond to knock this design out of the park.I designed this eclectic dessert buffet using an assortment of silver and gold containers, trays and pedestals that we’d received as wedding gifts.

*Tip: Incorporating your wedding china, stemware, silver, etc. is a great way to show off your registry items a well as put a very personal touch on your cake cutting party. Amy from the Vanilla bake shop provided perfectly pink macaroons and peach butter cream rose topped cupcakes. I created meringue covered topiary, and of course the centerpiece was our inspiration…our gorgeous pale pink, sugar flower covered Sylvia Weinstock wedding cake topper. The vibe was laid back, everyone and everything looked fantastic and on top of that, we were at the San Ysidro Ranch (need I say more?).  All in all it was a perfect day for this lovely shoot.

Photography: Michael and Anna Costa Photography / Cinematography: Lola Film+Video / Design and Coordination: Ariel Yve Design / Invitations and Menus: Lazaro Design / Cake: Sylvia Weinstock / Cupcakes and Macaroons: Vanilla Bake Shop / Cotton Candy: Tasty Clouds / Flowers: Tic Tock Couture Florals / Linens: Wildflower Linens / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Lighting: Bellavista Designs / Dresses: Dolly Couture / Location: San Ysidro Ranch / Hair: Sheila Raye Stone / Makeup: Sarah Monachos, Architexture Salon

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Architexture Salon, Ariel Yve Design, Bellavista Designs, Chantale Montgomery, Classic Party Rentals, Dolly Couture, La Belle Bride, Lazaro Design, Lola Film + Video, Michael and Anna Costa Photography, San Ysidro Ranch, Sarah Monachos, Sheila Raye Stone, Sylvia Weinstock, Tasty Clouds, Tic Tock Couture Florals, Vanilla Bake Shop, Wildflower Linens
Post categories: Photo Shoot, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Cinematography, Wedding Decor, Wedding Details, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Style

photography courtesy of IQ photo

{pretty, pretty, pretty short wedding dress from Dolly Couture}

{angela and ben’s smp photo gallery}

from Laurel …

Iowa-born Angela met British Ben in 2007 while working together in London. In March 2008, Ben surprised Angela with a trip to the medieval city of Bruges, and there he proposed in the candlelight of a beautiful restaurant.  He also amazed her by presenting her with a gorgeous ring that had caught her “designer eye” on a jeweler’s website.   The couple wanted to combine their wedding with a visit to family and friends in the US.  After talking about many possible locations for their ceremony, they decided on San Francisco. “San Francisco was on the top of our list because it’s such a fun and funky city,” says Angela.  A cousin living in San Francisco suggested City Hall.  Angela and Ben were completely intrigued when they saw the beautiful pictures on IQ Photo’s website. They were sold  — San Francisco City Hall it was!  In selecting San Francisco and her vendors there, Angela wanted to create a wedding that was fun and carefree with a little twist. “I wanted the day to represent us as a couple – nothing too serious!”

The long distance planning was a breeze for the self-described “Internet hound”.   Good thing, too – because after making preliminary contact with vendors in San Francisco the couple got word from their immigration lawyers that Angela’s extended visa application had been denied, and that she would have to leave Britain by the end of the year!  With only a few weeks to pull it all together, they got on the phone and email that very night.  Luckily, San Francisco City Hall was able to fit them in on New Year’s Eve for the ceremony, and all the other details fell into place.  For her dress, Angela wanted something that really represented her personal style: “nothing too foofy, but elegant and funky with a splash of color. I love retro styles, so I knew I needed to find a vintage-inspired dress.” She found LA-based Dolly Couture, which allows you to select the dress you like and then customize it to your heart’s content.   Angela put together drawings and color swatches for Dolly and her team. “They were amazing from day one. They sent pictures of my dress as it was being made, helped me confirm the type of fabric and color choices – they were so lovely to work with. Once it was ready to go, they shipped it to London and the dress fit like a glove.”

Angela made her own birdcage veil, following instructions on the how-to website Made by Maryann. Ben’s suit was an elegant Paul Smith design, from the Paul Smith store in Covent Garden, and his shirt, tie and cufflinks were purchased at Selfridges in London.  Bride and groom made a point of not telling each other what their outfits were going to be.  Angela says “It was so much fun hiding our garment bags from each other on the flight over and in the hotel. It made the big day even more exciting!” Angela also found the flowers online. One of her favorite flowers is the gerber daisy, so she knew she wanted them in the mix, along with mini calla lilies, roses and orchids in vivid pink and orange to match the accents in her dress.  She searched San Francisco-based florist web sites and came across us ~ Laurel Ann Winzler of Laurel Designs.  Via email she explained what she was looking for and said, “Laurel came back with some great ideas and seemed to understand exactly what I wanted in the bouquet, boutonnière and my flower headpiece. The flowers turned out perfectly and really helped to pull the entire outfit together.”

The day of the wedding was sunny and beautiful, and the setting at San Francisco City Hall created the dramatic backdrop for the ceremony.  Their perfect little bridesmaid was their 8-month-old daughter, Bay, who got into the spirit of the day despite missing her nap.  Following the ceremony, the couple enjoyed a photo session along the San Francisco shoreline and a romantic dinner for two at Woodward’s Garden Restaurant, a local gourmet favorite.  Looking back, Angela says she would not change a single thing. “I loved every minute of it. I think one of the best things that really came out of it was how friendly and helpful every person was who was involved in helping us pull this off. It felt like everything was meant to be as it just fell into place.”

Congratulations on a pretty, pretty, pretty wedding day and thanks to Laurel for sharing!  To see more of Laurel’s sensational floral designs, be sure to take a look at her SMP portfolio gallery and this super-Sausalito wedding featured in December on Style Me Pretty!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bouquet, City Hall, DIY Veil, Dolly Couture, IQ Photo, Laurel Designs, New Year's Eve, San Francisco
Post categories: Bouquets, Little Black Book Blog, Shoes, Vintage Chic, Wedding Dresses

see the SMP Photo Gallery here

from Evonne …

Amie and Cameron moved to Maui last April from New Hampshire, and in August, Cameron proposed while on a trip to the Haleakala National Park. When I first met them last September, we hit it off right away and the planing started immediately. During our initial planning conversation, Amie told me how much she loves the Old Hollywood movies, especially the ones with Audrey Hepburn. I am also a HUGE Audrey fan and I asked her what she’d think if we use that as an inspiration for her wedding design! She was ecstatic!

Their wedding is not till this November at a private estate, but most of us vendors that she has already secured for her big day decided to put together a mock wedding for them! My design inspiration came from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, from the hair/makeup to the vintage-inspired wedding dress, to the birdcage hairpiece, down to the pearl strands on the centerpieces (with a Hawaiian twist).

We selected Hotel Wailea for the shoot as it provides a beautiful outdoor venue that is both classic and romantic. The amazing centerpieces consisted of ivory roses, hydrangeas, crown flowers with pearls and black feathers in a black glass vase. The napkin treatment also tied in with the centerpiece with a single rose and a strand of crown flowers with pearls.

Amie’s bouquet was put together with white phalaenopsis orchids, mini calla lilies, stephanotis, lisianthus, roses, white feathers, black satin ribbon tie and a pearl wrap. Cameron’s boutonniere was a matching single phalaenopsis orchid with white feathers. For the linens, I wanted something with more texture and went with the black shantung sateen and added a silver jewelry box with crystals and pearls inside at each place setting.

To keep a better flow of the shoot, I thought it would be fun to add a classic white faux leather sofa with the silver paillettes sequin pillows as the “loungey area”. For the stationery products, I selected a black and white design which evokes simplicity and a touch of elegance.

Amie’s short wedding dress was Dolly Couture’s newest line – The Lahaina. The ecru lace was covered with this beautiful daisy print. Thanks to my friend Alice for bringing it all the way from Southern California. Now we have to wait till November to see what Amie and Cameron’s real wedding design will be like! Stay tuned …

How fun!! We can’t wait for the real deal!! Thanks to Aimee, Cameron, Evonne, Darren and all the other fantastic vendors for sharing!  See Evonne and Darren’s blog feature here!

Event Design & Planning: Evonne Wong of Events by Evonne, Photography: Evonne Wong & Darren Wong of Evonne & Darren Photography, Favors: Unveiled Events & Gifts, Flowers & hair accessories: Nicole Bonnano of Bella Bloom Floral Boutique, Hair: Dan Sanchez of Dan Sanchez Salon, Makeup: Jessica Waite of Make-Up Artistry, Linens, Chameleon chairs, lounge furniture & pillows: Debbie Fisher of Pacific Event Group, Stationery products: Darla Vietti of Darla Marie Designs, Venue: Hotel Wailea, Wedding Dress: Dolly Thicke of Dolly Couture

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Audrey Hepburn, Bella Bloom Floral Boutique, Chameleon Chairs, Dan Sanchez Salon, Darla Marie Designs, Dolly Couture, Events by Evonne, Evonne & Darren Photography, Hawaii, Hotel Wailea, Make-Up Artistry, Pacific Event Group, Unveiled Events & Gifts
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Photo Shoot, Wedding Planners & Designers, Wedding Style

{click here for more Parisian inspiration}

This styled shoot was inspired by a French flair and intended to showcase a classical nod to a modern bridal shower. The bride–Gabrielle Marie Surrie–has been made lifelong friends during childhood, so she decided to host a small party celebrating their friendship and upcoming wedding. The shower was intended to spoil her friends, so after they signed the guest book, they were invited to adorn themselves with jewelry and hairpieces at a Adorn Yourself station, complete with feathers, jewels, and all things sparkly. The girls then dined on decadent sweets, complete with chocolate chip ice cream, tarts, and macaroons, amongst many other sugary sweets. Gabrielle then invited her friends to feast on cake and pink champagne as they toast life, love, and laughter. After–just before opening gifts–they were invited to the Mixology station, where girls mixed their own perfume as keepsakes. The ladies then ventured into the garden for gift opening and festivities to celebrate Gabrielle’s upcoming marriage.

Photography: Jasmine Star / Flowers and Event Planning: Heavenly Blooms / Event Design and Planning: In the Now Weddings / Venue: Richard Nixon Library / Invitations and Paper Goods: Oh Lovely Day / Hair and Makeup: Flawless Faces, Inc. / Desserts: Jay’s Catering / Cake: Sweet and Saucy / Linens and Backdrop: Glow Concepts / Dress: Dolly Couture / Hair Pieces: Lo Boheme / Jewelry: All Things Tinsel, Angel Black Designs, Renee Pawele Bride / Furniture: Luxe Event Rentals, Classic Party Rentals

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 76 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: All Things Tinsel, Angel Black Designs, Classic Party Rentals, Dolly Couture, Flawless Faces, Glow Concepts, Heavenly Blooms, In the Now Weddings, Jasmine Star Photography, Jay's Catering, Lo Boheme, Luxe Event Rentals, Oh Lovely Day, Photo Shoot, Renee Pawele Bride, Richard Nixon Library, Sweet and Saucy
Post categories: Accessories, Bouquets, Bridal Party, Centerpieces, Jewelry, Wedding Details, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Photography, Wedding Style