Tim and I grew up together in a small town. We spent every Sunday together in Church and passed each other in the halls of the local high school. We each knew that the other existed but we didn’t really know each other until much later, when our friends became friends. As our friendship became stronger over the years, we both thought to ourselves, there may be something more here. We decided to go on a few dates, to see where things might go. That was four years ago and after years of long distance, multiple job changes, and moves, we are now, finally, living together back in the same small town of our youths. One late night close to Christmas, while working together restoring our old Victorian home, we became engaged. We are now excited to be married and to start the rest of our lives together.

We are planning a small intimate wedding in Tuscany, Italy. I fell in love with Italy slowly over the years, during a few trips I took there with my family. That love was cemented when I spent a summer semester during law school living in Florence. Tim and I took a trip there together two summers ago and Tim became equally smitten. When deciding where to marry, we knew we wanted to spend the day with our close friends and family members in a place that we both love. San Gimignano is a magical walled city in the heart of Tuscany. We will be married there, in the Palazzo del Popolo (the People’s Palace) in June of 2012.

Photography: Erin Samuell, A Simple Photograph / Venue: Bayfield, The Little Inn + The Red Pump Inn / Bike: Hazlitt Vintage Rentals

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Post tags: A Simple Photography, Bayfield, Beach, Bicycles, Bikes, Boots, Canada, Dogs, engagement session, Engagement Shoot, Hazlitt Vintage Rentals, Ontario, The Little Inn, TheRed Pump Inn, Water, Wedding Inspiration, wellies
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

These two met working on a movie set in the Bronx. Andy was the lead and Ashley was an extra. The scene was  a house party gone wrong where a fight breaks out and eventually gun shots are fired, not the most romantic place you’d think to find love.

From the groom … I remember Ashley sitting in the waiting room where all the extras were holding, I was smitten from the moment I laid eyes upon her. She was breathtaking. I remember trying to find an excuse to go and talk to her but I was so shy, and instead lived vicariously through the other boys who made their attempts.

At some point the director comes up to me and says, “Hey, in the next scene I need you to be flirting with a girl at this party, so go and pick out one of the extras.” I jumped, like a little boy, I jumped. It’s hard to explain love at first sight without sounding banal in describing feelings but, it was very much that, love at first sight. I quickly picked Ashley from the crowd and before you know it we were pulled tight together and whispering. At first there were nerves abound but, as we flirted, she let me know that she was just as nervous as I was and that put us at ease.

I came to find out that she was a very down to earth girl from Texas, and I being a California boy, we found it easy to talk about a longing for home. A day after the shoot, Ash and I walked all over the city together, we mused about everything. I think we walked 151 city blocks but no one was counting. At one point on our long walk Ash and I found an old bench in the middle of Central Park tucked away in a wooded area off the beaten path. She and I sat facing each other eye to eye and I told her, “I think I’m going to marry you one day.” I can’t explain the human heart. I can’t explain leaps and certainty. I just somehow knew she was ‘the one’ and no explanation was needed. We would go on to have a three month long distance relationship and eventually she made the move out to Los Angeles. Four years later, we are getting married.

Before I proposed to Ashley, I had composed an elaborate plan to fly back to New York and propose to her on that bench we found in Central Park. I found it fitting considering it had been a symbol of our romantic beginnings but, my impatience failed me. After I had found the ring I couldn’t contain the secret. One night, Ashley and I were in the kitchen making dinner, Italian wedding soup to be exact. We were having a laugh as usual. She looked divine. I was gushing with anticipation, especially after having asked her father’s permission for his daughter’s hand. My heart raced, it could have been the “Holiday Punch” but, I could no longer hold out. I grabbed her and I told her, “I’m going to ruin something and you can’t be mad at me. This isn’t what I had planned.” I got down on not one, but two knees and begged her to marry me. She said yes, and for the first time I really knew what real love was. I had known we we were in love but, at that point, our love was real.

Our wedding is going to be like the last day of summer camp meets an open bar. We’re getting married on the Yacht Eternity that journeys through Newport Harbor at sunset. It will be simple. It will be elegant. And there will be lots of dancing.

Photography: Punam Bean Photography / Location: Bonelli Park, San Dimas, CA

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Post tags: California, engagement session, Engagement Shoot, Neutral Color Palette, San Dimas, Vintage, Vintage Chic, Vintage Engagement Session, Water, Wedding Photography, Woods
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

Photography courtesy of Kate Harrison Photography.

The lovely little week of gorgeous affairs, just for you:

a luxe San Francisco film featuring the greatest kiss of all time
a vibrant Indian Summer affair in New York
an elegant, rosy soiree in Santa Rosa
a Los Angeles wedding of two high school sweethearts
a beautiful Oregon garden party for two plus their lucky friends and family
a fresh and gorgeous wedding in Florida, filled with style
a fete with an unbelievable amount of rustic beauty from Hillsboro
a traditional Charlotte wedding with the most amazing quirks
an stunning Aspen mountaintop destination affair
a vintage soiree that exudes San Diego chic
a total DIY affair that is totally worthy of the fantastic Sonoma locale

A few genius links from around the WWW:

a great guide for hair how to’s from Jazz Age to Uptown Girl via BHLDN
a DIY cardboard gourd just in time for a holiday wedding from Design*Sponge
a simply gorgeous Nantucket backyard affair over at Once Wed

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Post tags: Dream a Little Dream Events, engagement session, Engagement Shoot, Kate Harrison Photography, San Francisco, Water, Wedding Inspiration, Weekly Wrap-Up, Wrap it up Pretty
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

Don’t worry, garden brides…no one in the world would expect you to have a wedding that looks like it’s been torn out of the pages of a glossy. The reason that we will always love photoshoots like this beautiful one by Simply Bloom Photography is that they can give you ideas for color palettes, flowers, subtle details. Little moments of pretty that you can thread through your own wedding day. To put it simply, they allow you to be inspired and to dream a little bit. They aren’t real though and the layers that you will bring to your real wedding will always outshine the perfect styling. Here’s to Garden Gorg.

From Simply Bloom Photography, LLC… With this inspirational photo shoot we wanted to showcase the quaintness of our local botanical gardens, and all the charming nooks that this venue offers for photos. Simultaneously, we wanted to inspire brides to think outside the box with small details such as favors containers (ours were in a lantern) or using a pot as a pie stand. A local botanical garden is a wonderful place for a charming wedding, and if the grounds allow, there are typically countless picture perfect vignettes throughout, not only for photos, but for a quaint and timeless outside wedding.

Photography: Simply Bloom Photography, LLC / Venue: Huntsville, AL Botanical Gardens / Hair & Make up: Erin Smith Beauty / Florist: Huntsville Florist / Favors & Styling: Simply Bloom Photography, LLC / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang / Belt: Vera Wang

If you missed any, here are all of our pretty posts from the week:

a winter wonderland wedding in Lake Tahoe
a sleek and modern Palm Springs fête
an effortlessly elegant New York affair
a stunning Grand Cayman soiree
a swoon-worthy Santa Barbara stunner
a beautiful Santa Ynez mountain wedding part I and part II + a buying guide
a day filled with eight gorgeous weddings
a beyond gorgeous Ocean Springs soiree
an uber-chic Napa Vallery rehearsal dinner + an oh-so-dreamy wedding
a jaw-droppingly beautiful Altadena soiree + one seriously awesome groomsmen dance
a lovely Cape Cod garden affair
a breathtaking Santa Barbara ballroom affair

Some fabulous links from around the web:

sweet as can be canning labels via {frolic!}
an uber-fabulous DIY fabric garland chandelier via A Beautiful Mess
delicious pear cranberry and gingersnap crumble via Smitten Kitchen

We’d like to extend a warm welcome to our newest Little Black Book members…

Finer Details
Honeymoon Islands, Inc
Oscar & Ruby
Truly Noted
Love This Day Events
The Piccadilly Flower Company
Sweet Booths
Bella Carta Studio
[stu-di-o] by jeanie

To apply to become a member of our LBB click here. We’d love to hear from you!

And last, but certainly not least…

Don’t forget to head on over to Style Me Pretty California and leave your ultimate wedding planning questions for the oh-so-amazing Valley and Co.!  The awesome team of Aleah and Nick will be picking THREE of your fabulous questions and will be back with all of their planning expertise next Friday, November 4th!  Don’t miss out!

Have a pretty, pretty weekend! See you back here Monday morning. xoxo

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Post tags: Alabama, Engagement Shoot, Erin Smith Beauty, Garden Inspiration, Garden Wedding, Huntsville, Huntsville Botanical Gardens, Huntsville Florist, LLC, Simply Boom Photography, Vera Wang, Wrap it up Pretty
Post categories: The Blog

Click here to see more of this sesh from Amy Majors Photography.

A week of pretty posts, just in case you want to revisit them for the 101th time:

a beautiful, foggy Ojai wedding filled with laughter and love
a soft and romantic affair in lovely California
a rustically chic Oregon vineyard soiree
a Maryland wedding with the most adorable ring bearer and accompanied by a perfect film
a totally pretty in pink fête from Laguna Beach
a fabulous Connecticut farm wedding with peacock feathers and a big, red barn
a contemporary San Francisco beach wedding
a Santa Barbara affair that is so stunning, it almost instantly jumped to the top of my faves list
a classic, chic, and timeless Philadelphia soiree

A few of our favorite links from the web:

a lot of information on how to have floating lanterns at your affair from SimplyStated
a gorgeous fall wedding in beautiful Maine over at Grey Likes Weddings
a new line from a few of our favorites, B H L D N via the Main Page

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Post tags: Amy Majors Photography, engagement session, Engagement Shoot, Minnesota, Wedding Inspiration, Weekly Wrap-Up, Winter, Wrap it up Pretty
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

See the rest of this cute as can be sesh here!

The pretty parade, in case you missed any of it:

a super sweet San Francisco highlight film filled with utter joy
a Maryland engagement party, so glamourous you WILL gasp aloud
a modern wedding in Connecticut filled with so much love you can feel it
an oh-my-goodness gorgeous all-white affair in Tennessee
a rustic, chic, outdoor South Carolina soiree we just can’t get enough of
a California fête so full of whimsy, I could die of the fabulousity
a vendor spotlight celebrating all things beautiful & sweet
a fantastically classic family affair from California
a quintessential Maine wedding on the water
an all-star team of LBB vendors in an ah-maze-ing California soiree
a San Francisco affair so classic, so chic, and so beautiful

Some pretty awesome links from around the web, if I do say so myself:

a tiny tassel DIY that would make adorable decor, especially if made in bulk via Oh Happy Day
a bit of thinking outside the white in the world of wedding dresses from Green Wedding Shoes
a Jamaican holiday contest you MUST enter on the Main Page

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Post tags: Adeline and Grace Photography, California, engagement session, Engagement Shoot, vineyard, Weekly Wrap-Up, Winery, Wrap it up Pretty
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

Photography by the lovely Amy Majors Photography. Click here for more!

All the weddings of the week, in case you missed any:

a show-stopping bride in this cinematic trailer from Atlanta
a Colorado backyard wedding with a bit of international flair
a classic & chic Philadelphia soiree with a great highlight film
an Anthropologie-Inspired faciful fête in Oregon
a New York City wedding, filled to the brim with classic beauty
a chic Connecticut affair in the sweetest little school
a stunning highlight film from San Francisco
a bride with the most amazing smile in Napa Valley
a backyard wedding that raised the bar in California
a nature-filled and lovely Vermont affair

Some links we’re digging from around the web:

a DIY tissue paper garland via Oh Happy Day!
a super adorable engagement session via 100 Layer Cake
a bunch of white hot bridesmaid dresses via Wedding Chicks

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Post tags: Amy Majors Photography, Cooking, Dogs, engagement session, Engagement Shoot, Minnesota, Weekly Wrap-Up, Wrap it up Pretty
Post categories: engagement session, Little Black Book Blog

From Craig Photography … This couple, Gina and Brian, chose my absolute most favorite space to photograph in Pittsburgh – Mellon Park. It’s very “Garden of Eden meets Mid-Summer Night’s Dream.” There is amazing architecture and all the flowers, foliage and even an herb garden are maintained by volunteers.

For this session I was inspired to call Jody Wimer of JPC Event group, a friend of mine, to help with setting up a more elaborate session within my favorite space. Jody took charge of the entire look and designed and set up three separate scenes/sets for us to photograph in. For inspiration, I simply told her words to describe what I was looking for: romance, color, vintage, ethereal, soft and feminine.

As you can see from the photos, she did a terrific job. She set up a shabby chic set –  the table and chairs with sage cloth and vintage overlay, a vintage set – her great-grandmother’s ironing board with colorful flower arrangements and select homemade treats including delicious frangipane mini-pies, and a modern look with a handmade baby’s breath garland and accents and hanging fabric.

Photography: Craig Photography / Event Planning & Design:  JPC Event Group

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Post tags: Baby's Breath, Craig Photography, engagement session, Engagement Shoot, JPC Event Group, Mellon Park, Park, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Raspberries, shabby chic, Vintage
Post categories: engagement session, Little Black Book Blog