Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From J Morgan Flowers… From the moment I first met the bride,  Anna, it was friendship at first sight. She exuded fun, laughter and love. As you can see from the photos its impossible not to find her smile contagious!!

Coming from the Ukraine in her teens she had always dreamed of an English garden wedding, full of colors, smells and playful just like her and her Groom, Brad. We created her English garden using peonies, garden roses, ranaculus, hydrangeas, hanging amarnthus, stock, hydrangeas and curly willow wisping throughout.

The chuppah for the traditional Jewish ceremony was created using curly willow draped in a mix of the chosen flowers.

Being the fun couple that they are they let their bridesmaids pick dresses in their favorite color. The flower girl traveled from the Ukraine and only spoke Russian…but nonetheless was the hit of the party and captured everyones heart.

Jessica Lorren was able to capture these moments perfectly and I am sure “The Klines” will always treasure this day!

Floral Design + Decor: J Morgan Flowers / Wedding Photography: Jessica Lorren Organic Photography / Wedding Venue: Mizner Country Club / Hair: Art of Hair / Make-up: Team Beauti / Wedding Dress: Justin Alexander / Bride’s Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Tuxedo: Calvin Klein / Band: Beth and Command Performance / Wedding Videography: Senderey

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Art of Hair, Beth and Command Performance, Blue, Calvin Klein, English Garden Wedding, Green, J Morgan Flowers, Jessica Lorren Organic Photography, Justin Alexander, Mizner Country Club, Pink, Purple, Senderey, Stuart Weitzman, Team Beauti
Post categories: Florida Weddings, Traditional Elegance

Up first in our pretty parade is an uber-charming backyard affair by Shell de Mar Photography that will most certainly warm your hearts with its eclectic vibe and sweet as can be garden setting.  Even better, these two adorable lovebirds crafted each and every detail of the big day themselves, right down to the Polaroid escort card display.  (Best. Idea. Ever.)  Oh, and did I mention the VW van converted into an ice cream truck?  Yep, this wedding is all kinds of awesome and you can see every last moment in the full gallery of images!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride… After only six weeks of being engaged we had found and booked our perfect wedding venue – a lovely converted barn surrounded by stunning countryside complete with its own small lake and rowing boat. Soon after that we confirmed out caterer, photographer, registrar and had sent out our save the dates – everything was going perfectly and we were ecstatic…. until we got a phone call from our venue cancelling our wedding just 6 months before our date. We spent a solid week searching for a new venue but when we told them we wanted a Saturday wedding in July they mostly just laughed at us.  We were just about to lose hope of getting married that year when Stu’s parents offered to let us get married in their garden.  We considered it for probably all of a minute.  The amount of work and the thought of planning almost an entire wedding in 6 months was daunting but we didn’t have to wait any longer to get married and we’d get to do it in a place that meant so much to us both – so we started working hard to create our DIY backyard wedding!

In the months before the wedding Stu and I made most of the details and decorations.  We wanted everything to have a personal touch with a rustic homespun feel.  We made the tissue paper pompoms, table numbers, place names, wooden signs, photobooth and props, jam jar glasses for the reception, cake topper, invitations, save the dates, orders of service, table runners, menu chalkboard, bunting, rubber stamped paper cocktail napkins, made 100 fabric napkins and our favorite DIY project, the Polaroid escort card display with pictures of us with each one of our guests.  We also spent many a weekend in the garden perfecting our ceremony area which included lots of clearing, planting of grass seed, falling trees and stumbling across a rat nest!  I think at times we both thought, “what are we doing?!” but on the day, seeing it all come together and all our guests enjoying themselves, it really was worth every second.

One of the things we both always wanted was to get married outside.  The laws in the UK are very strict and you can’t get married outside or in a private place so we decided to have a small registry office wedding the day before with our closest family and then had a humanist service outside in the garden with all our guests.  Apart from being able to get married where we wanted another benefit of having a humanist ceremony was that it could be personalized, we weren’t restricted in our music and readings and we could write our own vows.  Our celebrant spent a lot of time with us planning and writing the ceremony which turned out perfectly.  The ceremony was my favorite and most memorable part of the day by far (as you can see from the goofy grin on my face!). I will never forget that feeling of standing with Stu in a space that we had created together, listening to his vows for the first time.

We planned and created every single part of our wedding day together and as a result it felt 200 % personal. All our guest commented on how “us” it was which is all we ever wanted.  During the reception we served our favorite cocktails that my brother-in-law made that morning and our friends surprised us by dressing up their old VW camper and turning it into an ice cream van from which they served our guests 4 different flavors of wedding themed homemade ice cream.  Instead of a formal 3 course dinner we asked our favorite deli to make picnic hampers full of our favorite foods and afterwards we had a dessert table full of goodies made by some of our family and friends.

I know it’s a total cliché but it really was the best day of our lives and everything turned out more perfect that we ever could have hoped for.  I cannot put into words the sheer joy and love we felt that day surrounded by all our nearest and dearest, it is something we will both cherish forever.

Wedding Photography: Shell de Mar Photography / Day-of Coordinator: Louise of Bow Occasions / Tipis: Tipis4Hire / Catering: Delilah / Floral Design: Maison Fleur / Wedding Dress: Tibi via Little London Boutique / Bride’s Shoes: Vivienne Westwood / Bridesmaid Dresses: Coast / Flower Girl Dress: I Love Gorgeous / Decor: DIY

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Backyard Wedding, Bow Occasions, Coast, Delilah, English Garden Wedding, I Love Gorgeous, Little London Boutique, Maison Fleur, Shell de Mar Photography, Tibi, Tipis4Hire, Vivienne Westwood
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From Polly Alexandre Photography… When Kelly rang me up last Spring to say that her fiance, James, wouldn’t have anyone else to photograph his wedding I was honoured. When she explained James was a fashion photographer I was doubly honoured not to mention a little nervous! When Kelly & James got engaged they were delighted to take up an offer from the cousin of the family Kelly used to nanny for to hold their wedding in the grounds of their family castle. Grimsthorpe Castle is a part of the Knepp estate, and is a historic house, park and garden in Lincolnshire.

The couple planned a wonderful summer wedding in the grounds of the castle. Kelly & James wanted their guests to have a fantastic day and spared no expense in laying on entertainment and thoughtful touches to make the day as enjoyable as possible for their friends and family. with a ton of fun things to keep guest amused including games, a dress-up photo booth and a fabulous tuk tuk decorated in flowers and garlands for rides & bathroom trips! (Sooooo much fun!) The afternoon mojitos were accompanied by a live Cuban duo bringing that party feel to the sunny afternoon. Kelly, looked like a true 50’s film star and I loved her elegant hair and make up. The fabulous Miss Pickering did the flowers (helped by the hound?) and there was a luxurious gold & pale pink theme in the marquee with grand candelabras with dripping candles (I love the real thing…so atmospheric).

With James’s best man’s wife going into labour on the day of the wedding, James’s Dad stepped in at the last minute to deliver a heartfelt and funny speech on his behalf. And of course there was the star of the show, little Lily. James and Kelly’s baby daughter. Having her there on their wedding day made it even more special and Kelly recalls one of her most previous moments of the day was playing on the grass with Lily in the sunshine.

In the evening a dress up photo booth was created and a cool bar and lounging area made the most of the summer evening. As the sunset late into the evening, fire lanterns were let off by the guests….some rather too enthusiastically, causing the DJ to make an announcement to halt the merriment immediately to ensure the whole thing didn’t go up in flames!

Wedding Photography: Polly Alexandre Photography / Wedding Venue: Grimsthorpe Castle / Wedding Dress: Mark Lesley / Wedding Cake: Couture Cakes / Flowers: Miss Pickering / Tuk Tuk: Nottingham Tuk Tuks / Wedding Band: The Pop Collection + Mambo Jambo via Alive Network / DJ: John Kilby via Steve Allen Entertainments / Catering: Fiona Herbert Catering / Photobooth: Say Fromage / Groom’s Attire: Colin Bell Menswear / Bridesmaid Dresses: BHS + Monsoon / Toastmaster: Matthew Biggin / Garden Games: Big Fun UK / Film Work: Richard Photo

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Castle Wedding, Couture Cakes, England, English Garden Wedding, Grimsthorpe Castle, Knepp Estate, Lincolnshire, Mark Lesley, Miss Pickering, Nottingham Tuk Tuks, Outdoor Wedding, Polly Alexandre Photography, Tented Reception, White Color Palette
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From Lindye Galloway… With the royal wedding on the horizon, it seemed only appropriate to give our spin on an “English Garden Wedding.” Inspired by big hats, tea, bold colors and English interior design, this shoot was dripping in royalty. We wanted to infuse the best of English design, in its vintage and timeless nature, but give it a refined and modern touch.  We also wanted to create custom pieces inspired by the country that would stand as a unique statement in the shoot.

Without a doubt, we think of tea when we think of England, right?!  Pinky up!  Out of this came the custom chandelier that hung over the head table. I hand made this piece out of 700 tea bags to create a chandelier fitting for the English photo shoot. The plate wall was drawn about from English interior design.  I wanted to design a unique piece that would be the backdrop to the couple’s nuptials, so I hand made this wall out of textured fabric and 26 different plates.

Of course, working with incredible vendors made this possible. Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club set the stage in their gorgeous garden, while Found Vintage Rentals created the scenes in which our English wedding would take place.  Bringing in multiple colors, shapes, textures, and styles the featured pieces reflect that of English furniture, with a refined touch.

The floral arrangements were a true piece of art, created by Art with Nature.  Working with an array of flowers, colors, and urns, these arrangements were perfectly suited for an English garden wedding. The darling stationery pieces, created by Paper Cut Industries, carried the royal garden theme throughout, from the escort cards to place cards and menus.  And who wouldn’t want to dive into the impeccable cake?!  With a very unique design, this cake offered a stylish and tasty addition to our shoot, created by A Wish and a Whisk.

The bride was outfitted in a knee-length, delicately laced, Anthropologie dress, while the bridesmaids wore fabulous dresses by Bella Bridesmaid.  Each of these gorgeous models were adorned with incredible hats by Twigs and Honey and Kokin, which truly topped off their English look.  And the models were extra stunning by the talented hands of Design Visage with hair and make-up.

And, of course the absolutely incredible Jessica Claire captured each and every detail.  Each photo she took is a piece of art and perfectly highlights this English Garden photo shoot.

Wedding Photographer: Jessica Claire / Wedding Designer/Coordinator: Lindye Galloway Events / Wedding Venue: Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club / Florist: Art with Nature / Event Rentals: Found Vintage Rentals / Wedding Stationary: Paper Cut Industries / Wedding Cake: A Wish and a Whisk / Hair & Makeup: Design Visage / Jeweled Cap and Feather Mini Hats: Twigs & Honey / Bird Cage Hair Piece: Kokin / Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid (Orange County) / Bride’s Dress: Anthropologie / Bride’s Shrug: Kate Towers / Models: kearydee@gmail.com + kdoherty126@yahoo.com + ashley@ashley-photographer.com / Film Work: Richard Photo

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Wish and a Whisk, Anthropologie, Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, Art with Nature, Bella Bridesmaid, Bold Colors, Design Visage, English Garden Wedding, Found Vintage Rentals, Jessica Claire, Kate Towers, Kokin, Lindye Galloway, Outdoor Wedding, Paper Cut Industries, Twigs & Honey, Vintage Wedding
Post categories: Photo Shoot

From the bride, Fiona…

The pink theme ran through the day – bridesmaids dresses, flowers, ushers ties, wine glasses, pink lemonade, pink champagne, pink ribbon to tie the order of service together, rose petals etc. The favours were small packs of mints that had ‘mint to be’ written on them in pink along with our names. I actually got them from the For Your Party website in the States.

I didn’t want a formal meal (in The UK everyone seems to go for meat and vegetables!) so for the wedding breakfast we served sausages and mash and we served the chocolate wedding cake as part of the desert. We then had a tiered cheese cake which we served later on in the evening.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Color Palette Pink, English Garden Wedding, Mark Wallis, Wedding Details, Wedding Programs
Post categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance