1. Akimbo / 2. Prim Pixie / 3. Atelier Isabay / 4. Erica Keuter / 5. Ceci New York / 6. Albertine / 7. Two Yellow Shoes / 8. Momental Designs / 9. Akimbo / 10. A Printable Press / 11. Laura Hooper / 12. Bella Figura / 13. Regas NY / 14. Shine Wedding Invitations

Beeeeeeeyond, right? It’s the sense of casual, the sense of whimsy, the feminine pretty paired next to classic design that is captured in each of these pieces that make them oh-so-perfect for introducing your guess to your garden style affair. It’s about capturing the romance of what’s to come…

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Post tags: Garden, Invitations
Post categories: Calligraphy, The Blog, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

1. Is your favorite read Jane Eyre? Or maybe Pride and Prejudice?

2. Can you spot a peony from a mile away? And maybe even have a few fakies to fill your vases when peonies have come and gone?

3. Do you see yourself in the prettiest of pretty oh so flowy frocks?

4. Do you think that fresh from the garden floral styles totally trump the more structured varieties?

5. Do you kind of like seer sucker? or pin stripes? or bow ties? or any other variation of sweet men’s rags?

6.  Do you hit up flea markets just to find vintage hankies and perfect little bud vases?

7.  Are you ditching the four inchers for a pretty pair of ballet flats?

8.  Is your vow a handwritten love letter to your hubby? Complete with quotes from some of the songs most loved?

9.  Are you going for a cake that is either homemade or inspired by home grown design? Like yummy buttercream adorned with fresh flowers?

10. Have you found yourself buying burlap, raw linen, ribbon and lace in bulk even though you aren’t totally sure where it’s going to end up? And you just know it will be fabulous?

Well, then you just might be a Garden Bride.

1. Blooming Cake: Nine Cakes / 2. Sparkling Ballet Flats: Jimmy Choo / 3. Wedding Dress: Honeychurch Gown via Elizabeth Dye of The English Department / 4. Earrings: Kate Spade / 5. Hair Adornment: Pearl via Tessa Kim / 6. Garden-esque Invitations: Rifle Paper Co. / 7. Bridesmaid Frock: Phoebe via Ivy and Aster / 8. Peony Centerpiece: Real Simple

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Post tags: Garden, Inspiration
Post categories: Round-Ups, The Blog

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

And just because we want to make your Monday a little more inspirational, here is the behind the scenes video from MDK Productions!

Behind the Scenes: Bridal Fashion Shoot from Tory Williams on Vimeo.

From Tory Williams… A bridal fashion shoot on the fly! Jessa Blades and I dreamt up this shoot with the inspiration of her beautiful Ft. Greene apartment.  Not knowing what we were getting into— we had the location, makeup, photography, and a lot of ideas.  Luckily we know a handful of wonderful and generous vendors that contributed to making this an amazing production.

We found models from all angles; a flight attendant from recent trip, a couple actors, as well as some really beautiful friends.  Samuelle and Sir Brooklyn’s dresses were the icing on the cake.  Both completely unique designers paving new trends in the industry.  Bowties are all the rave with Jcravata’s handmade wears, and the most stunning jewelry by Caleo Jewelry to decorate the brides.  It wouldn’t be a fashion shoot without hair!  The Parlour Brooklyn impressed us all with their team of busy stylists attending to each hair.  And finally, Poppies and Posies added their mark with their brightly colored arrangements complimenting Jessa’s vibrant lipstick selections.

Photography: Tory Williams / Video: Meredith Kaufman / Makeup: Jessa Blades of Blades Natural Beauty / Jewelry: Lyndsay Caleo / Hair Accessories: Susan Domelsmith of DLC Brooklyn / Flowers: Sierra and Juliet of Poppies & Posies / Hair Styling: The Parlour Brooklyn / Dresses: Joanna Baum of Sir Brooklyn + Sam Beasley of Samuelle / Men’s Suits: Hickey Freeman / Men’s Bowties: Joshua M. Anderson of J.Cravata / Men’s Shirts: Alex Yoo of Alexander West / Stationery: Meredith Kurosko of Regas New York / On Set Stylist: Emily Gilbert

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Post tags: Alex-West, Blades Natural Beauty, Blue, Brooklyn, Champagne, DLC Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Garden, Green, Hickery Freeman, J.Cravata, Lyndsay Caleo, Meredith Kaufman, New York, Peach, Photo Shoot, Pink, Poppies & Posies, Regas, Samuelle, Sir Brooklyn, The Parlour Brooklyn, Tory Williams Photography
Post categories: Brooklyn Weddings, New York Weddings, Photo Shoot

Amazing, isn’t it. A HUUUUGE congratulations to Libby and Jim. You guys are so absolutely adorable and I know that if your life together is half as gorgeous as this wedding, you are two very lucky people. We love you!

Photography: Hoffer Photography / Cinematography: Well Spun Weddings / Flowers and Event Design: Beautiful Blooms / Ceremony and Reception Location: John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove / Invitations: Sarah Drake / Dress: The Gallery by Lela Rose / Caterer: Jeffrey Miller Catering / Makeup: Jill Fulop – Face The Occasion / Hair: Natalie Pagano – Hair By Natalie / Bridesmaid Dresses: Bill Levkoff / Music + DJ: Craig Konowal – Circle of Sound DJ’s / Favors: Etsy Vendor – 2 Birds In Love / Watercolor bird table markers: Christina Galagarza – C2G2

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Post tags: 2 Birds in Love, Beautiful Blooms, Bill Levkoff, Birdcages, Birdhouses, Blue, C2G2, Circle of Sound DJ’s, Etsy, Face The Occasion, Garden, Hair By Natalie, Hoffer Photography, Jeffery Miller Catering, John James Audobon Center, Lela Rose, owls, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Sarah Drake, Well Spun Weddings
Post categories: Wedding Cinematography

click here to see the full wedding gallery!

Libby’s wedding is also being featured in The Knot Pennsylvania & Delaware, on stands February 7th!!

Pinch me! We’re on SMP. I have been faithfully devouring Style Me Pretty for 4+ years and couldn’t believe my good fortune when I was asked to become part of the team a little over one year ago. What could be better than planning your very own wedding, while looking at other gorgeous weddings all day long? Not much, I say!

I met the handsome man above in a limo (!) during a mutual friend’s birthday celebration, while attending the University of West Chester, just outside of Philadelphia. After relocating to the Boston area, we entertained the idea of a New England wedding but decided to come home to beautiful Pennsylvania, where so many of our family and friends still live. We instantly fell in love with the John James Audubon Society at Mill Grove as we drove up the long, tree lined drive. This venue exudes Pennsylvania charm and has everything that we were hoping to find. Fieldstone barn (check!), Pavilion with huge fireplace (check!), Classic old estate (check!), Porch with rocking chairs (check!), Owl at the cocktail hour (BIG CHECK!) The owl definitely sealed the deal…

I never anticipated how tough it would be to nail down the overall feel of our wedding, since I see so many wonderful ideas day in and day out! Our “Love Letter” invitations by Sarah Drake set the tone for rustic romance and as the weeks went on, I also found myself incorporating vintage and woodland elements as well. While my mom and I are pros at “hunting and gathering,” we’ll be the first to admit that we sort of lost track of our vision as we got closer to the big day. How were we going to incorporate all of this goodness into one cohesive style? And when I say “goodness” I mean 300+ bud vases, 20+ mason jars, 25 birdcages, an old typewriter, blue/white hankies, family love letters – you name it, we found it.

We chose SMP Little Black Book member, Beautiful Blooms in Philadelphia to discuss a plan of attack. With their help and ideas, we were able to incorporate all of our treasures throughout the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception and it just flowed perfectly as our guests moved from one event to the next. My personal favorite was their idea to paint all of our birdhouses blue and hang little vintage bird playing cards inside of them with ribbon, along with lots of flowers. To Maya, Donna and the team at Beautiful Blooms – we cannot thank you enough for your creative, over the top, amazingness!

We also had a lot of help from our family and friends, which showed in everything from the programs, the ceremony music, hand painted table markers, sweet little bird nests with ferns from my mother’s garden, wooden table pedestals, down to the microbrew selection. We are lucky to know so many crafters, musicians and brewers! Speaking of music, one of the highlights of the night was when my adorable father surprised me with a song/toast called, “A Song For My Daughter.” Waterworks! Well Spun Weddings turned this into the sweetest video for us to keep forever.

Photography: Hoffer Photography / Cinematography: Well Spun Weddings / Flowers and Event Design: Beautiful Blooms / Ceremony and Reception Location: John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove / Invitations: Sarah Drake / Dress: The Gallery by Lela Rose / Caterer: Jeffrey Miller Catering / Makeup: Jill Fulop – Face The Occasion / Hair: Natalie Pagano – Hair By Natalie / Bridesmaid Dresses: Bill Levkoff / Music + DJ: Craig Konowal – Circle of Sound DJ’s / Favors: Etsy Vendor – 2 Birds In Love / Watercolor bird table markers: Christina Galagarza – C2G2

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Post tags: 2 Birds in Love, Beautiful Blooms, Bill Levkoff, Birdcages, Birdhouses, Blue, C2G2, Circle of Sound DJ's, Etsy, Face The Occasion, Garden, Hair By Natalie, Hoffer Photography, Jeffery Miller Catering, John James Audobon Center, Lela Rose, owls, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Sarah Drake, Well Spun Weddings
Post categories: Casual Elegance

Click here to see the full wedding gallery!

I have never seen a bride more happy to walk down the aisle. Allie squealed of joy as she saw her Brock under the overflowing green arch where they would become man and wife.

Allie and Brock are originally from Atlanta, GA however currently live in L.A. Their classic wedding took place at one of our favorite southern venues right outside Atlanta: The Barnsley Gardens. The bride looked so graceful and couture in her Priscilla of Boston gown and Stuart Weitzman purple pumps, of which we could not get enough of! Brock looked extra sharp in his Calvin Klein suit. Allie’s smile and laughter are undoubtedly contagious. She is a bundle of bubbly happiness, and as you can imagine, on her wedding day, this sparkling happiness shined through that much more. Their wedding had a dash of French class, as well as a sprinkle of southern charm: The apple pie favors, for example, were topped off with custom made DIY tags which read “Merci“. Their wedding cake was a beautiful little jewel, with such craftsmanship and detail. The hints of wild moss combined with lilac blooms, made up the main elements of their unique decor. Allie and Brock are a modelesque couple and such fun to photograph and laugh with.

Photography: Simply Bloom Photography, LLC / Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston Vineyard / Bride’s Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Hair Stylist:  Melissa Enlow of Kera Vie Salon / Wedding Venue + Caterer: The Barnsley Gardens / Florist: Sid Flowers / /DJ: DJ Vanessa with All Star Entertainment / Violinist: Fatima Echanique / Bridesmaids Dresses: Bari Jay / Groomsmen and Groom’s tux: Calvin Klein / Bride’s bracelet and hair piece: Priscilla of Boston / Cake: Ramona with Unforgettable Wedding Cakes

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Post tags: Atlanta, barnsley gardens, French, Garden, Georgia, Outdoor, Priscilla of Boston, Sid Flowers, simply bloom photography, Southern, stewart weitzman
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance, Whimsical

John and Jessica were high school sweethearts. They said their “I Do’s” in John’s parents’ back yard. I can’t imagine a more perfect backyard ~ garden wedding if I tried! {See the garlands draping the ceremony chairs? They were made by the bride’s mom!}

Photography by LBB member Stephanie Cristalli.       See the whole gallery here!

Jessica has shared their story and all the DIY details with us today! Congratulations to Jessica & John on a tremendously beautiful garden wedding!

. . .

John and I met in high school and dated for over 6 years before we were married. Since we met each other so young we are both really close to each other’s families. We have grown up in each others homes. For this reason we decided to get married at home. We were married and had our reception in my in-laws backyard. Having the wedding at home really created in intimate, setting in which we could put ourselves in every detail.

We did a lot of DIY to make our wedding more personal. My cousin Daniela is a wedding planner and creates beautiful florals (Bella Signature Design). She was a great resource for us while we were planning our wedding. She gave us great recommendations for vendors and was a constant person who we could go to with questions. She created the most beautiful floral arrangements, more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. It was breathtaking to see all the flowers being unloaded from her car. From the beginning of our planning I knew that I wanted to have tons of flowers at our wedding. I wanted to have a very romantic look so we chose all soft colors in light pinks, peaches, buttery yellows, and creams. I wanted all the flowers to be very petally so we chose garden roses, hydrangeas, gardenias and sweet peas. We continued this floral theme by naming the tables at the reception after some of my favorite flowers.

Guests were greeted at the front of the house by two bunny topiaries that were dressed as a bride and groom. This was a surprise for us from our moms. My mother-in-law had the idea and bought the bunnies and my mom dressed them up by sewing a dress for the bride bunny as well as finding the veil, flowers, a ribbon and pearl necklace, a top hat and a tie. Guests then walked through the main entrance to the house were the found the guest book and a beautiful 3-tiered metal, garland and floral arrangement (the metal structure came from my parents’ bathroom and my cousin decked it out with the garland and beautiful flowers). Guests then walked through the double french doors to the back patio and yard where the ceremony and reception were held.

My mom and I really wanted to plan the wedding ourselves as a bonding time. We both love entertaining and design. As an art major in college I loved working with all the details, I designed our wedding invitations as well as all the paper goods (programs, labels, seating cards, etc.). It was so fun to design all of this from start to finish, I think it really gave our whole day a consistent look and feel. My mom created all the garland that you see down the aisle. She made over 40 yards of garland using greens from her yard (my parents live on 2.5 acres).

Our attendants were family and close friends. My matron-of-honor was my husband’s sister and he had my brother and his brother-in-law as groomsmen. We had a number of child attendants, we had two ring bearers, two boys to carry my train and one flower girl. The flower girl and one of the ring bearers are my cousin Daniela’s kids. The other three boys are brothers who I have nannied for years for. I have known these three boys since the oldest was three and the middle was one, I took the older boys to the hospital the day the youngest was born, needless to say we are very close. The little baby in the photos is our niece, my matron-of-honor’s 6 month old daughter.

I absolutely loved my dress and got so many compliments on it. It was so me! It was the Carrie dress by Melissa Sweet. The detailing of the pleating on the bottom of the dress was my favorite part. When I told the boys (at the rehearsal) that they would be carrying my train I think they were pretty excited. The next day I was asked, “But Jessie, where’s your train?” I think they were a bit let down that the train was not an actual vehicle, but rather the back of my dress. I also loved my shoes, they were the perfect color, were comfortable and added a bit of fun to my attire. My bouquet was so beautiful, it was many shades of creams and pale, pale pinks and yellows, it was wrapped with a beautiful light pink silk ribbon which Daniela made to echo the bottom pleating on my dress, also on my bouquet was a beautiful locket which was my grandmother’s. It was so special to have something of hers with me on that day, it helped me to remember that even though she is no longer with us she was there with me.

My husband and all the groomsmen wore yellow argyle socks to add a bit of fun as well as a nod to my husband’s huge love of golf. For our rehearsal dinner we took everyone mini-golfing a a great local, outdoor course. All of the men wore three piece gray suits, we wanted them to wear something that was not quite as dark and harsh as a black tux, but still formal. The gray seemed to fit our outdoor wedding better. My husband wore a cream tie, the groomsmen wore yellow and gray striped ties and our dads wore coordinating pink and gray striped ties. The little boys all wore gray suits as well with cream ties to match my husband’s.

My bridesmaids wore buttery yellow dresses with a waist band and straps that echoed my dress. They wore adorable cream heels with a little bow on the front. Isabella, my flower girl wore a smocked, cream dress which matched mine in color and was a classic little girls dress. She also wore her hair to match mine and had cute little pink flowers in the back. My mom made Isabella’s flower girl basket and the two ring bearer pillows out of gray silk with beautiful cream and pink silk flowers.

We were married by my pastor under a beautiful metal structure that was adorned with garland and gardenias. Our aisle was heavily petaled with rose petals. We had close family friends play piano and sing during the wedding. It was so special to have close friends have such a personal affect on our ceremony. During the ceremony we lit candles that were protected from the wind by hurricanes. After the ceremony we had a cocktail hour on the patio of the house. We set out water, lemonade and ice tea for our guests in addition to a passed signature drink (vodka lemonade) and passed hors d’oeuvres. Guests had time to socialize and we had a few moments to ourselves before greeting them (this was the best decision, having 15 minutes by ourselves with some snacks). During this time we had 2 of my brothers friends who are amazing musicians play some light music on the piano and guitar.

This was also where guests got their table assignments. I filled small envelopes with cards that contained the guests names on the front and table name on the back. These were attached to cream ribbons that were tied between two topiaries. After the cocktail hour the guests were welcomed into an open tent by our amazing dj. In order to help guest tables to get to know each other and feel comfortable he had each table sing a song with the word “love” in it. This was how they were dismissed to the dinner buffet. We had a lot of kids at our wedding (we had 6 child attendants, plus others present) so we had a kids buffet for them to enjoy. Each place setting was marked with the guests’ names, I created these place cards and my mom, my matron-of-honor and I put them on each napkin by wrapping the napkin with ribbon which was threaded through the place cards. Inside each napkin we tucked a menu card which I had designed. Our table names were attached with cream ribbon to clear mini cake stands which were filled with our favorite chocolates, raspberry truffles from Moonstruck Chocolate (my husband had lived in Portland, OR the year leading up to our wedding and Moonstruck is a local company, we loved going there for chocolates and hot chocolate treats in the winter). Each chocolate was adorned with a small pink flower on top. This was a great after dinner treat for our guests.

One of our favorite touches and most beloved by guests was our candy bar. My parents and I designed and created the whole thing. My dad built the candy bar structure to look like a lemonade stand or carnival stand. I painted the stripes on the canvas which we then hung on the wooden structure. My mom and I searched high and low for all the pink, peach, yellow and cream candy, as well as the stands and jars. My mom sewed the peach, pink and yellow flags that hung over and under the bar. I designed all the labels and covered milk and dark chocolate bars in papers that I had designed as well. People went crazy for the candy bar, it was so much fun!

For favors for our guests we made mini wedding cakes made from a favorite family recipe. My mom baked hundreds of cookies in three sizes. A family friend, my aunt, my mom and myself all got together one day to actually put the cookie cakes together. We stacked 3 big, 3 medium and 2 small cookies together then placed a sugar flower on top, they were then placed into clear boxes and tied with a light pink ribbon.

Our wedding was exactly what we wanted it to be romantic, beautiful, personal, soft, classic and elegant. While the wedding was beautiful the best part was marrying each other. Saying our vows to each other was emotional and perfect. The happiness of our day is what truly stands out to me. We felt completely surrounded by love and support all throughout the day. Looking back on our day we are so happy to know that our family and friends not only loved the beauty of our ceremony and reception, but that they also had a blast partying the night away with us to celebrate our new marriage. We all danced late into the night, the dance floor was always full and always joyous! It was fun to celebrate with everyone we love.

Photography: Stephanie Cristalli (Little Black Book Vendor, Seattle) / Flowers: Daniela Faget of Bella Signature Design (Little Black Book Vendor, Seattle) / Garlands: Made by bride’s mom /Ceremony and Reception Location: Private Residence, Groom’s parents’ home / Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Music: Family friends / DJ: Tim Steever of A Beautiful Noise / Cake: Jen of Jen’s Desserts / Caterer: Russell Dean Lowell Catering / Candy Bar: Made by bride and bride’s parents / Favors: Cookie wedding cakes made by bride’s mom, bride and family friends / Invitations and all paper goods: Made by the bride / Shoes: J.Crew / Dress: Carrie dress by Melissa Sweet found at La Votre Bridal Couture / The Bridal Garden in Kirkland, WA /Bridesmaid dresses: Dessy found at Moms, Maids and More in Bellevue, WA / Flower Girl Dress: Found at www.bestdressedchild.com / Jewelry: J. Lewis Jewelry in Bellevue, WA / Tent: ABC Rentals /Rentals: Pedersen’s Rentals

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Beautiful Noise, Bella Signature Design, Color Palette Pink Yellow, Dessy, Garden, Garlands, Hydrangeas, Jen's Desserts, Lemonade Jars, Melissa Sweet, Moms Maids & More, Pink, Roses, Seattle, Stephanie Cristalli, topiary
Post categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography

So much more breathtaking beauty here!

Thank you, Ames and Angelo, for sharing your beautiful engagement session with us!  It was just a dream and I can’t wait to see what you come up with for your Alphonse Mucha inspired wedding in May!

Photography: Feather Love Photography / Venue: Summer Past Farms

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, Engagement, Feather Love Photography, Garden, San Diego, summer past farms
Post categories: engagement session, The Blog