Here are our latest Crate and Barrel Favorites…

1. Couture Flatware – Umm, these just might be the perfect pieces of everyday flatware. They are modern, without being too stiff. They are timeless, without being too stuffy. Perfect is the only word that seems to fit.

2. Edge Wine Glasses – I became completely obsessed with these little beauties after watching an episode of Flipping Out, where Jeff was going nuts over them. They are flawless in my opinion and in fact, I am going out to scoop up a set for myself when I have a free weekend!

3. Vienna Candleholders -Thought these gorgeous candle holders went beautifully with our “tablescape” above. They are a little bit contemporary, a little bit traditional, perfect for a forever chic look.

4. Aspen Dinnerware – I have to admit. I am a white plate junkie. I just think that everyone should have a set of good white everyday dinnerware. Aside from the fact that food looks it’s best on white dinnerware, it’s also perfect for layering in different linens, chargers and dessert plates. The perfect canvas if you will.

Ok! So if you don’t already know the drill. Let us know what your latest FOUR FAVORITES are over at Crate and Barrel in the comments section below. We’ll choose a random winner on Friday, October 23rd who will receive, wait for it, 6 sets of the Couture Flatware! Um, hello! For a bride…that just might be the best. prize. ever.

And, if didn’t hear about our AMAZING $4,000 registry giveaway with Crate and Barrel, you HAVE to check it out. All you have to do is register with Crate and Barrel through Style Me Pretty and you’ll be entered to win a shop card for $4,000. We will be announcing the big winner in December! Click here for more details.

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Post tags: Crate and Barrel, Giveaway
Post categories: Contests

So let me just get right to it. In honor of all things Napa Valley, and destination weddings at their finest, some of the Bay Area’s insanely talented vendors have come together to gift one lucky reader a pretty fantastic bag of goodies. And by fantastic, I mean $2100 worth of products and services. Yep, you read that right. Pretty incredible!

Oh and the best part is that you definitely don’t have to be in the Bay Area to play!

* * *

First up, the forever talented Alison Hotchkiss is ponying up an autographed copy of the book, Destination Wedding Planner AND a 1 hour consultation with her personally. Alison is the voice behind some of my all time favorite weddings and during the consultation she’ll be able to share style ideas based on your own vision. Priceless.

Next up is Hello!Lucky. If you read SMP, you know that I LOOOVE the girls at Hello! Lucky. They are pure talent and their designs are off the charts gorgeous. And for one lucky bride, they are gifting 100 free destination wedding invitation sets which includes the invitation, envelope, and reply set. Umm, holy cow.

Heath Ceramics, who just happens to craft some of the most gorgeous pieces I’ve ever seen is gifting a seasonal cup set to our winner. Heath’s pieces are organic, they are handcrafted, they are timeless and forever elegant. Personally, they are one of my all time favorite wedding registry spots.

Add to the mix the Bardessono Hotel in Napa Valley who is giving away two free night’s stay valued at $1,000. If you aren’t familiar with this STUNNING hotel and spa, you really need to be. It’s a little piece of perfection in one of the world’s most gorgeous spots and would certainly set the stage for a romantic getaway for you and your hubs.

And while you’re at the Bardessono, you stop by the Bottega Restaurant in Yountville, as they are giving away a $100 gift certificate. Bottega just happens to be Michael Chiarello’s restaurant…which is so cool in and of itself…and is know for perfect dishes that are as warm and cozy as they are completely 5 star.

This next artist is just about as good as they get. Thayer Alison Gowdy, the photographer behind Alison’s Destination Wedding Planner book and the talent behind some of the most beautiful photoshoots you’ve ever seen (including many in Martha Stewart Magazine) is offering a free wedding photography consultation. Based on her RIDICULOUS skills, she’ll tell you how to work with a photographer to get the very best images you can. This is a really, really rare opportunity.

Napa Style is adding a $75 gift certificate so that you can stock up on some of the most gorgeous kitchen and home wares you could ever want. I love, love, love Napa Style and could spend the $75 in about 2 seconds flat. Their products have that Napa flavor that exudes an organic elegance and total style.

* * *

WHEW!! So much goodness it’s almost hard to believe. I am MAJORLY jealous of the lucky bride or groom that wins this package. Marjorly jealous.

Here’s what we want from you! Because we are honoring one ofthe most incredible destination spots this country has to offer, Napa Valley, we want to know what YOUR dream destination is. If you could tie the knot in any city in the world, which one would it be?

Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win! We’ll announce the winner next Wednesday, September 30th. Good luck to all!

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Post tags: Alison Hotchkiss, Bardessono, Bottega, Giveaway, Heath Ceramics, Hello! Lucky, Napa Style, Napa Valley, thayer allison gowdy
Post categories: Contests

Before we unveil the invitation, I wanted to share some of the history behind this invitation. The inspiration with a little movie called Harold and Maude.

credits, clockwise from right : Elizabeth Messina Photography, Harold and Maude movie advertisement, Bari Zaki custom vintage stamps, Sarah Drake Love Notes.

From Sarah…

This 1971 movie is my favorite love story: unconventional, a little dark, and deeply sweet. It inspired our personalized stationery, Love Notes, back in 2006. Then, we decided to take it a bit further, taking our love of all things vintage, the uniqueness of written correspondence, vintage stamp collections, and unabashed declarations of love and combined them into a new kind of invitation.

Okay, now for the absolutely gorgeous, completely appropriate new design which will use letterpress printing charcoal ink on imported Italian paper …

Believe it or not, this is exactly what wedding invitations used to be. Sweet, personal, handwritten notes that left guests feeling utterly touched and hugely special. So here is the deal.

Sarah is asking that you guys send in your own personalized wording…something that captures your personality, style and the sentiment of your wedding. You can either leave a comment right here OR if you feel more comfortable, you can email your wording to Sarah at info{at}sarahdrakedesign{dot}com.

She’ll then choose 1 lucky reader to receive a set of 100 invitations with printed envelopes, 100 response cards with envelopes AND 100 thank you notes. The invitation is tidied up with a string and a wax seal, also included in the giveaway. In a nutshell…that is HUUUUUGE. To see the FULL SUITE, click right here!

Here’s the catch. You MUST have your wording in by the end of day tomorrow. That’s 6PM on Friday the 31st of July. This means that your final, final wording for your invitations has to be submitted by Friday, as it’s going to the printer on Monday. Sarah can help you finalize it if you are unsure. But, if you aren’t basically ready…don’t play! Sarah will choose the winner on Saturday.

Good luck to all! We’d love to feature the final design on SMP when all is said an done!

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Post tags: Giveaway, Invitations, Letterpress, Sarah Drake, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Contests, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

And lucky, lucky us! The amazing designers behind the brand are gifting one lucky reader 100 engraved wood place cards/escort cards or favor tags.  You can choose a design from their catalog or simply use a name, etc.  You then get to choose from maple, birch, oak, cherry, and walnut.

Quick Note…Fees will be incurred if a quantity larger than 100 or a custom design is required.

All you have to do is head over to Oslo Press and choose your favorite design. Then report back right here in the comments section. We are going to close the giveaway on Tuesday, August 5th and will announce the winner on Wednesday. Good luck to all!!

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Post tags: Giveaway, oslo press
Post categories: Contests, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

Patricia!

The deep sage green Amber cake stand is breathtakingly beautiful. Our wedding colours are green and chocolate brown, and this stand would look just stunning with our chocolate and raspberry mousse wedding cake. We have been searching for the perfect piece to complement our cake and this stand is just ideal! Our wedding is very intimate and this would really just set off the day! I’d love to treasure this stand in years to come – what a wonderful keepsake it would make! Thank you for this fantastic giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered. Lots of great giveaways coming up in the next couple of weeks!

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Post tags: Cake Stand, Giveaway, raise the cake
Post categories: Contests

Also, make absolute sure that you register to win a $4000 Crate and Barrel shop card by setting up your Crate and Barrel bridal registry through SMP! Click right here for details!

(Oh and between you and me…you still have a REALLY good chance at winning)

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Post tags: Crate and Barrel, Giveaway
Post categories: Contests

Let’s face it…the cake takes center stage most of the time. I actually decked mine out with edible glitter and put it right on the dance floor where everyone could drool over it. It’s the main event and one that, I hate to say, guests often love just as much as the wedding itself!

So, Raise the Cake is gifting one lucky reader one of their stands. To enter, just pick your favorite from their collection by leaving a comment right here. We’ll choose a random winner on Friday. Easy as pie…or rather cake!

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Post tags: Giveaway, raise the cake
Post categories: Contests

This Wedding Card Box giveaway by the fabulous Wedding Main St. is now closed … and it’s time to announce the two winners!!

Glen at the Wedding Main St. has selected the following SMP fans:

1) Meghan (July 17 @3:39pm)

Meghan said: This is such a cute option for a card box! I have been searching for something that would be chic and secure. I am not a fan of the birdcage at my reception site. My wedding color theme is Black, bright celedon green and silver – so I would love to customize a color box. My tables have black table cloths and silver napkins – so I would LOVE to do a black box (or a mix of black box with a bright green one) with silver ribbon.

2) Meredith (July 19@4:32pm)

Meredith said: I actually made a squeaking sound when i saw these!! I have been trying to come up with a DIY way to make something functional, yet chic and so far…nothing! These boxes are PERFECT! After drooling for a while, I decided my favorite is in gallery 1, picture #1. Simple and sleek, (what i’m trying to do at our wedding) the black and white contrast makes such a modern pop! We are doing a 3 tiered square cake and the hint of the crystals even coordinates with the lone crystal I placed on the tag on our invites! Thank you wedding main st!

Congratulations to both of you! And for those of you who weren’t selected, seriously consider ordering one from The Wedding Main St. to add another special touch to your own wedding celebration!!

* * *

Not sure if we’re going to make this a habit … but we have ANOTHER FABULOUS FRIDAY GIVEAWAY for you today from one of our Little Black Book members listed in the LBB under “Abby’s Favorite Finds”!

The Wedding Main St. is an online store based in New York, specializing in high-quality, elegant wedding card boxes and centerpieces.  They have generously offered to give away one of their beautiful custom designed card boxes to TWO lucky SMP readers!

These are elegant fabric boxes embellished with gorgeous silk ribbons, rhinestones and a faux diamond ring. So fun!

On their website, there are oodles of photos with so many possible color combinations.  Who wouldn’t love one of these to safely enclose those special cards given to you on your wedding day ?!?

So, here’s the deal ~ Go to the Wedding Main St. website and take a look around. On the Card Box page, you’ll see a Card Box Selector that allows you to play around with different color combinations.  In addition, they have four galleries with scads of images. And if that’s not enough, check out their blog!

Then, come back here and let us know what the perfect combination is for your wedding. If … on the off chance you don’t see your colors, Glen has told us they can work with you to customize the box just for you!

Remember TWO winners will be announced on this same post … next Friday! Good Luck and have a marvelous weekend !!

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Post tags: Card Box, Giveaway, The Wedding Main St., Wedding Decor
Post categories: Contests, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Details

Congratulations to Kelly M. who wrote …

I love all of your color combinations, and the weddings on your blog were just gorgeous! I couldn’t find my exact color combo, navy blue and fuchsia with bright green accents, but I know you could easily pull these off. My fiance and I want to give away spiced pecans. As a little girl, I can remember picking up and shelling pecans from my Grandfather’s yard. When I met my fiance, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he loved spiced pecans, a favorite of my family, too!! I’ve made spiced pecans for him on several occasions, and I always make them around Christmas time. We would love to share this family favorite with our wedding guests, and what a beautiful way to do so with Dooby Design Group’s favor boxes.

* * *

What better way to end a great week than with another great GIVEAWAY!

The Dooby Design Group, one of our fantastic Little Black Book members that we featured a couple of weeks ago {here} for their picture-perfect candy buffets has  ever-so-generously offered to gift one lucky SMP fan with 100 Signature Favor Boxes!

The favor boxes are the taller style depicted in the first two photographs above. The color can be chosen from a select group of color swatches available from the Dooby Design Group. Ribbons and labels are not included in the giveaway. But even so … this is  just downright generous!

So, to enter …  go to their website and read all about them! They are a Michigan-based full service design studio, but can help you no matter where you live in the Continental United States with invitations and favor boxes and so much more for your wedding!

Next, visit their blog, and click on florals. Within this section of their blog, you will see the most spectacular color inspirations ever … fuschia & black, peacock, Tiffany blue … seriously well-thought out color palettes that today’s brides will ADORE!

Then (you know the drill…) come back here and tell us what color palette you saw on their website or blog that really resonates with you and your plans! And if you don’t see one that coincides with your plans, tell us what you’re thinking of doing (color-wise). We LOVE new color combos!!

Aisha at Dooby Design Group will announce a winner next Friday on this same blog post … so DO check back here!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 101 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dooby Design Group, Favor Boxes, Giveaway, Michigan
Post categories: Community, Contests, 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!

* * *

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 | 78 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

And, the fun doesn’t stop here. Even though it’s Friday afternoon and many of you are closing up shop, we thought we would make your weekend even sweeter with an Invitation Giveaway!

This absolutely killer new line of wedding invitations is designed by the ridiculously talented Yoko Chapman for the eco-fabulous line WedVert. The gorgeous collection is actually the first ZERO CARBON wedding invitation line. Each and every piece is made from 100% Post Consumer Waste, is printed with vegetable-based, biodegradable ink, and is Forest Stewardship Council certified.

PLUS, they are so super chic. The team at WedVert is making “being wedding green” so unbelievably easy with absolutely lovely designs and a fresh, innovative approach. From a complete collection of wedding invitations to free downloadable templates, the new collection is definitely on the top of my must-have list.

So here’s the big news…the team at Wedvert is gifting 100 Wedding Invitations to an SMP reader! Oh but it doesn’t end there. They are also throwing in 100 coordinating favors, in the form of THE most fabulous organic cookies, AND a free wedding website UMM. Hello!!! This is an absolutely amazing giveaway and we are thrilled to be the ones to break the news!

So, head on over to the new Yoko Chapman by Wedvert page and let us know what invitation you heart the most and why. Leave a comment here and we’ll choose a winner one week from today! That is Friday, June 26th.

I am thinking lucky thoughts for you b/c this is the most incredible giveaway!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 171 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: eco, Giveaway, Invitations, WedVert, Winner
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

photography by Alissa Dinneen

One of our favorite Little Black Book floral designers, Jessica’s Country Flowers, is giving away her services to one New England bride and groom in her 2010 Deserving Couple’s Contest. All your wedding flowers complements of Jessica!!! Can you imagine?

Take a look at some of her extraordinary creations …

photography by Jessica’s Country Flowers and Alissa Dinneen

But that’s not all. Jessica’s Country Flowers has partnered up with Jamie Collins Photography and so you’ll get a fantastic wedding photographer too!

photography by Jamie Collins

Here’s what Jessica has told us so far  … you have to be a New England couple planning to marry in 2010. This is a need-based giveaway for one couple undergoing economic hardships and/or special circumstances. Jessica will provide all floral services and Jamie will provide photography services for 5 hours.

photography by Jamie Collins

To enter … go over to Jessica’s website and fill out the Contact Form, telling her that you found her via Style Me Pretty. You’ll need to fill in your complete information there. You will also need to provide a photo of you and your fiancee. Questions can be sent to Jessica via her website.

This is the opportunity of a lifetime so please don’t delay.

photography by Alissa Dinneen

{ps … there is even the possibility that other wedding services could be provided based upon need…hhhmmm … Little Black Book members?)

Remember, only New England 2010 weddings. Need based. Enter via Contact Form at Jessica’s Country Flowers website.

We’d love to know if you’re going to enter, so if you would, please leave us a comment below with the date and location of your wedding.

Pretty great, huh? Jessica’s Country Flowers is the best!

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Post tags: Giveaway, Jamie Collin's Photography, Jessica's Country Flowers, New England
Post categories: Bouquets, Centerpieces, Contests, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Flowers

The team at Smock is gifting one of you TEN boxes of their unbelievably lovely letterpress thank you notes. The notes are bundled in packages of 6 and come complete with hand-lined bamboo envelopes. You can either have all of one design or you can mix and match!

To enter, just let us know which wedding invitation you love the most…of the three newly launched designs. We’ll announce the winner on Monday afternoon!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 341 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Giveaway, Letterpress, Smock, Thank You Notes
Post categories: Contests, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

So, without further ado, the randomly selected winner is…Ashley F who said:

Kitchen Aid Mixer = luv

I’d have to say the top four things I’m most excited about on my CB registry are:

1) Appetizer Plate Set (classic white 12 plates at only $22!!)

2) Dubois Square Mirror (super chic mirror with aging details – I want one for over my fireplace) Link:

3) Cuisinart ® Mini Prep (it’s just my fiance and I most of the time for dinner so I think this little food processor is the perfect size for smaller meals! Plus – it’s in a great price range for guests at $30)

4) Cookbook Stand (at only $20 – this is an excellent gift option as it takes up less counter space and prevents your pages from being ruined with the clear guard)

* * *

Love, love, love the range of products that Ashley chose! Seriously thinking about buying the Dubois Mirror for my own pad! We are going to be doing brilliant Crate and Barrel giveaways every two weeks for a while, so if you didn’t win this one, you still have lots of chances.

And, if you still haven’t set up your Crate and Barrel registry through SMP with the hopes of winning (holy cow) a $4,000 shop Card, just click here to get started!

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Post tags: Crate and Barrel, Giveaway, KitchenAid Mixer, Winner
Post categories: Contests

We’ve featured Tifany’s fantastic Gourmet Invitations several times on Style Me Pretty {here} {here} {here} and based on your response, we know you love them as much as we do. Well … she has a newly designed website that she’s dying to show off … and so in celebration of that … she wants to create a one-of-a-kind Seating Chart for one lucky couple! Her Seating Charts are true works of art and are definitely the new way to go green!

So here’s the deal … Tifany will work with you to create a unique 24×36 seating chart for a wedding after July 30. It will be designed with your theme and colors in mind and will contain a monogram and graphics. If you already have your invitations, Tifany will coordinate with existing fonts. There are a couple of stipulations: shipping is via FedEx Ground (no expedited service) and the chart should contain 100 or fewer lines.

In order to win, Tifany has asked that you visit her new website … and take a look around. There are loads of gorgeous invitation suites and separate sections devoted to menus, programs, table numbers …and … seating charts! And then her blog, oh my goodness. Flat out beautiful. I have to tell you, this is my new all-time favorite {here} Gourmet Invitation suite.

After you see all that you can, come back here and leave Tifany a comment about one of her invitation designs. Any one. That’s it. Tifany will select one fan as the winner of the Seating Chart and we’ll announce it next Friday morning. Good luck to all!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 76 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Give Away, Giveaway, Gourmet Invitations, Seating Chart
Post categories: Community, Contests, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Invitations & Stationery