Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Kerry and I wanted our wedding to be timeless and romantic with a naturally beautiful backdrop. As a child, my family took frequent trips to the New York Botanical Garden. It is full of great memories, many of which include my grandparents who passed away some years ago. On almost every trip we made there we would have lunch at the Stone Mill, outside next to the rushing stream. As luck would have it, we discovered that the Stone Mill had just finished renovations and was now a private event venue. It was of course the perfect choice.

When I found my dress the theme of the wedding really fell into place. It was classic with vintage flare and the skirt was a lovely concoction of silk organza cut in strips reminiscent of feathers. I paired it with a feather headpiece by Erica Koesler. We placed sterling silver pheasant sculptures and birds nests on the tables and used feathered calligraphy to embellish our invitations, menus and programs. Kerry sported a pair of winged cuff links.

Two of my bridesmaids were in their third trimester of pregnancy on the day of the wedding, so we went with Two Birds dresses for their flexibility and to avoid last minute tailoring.

We chose peonies as the dominant flower for their beauty, practicality, and symbolism. They embody romance and prosperity and are considered an omen of good fortune and a happy marriage. Their lush layered blooms seemed to compliment the delicate feather motif. Bowman Dahl did a beautiful job with the arrangements, using exotic varieties of peonies, berries, orchids, and sweetpeas in mercury glass footed bowls.

On that perfect June day with our nearest and dearest, we were married under a beautiful arbor (made by Kerry’s good friend Sebastian Vikkelsoe) draped with fruit laden passionflower vines. Our officiant Susanna Macomb conducted an incredibly personal and intimate ceremony, and as one of my friends said, “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”

Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Stone Mill at The New York Botanical Garden / Caterer: Abigail Kirsch / Wedding Photography: Erin Hearts Court / Floral Design: Bowman Dahl / Officiant: Susanna Macomb / Hair: StylesOnB / Hairpiece: Erica Koesler / Make-up: Sally Duvall / Wedding Dress: Lazaro / Bridesmaid Dresses: twobirds Bridesmaid / Groom’s Tux: Ralph Lauren / Groomsmen Attire: Ralph Lauren / Paper Goods: Gourmet Invitations

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Abigail Kirsch, Bowman Dahl, Erica Koesler, Erin Hearts Court Photography, Gourmet Invitations, Lazaro, New York Weddings, Ralph Lauren, Sally Duvall, StylesOnB, Susanna Macomb, The New York Botanical Garden, twobirds bridesmaid
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance

First, ~ the dress!
I knew my “perfect dress” had to be lace, and that once I found it, we’d design everything else around it. That dress ended up being Adele Wechsler‘s “Dalila.” I honestly never thought I’d have straps on my dress, but I fell in love with this one the first time I put it on! The Alencon lace on the straps created a mix of different flowers that inspired the orchid print we ended up using throughout our invitations suite and floral design!

The most important part, though …
I lost my dad 2 years before our wedding and although I knew he wouldn’t physically be there with us, we wanted to remember him in special ways throughout the day. Our ceremony took place at St. Clement Church in Lincoln Park. My amazing mom walked me down the aisle & at one point during our ceremony we incorporated a time for my mom and me to light a candle in remembrance of my dad. My dad was big into our Irish Heritage, and St. Clement happens to have Celtic Knots in several of the murals on the walls and on the doors leading into the church. It was a small symbolic note that I know he would have noticed & loved. Since my mom was walking me down the aisle, I wanted to make sure that she felt beautiful! We found an Adrianna Pappell java colored-tiered dress that did just that. We both fell in love with it as soon as we saw it. I was so incredibly happy and honored to have her walk me down the aisle.

H o w e v e r … when the rain nearly dashed their hopes for picture-perfect weather, e v e r y o n e assured Terri it would be fine. It would be fun …

A last minute addition to our day were the bubble umbrellas & the rain boots. When the forecast called for rain, I was a little sad at first, but after chatting with our absolutely awesome photographer, Michelle, from Under Grace Photo, she assured me this was an opportunity for some great photos, as the rain actually turns the ground into a mirror. We had fun with it, and although it didn’t end up raining until our reception started, the shots of the girls in their wellies are some of our favorites.

A little history ~ When Matt and I got engaged we instantly knew we wanted a Chicago wedding. We are in love with this city and everything that it has to offer! From the beginning, Matt and I talked about things that were important to us. Mine was a great band & his was great food. Since Matt is the “chef” of our household, I knew he’d be all about creating the menus for our wedding. We also wanted everyone close to us to be there, and ultimately wanted everyone to have an amazing time!!!

A friend recommended Gourmet Invitations for our invitations and all of our paper needs. After seeing Tifany’s work — make that Tifany’s amazing creations — we were sold. Tifany sent us examples of her work, along with the different color palates and textures of paper for us to choose from in one of the most adorable boxes. As I’m sure it was her intention, I kept it and used it as our wedding keepsake box. We incorporated our color palate of plum, ivory, brown and gold along with the orchid print throughout the design.

Other touches?
We had trolley’s take our guests from the InterContinental to the church & back after the ceremony. With the majority of our guests being from out of town, it was a great way for them to get a mini-tour of the city, trolley style. We also had a trolley that took our wedding party around the city to some of our favorite spots for pictures.

One of my passions is music, which I know I picked up from my dad, and that happened to be one of the top things on my list as well as Matt’s….an amazing band. We knew we couldn’t go wrong with Front of House, a nine-piece band under Ken Arlen’s collection of musicians. We had a trio of violins, the Sirens, who played Zeppelin, Skynyrd, Jeff Buckley, the Beatles, and many other legendary rock bands throughout dinner. We wanted it soothing enough for our grandparents, yet rocking enough for our friends & family who are true music lovers like us. When Freebird came on & the lighters came out, it was one of the highlights of the night, and that was just after the salad was served. The excitement generated by the dinner music set the mood for the rest of the night. We had an absolute blast & seriously rocked out “all night long” to quote Lionel Richie.

For the bridesmaid dresses my girls & I fell in love with a plum-colored Watters and Watters dress. The dress came with a sash, but I choose to take that off and put a brooch on the dress instead. My Matron of Honor and I went from antique shop to antique shop picking out the most beautiful vintage Aurora Borealis brooches. It was such a fun experience to hand pick each brooch that perfectly matched my girls personalities and style. Some of the brooches actually came with matching vintage earrings. For the ones that didn’t I found vintage Aurora Borealis earrings on Etsy. The nice thing about the vintage earrings was they were all clip-ons, so the girls could also use them on their shoes or a scarf after the wedding. The Aurora Borealis stone also gives off a rainbow of colors, so the stone compliments almost any other color. My Matron of Honor, Jennifer happens to design vintage headbands & hairpins from different stones & pearls she finds at estate sales and antique stores. So she handmade the gorgeous brooch I wore in my hair. Jennifer also gave me my “something blue” with a blue embroidered label with my married monogram & the date of our wedding. I had my seamstress sew it into my dress on my final fitting.

As for the flowers, I cannot put into words how much I loved working with Rebecca and all of the Dilly Lily crew. They. Are. Amazing. We went with ivory & white arrays of flowers for me and the girls, along with accents of dusty miller & seeded eucalyptus, with whispy touches of fresh lavender to accent the girls dresses. However, one of our favorite parts of the bouquets was the touch of vintage glassine flowers that Rebecca recommended. We loved it so much that it was Matt’s primary “flower” on his boutonniere. With the help of Dilly Lily we were able to transform an already beautiful ornate ballroom into the vintage romantic mood we wanted by adding tiered cylinder vases with floating candles with submerged orchids & seeded eucalyptus as half of the centerpieces & hanging votive candles from curly willow branches laced with white dendrobium orchids on the others. We were able to give the room just a touch of modern flair through amber uplighting under the candelabras that lined the wood walls in the Renaissance room. The lighting seriously seemed to make everything sparkle.

Matt and I will be able to cherish everything from this day because of the unique shots our photographer Michelle captured, and from the amazing vintage wedding film that Matt & Lori with I Do Films created for us. We felt lucky to have them with us to capture our day in the most creative & memorable ways! This film from Matt & Lori highlights some of our favorite points from the day!

Wedding Highlight from I Do Films on Vimeo.

Everyone told us what an amazing and overwhelming feeling it is to have all of the people you love and care about together with you on your wedding day, and Matt and I have to wholeheartedly agree ~ it truly was all that and more!

SMP’s thanks to Tifany ~ Terri & Matt ~ and all the other superb vendors for sharing!!

Invitations & Print: Gourmet Invitations
Photographer: Under Grace Photo
Floral Design: Dilly Lily
Cake: Bittersweet
Ceremony Location: St. Clement Church
Reception Venue: InterContinental Chicago
Cinematography: I Do Films
Wedding Dress: White Chicago
Bridal Hair Brooch: Dolly Girl
Bridesmaids Dresses: The Wedding Shoppe Inc
Band & Violins: Ken Arlen’s Front of House & Sirens
Linen: BBJ Linen
Trolley’s: Chicago Trolley

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Arlen Music, BBJ, Bittersweet Pastry, Chicago Trolley, Dilly Lilly, Dolly Girl, Gourmet Invitations, I Do Films, InterContinental Chicago, St. Clement Church, The Wedding Shoppe Inc, Under Grace Photography, White Chicago
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

Don Pham of Take1 Productions: “We were asked if we would be interested in being involved in a SMP “inspiration to reality shoot”. Of course we jumped on board! We are always looking to do something different, fun and creative. We brainstormed on what we could shoot once the theme was set…..”An Enchanted Forest”. We envisioned something different and out of the box, not just your typical eye candy music video. A storyline without any spoken words is what we wanted to create. When I entered the set, it immediately felt like a dream to me. The storyline evolved as we started to film. “An Enchanted Forest” conveyed feelings of fantasy, eeriness, non-reality. Our minds raced as we thought of these adjectives. The final story that was conveyed was “Poison Apples”.

{Click here to see the whole enchanted affair in our galleries}

Tifany of Gourmet Invitations: “I immediately knew that I wanted to do something natural and a laser engraved wood invitation was perfect. I used a large piece of wood with bark on the sides and designed the invitation with the look of a fairytale book. The large engraved letter is so reminiscent of old fairy tales and this piece set the mood for the rest of the elements for our shoot.”

A pre-planning design meeting was held at the amazing venue, Flat 151. Located in the heart of the business district, the space boasts over 8,000 square feet with 12 ft ceilings and sweeping views of the Detroit cityscape. Event planner Misty Trompeter suggested the location and the team heartily agreed as it was the perfect “blank canvas” to transform the inspiration into an indoor magical forest.

Next, Bells & Bliss took the team to Special Event Rental, Michigan’s leading Event Rental and Design Company. Here, all of the elements of the design became a reality. A green organza linen with a thick stripe, was inspired by the photo of the butterfly on a striped background. The photo of the fairy had beautiful lilac flowers on her wings and thus the colors of lilac and hot pinks were incorporated into the table décor. The brown Chivari chairs were covered with moss, as well as the chargers, which were large pieces of wood. A bride could achieve this look by using a custom chair pad in a shaggy fabric in the same moss green. Using actual moss as filler and accents on the table helps a bride create the “outdoor” feel.  Near the tablescape a “soft seating area”was created by using a modern wooden bench with complimentary decorative wooden tree stumps. Special and unique elements adorned the table such as tiny gold salt and pepper shakers, gold rimmed stemware and tiny buds of pink dendrobium orchids gently scattered around the table.

Hollye from Hollye Mackler Designs: “I wanted to bring the earth up through the table, creating a natural inspired piece. The curly willow branches were designed to look as though they were growing from the ground and sprouting through the center of the table. Dendrobium orchid blooms along with seeded eucalyptus and natural moss completed the piece and created a cohesive design element for a beautiful Enchanted Forest.”

For the additional paper products, Gourmet Invitations wanted the elements to be very unique and to follow the fairy tale idea. Tifany designed table numbers to hang from the tree centerpiece on each table. The numbers were backed with a wood grain cardstock. The menus were designed as a leaf and placed on each moss covered seat. The placecards are one-of-a-kind laser engraved stones; each customized with the guest’s name. Various paper signs were designed for the “Everlasting Love Potion” (raspberry lemonade), the Poison Apples (caramel apples from Christine’s Cakes), the signature drink (“Drink Me”, Kiwi/Green Tea shooters) and leaf shaped sign for the leaves tossed as a send off . Gourmet Invitations also worked with a longtime friend and artist, Stephenie Fish, to design a guest book. The guest book was a large tree and the guests were instructed to use colored stamp pads and markers to make thumb print animals of their family.

Another piece that Tifany of Gourmet Invitations created was the custom firefly lantern that also doubled as the ring bearer’s lantern. “Using the photo of the fireflies in the mason jar for inspiration, I contacted Fire Flies in a Jar. I purchased their Fireflies in a Jar and removed the lid. I purchased a vintage looking lantern and put the firefly lid in the bottom and then strung the fireflies with fishing line up into the top of the lantern. I covered the bottom of the lantern with green organza with sewn in crystals.”

Dionne of The Shooting Gallery: “Normally at weddings, I am always behind the camera. But for this project, I was in charge of my other love: fashion. First I found the wedding dress from the amazing designer, Sarah Seven. Sarah was thrilled to loan us the dress and it was perfect for the ethereal look I had envisioned for this shoot. The shoes are from Badgley Mishka. The jewelry was from my own collection. Our groom’s tuxedo was donated from Wesner’s Tuxedo. I decided on a silver tuxedo. The tie was a perfect find with the same green stripes that were in our inspiration board.”

Shannon and Carie of Emplume: “While creating the Enchanted Forest Collection we were inspired by images of a mossy, dense forest, the soft glow of fireflies, colorful butterflies and magical fairy wings. The colors of the collection were directly taken from the weepy, murky colors of the inspiration board. The fairy bride’s bouquet is made up of forest green feathers, preserved mushroom ‘petals,’ alight with butterflies, fuschia swarovski jewels, and is finished in back with a moss covered trellis wrapping over a velvety handle. Her bridesmaid is carrying a fairy dust covered twig ball, surrounded by flitting butterflies, complete with a ethereal, glowing, fuchsia light inside. Enchanting!”

Christine from Christine’s Cakes: “When I was ask to do a inspiration cake for the Style Me Pretty photo shoot, I wanted to design a classic four tier wedding cake, but with hidden punches of wow factor. I designed and hand painted butterflies that were placed around the cake. The overlaid fondant flowers were a way to give some dimension and were colored in the same lavender pinks and green touches as the color scheme. Tifany from Gourmet Invitations wanted touches of fairy tale pieces in the shoot as well, and we were asked to design ‘Poison Apples’. Our chocolate dipped caramel apples were all hand drizzled with various toppings and tied with twine. We also created two tiny cakes, that were piped with ‘Eat Me’ and were made of our award winning chocolate poured cake.”

Video: Take1 Productions / Cakes: Christine’s Cakes and Pastries / Bouquet: Emplume / Photography: The Shooting Gallery / Flowers: Hollye Mackler Designs / Invitations: Gourmet Invitations Event Planner: Misty Trompeter, Bells and Bliss / Furniture, Linen and China: Special Events Rental / Venue: Flat 151 Detroit, Michigan / Hair: Roman Barrett from Alex Emilio Salon / Makeup: Elizabeth Arsov, Elizabeth’s Head to Toe / Bridal Gown: Sarah Seven / Tuxedo:  Wesner’s Tuxedo / Cakes and Caramel Apples: Christine’s Cakes and Pastries / Violinist: Karen Krause Rochester Hills, Michigan

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alex Emilio Salon, Bells and Bliss, Christine's Cakes and Pastries, Emplume, Flat 151, Gourmet Invitations, Hollye Mackler, Michigan, Sarah Seven, Special Events Rental, Take1 Productions, The Shooting Gallery, Wenser's Tuxedo
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality, The Blog

Beyond wanting our wedding to be different, Mike and I wanted it to be modernly elegant, but still feel very intimate…which is a hard balance when you both come from small families and have a huge guest list. At the end of the day, we wanted every one of our guests, whether they traveled from near or far, to feel a part of our day. From the ceremony to the reception we wanted it to be a reflection of us, but something that everyone could enjoy. Because as I said at our rehearsal dinner, “this day is as much about all of you who have made us the people we are today and supported us, as it is about us!”

Katy went on to say … By the time I got engaged, I was pretty much known as a professional bridesmaid. Lucky for me, I had been in so many of my friends’ gorgeous weddings, it gave me a good starting point for everything I wanted for our big day. However, anyone that knows me, also knows that I love to be different, not in a dye my hair blue kind of way, but always have my finger on the pulse of the newest beauty product, celeb line for target, etc… That being said, we chose what I thought were non-traditional wedding colors. However, as I scoured the blogs for some ideas, I realized that my colors (midnight blue and key lime) had become the most popular wedding colors for SUMMER weddings. So I thought great, I have such great taste that every bride is using the same colors! The only problem ~ we were getting married in October. So I decided to add another color that would pop, my “something different” if you will.  It hit me that orange, beautiful pumpkin/fall orange would provide that … and tie into the fall season.

Since everyone who was part of our wedding is so special to us, we really wanted to get them personal gifts.  For my girls, I got Kate Spade make up bags in our wedding colors, a hoodie with a vintage patch with our wedding date, a vintage purse that matched their personalities and a hand-embroidered (again by my amazing sister) handkerchief with their monogram for them to use on the wedding day.

Mike and I are lucky to have such great family and friends who really helped with all of the details, but by far, one of the best decisions we made was bringing on Misty from Bells and Bliss to be our coordinator…to really keep everything running smoothly and on track…it was great to have eyes and ears in Michigan, while we were planning from DC.

After getting all of the big stuff done, photog (yes, I booked Abby before I even had a date), church (the one my parents were married in 32 years ago), the reception place, and the date … I dove into the details. I am from Michigan and Mike is from Pennsylvania, but we met, fell in love, and currently are still living in DC. We knew we wanted to include elements from each place to really give our guests a true feeling of our history and our future.

First, I decided on working with the AMAZING Tifany from Gourmet Invitations and we modeled our invites and extras off of the tie Mike was going to wear! Even the stickers on our out-of-town boxes (filled with MI and PA treats and facts) matched our invitation suite. Our seating chart was modeled after the Washington, DC metro system, and our tables were named for stops that had significance to us individually or as a couple.

(see all SMP gallery images from Katy & Mike’s wedding here)

You can see even more images of Katy & Michael’s wedding on Gourmet Invitation’s blog and on Abby Rose Photo’s blog!

For décor at the wedding, we wanted it to be modern, and fun, yet elegant. We worked with Misty and our amazing florist, Hollye to come up with fresh, different tablescapes. I have always loved chivari chairs, but they had become all the rage, so I wanted to make them different. That is when I came up with the weaving idea (I had seen a picture of one color). This was an extremely labor intensive task, it took the ladies from Happenings almost 20 hours to do. The flowers, I adored…there was just enough orange in the girls bouquets to make it pop, and tight orange rose centerpieces looked amazing in the ballroom against the navy linens.

After all of that planning and thought, I wouldn’t change one thing about our day…my dad walking me down the same isle, he was married in and seeing Mike at the other end…one of our closest friends Amber, reading Mister Rogers instead of a traditional reading, and exiting under rice, and our AMAZING photog stepping on my veil…I wouldn’t change any of it. I know that brides always say this, but it couldn’t be more true, things will go wrong on your day and you can’t worry about it. As I was walking up to get ready to go down the aisle with my dad, I realized our string quartet was playing the wrong song as my girls walked down and I couldn’t have cared less, because the only person that knew was me and it wasn’t stopping me from marrying the man of my dreams.

Congrats to Katy & Mike! And a huge thank you to Abby Rose Photo and Tifany at Gourmet Invitations!!

Photography: Abby Rose Photo Invites: Gourmet Invitations Coordination: Bells and Bliss Floral: Hollye Mackler Dress: Lazaro, Jewelry: Haute Bride, Bridesmaids: Anna Elyse,  Flowergirl/ring bearer: Pegeen, Cake: Zingerman’s Bakehouse

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Abby Rose Photo, Anna Elyse, Bells and Bliss, Flower Girl, Gourmet Invitations, Haute Bride, Hollye Mackler, Lazaro, Michigan, pegeen, Zingerman's Bakehouse
Post categories: Bouquets, Centerpieces, Color Palettes, Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Photography

Video
For the video I wanted to take you through the different moods that we experienced during the day: Starting with all the excitement and preparation of getting ready – culminating in the magic of seeing it all come together for the first time – and then ramping up to a new high with the excitement and energy of the bridal shoot with Chelsea Nicole. I used Color (an application just for grading video) to simulate the Technicolor two-strip process that Chelsea came up with for her stills. I combined everything together with a custom mix of vintage and high-energy music to complete the story. –Jayse

And more pictures and details from Tracey of Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge, Chelsea Nicole, Tifany of Gourmet Invitations, Shannon of Emplume, Naakiti Floral Design, and a collection of really great vendors (full list below)…

Photography
I loved “The Aviator”, so when Tracey mentioned it as a way to give our own Vegas twist to the board I got even more excited. I knew the predominant colors in that film matched the board’s colors perfectly and this was because the filmmakers copied the vintage techniques they used in the 20′s and 30′s when color was first introduced to film. It was a Technicolor two-strip process: the film could only reproduce red and green. Eventually they figured out that dying the film yellow would give them a third color and produce amazingly beautiful, if slightly unreal, skin tones. So, rather than do the usual ‘desaturated and sepia toned’ vintage look, I wanted to do my own modern-twist on the technique: Instead of ‘old’ looking images, I wanted to do Vintage as if it were brand-new and shiny. I ended up using various curves in Photoshop to accent the red and green channels and mixed yellow overlays to create a digital reinterpretation of the Technicolor two-strip process. The result is a mix of rich, sparkling golden tones with a vintage-vibrant feel to the images. –Chelsea Nicole

Details
The Aviator” movie gave us more ideas! We found models of old bi-planes (I love the gleaming silver one Tifany brought us). The keys and maps from the board inspired our monogrammed; crackle textured door designed by Randi of Naakiti Floral Design. Monogrammed oval tags created by Tifany were tied to vintage skeleton keys with peacock blue ribbon and hung on the door. This is a super-chic idea for an escort-card board (seating chart) or a favor display to say “You were the Key to a Great Wedding”! It also makes a fun backdrop for pictures! –Tracey of Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge

Signature Cocktail
“The Plume” cocktail was inspired, of course, by the peacock décor elements from the board and what was being used for shoot. The drink’s exotic taste and gorgeous iridescent blue hue was created by blending Vodka, Lichee Juice, Blue Curacao and Asian inspired “Ty.ku” liquor. I thought the whole style of this wedding was so glamorous so I ‘Dressed the Drink’ with edible gold-flake accented with gold embedded chocolate leaves. –Cindy McClure, owner of Dress the Drink

Fashion
Desert Glamour was defined by this Vera Wang sheath. This dress encompassed all of the glamour, sophistication and timeless elegance that dictated an era where sexy and couture styles dominated the fashion industry.  A v-neck siren sheath with a draped bodice, bias cut skirt and cowl at the back in a deliciously creamy ivory crepe back silk-satin fabric captured glamour at its best!” As our handsome groom “William”, our model Jesus Ochoa wears an elegant chocolate brown tuxedo, ivory vest, shirt and tie with matching boutonniere accented with peacock feathers from Emplume.–Dawn Heaney, Couture Bride Salon

Wedding Beauty
For the makeup, I wanted to give our bride that classic bridal allure, with a little modern twist. I incorporated the beautiful neutral tones of the desert landscape and gave her skin a flawless glow. I introduced the exquisite peacock colors that were being used in the details of the wedding, without matching her eye shadow directly to the color scheme. Instead, I used soft teal eyeliner underneath her eyes and blended it out to hint at the vibrant wedding colors, without over powering the makeup or our bride’s delicate facial features.” Allyson Stagg, Las Vegas Style Sirens

For our bride’s hair, I wanted to create a modern silhouette with a vintage feel. I used several different sized barrels to give our bride’s hair the texture and volume I wanted. I decided on a style that accented the back of her gorgeous Vera Wang gown, so I created a side swept design. I did not want to use a traditional veil so instead I opted to create custom hair pieces made especially for this bride. The teal birdcage veil and peacock feather hairpiece featuring natural stones are a perfect way to accent the simple yet elegant gown and hair style.”  Monet McRay for Las Vegas Style Sirens & MUMO Hair Pieces by Monet

Jewelry
With the v-neckline of the sheath gown, I chose a delicate crystal encrusted “Glint Necklace” and complementary stud earrings. The glamorous, vintage-sparkle touch to the bride’s look was added with one of my favorite pieces, the Czech crystal “Heirloom Deco Bracelet” inspired by a style that any 30’s or 40’s starlet on the arm of Mr. Hughes might have worn. –Carrie Hogan Stylist for Stella & Dot Jewelry

Coordination by Tracey of Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge / Invitations by Tifany of Gourmet Invitations / Bouquet by Shannon of Emplume Modern Couture Bouquets / Flowers and Design by Naakiti Floral Design / Photography by the FAB Chelsea Nicole / Film by Jayse, also of Chelsea Nicole / Venue: Springs Preserve / Chaivari Chairs + Table/Bench & Credenza by Sit on This Chair / Linen Rentals by Wildflower Linens / China Rentals by Unique Tabletop Rentals / Cake by Gimme Some Sugar Custom Cakes / Signature Drink by Dress the Drink / Fashion & Bridal by Couture Bride Salon / Shoes by Manolo Blahnik / Gown by VeraWang / Hair & Makeup by Allyson Stagg & Lauren Gardiner (makeup) Monet McRay (hair) – Las Vegas Style Sirens / Hair Accessories (peacock birdcage veil) by MUMO Custom Hair Accessories / Jewelry (necklace & deco bracelet): Carrie Hogan Stylist for Stella & Dot Jewelry / Decor / accessories: ZGallerie / Models: Jesus Ochoa, Gabbi – RED Models Agency

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 33 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chelsea Nicole, Couture Bride Salon, Dress the Drink, Emplume, Gimme Some Sugar Custom Cakes, Gourmet Invitations, Jayse, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Style Sirents, Naakiti Floral Deisgn, Nevada, Sit on This Chair, Springs Preserve, Stella and Dot Jewelry, Unique Tabletop Rentals, Wildflower Linens, Z Gallerie
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality

{to see all images before we blog about them, click right here}

Venue
The Springs Preserve is a 180-acre cultural institution located just fifteen minutes NW of the Las Vegas Strip. It was designed to commemorate Las Vegas’ dynamic history and to provide a vision for a sustainable future. It is an ideal venue for “green, sustainable” weddings with many beautiful locations and trails that take you miles away in ambience and adventure from the bright lights of the strip. Wolfgang Puck Catering is the sole catering company where every food and beverage, dish, fork and element they consider is organic and sustainable and 100% delicious as you would expect.

Invitations
Using the movie “The Aviator” as the underlying theme, I started with an airplane motif invitation. I found the amazing table number stand at Hobby Lobby and that piece became a huge part of the look for all of the paper pieces. As the oval shaped fames are so “vintage” in style, I decided to make everything oval. Oval menus, oval favor tags, an oval seating chart sign and oval RSVP card. I added some modern design elements to the invitation with the couple’s name, Mary and William, in an all-lowercase script contrasted by subtext in an all-capitalized classic-serif font in a justified layout. The invitation was covered in brown faux-fur and then layered with peacock colored cardstock and ribbon. I included a large fold out map to the suite to keep with the theme of travelingr. In the steamer trunk, the guest also finds an adorable gold vintage compass with matching peacock needle “to find their way”. For the seating chart, I really wanted to do something different for this shoot and found a large collage frame. I love the idea of displaying the seating arrangements in a unique set of frames and this could be accomplished by buying all coordinating but different frames for your own wedding. Displaying them in this format also makes them easier to print and makes a great DIY project. –Tifany of Gourmet Invitations

Bouquet
The Inspiration Board has beautiful warm fur elements and worn smooth leather details with ‘just right’ sparkle and, of course, the bold sexy color in the peacock-eye feather and bridesmaid dress which we love. We arranged a simple composition of our gorgeous signature feather flowers with crystal rhinestone centers. Faux-leathery leaves are glam’ed up with shimmering bronze and copper-glitter trims the perimeter of the bouquet. We then finished in a satin ribbon handle, peacock sword feathers and crystal sprays, each in the fabulous bold teal color. Finally to fully honor the “Aviator” / Vegas Desert theme, the bouquet handle is embellished with a crisscross detail of leather lacing.” –Shannon & Carrie, Emplume Modern Couture Bouquets

Event Design
With the inspiration board, the botanical setting and much of the natural, muted colors and scenery at Springs Preserve, we had our design in mind. ‘Mary and William’s’ wedding would be intimate, elegant, a bit bold and sexy with a warm, romantic golden glow that would evoke vintage 40’s glamour but feel completely at home amongst this setting. We certainly wanted to incorporate many textures, natural woods and treats for the eye as possible for the reception. Our beautiful dark wood dining table, bench seating and credenza, provided by Randi Garrett of Naakiti Floral Design and Sit on this Chair, provided our ideal canvas to create an inviting dinner setting for our bride and groom and their guests.

Our table was set with elegant “Vintage Gold” china, accented with “Operetta Gold” rimmed stemware and “Antique Gold Swirl” flatware for a classic, vintage look. A soft golden, neatly folded napkin was placed to highlight Gourmet Invitation’s fabulous table number stand and elegant peacock blue, oval menus. Of course the table got a crowning touch of sexy Las Vegas pizzazz thanks to magnificent crystal peacocks perched atop a champagne glass. –Tracey of Your Las Vegas Weddings Concierge

Floral Decor
My inspiration for the floral and décor design was, of course, the peacock hue and feathers as well as the natural setting of our venue.I brought the outside in and used White Hydrangea, Root Beer Cymbidium Orchids, Magnolia Tips, Succulents, Manzanita tree and Sahara roses. Guests can dine in the soft glow of amber glass votives and varying height pillar candles in cream, burnt orange and moss tones. –Randi Garret of Naakiti Floral Design

Wedding Cakes
Our inspiration for the cake design was primarily drawn from the Peacock Feathers in the style board, not only in the colors, but the “feather-esque” detailing as well. The three coordinating designs we chose highlight different techniques, and show the versatility that is available with a single wedding theme and set of colors. We also chose to go with the haute trend of miniature tiered cakes rather than one large cake centerpiece. It allows the opportunity to showcase more than one style and design. –Kristen of Gimme Some Sugar Custom Cakes

So much more to come from the Fashion to the Photography!

Coordination by Tracey of Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge / Invitations by Tifany of Gourmet Invitations / Bouquet by Shannon of Emplume Modern Couture Bouquets / Flowers and Design by Naakiti Floral Design / Photography by the FAB Chelsea Nicole / Film by Jayse, also of Chelsea Nicole / Venue: Springs Preserve / Chaivari Chairs + Table/Bench & Credenza by Sit on This Chair / Linen Rentals by Wildflower Linens / China Rentals by Unique Tabletop Rentals / Cake by Gimme Some Sugar Custom Cakes / Signature Drink by Dress the Drink / Fashion & Bridal by Couture Bride Salon / Shoes by Manolo Blahnik / Gown by VeraWang / Hair & Makeup by Allyson Stagg & Lauren Gardiner (makeup) Monet McRay (hair) – Las Vegas Style Sirens / Hair Accessories (peacock birdcage veil) by MUMO Custom Hair Accessories / Jewelry (necklace & deco bracelet): Carrie Hogan Stylist for Stella & Dot Jewelry / Decor accessories: ZGallerie / Models: Jesus Ochoa, Gabbi – RED Models Agency

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Post tags: Chelsea Nicole, Couture Bride Salon, Dress the Drink, Emplume, Gimme Some Sugar Custom Cakes, Gourmet Invitations, Jayse, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Style Sirents, Naakiti Floral Deisgn, Nevada, Sit on This Chair, Springs Preserve, Stella and Dot Jewelry, Unique Tabletop Rentals, Wildflower Linens, Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge, Z Gallerie
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality

From the moment Chelsea Nicole and I found out about the “Inspiration to Reality” features, we were both on the same page in wanting to give Style Me Pretty readers a glimpse into a different side of Las Vegas; one that evoked the glamour that was the early hey days of this fabulous city! Our entire Las Vegas creative team was absolutely thrilled when we found this stunner of an Inspiration Board called, “Fur & Feathers” that was created by Chiara. The weathered luggage, fur (but only faux for us) and feathers made us think of the movie, “The Aviator” about the legendary Howard Hughes who is as much a part of the “dreamer-can-do” spirit, history and development of Las Vegas as Bugsy Siegel is. As we browsed through the production still images from the movie we became increasingly giddy about our choice knowing it was a perfect way to tie the essence and style of this inspiration board to our unique location in Vegas. Hollywood and Las Vegas have always shared an allure of design, fashion and love of the good times since the 40’s. Alas, starlets in beautiful, demure, vintage inspired designer gowns and handsome men dressed sharp in tuxedos or dinner jackets may not be the scene d’jour anymore, but for us it was a dream we made come true to inspire you all to “Return to Desert Glamour”.

xoxo, Tracey of Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge

Coordination by Tracey of Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge / Invitations by Tifany of Gourmet Invitations / Bouquet by Shannon of Emplume Modern Couture Bouquets / Flowers and Design by Naakiti Floral Design / Photography by the FAB Chelsea Nicole / Film by Jayse, also of Chelsea Nicole / Venue: Springs Preserve / Chaivari Chairs + Table/Bench & Credenza by Sit on This Chair / Linen Rentals by Wildflower Linens / China Rentals by Unique Tabletop Rentals / Cake by Gimme Some Sugar Custom Cakes / Signature Drink by Dress the Drink / Fashion & Bridal by Couture Bride Salon / Shoes by Manolo Blahnik / Gown by VeraWang / Hair & Makeup by Allyson Stagg & Lauren Gardiner (makeup) Monet McRay (hair) – Las Vegas Style Sirens / Hair Accessories (peacock birdcage veil) by MUMO Custom Hair Accessories / Jewelry (necklace & deco bracelet): Carrie Hogan Stylist for Stella & Dot Jewelry / Decor accessories: ZGallerie / Models: Jesus Ochoa, Gabbi – RED Models Agency

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Post tags: Chelsea Nicole, Couture Bride Salon, Dress the Drink, Emplume, Gimme Some Sugar Custom Cakes, Gourmet Invitations, Jayse, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Style Sirents, Naakiti Floral Deisgn, Nevada, Sit on This Chair, Springs Preserve, Stella and Dot Jewelry, Unique Tabletop Rentals, Wildflower Linens, Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality

And from Tifany’s website …

According to Tifany, the invitation design was born from Shannon’s exquisite dress …

And from there … a fairytale dream come true celebration!

LOVE this shot … {Aaron is a chef}

LOTS more photos of Shannon and Aaron’s invitation suite on Gourmet Invitation’s blog!

Our THANKS to The Shooting Gallery for sharing these gorgeous images!

And here, from Shannon, their wedding “inspiration” …

I got my Lazaro gown at a trunk show at Macy’s State Street in Chicago. My Mom flew to Chicago for the weekend to attend the trunk show with me – Lazaro was there and drew a sketch of me in the dress … Super cool! I gave our floral designers at Blossoms a picture of my dress and that’s all. We knew whatever Norm & Dale did would be beautiful. Dale had suggested having a mini pocket on our place cards with the name of the guest on the outside- and a card on the inside with the table number and their entree choice. We met with Tifany and she made it happen! She also designed the custom menus (each guest’s name and their specific entree choice) ~ they were just perfect. The boxed invitations were beautiful and a result of us throwing around a few ideas- they morphed into the neatest invites I’ve ever seen. Aaron’s artistic side had the idea of using shadow boxes and mini stones to display the place cards.

How We Planned Our Wedding: We really and truly planned the wedding 100% together. We chose all of our vendors with the ‘coffee test’- if we met them and wanted to go have coffee with them- they were the one!

Congratulations on a positively stunning wedding!!

Credits:  Photographer-The Shooting Gallery Photography; Stationery-Gourmet Invitations; Event Planner-Bells & Bliss; Venue-The Townsend Hotel; Bridal Gown: Lazaro, Macy’s, State Street, Chicago; Hair & Makeup-Posh Brides; Music-Panache Entertainment; Forals-Blossoms; Cake-The Townsend Bakery

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Post tags: Gourmet Invitations
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Invitations & Stationery