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Dini and I met and began dating in high school. We were so overjoyed to be getting married nine years later. Our main goal for the wedding was to have it be a big celebration with all the people who supported us over the years. We wanted it to be fun, personal, and beautiful.

Sarah True helped us develop a romantic garden theme with a soft herbal color palate and Tuscan accents. Yumiko of Hana Floral designed the gorgeous centerpieces, which alternated between soft, romantic blooms and lavender, artichokes, and other herbs. Gourmet Galley designed a delicious Tuscan inspired menu and put together a beautiful dessert table in place of a cake. The Branford House was the perfect place for our reception. We had dinner and dancing on the lawn, with spectacular views of Long Island Sound and Fourth of July fireworks.

It was really important to us to make our wedding a reflection of us. Dini is Greek Orthodox, so the ceremony took place at his church. My uncle is a Catholic priest, so we asked him to be a part of the wedding as well. After the ceremony, we drove away in a custom roadster that Dini’s father and grandfather had built together. The car brought us to a dock, where the whole bridal party boarded Dini’s cousin’s boat. We drove the boat to the reception site, giving us time to relax with our closest friends before the reception.

Given that Dini is a marine engineer and that we met while on our high school’s crew team, it was important for us to incorporate our love of and lives on the water. For that reason, we also replaced a traditional guest book with a pair of wooden oars that we had our guests sign. At the reception, we displayed photographs from the weddings of our parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. My mom and I made favors of homemade truffles, which we put into kraft boxes and tied with sage ribbon. Our family members made Greek and Italian sweets to add to the dessert table. The personal touches made the already beautiful reception feel like it was really representative of our relationship, and we could not have had a better time celebrating with all the people we love.

Wedding Photography: Justin & Mary / Wedding Venue: Branford House / Wedding Planning: Sarah True of TRUE Event / Catering: Gourmet Galley Catering / Floral Design: Yumiko of Hana Floral Design / Wedding Gown: Melissa Sweet via The White Dress by the shore / Bride’s Shoes: J.Crew / Tenting: Sperry Tents / Jewelry: Roberto Coin / Flower Girl & Ring Bearer Attire: The Blue Horse / Hair & Makeup: Rob Rivers / DJ: Renzo / Bridesmaid Dresses: Melissa Sweet

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 29 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blue, Branford House, Chalkboards, Connecticut, CT, Dessert Table, Gourmet Galley, Grey, Groton, Hana Floral Design, J. Crew, Justin & Mary, Melissa Sweet, New England Wedding, Peach, Purple, Rob Rivers, Roberto Coin, Sarah True, Sperry Tents, Tented Reception, The Blue Horse, True Event, Tuscan Inspired, University of Connecticut, White, White Dress By The Shore
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Not too long ago, Amanda at Orchard Cove Photography sent us two of her June weddings and Abby has already featured one of them {here}. So today, we wanted to show you Liz and Dan’s wedding. Not in Connecticut … but in Groton, Massachusetts …

Liz and Dan were married at the The Barn At Gibbit Hill ~ in June ~ and from the looks on the faces of their family and friends, they had a blast!

The beautiful flowers were designed by Tangerine Creations.

And the dresses? Who do you think? All of them by Vera, of course!

For a change, we even have the guys info ~ groom’s suit by Zegna, groomsmen’s pants by J.Crew; tie by Nautica.

Don’t you just love a big red barn wedding?

Catering by The Barn At Gibbet Hill. Entertainment by The Chicken Slacks.

Oh … such a pretty wedding! Congratulations Liz & Dan!!

For more of Orchard Cove’s fantastic photography that we’ve featured, here are just a few:

Vermont Wedding

Long Island Wedding

Cape Cod Wedding

And of course Amanda’s own blog is chock-full of more great weddings! As always, thank SO much to Amanda for sharing:)

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Apples, Barn, Groton, J. Crew, Massachusetts Weddings, Nautica, Orchard Cove Photography, Tangerine Creations, The Barn At Gibbet Hill, The Chicken Slacks, Vera Wang, Zegna
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Wedding Photography

Honestly, I don’t even know where to start!

The precious pillow toss? The ice-cream bar? Cupcakes galore? Cute-cute-cute escort & table cards? The dichotomy of grand floral displays vs. sweet, simple blooms? The mantle filled to overflowing with floating candles? (dot, dot, dot)

Suzanne and Justin … this all started with a TIE ???

What’s another word for PERFECT ?

Thank you … to everyone involved in bringing Suzanne and Justin’s wedding to fruition. You all did an amazing job! And we are so proud to feature it on Style Me Pretty.  Any and all who contributed to their day, please let us know below!

For all of the delicious details (and so much more), Justin and Mary Marantz have posted this fabulous wedding on their site. These guys stand for all that is good, all that is beautiful … all rolled up into one awesome package.

Oh! Wait! We can’t leave out Julia! Julia is now their 2nd shooter ( or 3rd?). Her wedding was featured HERE (so detail-oriented it’s 6 parts) … and her all-time favorite vintage-themed engagement shoot HERE! Ha! Love it!  Love you guys!!

***

Branford House Mansion ~ University of Connecticut, Groton CT

A Floral Affair

Felicia’s Sweetface Pastry Shoppe

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Floral Affair, Branford House, Connecticut, Felicia's Sweetface Pastry Shoppe, Groton, Justin and Mary Marantz, Tie, University of Connecticut
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Decor, Wedding Details, Wedding Photography, Wedding Style

Just in case you missed the first post {here}, Suzanne and Justin were married this month at the Branford House in Groton, CT.

Mary described them as “two people who shine from the inside out” …

Suzanne’s mom walked her to the beginning of the aisle, where Justin met her.

Her beautiful bouquet was by A Floral Affair.

Seriously. I’m right, aren’t I? It doesn’t get any better.

To answer just a couple of the questions we know you’ll ask … Suzanne’s beautiful gown is from Nicole Miller. Her necklace is her something borrowed (from a friend) and something blue, by Ralph Lauren.

Next up, the details of the day … from Justin & Mary Marantz!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Floral Affair, Branford House, Connecticut, Felicia's Sweetface Pastry Shoppe, Flowergirl, Groton, Justin Marantz Photography, Nicole Miller, Ralph Lauren, ring bearer, Shawl
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography, Wedding Style

Two of our favorite LBB members, Justin and Mary Marantz were there to capture all the beauty of the day …

But before we get to all of the lovely pieces of this day … we want to show you the inspiration behind their whole “vision”.

Every great wedding has to have a great starting point … right?  Well, for Suzanne and Justin, it was his tie!

Gorgeousness!!!

Back with lots more from the awesome Marantz’ in a bit ~

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Groton, Justin and Mary Marantz, Tie, University of Connecticut
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography, Wedding Style