Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Our vision was “simple elegance.”  We wanted to achieve a balance of traditional and modern, classic and unique – a wedding that would be memorable and timeless.  For our ceremony we chose a beautiful, white steeple congregational church in Connecticut:  the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme. This classic New England church was incorporated in 1665 and is as rich in beauty as it is in tradition.  Our reception venue, Eolia Mansion, was the summer home of the Harkness family beginning in 1907 and is now part of Harkness State Park.  The Gatsby-like setting on Long Island Sound includes ocean views, sprawling lawns, hidden gardens and admiring fountains.  Guests enjoyed cocktails and dancing under the tented terrace and dinner in candlelit rooms throughout the estate.

While the beautiful location set the tone of the wedding, the details added the charm and character.  Every decision was made with the “simple elegance” vision in mind.  Classic hydrangeas in soft colors of pale pink, green and white were used for the centerpieces and to decorate the Mansion’s mantles alongside floating candles.  A clean and elegant bouquet of white hydrangeas, garden and spray roses and ranunculus flowers created a tailored and classic bridal bouquet.  Guests were welcomed to the reception with handcrafted pink paisley place cards tied with sage ribbon and the traditional guest book was replaced by small note cards on which guests could leave marriage well-wishes.  These items, along with calligraphy bride and groom chair signs, were designed and created by artists and craftsmen discovered on Etsy. Pale pink cards were tucked into the napkins of each place setting which listed the charitable donations made to non-profit organizations in honor of our guests.

The wedding celebration was truly everything we hoped it would be and the planning was a labor of love – worth every appointment, every blog search and all the time spent researching and working with talented vendors.  As a young girl I often dreamed of a truly special wedding day.  I am touched today to say that our wedding was worthy of that young girl’s wish and a day that we are more than proud to remember as the first of our marriage.

Wedding Photography: Tony Spinelli Photography / Floral Design: Hana Floral Design / Event Design: Cloud Nine Catering / Ceremony Location: First Congregational Church of Old Lyme / Reception Location: Eolia Mansion at Harkness Park / Wedding Dress: Mariella Creations

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cloud Nine Catering, Connecticut, Eolia Mansion, First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, Hana Floral Design and Boutique, Harrkness Park, Tony Spinelli Photography, Waterford
Post categories: Massachusetts Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

Hair and Makeup by the oh-so-lovely Dana Bartone & Company

The gallery has more of this nautical chic affair!

There was never a question in my mind that I wanted to get married on the banks of the Connecticut River in my hometown of Essex, Connecticut. Fortunately, when my husband proposed in our New York City apartment, the respite of a quintessential New England town seemed the perfect antidote to our hectic city lives.

Our ceremony took place overlooking the water in Essex’s Main Street Park and guests walked through town to the reception, held under a tent at the Essex Yacht Club. Our entire wedding was built with nautical New England in mind. My husband, never one for tuxedos, decided early that he’d like to wear a blue blazer and Nantucket Red pants. A color scheme was born! The bridesmaids wore classic navy J.Crew cotton cady and the flower girls wore white, short-sleeved eyelet dresses with navy cardigan sweaters.

The deep blue hydrangeas, scarlet red peonies, and vibrant yellow roses were a perfect compliment to the bold navy and Nantucket Red. When it came to table décor, we really went for it with color and design. We constructed a bold tribute to our nautical surroundings. Our tables were named for classic (and silly!) love songs. Escort cards detailed our favorite line from the song, and they popped out like small signposts from our favors, tiny metal pails full of navy and white M&Ms.

The food was delicious – surf and turf provided by the Essex Yacht Club. We skipped the cake and had a brownie sundae bar instead. It was a big hit! Our DJ kept everyone dancing well past our designated ending time, and then we all strolled over to the historic Griswold Inn tavern room to finish up the night.

We rounded out the weekend with a few DIY projects, including a welcome brochure with a map of our favorite food and shopping spots in town plus a canvas bag embroidered with “Essex, CT” and filled with snacks and other goodies. Although the weather was far from perfect, the amazing photographs from Iris Photography really say it all. Everyone only remembers the fun!

Photography: IRIS Photography / Wedding Gown: 2Be Bride / Groom Attire: Brooks Brothers and Dockers / Bridesmaids Dress Designer: J.Crew / Flower Girls Dresses: Mini Boden / Event Planning & Design: Sixpence For Your Shoe / Invitation Designer: Julie Holcomb Printers via The Note Nest / Stationery: Sixpence For Your Shoe / Flowers: Hana Floral Design and Boutique / Ceremony Music: The Wildwood Groups / Reception Music: DJ Rob Waldron from Standing Ovations / Hair and Makeup: Dana Bartone and Company / Rentals: Party Rental Ltd. / Tent: Sperry Tents / Venue: Griswold Inn & Essex Yacht Club

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 2Be Bride, Brooks Brothers, Connecticut, Dana Bartone & Company, Dockers, Essex Yacht Club, Griswold Inn, Hana Floral Design and Boutique, IRIS Photography, J. Crew, Julie Holcomb Printers, Mini Boden, Nantucket, Nautical, Party Rentals Ltd, Sixpence For Your Shoe, Sperry Tents, Standing Ovations, The Note Nest, The Wildwood Groups
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Photography

Photography by Denise Krieger

We first featured Hana Floral Design as a member of Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book this week on Katie and Colin’s over-the-top gorgeous wedding shot by the J&M Marantz team. When we first saw the floral details of their wedding, well, we just had to ask Yumiko to send us more photos from some of her other special events. The bio on her website says she has a flair for the dramatic … and … she’s a classically trained opera singer. Wow!

Photography by Maggie Conley

When we saw this next glam bouquet, we immediately recognized it! Our friend, and fellow Little Black Book member, Karen Wise, photographed this wedding that we’d already admired on HER blog.  Karen sent us some more of Deb and Jack’s wedding with added evidence of Yumiko’s floral artistry. Have you ever seen such elaborate bouquets??

Karen’s weddings are always gorgeous, but this wedding with it’s Jade accents against the lush purple florals, well…it’s simply lovely!

Thanks so much to Yumiko for sharing these unbelievably beautiful samples of your work. We are thrilled to share your creations with all of our design savvy readers!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bouquets, Color Palette Pink, Denise Krieger, Emerald Green, Hana Floral Design and Boutique, Jade, Justin Marantz, Karen Wise, Maggie Conley, Pug
Post categories: Bouquets, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Decor, Wedding Details, Wedding Flowers