We’re not really sentimental types, so I never thought I would say this, but our wedding felt like pure magic that whole evening. It is the most incredible feeling to be surrounded by people who love you so much you can actually feel it in the air. Our ceremony took place overlooking the vineyards in the (hot!) late afternoon and the light was incredible. It was so bright, which was great in a way, because all we could really see was each other, the Rabbi, and those who came to the chuppah to speak. With all the craze of wedding planning and wedding weekend festivities, it was wonderful to have those moments to remember exactly why we were there.

The party got started immediately – we all sat down for an incredible wine country dinner under the trees and twinkly lights and that part was the biggest blur of the whole night because we were trying to relax and take in everything but we also wanted to speak to everyone individually. Because we kept the guest list somewhat small and it was a destination wedding, we both knew everyone there well and knew how much everyone had wanted to be there to celebrate with us. I think we started dancing before we were technically scheduled to start the dance portion of the evening, but that is the best part because we wanted the night to be organic and for everyone to enjoy all the moments. The dancing is what was really memorable to me, because it felt like it was on the dance floor that everyone was having the most fun, catching up with old friends, and meeting new ones. I have to give it to our DJ – Josh Dukes – for knowing exactly what everyone wanted to hear, even though the crowd ranged from ages 10 to 78!

We were planning from afar, so almost everything we saw at our wedding, from the centerpieces, to the escort cards, to our cigar and truffle bar, was new and exciting. It would not have been half as memorable, beautiful, and enjoyable without the help of our amazing vendors, and the support of our incredible friends and family.

Planner: A Savvy Event / Brunch: Eldorado Kitchen / Rehearsal Dinner: Scribe Winery / Wedding Venue: Gundlach Bundschu Winery / Photographer: Jessamyn Harris / Florist: Fleuressence / Catering: Girl & The Fig / Wedding Cake: Inticing Creations / DJ: Josh Dukes / Rentals: Wine Country Party & LaTavola Fine Linens / Hair & Make Up: It’s A Date at The Powder Room / Save the Dates: Lilikoi Design / Invitations: Golden Rectangle Press

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Savvy Event, Alfresco Dining, California, Casual Elegance, Chuppa, Destination Weddings, DJ Josh Dukes, Eldorado Kitchen, FleurEssence, Girl & The Fig, Golden Rectangle Press, Gundlock Bundshu Winery, Inticing Creations, It's a Date at the Powder Room, Jessamyn Harris, Jewish Weddings, La Tavola Fine Linens, Lilikoi Design, Outdoor Ceremony, Outdoor Wedding, Scribe Winery, Sonoma, Wedding Photography, Wine Country Party, Wine Country Wedding, Winery Wedding
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From the Bride… I was set up with my now husband by a college roommate, who went to high school with Tim in Michigan. I had recently moved from the East Coast to Chicago for work, and she wanted to play matchmaker. I protested fiercely. She gave him my number anyway.  One two hour phone call, and back to back Friday, Saturday & Sunday dates later, I was smitten! Tim proposed just over one year later while picnicking at our favorite spot overlooking the Lake Michigan.

As we live in Chicago and good portion of both of our families reside in the midwest, it only made sense to begin planning for a Chicago wedding. After looking at numerous venues, we didn’t find much we were excited about. We regrouped, thought about what we truly wanted from our wedding (namely an awesome outdoor venue and a killer party for our guests) and made the decision to get married in Northern California where I grew up. From that moment on, everything came together, in great part to my parents, who were our eyes, ears and voices while we tried to plan from 2,000 miles away.

Tim & I wanted our reception location, B.R. Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen, to be the star of the day. With unbelievable vineyard views, we capitalized on the beauty of our surroundings by using lots of natural materials. For the reception we set up long wooden Calistoga tables topped with burlap runners, wooden table numbers painstakingly stained by my Dad, and low centerpieces of local dahlias, hyndrangeas, Bells of Ireland (a nod to our shared heritage), and loads of votives. Heather Murdock of Blue Orchid Floral truly understood the feeling of the day, and enhanced our surroundings rather than competing with them.  We acknowledged our winery venue by displaying the place cards in used wine corks (again, thanks to my parents for spending hours upon hours gluing them together!) and having our guests sign a book of Sonoma wineries that we now have on our coffee table and look at often. We highlighted the olive grove setting of the dinner by decorating our delicious cake with olive branches, set up a cigar bar by the fire pit for those who wanted a break from the dancing, and offered wraps to all the ladies in case the weather turned chilly.

One of my favorite memories of the day was walking into the church on my Dad’s arm, and seeing the faces of every single person who is important to us. I felt overwhelmed with love, especially when I saw my handsome groom’s face at the end of the aisle. In all photos from our Catholic ceremony (which we thought would be formal and solemn), Tim & I have the goofiest grins on our face…we were just so happy to be getting married! I also loved our first dance. Despite being watched by 150 guests, I felt like we were all alone on the dance floor, singing our favorite song to one another. Another magical moment occurred during the speeches. My Dad killed it- he had everyone laughing, and I was in tears. By the time he passed the mic to the best man, the sky had turned an amazing shade of pink. It was unbelievable. The rest of the night included celebrating with our friends and family, including what was probably the most fun bridal party ever, and not one, but two dance offs.

We feel so blessed not only to have found one another, but that we were able to celebrate our love with everyone around us, and we are thankful that so many of our friends and family made the trip out to California. We hoped for a wedding that not only reflected us, but also provided our guests with something to remember.

For those of you planning a “destination” wedding, I’d recommend really vetting your vendors. The day of the wedding I was completely stress-free because I trusted that each of them was going to take care of everything. I was also incredibly lucky to have a friend of the family act as our Day of Coordinator. She knew every wedding detail inside and out, and took care of all the logistics so I could just enjoy the day. It also helped to have an incredibly detail oriented mom who kept me on track. Our wedding would not have been possible without her!

Wedding Photography: Jessamyn Harris Photography / Wedding Venue: B.R. Cohn Winery / Bride’s Gown: Marisa via The Unique Bride / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Groom & Groomsmen Suits: Kenneth Cole / Flower Girl Dresses: Nordstrom / Floral Design: The Blue Orchid / Wedding Cake & Cupcakes: Two For Two Cakes / Hair & Make-Up: Mary at The Powder Room / Moss Letters: Mother and Father of the Bride / Catering: Park Avenue Catering / Rentals: Wine Country Party & Events / DJ: AMS Entertainment / Bagpiper: Jim McElroy / Wooden Table Numbers: Paper Moss / Ring Bearer Bowl: Paloma’s Nest / Wedding Dress Hanger: Etsy

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AMS Entertainment, B.R. Cohn Winery, Blue Orchid Floral, Burlap Runners, CA, Cigars, Etsy, Glen Ellen, J. Crew, Jessamyn Harris, Jim McElroy, Kenneth Cole, Marisa, Moss Letters, Nordstrom, Paloma's Nest, Paper Moss, Park Avenue Catering, Purple, The Powder Room, Two for Two Cakes, Wine Country Party & Events, Wine Country Weddings, Wooden Table Numbers
Post categories: California Weddings, Napa Valley Weddings

click here to see the whole gallery!

From Jessamyn…Sherry and Jeremy were married at Boot Hill, a beautiful spot on top of rolling hills with oak trees and grape vines, at Kunde Winery. Their wedding featured plum and white as colors, and guests watched them get married under a big oak surrounded by 360 degree views. They then ate as the sunset glowed brightly and the fog rolled in over the hills, danced and did the limbo in the midst of all of those trees, and had a BLAST! A very Sonoma County location and a very sweet couple.

Another fun detail is that Sherry’s extended family is from Mauritius (although Sherry and her immediate family grew up in Hawaii), a tiny island off the coast of Madagascar. Many family members and friends flew it from there, and from all over the world. Since weddings are also kind of a family reunion for her parents’ huge extended families, we did a record number of portraits, with a record number of people in them.

From the bride…We wanted something that would be natural to the vineyard surroundings, yet still pop. The bridesmaids’ dresses were the anchor. They were also picked to somewhat mirror Sherry’s dress (strapless with a silk rose). We then visited 11 wedding venues before selecting Kunde. We fell in love with the gorgeous 360 degree view of rolling hills and vines.

We wanted our music to reflect our lifestyles, past and present. Dinner music included some Hawaiian for myself, some Pink Martini because it feels like SF urban living. My family also provided some “sega” dance music from Mauritius.

We wanted our guests to be comfortable and enjoy themselves the whole evening. The pashminas (purchased in Hong Kong on a business trip) were a hit as soon as the sun went down. We also provided flip-flops so ladies wouldn’t feel trapped in uncomfortable shoes. We filled bags with goodies that kept the kids entertained and out of trouble. We shopped online for items for the kiddie goodie bags – the animal-ish theme was because we went on safari for the honeymoon. Favors, programs, and placecards were made by us, with Alicia’s great advice to guide us.

Venue: Kunde Family Estate / Design, planning, florals: Alicia K Designs / Photography: Jessamyn Harris and Paige Green for Jessamyn Harris Photography / Videography: Thomas Hughes / Catering: Piper Johnson Catering / Tuxes: Selix / Wedding Dress: Alvina Valenta / Bridesmaids Dresses: WToo (style 785) dresses in plum / Makeup: Jane Kim / Officiant: Mike Ireland / Lighting: Illusions Lighting / Cake: Sweet On Cake / Trio and DJ: Rudolfi Artists In Music

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alicia K Designs, Alvina Valenta, Illusions Lighting, Jane Kim, Jessamyn Harris, Kunde Family Estate, Outdoors, Piper Johnson Catering, Plum, Selix, Thomas Hughes, Watters, Winery, WToo
Post categories: All Real Weddings, Casual Elegance

from Jessamyn ~ Annie and Kevin’s engagement shoot at a private residence outside of Petaluma (Sonoma County), California … The ranch where we did the shoot had so many beautiful nooks and crannies available to us, it was amazing! I feel like the moss and ancient oak trees give the shoot a very romantic, southern feel. Annie and Kevin were not only gorgeous but really fun and a little goofy, so there was a lot of emotion to work with – plus their outfits were super cute. Annie altered her vintage dress (I think it had been her grandmother’s), and Kevin had a great vintage looking suit. We kept the shoot pretty simple, using only champagne and Valentine’s treats from Viola Pastry Boutique as props, but I think that their personalities and the beautiful location really shine through.

TOO cute! Congratulations Annie & Kevin!

For more of Jessamyn’s fantastic photography, be sure to see …

Angela & Collin’s Bunny Meadow, Golden Gate Park wedding

Henry and Isby at Henry Miller Library, Big Sur

Sheryl & Nick’s beautiful October wedding at Tilden Park

And then of course ~ some of our own hugely popular Jessamyn Harris features on SMP …

Melissa & Brett’s Part 1, Part 2, LBB Blog feature (very vintage, very DIY!)

Birds In Flight ~ Inspiration to Reality Shoot: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Inspiration To Reality Shoot (SMP), More Inspiration To Reality

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, E*Shoot, Engagement, Jessamyn Harris, Petaluma, Sonoma County, Viola Pastry Boutique
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

From Jess Flood…

The original dress–where do we start–first we have to pay homage to the designer, Valentino, whose work is timeless, impeccable and so very feminine.  We LOVE this dress.  Through a bit of digging we discovered there was no way to get our hands on this particular dress, but we were unwilling to settle for a pale imitation of its perfection. Instead, the dress became our key inspiration with its icy blue shade and ethereal ruffles and rosettes informing our decisions on everything from the dining and cake tables to the invitations, cake and flowers.

We were also inspired by the vintage silver, the romantic pink roses, the old wood and the modern typography in the board, we wanted to pull all of those elements together, and create a setting that was Wintery, feminine, and quietly elegant.  Every vendor that we had the pleasure to collaborate with on this project completely understood the effect that we were looking for and each element that they contributed fit perfectly with what we imagined.

Vendors: Photography by Jessamyn Harris / Design by Jess Flood Event Design / Florals by Jess Flood Event Design / Venue is a Private Ranch in Healdsburg, CA (contact Jess Flood for booking details)  / Cake by Fleur DeLisa / Invitations and Paper Goods from notion : creative / Menswear by Molly Rodgers /  Wedding Dress by Nicole Miller “Stretch Metal Strapless Gown”  from Flair Bridesmaids /  Shoes are Blue Tux from Flair Bridesmaids / Veil and Bridesmaids Headpieces by Jess Flood Event Design / Faux Fur and Jewelry are from Hot Couture / Models Giselle (gorgeous ballerina, model, and grad student) and Clay (yogi and actor) / Linens by La Tavola / Rentals from Classic Party Rentals / Bridal Hair and Makeup: Cecilia at Elle Lui Salon / Groom’s Hair – Nevuah at Elle Lui Salon

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, Classic Party Rentals, Elle Lui Salon, Flair Bridesmaids, Fleur DeLisa Cakes, Healdsburg, Hot Couture, Jess Flood Event Design, Jessamyn Harris, La Tavola, Molly Rodgers, Napa Valley, Nicole Miller, Notion: Creative
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality, The Blog

All inspired by Emilia’s gorgeous board.

From Jess…When we laid eyes on Emilia’s design board featuring birds in flight and a frothy Valentino dress that made us want to get married all over again, we knew we had the makings of an amazing inspiration-to-reality shoot. Brides here in Wine Country appreciate unexpected settings for their ceremonies and even though it was Winter, we wanted to showcase the natural beauty on display at this time of year.  We have exclusive access to a private ranch, where doves have been raised by the family for decades.  And we knew that we could bring the birds-in-flight element of the design board to vibrant life in our unique outdoor setting.  As a bonus–the mild climate meshes perfectly with the board’s cool blue inspiration pieces–that gorgeous dress chief among them.

We have so much more coming up in just a bit.

Vendors: Photography by Jessamyn Harris / Design by Jess Flood Event Design / Florals by Jess Flood Event Design / Venue is a Private Ranch in Healdsburg, CA (contact Jess Flood for booking details)  / Cake by Fleur DeLisa / Invitations and Paper Goods from notion : creative / Menswear by Molly Rodgers /  Wedding Dress by Nicole Miller “Stretch Metal Strapless Gown”  from Flair Bridesmaids /  Shoes are Blue Tux from Flair Bridesmaids / Veil and Bridesmaids Headpieces by Jess Flood Event Design / Faux Fur and Jewelry are from Hot Couture / Models Giselle (gorgeous ballerina, model, and grad student) and Clay (yogi and actor) / Linens by La Tavola / Rentals from Classic Party Rentals / Bridal Hair and Makeup: Cecilia at Elle Lui Salon / Groom’s Hair – Nevuah at Elle Lui Salon

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, Classic Party Rentals, Elle Lui Salon, Flair Bridesmaids, Fleur DeLisa Cakes, Healdsburg, Hot Couture, Jess Flood Event Design, Jessamyn Harris, La Tavola, Molly Rodgers, Napa Valley, Nicole Miller, Notion: Creative
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality

Don’t worry, we won’t make you wait too long to see the finished result. Check back in 10. OH! and I forgot to tell you…we’ve had two really good names for this project sent our way from readers. What do you think of…

From Inspiration to I Do

or

Pretty Inspiration

I like them both. And can’t decide which I like better. We could always just leave it alone!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: From Inspiration to Reality, Jess Flood, Jessamyn Harris
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality

* * *

Our next über-talented team to take on the Inspiration to Reality Challnege is Gina Barber from A Thyme to Cook for event design, fashions from White Dress by the Shore, photography by Steve DePino, Invitations by Stonington Paperie, Makeup by Dana Bartone, florals by Jessica’s Country Flowers, and cinematography by Buzz Media.

The winning board will be chosen on Friday, December 18th from the boards on the Style Circle. In order to enter your board in our challenge, make sure to label and tag it Inspiration Board Challenge #8 to be considered.

* * *

Without further ado, we would like to share the newest inspiration board to make it to the ranks of real life photo shoot. Jessamyn Harris, photographer extraordinaire and Jess Flood, event design guru picked this blissfully-beautiful board from Emilia and we can completely see why… it’s icy-blue goodness and feminine charm all wrapped up in one. Thrilled to see the results!

Credits: Dress by Valentino via This is Glamorous / Decoupage Menu Tray by Paris Hotel Boutique / Lisa Lefkowitz / Scarlet & Violet / Elizabeth Messina / Accessories via a glamorous little side project / and Our Labor or Love.

If you love this board and you love this idea, we would LOVE for you to design a board too. Just head over to the Style Circle and start creating! Have fun and design anything that you would love to see come to life!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Thyme to Cook, Buzz Media, Contests, Dana Bartone & Co., Inspiration to Reality, Jess Flood, Jessamyn Harris, Jessica's Country Flowers, Steve DePino, Stonington Paperie, The White Dress By The Shore, Winner
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality