Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

And for an extra special treat we have the amazing wedding film by Tweed Weddings to share as well!

From the Bride…I grew up in the south (Memphis, Tennessee) and my family currently lives in Akron, Ohio.  I went to art school in Cincinnati, Ohio where I majored in painting and then moved to New York City in 2005 where I attended Columbia University and received my Masters degree in Art Education. This is when I met Karl. Karl was born in Malaysia, spent time in Singapore as a child and grew up in Sydney, Australia. He went to college in Australia where he majored in Law and Finance and began working as an investment banker for an Australian bank. His job then moved him to New York City in 2006.When Karl first moved to New York he connected with a friend of a friend who happened to be one of my friends. As I lived in the graduate dorms, I hosted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner as family visited in town. We invited many international students to this dinner, as they had never before experienced this American holiday. Among these was my friend who had brought Karl. We hit it off and became friends for a year. We then started dating and did so for four years before our wedding.

I continued to receive a second, advanced Masters degree from Columbia in Museum Education. I currently work as a freelance museum educator in modern and contemporary art museums throughout New York City. When the world financial crisis hit Wall Street, Karl decided to give up investment banking and started his own business. He took the concept of Groupon to his native Southeast Asia and developed it into his own company, Beeconomic. Groupon then bought this company so Karl is now the CEO of Groupon Singapore. He runs the business from our Brooklyn apartment but must make frequent visits to his constantly growing team of staff in Singapore.

We selected the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens as it represented Brooklyn but also supplied us with that healthy dose of nature we were looking for in our event. We had been to a wedding there before and knew they do a wonderful job.  This is also when our idea of the classic meets modern/exotic theme began. We hoped that the classic feel of the botanical garden would blend well with the fun, tropical feel we would bring to it.

Karl wore a custom made suit that was also a cool gray. His name and our wedding date are embroidered on the inside. He wore a sage green tie and some of the buttonholes were made using bright orange thread to match one of our minor wedding colors. The tropical theme was carried throughout as his cufflinks were shaped as surfers on surfboards. Even with my own gown, I again chose the theme of classic meets modern. I selected a classic ball gown dress but I also loved the modern look of a birdcage veil. Numerous dress experts told me that a birdcage veil works best with short, informal and more A-line dresses. But I disregarded this advice and was very happy with the result. I had the veil custom made with the single flower to be worn on the side of my hair to add to the tropical look.

We selected all tropical flowers for the event which included green orchids, lush greenery and of course, birds of paradise.  This matched our color theme which consisted of sage green, a variety of shades of bright green and a hint of orange here and there (including the inside of our invitation envelope). We chose to have the ceremony in the Cherry Esplanade area of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden where guests were surrounded by cherry trees in a green field. A serene fountain was in the background where we stood. Our pastors from our non-denominational Christian church served as our officiants and included our families in the beautiful service. The sun began to set behind us dipped beneath the lush trees of the gardens during the ceremony. In order to add to the Hawaiian feel, a ukulele player played our only music for the ceremony. We selected a number of our favorite contemporary songs with a tropical feel, such as the Israel Kamakawiwo’ole version of “Over the Rainbow” and Beach Boy love songs.

We decided that we did not want a wedding where guests were passive. We wanted everyone to be active participants having fun throughout the whole night. Rather than leaving out traditional favors for guests at the tables, we surprised everyone at the end of the night by lowering down a very large piñata from the ceiling. This piñata was in the shape of a palm tree and we stuffed it with hard candy I made myself. I used an old fashioned recipe but natural flavors. These were all tropical flavors such as coconut, mango and lime. These candies were created using our wedding colors and we created wrappers to match the text of our invitations and other stationary.  Guests took turns being blindfolded and hitting the piñata. Finally, it burst open with confetti as guests gathered their favors at the end of the night.

Ceremony + Reception Location: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden / Rings: Rachel Beck / Wedding Gown: Lazaro via Kleinfeld Bridal / Veil: Bride’s Head Revisited / Bride’s Shoes: David’s Bridal / Florist: Seaport Flowers / Wedding Photography: Kirby Calvario of KasalNY / Wedding Videography: Louis Sparre of Tweed Weddings / DJ: Harold Johnson of Finer Touch Entertainment / Photo Booth: Magbooth / Wedding Cake: Ana Parzych Cakes / Groom’s Suit: Louis Purple / Groomsmen’s Suits: Men’s Wearhouse / Bridesmaid Dresses: Bari Jay via Pat Catan’s Bridal / Invitations: Umi of Kate’s Paperie / Tea Ceremony Dress: Wedding Garden / Cake Cutter + Champagne Glasses: Memories and Mirrors / Cake Topper: Lladro of Sanrio / Garter: Handmade / Mother of the Bride Dress: Jessica McClintock / Ukulele: Michael Leviton / Piñata: Pinatas.com

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Post tags: Ana Parzych Cakes, Bari Jay, Bride's Head Revisited, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, David's Bridal, Finer Touch Entertainment, Jessica McClintock, KasalNY, Kate's Paperie, Kleinfeld Bridal, Lazaro, Louis Purple, Magbooth, Memories and Mirrors, Men's Wearhouse, Michael Leviton, New York Weddings, Pat Catan's Bridal, Pinatas.com, Rachel Beck, Sanrio, Seaport Flowers, The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Tweed Weddings, Wedding Garden
Post categories: The Blog

So what can we take from this first fête? Obviously, the couple choose yellow for their big day. The color closely associated with sunshine, warmth, and happiness. But to avoid the yellow being overwhelming, which is a definite threat, they chose to incorporate the color in the florals alone. Almost all other colors of the affair are neutral, allowing the yellow to take center stage, along with the couple, of course. The black attire of the bridal party, the white bridal gown and linens, and the green foliage backdrop all allowed a minimal amount of the vibrant hue to make a big impact.

Venue: Madrona Manor / Florals: Fleurs de France / Photography: Deborah Laver Photography / Hair & Make Up: Tenia of JS Makeup / Cake:  Fleur de Lisa / Wedding Stationery: Paper Source / Officiant: Michael LeBlanc / Bridal Gown: Augusta Jones, Perla / Bridal Shoes: David’s Bridal / Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Angelo / Groom Tuxedo: Hickey Freeman / Entertainment: Jeanette Isenberg

Next in our lineup is a brilliantly purple hued wedding, captured by Marc Blondin Photography. Click here for the whole thing!

With associations like passion, sophistication, and wisdom, a purple wedding is bound to be good. This wedding differs from the first wedding from Fleurs de France, in the fact that purple is everywhere. It’s on the ‘maids dresses, on the tablescapes, in the florals. It could be overwhelming, if there were no accent colors. My absolute favorite thing about this Napa Wedding is the contrasting Mother’s dress. She picked a color that worked so well with the purple and pink palette, yet was completely different. The wedding was outdoors, which means there was a plethora of green, brown, wood, stone. Each of these colors and textures works with the purple in a different, great way – balancing the vibrancy from the other side of the color wheel.

Venue: The Harvest Inn / Florals: Fleurs de France / Photography: Marc Blondin Photography / Wedding Planner: Sarah Ghazzagh of A Dream Wedding / Catering: Wine Valley Caterer / Lighting: Twilight Designs / Stationery: Crane & Co / Hair & Make Up: It’s A Date at the Powder Room / Bridal Gown: Romona Keveza / Bridal Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaids Dresses: Jessica McClintock / Linens: Napa Valley Linens / Equipment & Other Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Officiant: O.S. Hawkins

Last on our list we have another Sonoma wedding photographed by Deborah Laver Photography. You can see the whole beautiful affair in the gallery.

This one is very different. While the amazing florals from this wedding had a rosy tint, the rest of the wedding was very neutral. There are lots of whites, the color of purity, cleanliness, and peace. This is a great option to go with if your wedding will take place outdoors, where nature provides the most beautiful color palette. The white details of this wedding serve as a canvas featuring the stunning couple and the beautiful Sonoma Wine Country. Very minimal color was used, but the effect is breathtaking.

Venue: St. Francis Winery & Vineyards / Florals: Fleurs de France / Photography: Deborah Laver Photography / Caterer: Elaine Bell Catering / Cake: Michelle Marie’s Patisserie / Wedding Planner: Robbin Montero of A Dream Wedding / Hair & Makeup: It’s a Date at the Powder Room / Linens: Classic Party Rentals / Equipment & Lighting: ATL Events / Transportation: Pure Luxury Transportation / Ceremony Musicians: Notable Talent / Reception Entertainment: California Mobile DJ / Officiant: Rev Peadar Dalton / Wedding Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas / Bridal Gown: Brides by Demetrios / Veil & Accessories: Brides by Demetrios / Bridal Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bridesmaids Dresses: J. Crew / Grooms & Groomsman Tuxedo & Suits:  Men’s Warehouse

All three of these weddings could have had completely different feels if the palettes had changed. All had very similar backdrops – wine country, lots of greens, natural land – but each had a different feel because of the colors chosen. One thing I’ve picked up from studying gorgeous weddings on a daily basis, is that a little color goes a long way. You can see this in all three of these weddings. The yellow florals in the first wedding made the entire affair feel happy. The deep purples in the second wedding were juxtaposed perfectly with the natural world around for a moody, luxe feel. The neutral whites of the final wedding let the surroundings set the mood – clean and fresh.

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Post tags: A Dream Wedding, Alfred Angelo, ATL Events, Augusta Jones, Badgley Mischka, Brides by Demetrios, California, California Mobile DJ, Classic Party Rentals, Color Palette, Color Palette Purple Pink, Color Palette White, Color Palette Yellow, David's Bridal, Deborah Laver Photography, Elaine Bell Catering, Fleur de Lisa, Fleurs de France, Hickey Freeman, It's a Date at the Powder Room, J. Crew, Jeanette Isenberg, Jessica McClintock, Jimmy Choo, JS Makeup, Madrona Manor, Marc Blondin Photography, Men's Warehouse, Michelle Marie's Patisserie, Napa Valley, Napa Valley Linens, Notable Talent, Paper Source, Pure Luxury Transportation, Romona Keveza, Sonoma, Sonoma County, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, The Harvest Inn, Twilight Designs, vineyard, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Inspiration, Wedding Paper Divas, Wine Country, Wine Valley Caterer, Winery
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

Beth ~ this gorgeous bride … Chris ~ a McDreamy kind of groom … four fabulous maids … a to-die-for-dress … and Kristin Vining ~ their sensational photographer! Doesn’t get any better than this.

from the lovely bride, Beth …

Our wedding was truly a celebration about our love for each other, our family and our friends. We tried to put a personal touch on every aspect. We didn’t care about what was traditional or expected.

Chris and I love the outdoors and knew right away we wanted to have an outdoor wedding. We found the perfect location at the Lake Lure Inn. It had everything we wanted … small town charm, the mountains, a lake, and the ability to have all of our guests stay in one place. One of our best friends was our minister! There were guests traveling from nine different states so that was really important to us. We had an intimate guest list of 78, wedding party included, meaning we truly got to spend quality time with each and every one of our guests.

One of my bridesmaids sang “We Are Man And Wife” during our sand ceremony. Karaoke was involved in our reception so that our minister, our bridesmaids and Chris could all sing. They were ALL amazing. This was a huge hit with our guests.

All in all, when Chris and I look back on the weekend, all we can say is … it was perfect! It genuinely represented us as a couple, and we wouldn’t change a thing.

Kristin asked Beth, “What was the best thing about your wedding day?”

Beth answered, “How natural it felt. I was never nervous, it just felt right. Chris said the same thing. We were truly at ease knowing we finally got to commit our lives to each other.”

As we said early on in this post  … it just doesn’t get any better than this!

To:  Beth and Chris ~ Super wedding! We wish you all the best!!

To: Kristin Vining Photography ~ Thank you SO much for allowing us to spotlight their wedding today!

To: Our Readers ~ There are so many more great photos from the day over on Kristin’s Blog {click here}!

And … a quick p.s. ~~~  just in case you’re new to SMP’s list of Little Black Book VIP’s, Kristin is also the creative genious behind a very talented team of top-notch professional wedding planners at Weddings And The City, based in Charlotte NC.

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Birdcage Veil, Charlotte, Color Palette Green Blue, Hydrangeas, Jessica McClintock, Kristin Vining Photography, Lake Lure Inn, North Carolina, Weddings And The City
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Vintage Chic, Wedding Photography, Whimsical