click here to see all of the gorgeousness!

From Justin & Mary Marantz…Ever since we took Justin & Mary’s “Spread The Love” Tour through Nashville, TN last February, we have been looking for a reason to go back to the city. Then, when J&M worked on the Style Me Pretty wedding with Chase Rivers and Sarah True this Spring that sealed the deal:  The next “Walk Through a Wedding” workshop HAD to be in music city!! And it HAD to feature biscuits from Loveless Cafe.  We started our design board with biscuits in mind and after brainstorming a few more ideas, Mary had an epiphany.  In the movie, Stranger Than Fiction, Mr. Crick (an IRS agent) brings Ms. Pascal (the baker)…  flours.  And our theme was born!!  I mean come on, how cute is that?  He brought her FLOURS!  A design board quickly followed (click here to see).

We had an awesome time putting together our DIY projects for this one and styling everything for the shoot.  We sat around the office throwing around other play on words that we could bring into the mix.  Pun totally intended!     “Get whisked away” and “Pick a Flour” eventually made the cut!

We love a detail oriented weddings, so we made sure to plan out place cards (whisks!), favors (flours!), desserts (cherry cobbler in jars!), good night favors (jams!), and decorations (cookie cutters, aged recipe cards, biscuits, etc etc) that went along with the theme. We thought our theme was coming together pretty nicely and were pretty psyched for our workshop.  And then, the first day we were in Nashville, we stopped by Cedarwood Mansion. All three of us walked around gasping, pointing, and just about fainting, because Cedarwood…is perfection personified.

To keep the vintage vibe flowing and have a little fun with our bridal party, we put together a photo booth that we like to call the Plates and Plates photo booth.  To make sure we kept the entire bridal party busy, we also set up a table near our photobooth that we could have some fun with! And just because Cedarwood is so awesome, they already had a vintage pickup truck just sitting in the field!  So of course we took full advantage! In order to keep the portraits interesting we also added in a mixing bowl, vintage books, a utensil bouquet, and some fun vintage suitcases.  Mary also came up with the AWESOME idea of having all of our bridesmaids wearing Anthropologie-esque aprons.  It looked fabulous!

We really do enjoy doing most of the styling ourselves but we can’t do it alone. Amy and Matt of Invitations Ink, put together our stationery suite with two days notice!! Chase Rivers rocked the head table flowers and cooked up a scrumptious buffet including coconut fried chicken and a cherry plum slaw!  Linda, Karen, and the crew at Cedarwood did a phenomenal job helping to put the finishing touches on all of our ideas and pitching in and helping with some extra details like pops of hydrangea, vintage china, a mason jar covered altar for our ceremony, antique crates… the list goes on and on and on.

We also owe a very big thank you to The Bride Room for loaning us a stunning lace dress and Renee Fisher, who went above and beyond and rocked out the makeup in 100 degree heat!  And to Eugene & Heather of 2Duce2 Videography for rocking out video for us!

Our step by step DIYs can be found here: Strawberry Jam, Cherry Cobbler, Raspberry Infused Sweet Tea, Aged Recipes, Flour Favors and Recipe Garland

Location: Cedarwood Nashville, TN  / Photography: Justin and Mary Marantz / Bride’s Dress: Target and The Bride Room / Paper Suite: Invitations Ink, Manasquan, NJ  / Make up: Renee Fisher Head Table Flowers & Buffet dinner:  Chase Rivers / Floral Accents: Karen Wright / Videographer: Eugene & Heather / Models (all fellow photographers!): Tiffany & Jonathan Zajas / Zach & Jody Gray / Sara Renee

Great, right? I mean the favor ideas alone are kind of awesome, although I now have this terrible hankering for biscuits from Loveless Cafe. If you haven’t been, you HAVE to put it on your bucket list. Okay, so before we let Justin and Mary go, we wanted to share this absolutely awesome promo video…not as an advertisement…but to show you how freaking cool this photography duo is. And why we love them so. Just make sure to grab a tissue before you start. You will definitely need it.

Cinema by StillMotion. Thank you J & M! We can’t wait to see what you two crazy kids come up with next! xoxo

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Post tags: Biscuits, Cedarwood Mansion, Chase Rivers, Invitations Ink, Justin Marantz, Karen Wright, Love Life Images, Nashville, Short Wedding Dress, Southern, Swing, Tennessee, The Brides Room
Post categories: Photo Shoot, The Blog

photo by Justin & Mary Marantz

To make our Keep Warm Chevron Print tags, download this template. Using a color printer and 80lb white card stock, print out as many sheets as needed. Cut just inside the light gray lines and punch two small holes at the top left corner of your card. Wrap your ribbon (we used 1″ grosgrain) around your blanket then thread the ribbon through the holes from the backside of the card, forward. Tie in a cute bow and voila!

We stacked our blankets in groups of threes around the lounge areas of the reception space.

Color Options. We’ve done templates in a small handful of other colors. Click here for yellow, here for sky blue, here for orange, here for navy blue, here for kelly green. These are the only colors that we will do unless there is an overwhelming request for another hue.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blankets, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Justin Marantz, Keep Warm, Libby and Patrick, Templates
Post categories: DIY Favors and Gifts, DIY Packaging, DIY Projects, DIY Wedding Decor

OK. Now for the step-by-steps. We’ve included more pictures than are necessary just so that you can get a clear sense of how to craft these bracelets. You can really choose any hearty stem to use on these…you can even make it more elaborate by adding 2-3 flowers. They make for a perfect flower girl accessory or a mother-of-the-bride detail.

Materials
Flower of your choice
Pliers
Copper Wire (one thick, one thin gauge)
Floral Tape
Scissors
Ribbon
Hot Glue Gun

1. Begin by taking copper wire and using pliers snip the wire to the desired length. Use the pliers to bend in the ends so that they are not sharp and wrap the wire with floral tape.

2. Next, wire your flower/s. To wire the flower select a thinner gauge wire so that you can get it through the throat of the flower. You want to form a hook on the end of the wire as you thread it through the center.

3. Cut the stem and the wire to approximately 1 inch in length. Wrap florist tape around the stem and the wire together. Start at the top and pull the tape while you twirl the stem. It should cover the stem and wire evenly and smoothly. Cut the tape and press against the stem so that it sticks.

4. Once you have the flower/s wired you can begin to attach them to your copper wire by twisting the wire around the bracelet.

5. After the flower/s are attached to the copper wire, begin to wrap ribbon around the bracelet to cover all of the tape and to secure your blooms. You can use a hot glue gun to secure the ribbon.

Easy as pie, right? Well, if you still need a little extra help, Julie over at Elysium sent us a video of the DIY project so that your project is super seamless. Here you go!

LOTS more DIY projects coming up next!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chase Rivers, Do-It-Yourself, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Elysium, Flower Bracelet, Justin and Mary Marantz, Justin Marantz, Libby and Patrick, Sarah True, True Event, Wrist Corsage
Post categories: DIY Favors and Gifts, DIY Flowers, DIY Projects, The Blog, Wedding Flowers

gorgeous arrangement from last year’s wedding giveaway by Jessica’s Country Flowers

The first talented group includes the fabulous Jessica’s Country Flowers, our dear friends Justin & Mary Marantz, the incredible team at Details Wedding & Party Planning and the wonderfully talented Christine at Stonington Paperie, the sweet peeps at Lovely Cake and the always great Beth at The White Dress by the Shore.

The second group of vendors participating in the second wedding will be Jessica’s Country Flowers, the super talented Steve Depino Photography, the awesome event staff at Sixpence For Your Shoe, perfect invitations by Paper Olive, a cake to die for by Toria Dolce Fine Desserts and THE gown by The Plumed Serpent.

* * *

So here’s what the two winning couples will get. An entire wedding to start. That includes invitations, flowers, photography, coordination, cakes, a gown and so much more! Plus the comfort of knowing that you are in the best hands humanly possible to help plan the biggest day ever. It’s really the chance of a lifetime and we feel pretty great about helping the amazing team of vendors announce it.

To enter, you’ll want to go over to Jessica’s Country Flowers and fill out the contact form. In the “additional comments” section, make sure to tell the team all about you (or the friend/family member you are referring) and why you feel like you need this wedding. It’s VERY important to note that the wedding will be a gift to a couple that is in financial hardship and yet is giving back to our world in one way another. Good people who deserve something special. The deadline to enter is July 1st but the sooner you enter, the better as they want to really take their time in choosing the perfect couple.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 44 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Details Weddings, Jessica's Country Flowers, Justin and Mary Marantz, Justin Marantz, Stonington Paperie, Wedding Giveaway
Post categories: Contests

Another really important part of the equation was the hair and make-up that Jennie Fresa designed. Here’s what Jennie had to say…the makeup features smooth, matte skin with subtly contoured cheeks. Eyes were kept simple with champagne shimmer on the lids, a touch of black eye liner, and two coats of mascara for long, flirty lashes (and we added a few falsies!). Cherry red lips finish the look with a dab of clear gloss to make for a kissable pout. For hair, we paid homage to the beehive, with volume at the roots and a soft, simple twist in the back. We allowed the hair accessory make the statement.

Next up…the AMAZING team of photographers, Justin and Mary Marantz. I don’t really have to say much about this duo as the images speak for themselves. But, what I do want to tell you is just how graceful they were throughout the day. Pitching in when needed, quietly capturing little pieces of perfection for us to enjoy. I cannot say enough about just how talented they are, just how lovely.

And last but SO far from least, the lovely and ridiculously talented Karen Bartolomei, creative force behind Grapevine Invitations. Karen whipped together the adorable little “Life is Sweet” gift tags for our pies and the ridiculously clever name tag + menu combination that we tied to the back of each chair. Super, super cute.  Karen is one of those people that can design perfect details in her sleep…and she actually has a pretty awesome book devoted wholly to this concept! She’s a genius and I’m thrilled to call her a friend.

It was beyond a pleasure to work with all of these talented vendors. And with the beautiful model Lindsey who brought our story to life. We will have lots of fun DIY projects from this photo shoot next week.

Stay tuned to hear all about our next inspiration board weekend challenge coming up in just a bit!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 50’s Inspired, Grapevine Invitations, Hana Floral Design, Inspiration Board, Jennie Fresa, Justin and Mary Marantz, Justin Marantz, Photoshoot, The White Dress By The Shore, True Events, Vintage
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality, Wedding Decor, Wedding Details, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers

I am so totally and hopelessly smitten with this concept…literally bringing your ideas, your inspiration boards to life…that I am going to dive in head first and make it a regular feature on SMP. My hope is that it will give all of you the tools and confidence to bring your own inspiration boards to life. That it will inspire you to continually hone your inspiration board, using it as the platform to which you convey your style ideas to vendors, friends and family members. I could go on and on and on with pure glee, but instead, I’ll just share a few more gorgeous pics from our latest From Inspiration to Reality!

Sarah True, the event designer behind the day, has stopped by to share a bit of her vision…

Inspired by the bold colors and perfect combination of details, making the board come to life was so much fun.  The design board created the perfect mood for an event, using color to create energy and ice cream, cherries, and the beach to illustrate a feeling of whimsy and nostalgia. Some of my happiest memories are at the beach , eating ice cream and soaking up the Summer.  This is the emotion that this board taps into.  So I thought all of those details were incredibly important at bringing the table to life to create the mood that was designed in the board.  We used bright cherry red latte bowls for the bases of the flowers and a mix of vintage pink cut glasses. We found a polka dot linen from Party Rental to capture the playfulness of the board.  Layering vintage linens from Yumiko’s personal collection over the polka dot linen helped us to blend the details of vintage and modern.

As for the fashions…let me just say that they were INSANE. Beth at The White Dress by the Shore is ridiculously talented and has an eye for super chic, undeniably fabulous pieces. Like that adorable Melissa Sweet dress and the oversized bobbles. Love, love, love. Beth has been sweet enough to share a few more details…

When reviewing the amazing inspiration board that was selected, It evoked a 1950’s feel. The overall look that we were striving for was sweet and playful with a vintage twist. We selected a whimsical gown by Reverie by Melissa Sweet and styled it with 1950’s inspired oversized pearls, dainty white gloves and fabulous red shoes. We finished off the look with a custom made cherry red cage veil and brooch.

So much more to come!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 50’s Inspired, Grapevine Invitations, Hana Floral Design, Inspiration Board, Jennie Fresa, Justin and Mary Marantz, Justin Marantz, Photoshoot, The White Dress By The Shore, True Events, Vintage
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality, The Blog

It’s time to unveil our absolutely incredible photo shoot, all inspired by Bran Coprata’s ridiculously fun inspiration board. Before I get to the photos, I have to say that we had an insanely talented team of vendors working on this shoot with us. Photographers Justin and Mary Marantz, event designer Sarah True of True Events, florist Yumiko of Hana Floral, fashion guru Beth of The White Dress by the Shore, make-up and hair artist Jennie Fresa and invitation expert Karen of Grapevine Invitations helped us put together a shoot that is filled to the brim with gorgeousness, filled to the brim with so many steal-worthy ideas.

all of the images were shot by two of our very favorites…Justin and Mary Marantz

Our shoot was held at the Back Porch Restaurant in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It’s this great little spot right on the water and served as the perfect backdrop. We wanted to throw a really girly, vintage inspired affair that was affordable and accessible on any budget. For the most part, everything was salvaged or DIY. We used vintage juice glasses for vases that we filled with an effortless collection of garden flowers (more on that later), little ice cream bowls packed tightly with carnations and a collection of mismatched found plates (you can also rent things like this). We used the restaurant’s flatware, homemade pies (baked by your truly), colanders filled with strawberries and old perfume and apothecary jars to accent the table.

all images by Justin and Mary Marantz (who I love, love, LOVE)

The centerpiece of the table was really those AWESOME poms. Aside from being a breeze to put together, they brought that huge pop that we needed. Love, love, love them and will definitely be using these a lot going forward. We accented the table with some ridiculously adorable details…old coke bottles (found at the grocery store), pies that we tied with yarn, and tucked a wooden spoon into, and the most adorable menus/seating cards that Karen at Grapevine did for us that we tied to the back of each chair.

We have lots more coming up from all of our vendors…including info on the ridiculously fabulous dress that our cute model, Lyndsey, was rocking. Stay tuned!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 38 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 50's Inspired, Grapevine Invitations, Hana Floral Design, Inspiration Board, Jennie Fresa, Justin and Mary Marantz, Justin Marantz, Photoshoot, The White Dress By The Shore, True Events, Vintage
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality, Inspiration Boards, Wedding Decor, Wedding Details, Wedding Photography

One of the couples already had their photographer and will only need help with the florals.  Jamie Collins will be providing photography services for the second, and Little Black Book members, Justin and Mary Marantz have donated their services for the third! How terribly generous of all!

Congratulations to Anna & Matt, Lindsay and Alex, and Caitlin and Mike!!

And a huge thank you to Jessica’s Country Flowers, Justin and Mary Marantz and Jamie Collins for your generosity.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Jamie Collins, Jessica's Country Flowers, Justin Marantz, New England
Post categories: Contests, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Flowers