From the Bride… To say that my wedding was a dream come true is an understatement. From start to finish, it was a reflection of us, our values, our style, and our love. And it turned out better than I could have imagined.

Greg and I wanted a unique, glamorous, modern, romantic wedding that celebrated love and family. After months of looking at venues in New York (where we live), we still hadn’t found the right location. At the urging of my mom, we decided to look at venues in Boston (where I’m from), so we would be sure that my side of the family could attend. Cue the Liberty Hotel. The juxtaposition of old and new, the sexy atmosphere, the amazing food, and phenomenal architecture sealed the deal. It was perfect.

At the end of the day, we wanted our wedding to reflect us and our family. Greg’s beautiful daughter Liv served as my junior bridesmaid, a role she took on with much enthusiasm and pride. My absolute favorite part of the day was during our ceremony when Greg and I presented her with a necklace with three interlocking circles – a complete surprise to her and all of our guests – that signifies our unending bond as a family. Another of my favorite moments was taking pictures with my 91-year-old grandparents. Just seeing their excitement and knowing the effort it took for them to be there made my heart practically explode. Ultimately, family was at the core of what made our wedding incredible.

I also can’t help but mention our dream team of vendors. Taylor Creative provided most of our furniture, which laid the gleaming foundation for the whole event. Sara Faella brought major glam to my wedding party – my VIP women and I all felt totally fabulous. Go Against the Grain provided our custom invitation design – it helped to set the tone in a unique way. After a negative experience with a Connecticut-based florist, we had to switch gears with only a few months to spare. Winston Flowers saved the day and worked with us to create a truly spectacular vision for the wedding. And of course, Allegro Photography was beyond wonderful from day one.

My advice for brides-to-be is to always go back to what your wedding is really about: marrying the person you love most in the world. Wedding planning may be a roller coaster, but remember to stay positive and keep focused on you as a couple, your families, and the love you share. Liv’s advice, in case you were wondering, is to have great music, lots of dancing, and tons of fun!

Wedding Photography: Allegro Photography / Wedding Venue: The Liberty Hotel / Hair + Make-up: Sara Faella + Sara’s Glam Squad / Bride’s Gown: Lazaro via Kleinfeld / Bride’s + Bridesmaids’ Earrings: TEJANI / Custom Gown Hanger: Suspended Moments by Dawn Hill Creations / Bridesmaid Dresses: Alvina Valenta via Here Comes the Bridesmaid / Junior Bridesmaid Dress: Bari Jay via Bridal Reflections / Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse / Floral Design: Winston Flowers / Furniture Rentals: Taylor Creative / Dance Floor + Linen Rentals: Rentals Unlimited / Lighting Design: Swank AV / Cake & Cupcakes: I Dream of Jeanne Cakes / Custom Cake Topper: Crystal Celebration / Ceremony Music: La Bella Musica / DJ: Seth Isaacs of Beat Train Productions / Officiant: Gary D. Fine / Invitation Design: Go Against the Grain / Invitation Printing: Lion in the Sun

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Post tags: Allegro Photography, Alvina Valenta, Bari Jay, Beat Train Productions, Boston, Bridal Reflections, Crystal Celebration, Gary D. Fine, Go Against the Grain, Here Comes the Bridesmaid, I Dream of Jeanne Cakes, Kleinfeld, La Bella Musica, Lazaro, Lion in the Sun, Massachusetts Weddings, Men's Wearhouse, Rentals Unlimited, Sara Faella, Sara' Glam Squad, Suspended Moments, Swank AV, Taylor Creative, Tejani, The Liberty Hotel, Winston Flowers
Post categories: Boston Weddings, Massachusetts Weddings, Traditional Elegance

Matthew and I both wanted an outdoor wedding that was unique and fit our personalities. We both love to travel around upstate New York exploring barn sales, farmers markets, and finding hidden treasures in Flea markets scattered throughout Brooklyn, NY.  It was with the theme of “Rustic Elegance,” “Farmers Markets,” and my desire to marry in my home state of California, that the idea of exchanging our vows under majestic Redwood trees was the ideal setting. So after searching many locations, we chose a venue where the ceremony and dinner would all be outdoors in a breathtaking Redwood tree grove. Dancing and desert would follow in a rustic lodge on the property with festive paper lanterns setting the scene for hours of dancing.

There is something magical and mysterious about mixing new things with the old. The theme took on an image filled with local delicacies, summer flowers in their brightest form, and elegant simplicity. Bridesmaids were in a beautiful blue silk dresses and the groomsmen and Groom wore orange and blue stripe ties. Everyone was framed by brown and green Redwood trees and the colors just popped. The flowers were bright yellow sunflowers, orange Dahlias, green hydrangeas, mixed with berries and fresh herbs like mint and Rosemary. Our wedding inspiration would not have been possible without the hard work of all of our family and fabulous vendors!

Matthew’s father and Godfather, both Lutheran ministers, performed the ceremony. Matthew’s best man (his brother) and my matron of honor (sister in law) both read passages during the ceremony. Additionally, Matthew’s sister and brother in law sang one of our favorite songs as part of the ceremony. During the ceremony, I wore a veil made from her Great Grandmother’s wedding gown that had also been worn by my Grandmother and mother. My borrowed and something blue took the form of an Aquamarine necklace left to my mother’s family by my grandmother and a Victorian pearl pin from my father’s mother.

Looking back there are so many wonderful memories from the day and the year leading up to the wedding. We were thrilled to be able to exchange our vows in front of our dearest family and friends in such a majestic setting. Every moment of the day was filled with joy and happiness. We have just received our photographer’s proofs and are having a wonderful time going through them and re-living the day’s moments, even the moments we were not an apart of. So far some of our favorites include Matthew proposing as a way to get me to share my French fries, our friends and family have an amazing time, and a photo of all of family and friends standing in the redwood ceremony site together immediately after the ceremony.

Wedding Planning + Floral & Event Design: Florabella / Photographer: Todd Rafalovich Photography / Event Designer & Planner:  Florabella / Invitation Designer: Florabella / Cake/Desserts: Studio Cake / Wedding Gown Designer: Marisa, purchased at Kleinfeld /Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: Lula Kate / Jewelry & Veil: Grandmother’s veil and Aquamarine and Pearl Necklace

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Post tags: California, Candles, Casual Elegance, Chalkboards, Color PAlette Blue Pink Green, Florabella, Kleinfeld, Lula Kate, Marisa, Outdoor Ceremony, Outdoor Wedding, Pashminas, Redwoods, Romance, Studio Cake, Todd Rafalovich Photography, Vibrant Color Palette, Wedding Flowers
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Flowers

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I practically decided our wedding would be at the New Haven Lawn Club before I even stepped foot inside. I fell in love with the space – the art deco chandeliers, the black and white checked floors and the tiled mirror above the mantle in the ballroom – as soon as I saw pictures of it. Seeing it in person sealed the deal.

The location set the tone for the rest of my style choices: Elegant and romantic with vintage touches. I settled on a color pallet of blush, apricot and champagne. I wanted the room to be decorated in soft, monochromatic tones and accented with gold and ivory. We used a lot of lush blooms like garden roses, peonies, ranunculus and sweet peas. Dusty Miller added texture and gave all the arrangements and bouquets that vintage look I wanted. We decided to display the centerpieces on vintage cut glass cake stands that my mom spent over a year collecting. She found them in all sizes and patterns, which gave each table  a unique and whimsical display. She also collected footed compote bowls that were filled with small arrangements and placed on the bistro tables at cocktail hour.

We created a cake buffet with the extra cake stands. Mini cupcakes and eight 10’’ cakes in flavors like Mexican Hot Chocolate, Orange Creamsicle and Heath Bar Crunch were decorated in blush, apricot and ivory butter cream frosting, trimmed with gold ribbon and topped with large pink and apricot blooms. The cake we cut was a two-tiered lemon raspberry confection decorated with lattice work that matched a pattern from our stationary.

We jazzed up our paper goods by incorporating three different patterns: a gold floral trim, pink lattice work and a pink and gold damask print. Each table number featured a different print and the invitation suite featured all three.

My dress was an Anne Barge ball gown. I loved the way the waist cinched in and the top layer of the skirt floated out, always catching the light just right. I like to think that after spending my childhood dressed in tutus at endless dance recitals this dress picked me. It was the first one I tried on! I borrowed the veil from my new sister-in-law. My hairpiece was a pearl satin ribbon headband with pearl and rhinestone details I bought on Etsy. My something old was a lace handkerchief that both my mother and grandmother carried down the aisle of their wedding day.

A few other personal touches we added to the wedding were the “Mr.” and “Mrs.” letters tied to the back of our chairs with pink and champagne ribbon, a Mad Libs inspired guest book and a display of family wedding pictures. At the end of the night guests were invited to help themselves to freshly popped popcorn, our favorite snack.

The church also matched our color theme, but that was unintentional. We chose it, because the groom’s parents were married there. What more, the priest performing our ceremony married my parents. These personal tributes to our parents were one on the most important parts of the marriage for us.

Wedding Photography: Cynthia Brown Studio / Wedding Invitations & Paper Goods: Creative Montage / Wedding Ceremony Location: The Shrine of Saint Anne / Wedding Reception Location: The New Haven Lawn Club / Catering: The New Haven Lawn Club / Wedding Gown: Anne Barge via Kleinfeld / Bridesmaid Dresses: WTOO / Groom & Groomsmen Attire: JoS. A. Bank / Floral Design: Blush Floral Design Studio / Hair & Makeup: Dana Bartone & Company / DJ: Paul Hebert / Cakes: Sweet Maria’s

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Post tags: Anne Barge, Apricot, Blush, BLUSH Floral Design, Cake Buffet, Cake Table, Champagne, Connecticut, Creative Montage, CT, Cynthia Brown, Dana Bartone & Co., Gold, Ivory, Jos A Bank, Kleinfeld, Navy Blue, New Haven, Sweet Maria's, The New Haven Lawn Club, The Shrine of Saint Ann, Traditional Elegance, Vintage Cake Stands, Vintage Chic, WToo
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

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From Kristen Weaver Photography… Candice has always been specific about her own personal style; she graduated from FIT in New York and quickly moved out to LA to be a fashion designer; and she knew what she wanted for her wedding. Vintage, roaring 20′s style with sparkly metallic touches, an amazing reception venue and a heart-felt ceremony. Pretty much describes Candice. From her hair, to her flowers and reception gown – she used vintage brooches collected from various antique shows (the Rose Bowl flea market in her city, Pasadena, is her all-time favorite). The entire theme of the wedding was derived from a vintage brooch that belonged to her late grandmother – which she used as the main piece of her reception cocktail dress. Other pieces of her grandmother’s jewelry were used as her reception jewelry and in her ceremony headpiece.

Actually, calling it a ‘reception cocktail dress’ may be a bit misleading. Candice designed her gown from a piece of silk fabric that Kevin bought her as a Christmas gift, and layered it with metallic beaded fabric. The flapper-style dress was her entire creation, from the low drop back to the beads across her shoulders (one of her late-grandmother’s necklaces), and of course, her grandmother’s brooch on the front. She finished her style with a beaded Anthropologie headband and ivory Nina shoes with feather accents on the heels.

Candice’s ceremony gown was an amazing vintage-styled masterpiece by couture bridal genius, Claire Pettibone. Candice knew she wanted that exact dress from the first moment she saw it at Kleinfeld’s in New York (I asked, but no, she didn’t make it on “Say Yes to the Dress”).

Little moments were captured in her details – like Kevin’s proposal in front of the historic Flat Iron Building in NYC. The inside of his wedding band is engraved with the address of the building, and they set out Flat Iron postcards for guests to write little notes for them to read later. A mirror was inscribed with his proposal message, “Candice, you have had a lot of great memories in New York. I want this to be the greatest memory you ever have… Will you marry me?”, and below the mirror a vintage dresser carried the guest favors – vintage bottles of perfume and Flat Iron cuff links, with a custom silk screened jewelry box.

Candice’s own engagement ring was created by an estate jeweler in New York City; and her engagement session, that I shot back in August, featured some of their favorite places in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica!

Wedding Photography: Kristen Weaver Photography / Cinematography: Lunch Pail Pictures / Floral Design: Flowers by Felicia / Wedding Ceremony Location: Wayfarers Chapel / Wedding Reception Location: Viceroy Santa Monica Hotel / Bride’s Shoes: Nina / Groom’s Tuxedo: Dolce and Gabbana / Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone via Kleinfeld / Reception Dress: Candice Konya (The Bride) / Wedding Cake Designer: The Butter End Cakery / DJ: System 3 Entertainment

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Post tags: Art Deco, Black, CA, California, Champagne, Claire Pettibone, Dolce and Gabbana, Flowers by Felicia, Kleinfeld, Kristen Weaver photography, Lunch Pail Pictures, milk glass, Nina, Roaring Twenties, Santa Monica, Southern California Wedding, Stystem 3 Entertainment, The Butter End Cakery, Viceroy Santa Monica Hotel, Vintage inspired, Wayfarers Chapel, White
Post categories: Vintage Chic

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Uli and I are true New Yorkers at heart. I’m originally from Nebraska and he is from Mexico. We met at happy hour in the meat packing district. Uli charmed me for two years while, as most New York girls do, I played “hard-to-get.” He finally popped the question in an unforgettable evening in Baltimore alongside our new family member, our beloved French Bulldog, Oliver.

We wanted our wedding to be elegant, romantic and a reflection of our New York roots. We conducted the ceremony in our usual Sunday mass church on Park Avenue. The ceremony had an unmistakable touch of ourselves as readers shared wonderful scriptures in “Spanish-accent” English and we were joined by a diverse group of friends from multiple countries and parts of the US. In total, we had over 10 countries represented and a number of major and small towns across the US.

Our reception was small and intimate at a nontraditional space, the River Café. It sits at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge and hosts one of the most amazing views of Manhattan. Our colors were silver, black, and ivory which merged well with the city lights.

We were fortunate that our day went off without a hitch. Our wedding planner Anna from Just About Married was top notch and Luke at River Café proved to be a God sent. After a wonderful night we departed back to where it all started – New York City. Our photographer, Karen Wise, provided us with the most wonderful wedding gift, several thousand pictures of this unforgettable night.

Wedding Planning: Anna Leath of Just About Married / Flowers: United Floral / Photography: Karen Wise Photography / Band: Hank Lane / Reception Location, Cake & Catering: The River Café / Hair & Makeup: Face Time Beauty / Stationery: Lion in the Sun / Limo: Tran-Star Executive / Ceremony Venue: St. Ignatius Loyola / Linens & Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Groom’s Tuxedo: Hugo Boss /  Bride’s Dress: Pnina Tornai from Kleinfeld / Bride’s Jewelry: Michael F and Co. Jewelers / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Brooklyn, Classic Party Rentals, Cupcakes, Face Time Beauty, Hank Lane, Hugo Boss, Jimmy Choo, Just About Married, Karen Wise Photography, Kleinfeld, Lion in the Sun, Michael F and Co. Jewelers, New York City, Nine Cakes, Pnina Tornai, St. Ignatius Loyola, The River Cafe, Traditional Elegance, Tran-Star Executive, United Floral, Wedding Beauty, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

From Michele Damon … I met Kristen and her mom two years prior to wedding and they already had a game day plan: she would marry outdoors, under a garden canopy of flowers and candles. Kristen who is a very mod girl with a closet full of unique shoes, said it had to be vintage and intimate even though we were inviting 200 people.

Over the course of the following two years, Kristen and her mom became the antique, thrift store, yard sales queens, scoring the best items you could ever hope to have. Within these great finds (10 boxes to be exact), were a mannequin, her grandmothers cocktail table and 19 feet of lace.

The perfect dress was found at Kleinfield and the first one she tried on. We used flowers in blush shades and complimented them with “king and queen decor” to fit their rock and roller personalities.

The Historic Mansion was the perfect backdrop for the outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour and the amazing glass atrium ballroom went from an elegant dinner to a fun party with many of the guest camped out at Smilebooth all night. At the end of the night, Kristen & Devin exited thru a blaze of sparklers and were whisked away in their vintage Rolls Royce.

Photography: Our Labor of Love / Cinematography: Blue Sky Films / Flowers: Wicked Willow / Event Design & Planning: Michele Damon Events / Ceremony Location: Newton White Mansion / Reception Location: Newton White Mansion / Invitations: Heartcarry Press / Dress: Kleinfield / Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Cake: SugarBakers / Linens: Select Event Rentals / Photo Booth: Smilebooth / Officiant: Parker Sutton / Entertainment: My DeeJay

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Post tags: Blue Sky Films, Christian Louboutin, Heartcarry Press, Kleinfeld, Maryland, Michele Damon Events, My Deejay, Newton White Mansion, Our Labor of Love, Parker Sutton, Pink Black White, Select Event Rentals, Smilebooth, SugarBakers, Vintage, Wicked Willow
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Vintage Chic, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers

from Nessa … Kate & Simon’s wedding was chic, with a hint of old summer lake casual style. The gorgeous lake-view venue was complemented by a Norwegian wedding cake made by the Bride’s Grandmother, giant monograms made from moss, and elegant contemporary chandeliers. The colors were soft pink and silver.

The ceremony was at a beautiful chapel on a lake in Minnesota, and the reception was at a yacht club on another lake (land of 10,000 lakes!). Both the bride and groom were born and raised in small midwest towns, have the lakes in their “blood,” but are big-city at heart. So a lake wedding in downtown Minneapolis was a perfect fit. The bride has a degree in fashion, and brought her amazing eye for fashion into all facets of the wedding. Her vision was for their wedding to be classic with whimsical elements to it. From the men’s argyle socks to the bride’s amazing lace gown…and on to the letterpress invitations, she knew exactly what she wanted. The fedora hats used in the groom’s dance were hand selected from a small hat stand in Santa Monica. The bride’s hat design was inspired by the 1998 version of the Parent Trap with Natasha Richardson’s wedding hat. They had a perfect day. In the bride’s words “It turned out to be a glorious day!”

Looks like the guys might have stolen the show!

To see more of Nessa’s terrific wedding invitation designs, take a look through her website, blog and her portfolio!

Thanks for sharing!

p.s.   Here’s another of our favorites from last year from Cardgirl Invitations {click here}!

Stationery: Cardgirl, Nessa Sander
Videographer: Nate Jameson (friend)
Dress: Marisa from Kleinfeld Bridal NYC
Makeup/Hair: Rachael Biorn – Twiggs SalonSpa
Floral: Zinnia Designs
Cake: D’AMICO Catering
Reception: Calhoun Beach Club
Photography: Amy Rae Photography
Décor: Family Friends
DJ: Eric Severson

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amy Rae Photography, Cardgirl, Kleinfeld, Marisa, Zinnia Designs
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

In a beautiful, traditional Filipino wedding ceremony that family often said was ‘meant to be’, they declared their love for each other in front of over 400 guests!

Amanda totally captured the ‘awesomeness’ of the day!

Jennifer & Richard are both of Filipino descent ~ their parents actually attended medical school together in the Philippines! And though they have weathered years of a long-distance courtship, they were married in grand and glorious style this past June.

Their reception was held at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel in Camp Hill, PA.

Our congratulations to Jennifer and Richard! And a huge thank-you to Amanda Kraft for sharing the beauty of the day!!

* * *

Wedding Credits: Photography-Amanda Kraft (Lancaster PA) Wedding Gown Designer-Lazaro (from Kleinfeld of Manhattan), Invitation Designer- Persnickety Invitations, Florist-  Blooms by Vickery, Cake Designer-About Weddings; Videographer-American Classic Studios

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: About Weddings, Amanda Kraft Photography, American Classic Studios, Blooms by Vickery, Camp Hill, Filipino, Harrisburg, Kleinfeld, Lancaster, Lazaro, Pennsylvania, Persnickety Invitations, Radisson Penn Harris Hotel
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography