Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the Bride… Christian and I had been together for 3.5 years when he proposed to me in Venice last June. We both knew that we wanted our wedding to be inspired by Italy, and Venice in particular — the food, the wine, the atmosphere. The first major decision we made was the photography. I had seen Corbin’s work on several blogs before and I knew I wanted her to photograph our wedding no matter what — we felt a strong connection with her work. Finding the right stationery designer was a bit more difficult, I wanted it to be both sophisticated and whimsical, yet not childish. Not an easy task!  Finally I discovered Holly Hatam of Teardrop Weddings and she designed an invitation suite based on our Venetian engagement. The dress was easy — I saw the Lela Rose dress, and it fit perfectly to the theme with its quirky floral embroidery.

I gave our florist a moodboard and a rather loose description. I wanted the flower arrangements to look like an upscale version of having been to the Rialto Market in Venice and picked up some seasonal fruit, veggies and flowers and just placed it all beautifully on a stand. I made little jam favors as escort cards and had custom made hard candies as well for favors. I used Etsy a great deal to find little things that would help make the day complete, like the custom cookies and the cake stand.

From Corbin Gurkin…I was absolutely delighted to get Marie’s inquiry for her wedding in Copenhagen – she never would have guessed this when stumbling upon my website, but I already had a lifelong connection with Denmark having grown up with a Danish au-pair. I have always been completely enamored with the culture there. I had been to visit Copenhagen, but never for a wedding, and was absolutely thrilled when Marie and Christian brought me over for their fall nuptials. What I found to be so wonderful was that Marie and Christian had spent a lot of time looking at wedding blogs for inspiration and I just loved how they incorporated Italy (where they were engaged) into the decor in a subtle way – wine tones, fruitful arrangements… Marie and Christian were married in the Citadel church – a fantastic area of Copenhagen not far from the famed Little Mermaid statue, and with its windmill and vibrant red palette, this location was a photographers dream! The reception followed at a nearby restaurant that faced the water and the evening was full of the most sincere toasts (lots of them as is the Danish custom!). Their puppy Mimi also made an appearance! The love that day was just so palpable!

Photography: Corbin Gurkin Photography / Florist: Malene Christensen / Wedding Dress: Lela Rose / Shrug: Ivy and Aster / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Hairpiece + Veil: Sarah Gabriel / Groom’s Suit: Ralph Lauren Black Label / Groom’s Shoes: Prada / Reception Venue: M/S Amerika / Cookies: SweetAmbs / Cake Stand: High Tea for Alice / Cake Topper: Lollipop Workshop / Cake: Nikolaos Strangas / Hard Candy Favors: FusionSweets / Bridesmaid Dresses: Acne + Vivienne Westwood Anglomania / Best Man’s Suit: Hugo Boss / Invitations: Teardrop Weddings

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Acne, Anglomania, Christian Louboutin, Copenhagen, Corbin Gurkin Photography, Denmark, Destination Wedding, FusionSweets, High Tea for Alice, Hugo Boss, Lela Rose, Lollipop Workshop, M/S Amerika, Nikolaos Strangas, Prada, Ralph Lauren Black Label, Sarah Gabriel, SweetAmbs, Vivienne Westwood
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance

Jordan and I met in college after being introduced by mutual friends. After dating for five years Jordan proposed one week before Christmas. Loving all things romantic I have dreamed of my wedding day since I was a young girl. So it was only fitting that I dove right into planning. Early on in our planning I was introduced to Style Me Pretty by my friend Renee (Designs by Renee), who also designed our beautiful letter pressed wedding invitations and coordinating paper stationary. I was immediately hooked, visiting the website multiple times a day! It was such an inspiration in not only providing details for our wedding, but amazing advice and stories from other brides and grooms.

I could not imagine our wedding anywhere else other then the town I grew up in. Our ceremony was held in the church where I was baptized and had my first communion. Our reception was held at a private residence that happens to be my aunt and uncles home. Although our reception was held outdoors, we wanted a formal wedding with a romantic feel. I loved that Jordan and I could design our celebration from start to finish incorporating our personalities and interests into every last detail.

My mom was my partner in crime throughout the planning process. Whether it was traveling up and down the east coast to find the perfect antique birdcage for our cards or rummaging through old photos of our grandparents and great grandparents on their wedding day, we had such a fun time. Even my dad joined in on the fun taking dance lessons and surprising all our guests with a choreographed father-daughter dance, something completely out of his element.

After a year and a half of planning and waiting, torrential downpours and record flooding reminisce of Tropical Storm Lee threatened our day. Unable to get the tents and rentals in, we almost had to completely move our reception location to an indoor venue. Two days later on our wedding day September 10, 2011 the rain gave way to beautiful blue skies and our reception was able to go on as planned.

Absolutely everything turned out perfect and our day was amazing, sprinkled with beautiful blush, ivory and gold details! We were so fortunate to work with the most wonderful wedding professionals that took our vision and turned it into reality. It was the best day of our lives and we are so happy we could celebrate our marriage with all our amazing family and friends.

Photography: Tennison Photography / Cinematography: Neil Benjers, Blue Sky Films / Flowers: All Things Beautiful / Event Design: Shumaker PDT / Event Planning: Planned Perfection / Ceremony Location: Redeemer Lutheran Church / Reception Location: Private Residence / Invitations: Designs By Renée / Shoes: Valentino and Jimmy Choo / Dress: Melissa Sweet, Bee via Priscilla of Boston / Linens: La Tavola Linens / Catering: The Greenfield Restaurant & Bar / Bridesmaid Dresses: Lela Rose via Hitched Salon / Tuxes: JoS A. Bank / Rings: Kaplans Fine Jewelry

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: All Things Beautiful, Blue Sky Films, Bouquets, Centerpieces, Chiavari Chars, Designs by Renee, Hitched, Invitations, Jimmy Choo, Jos A Bank, Kaplans Fine Jewelry, La Tavola Linens, Lancaster, Lela Rose, Melissa Sweet, Neutral Color Palette, Outdoor Wedding, Pennsylvania, Planned Perfection, Priscilla of Boston, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Shumaker PDT, Tennison Photography, Tented Reception, The Greenfield Restaurant & Bar, Traditional Elegance, Valentino, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers, Wedding Stationery
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride… Spending many summer evenings admiring the breathtaking sunset views from Seaside Park made choosing our wedding location one of the easiest decisions. It was only fitting to have the ceremony and cocktail hour at this park atop the cliffs of our favorite Del Mar beach. Having the reception at the gorgeous L’Auberge Del Mar only steps away from Seaside Park was another decision that fell right into place. L’Auberge Del Mar was the perfect location for us because it truly captures the classic, coastal style we wanted to portray in our wedding. The harmonious balance between traditional charm and contemporary elegance combines to exude the welcoming atmosphere we wanted to extend to our guests.

When it came time to make decisions regarding the design and experience, we wanted our wedding to reflect us and to be an exciting and memorable experience for our dearest family and friends. “Vintage seaside elegance” was the best coined phrase to describe our wedding style. As we are both drawn to eclectic styles that meld traditional and modern elements, we wanted this reflected in our details.

For my gown, I looked for a classic silhouette with a modern twist making it unique. From the moment my mom first spotted the gorgeous Ines DiSanto gown, I knew it was the dress I would marry my best friend in. My grandmother passed away last year and I wanted a special way to include her in our day. I had a piece of her wedding dress embroidered with her monogram and sewn into my dress as my “something blue.” Ryan wanted a more modern take on groom’s attire and selected a sleek, tailored cut black suit. The many movies and stories about “dreaded bridesmaid dresses” led me to giving my bridesmaids a part in the selection of their dresses. I chose an array of Lula Kate, Lela Rose, and J.Crew dresses and let the girls select which dress fit their personality and body type best. This also enhanced the vintage component of our style.

We wanted our reception to have a relaxed, yet elegant feel so we combined burlap runners with antique silver pieces handed down from my great grandmother. We filled them with soft pink garden roses and an array of other romantic and natural looking flowers, combined with driftwood and succulents. Our gorgeous light blue and white striped menus and table numbers combined with starfish escort cards nodded to our seaside location. The darling vintage candy bar was a fun addition that gave us an opportunity to put some personal touches, such as the burlap “Love Is Sweet” sign my mom and I made and the pictures mounted on ribbon on the wall behind.

Most importantly, our wedding was the greatest celebration of our love we could have ever dreamt of. Getting to celebrate the day you marry your true love and best friend with your closest loved ones is all you can hope for and we certainly achieved that on August 27th.

For future brides… Hire a wedding coordinator! If you find somebody that your personalities work well together and they see your vision, it will result in a stress-free wonderful planning experience and beautiful event. We were so lucky to have the opportunity to work with Alison Sansom. She was not only the most talented and organized wedding coordinator, but such a sweet person and dream to work with! We owe a great deal of gratitude to Alison, all of our wonderful vendors, incredible guests, and our parents for making our wedding celebration the most memorable day of our lives!!

Floral Design: Isari Flower Studio / Wedding Photography: David of Vallentyne Photography / Wedding Ceremony Location: Seagrove Park / Wedding Reception Location: L’Auberge Del Mar / Wedding Videography: Epic Affair / Ceremony Music: Angelica Strings / DJ: Positive Energy Productions / Wedding Coordinator: Alison Sansom of L’Auberge Del Mar / Wedding Cake: Sweet Cheeks Baking Company / Wedding Dress: Ines DiSanto / Hair: Erin Grever / Make up: Sheila Nellis + Tamara Lugliani / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Groom + Groomsmen Apparel: JoS. A. Bank / Bridesmaid Dresses: Lula Kate, Lela Rose + J.Crew

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Angelica Strings, California Weddings, Epic Affair, Erin Grever, Ines Di Santo, Isari Flower Studio, J. Crew, Jimmy Choo, Jos A Bank, L'Auberge Del Mar, Lela Rose, Lulu Kate, Positive Energy Productions, San Diego, Seagrove Park, Sheila Nellis, Sweet Cheeks Baking Co., Tamara Lugliani, Vallentyne Photography
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, San Diego Weddings

Lots of people say that they are shocked when their boyfriend proposes.  I was really shocked though!  Sam and I had never talked about getting married, nor did I have any idea of what type of wedding I would want some day… On October 9, 2009, Sam surprised me on a quiet night at home with a beautiful new jacket – and a gorgeous ring inside.  From there the whirlwind began!

When we started looking at venues, I knew I wanted a different type of location (no reception hall or ballroom for us).  After looking at 13 venues, a caterer told us about Saltwater Farm Vineyard.  It was late at night on a Friday night, we didn’t have an appointment and there was still no permanent lighting installed inside.  The amazing owners came and met us with flashlights and we were instantly in love.  The other thing that made us book it was seeing the Inn at Stonington.  We were lucky enough to stay there for our whole wedding weekend with our immediate family and bridal party.  The management staff there is amazing and really made our wedding weekend extra magical for us.

Our photographer was easy – we knew we wanted Raw Photo Design and booked them a year and a half in advance.  My father was relentless that we must get a band, so we found the amazing ETA Music through a friend and were thrilled they had the date open!  Everything else really fell into place.  Sam and I are both very simple but love a vintage, rustic style so that was what we tried to stick with.  From lantern centerpieces, to acoustic classic rock cocktail music, to a warm fireplace, pretty much everything turned out how we wanted. The best part of our wedding was that we had an absolute blast!!  It will always be a day to remember for us!

Photography: Raw Photo Design / Flowers: It’s So Ranunculus / Caterer: Gourmet Galley / Ceremony and Reception Location: Saltwater Farm Vineyard / Band: ETA Music / Hotel: Inn at Stonington / Shoes: Bridal by Butter / Dress:  Siri / Bridesmaid Dresses: Lela Rose

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bridal by Butter, Connecticut, DIY Chalkboard, ETA Music, Gourmet Galley, Inn at Stonington, It's So Ranunculus, Lela Rose, Neutral Color Palette, Outdoor Ceremony, Outdoor Wedding, Rainy Day Wedding, Raw Photo Design, Saltwater Farm Vineyard, Siri, Stonington, Vineyard Wedding, Vintage Chic, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Vintage Chic

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Flowers, perhaps one of the areas I am most grateful. I almost did away with flowers and had potted plants on the tables to save money, use for our new house as well as an alternative to cutting flowers for them just to die. However, my mom wanted real flowers and I saw a lot of images of flowers I really liked. I read horror stories from other brides about ants and bugs on the table because of potted plants, so I took the plunge and hired a florist. Yes, it was pricey, but I swear I had the best florist in the area. I don’t think I’d trust any other because I see the guys at Imaginations in Tannersville as artists and truly unique with their work. They don’t even document their work because they refuse to do anything twice! How beautiful is that? I worked with Kim, but the Tims do the arranging. They sat down with me and emailed to see my images of what I liked and combined it all. They came out with amazing flowers that mixed cabbage roses, ranunculas, billy balls with faded greens like lamb’s ear and succulents (which were able to be replanted after the wedding-LOVE!)

Our reception location was at The Inn at Pocono Manor. The event coordinator, Paula, is very attentive and easy to work with. For our place cards I made a bunting flag system strung by painted dowels and jute twine. The actual tables were named different states, so that we wouldn’t have to number the tables, which I find to be like rating your friends and family. I then made a simple map of the layout so that guests could easily find their state. We used states to name the tables because we have an ongoing tradition of taking a Polaroid together in every state we visit! We have about 20 we’ve captured over the past 3 years. We traced and cut outlines of each state from maps and glued them to grey and yellow cards. We then placed our Polaroid on the opposite side of each card within photo corner holders so to not destroy the Polaroid.

For favors, we made a rather indie mix CD of music ourselves and printed the labels and sleeves on a regular printer. Then I tied them off with yellow and white baker’s twine from an Etsy shop. This was very time-consuming, however I think the music will remind guests of the wedding music because we put on our first dance song, entrance song, and more. Plus, I think it is important for people to hear indie music at some point! Funbags by Rod Thomas is the best music to play while being introduced as Mr. & Mrs.! I loved it and felt like a cute little girl with wind in her hair on a summer day.

We used a wonderful bakery called Cakes and Scones for our cake/cupcakes. Tere and Andy hit the nail on the head. We mostly talked through email and an occasional phone call after our initial meeting because I was living in North Carolina during the planning. I showed them pictures and explained what I wanted and they did their thing and made it wonderful. Besides how cute they came out they tasted amazing and I have a problem looking at the photos now because I always wish I had another cupcake! Also price-wise they were affordable and willing to work with you and your pocket book because they’re just good people.

Wedding Photography: Sweet Little Photographs / Wedding Dress: Forever Yours / Veil: Lovey by Isha / Bridesmaid Dresses: Lela Rose via Joielle / Bridesmaid Jewelry: Buy Some Love / Bride’s Earrings: Forever 21 / Floral Design: Imaginations / Boutonnieres: Luvlee Bits / Candy: Bulk Foods + Candy Warehouse / Jars: Walmart / ‘Sweet’ Letters: A.C. Moore / Bunting Cloth Flags + Favors: DIY / Candles: Quick Candles / Twine + Other Items: Etsy / Succulents: Succulents Galore / Paper Goods: The Bride + CatPrint (printing) + Staples (printing programs) / Wedding Cake + Cupcakes: Cakes and Scones Bakery / Cake Topper: DIY + Jaime Mancilla / Venue: The Inn at Pocono Manor

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A.C. Moore, Bulk Foods, Cakes and Scones Bakery, Candy Warehouse, CatPrint, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Etsy, Forever 21, Forever Yours, Imaginations, Jaime Mancilla, Lela Rose, Lovey by Isha, Luvlee Bits, Pennsylvania, Poconos, Quick Candles, Staples, Succulents Galore, Sweet Little Photographs, The Inn at Pocono Manor, Walmart
Post categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, The Blog

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride:

When Alex and I got engaged close to our home in San Francisco, we contemplated whether to go to city hall one casual Friday morning or to go all out. We decided to have our full blown wedding and I saw it as an opportunity to express my artistic side, which I don’t normally get to do in my day job. I started with letterpress classes and continued to put my personal touch on everything from painting the cake topper to hand picking rocks for our place cards.

When we started to fill in the details, we wanted to showcase the beautiful and natural surroundings of northern California. We set a date in the spring when the Headlands would be lush green and covered in beautiful wildflowers. To mirror the springtime wildflowers, our stationary featured the California poppy and homemade crepe paper California poppies adorned the tables and aisles. The fresh florals and menu ingredients were seasonal and locally sourced. And, our favors were jars of honey from a local Marin beekeeper. In some way, more than just words, we wanted to commemorate the family members who have passed. In symbolic memory of our grandparents, we had succulent centerpieces, locally sourced honey favors and yellow roses. The DIY projects were votives wrapped in beeswax sheets, crepe paper California poppies to match invitations, fabric panels for ceremony space, cake toppers painted & embellished.

Photographer: Elle Jae Weddings / Bride’s Dress: Lela Rose / Bride’s Veil: Priscilla of Boston / Bride’s Shoes: Rocket Dog / Groom’s Suit: Hickey Freeman / Groom’s Shoes: Mephisto / Matron of Honor + Mother of the Bride Dresses: Siri / Invitations + Save the Dates: San Francisco Center for the Book / Programs, Menus + Signs: Carré Designs / Place Card Rocks: Lyngso + Carré Designs / Venue : Headlands Center for the Arts / Cake : True Confections / Makeup : The Make Up Dolls / Flowers: Soulflower Floral Design / Band: The Gumbo Brothers / Caterer: Katie Powers Catering / Day-of-Wedding Coordination: Rebecca Pfiffner / Swings: Art Installation by Paolo Salvagione

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California, Carre Designs, Hickey Freeman, Highlands Center for the Arts, Katie Powers Catering, Lela Rose, Lyngso, Mephisto, Priscilla of Boston, Rebecca Pfiffner, Rocket Dog, San Francisco, San Francisco Center for the Book, Siri, Soulflower Floral Design, The Gumbo Brothers, The Make Up Dolls, True Confections
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, San Francisco Weddings

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Brian went to UNC and is a huge “Tarheel” fan, so we decided to have a blue and white color scheme! Our wedding coordinator was helpful in directing us to vendors but in terms of styling the wedding, my mother and I did all the planning. We wanted everything about our wedding to be very personal so we used friends as vendors as much as possible. We had my high school English teacher design our wedding invitations. They were hand-written calligraphy and engraved. We chose our family friend, John Davis, to design our flowers. Our good friend Mollie Stone made our delicious wedding cake.The wedding ceremony was at St. John’s Episcopal Church, the church I have attended all my life. The reception was held at the Savannah Golf Club which is almost home away from home for my family, as they are all golfers and my mom recently helped with the interior design of the new clubhouse.

At St. John’s Church, I got dressed at our Parish House, the historic Green Meldrim House directly next to the church. It was very special dressing in the same room my mother did thirty years before when she married my dad. I did not want to see Brian before the wedding so we arranged to always be in opposite areas before the service. It really added to the anticipation before the ceremony. The flowers in the church were all white lilies, hydrangeas, peonies and roses. Pew markers lined the aisle and the smell of the arrangements was wonderful. There were candles in all of the windows and the church simply glowed in the afternoon light. After the service we took our photographs across the street in Madison Square. The beautiful oak trees framed the pictures with the church. Brian and I also took more photographs on the golf course at the reception.

For our flowers at the reception, we used large manzanita branches decorated with white roses and hydrangea. For the main entrance into the ballroom, our florist designed a beautiful archway using the same flowers. I think my favorite detail was the incredible eight foot ice sculpture holding another huge flower arrangement over the middle of the raw seafood bar. We had a vodka and champagne ice luge set up on the back veranda that was a popular attraction throughout the evening. Rather than a seated dinner, we passed tomato sandwiches, fried oysters, and cajun chicken salad on endives. And we had stations of our favorite foods: a raw seafood bar with shrimp and crab claws, beef tenderloin, pasta, mini-slider burgers (Brian’s favorite!), fruit and cheese, and fried chicken (a Southern staple!). Our wedding cake had seven tiers and was almond-vanilla flavored. It was decorated with a diamond pattern of ecru icing. For the groom’s cake, we had a chocolate cake in the shape of the UNC basketball court. All of Brian’s UNC friends loved it!

The whole wedding came together perfectly…It was the most fun night of our lives!

* * *

Thank you so much to Leonora and Brian for sharing their beautiful wedding with us! We love you so very much. And a big, hearty hug to all of the Victors…Bubba, Barb, Jason, Cameron, Ellie the dog and everyone else. WE HEART YOU!!!

Wedding Coordinator: Tricia Windom / Wedding Invitations: Calligraphy by Sophia Caparisos / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet via Bleubelle Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Manolo Blahnik / Bride’s Make-up: Glow MedSpa and Beauty Boutique / Bride’s Hair: Salon Eden / Bridesmaid Dresses: Lela Rose via Bleubelle Bridal / Floral Design: John Davis Florist / Wedding Photography: Nate Henderson Photography / Wedding Cake: Mollie Stone Cakes / Groom’s Cake: Kerry O’Connor Cakes / Reception Location: The Savannah Golf Club / Rentals: Savannah Special Events by Ranco + Classic Party Rentals / Photo Booth: Dreamweaver Photo Booth / Trolleys: Old Savannah Tours

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BleuBelle Bridal, Calligraphy by Sophia Caparisos, Classic Party Rentals, Dreamweaver Photo Booth, Georgia Wedding, Glow MedSpa and Beauty Boutique, John Davis Florist, Kerry O'Conner Cake Design, Lela Rose, Manolo Blahnik, Melissa Sweet, Mollie Stone Cakes, Nate Henderson Photography, Old Savannah Tours, Salon Eden, Savannah, Savannah Special Events by Ranco, The Savannah Gold Club, Tricia Windom
Post categories: Georgia Weddings, Savannah Weddings

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From Rosemary Special Events… From my first meeting with Lauren & Joe when we met to scout out venues in the Napa Valley, I just knew working with them would be a pleasure… they are such a great couple… so much fun and sweet! They wanted a simple, elegant celebration that featured the beauty of Napa Valley… classic and natural with just a touch of modern style.

They decided on Holy Family Mission, a charming and historic Catholic church built in 1912 set in the midst of the vineyards in Rutherford. For the reception they selected the Calistoga Ranch, a beautiful 48-room resort tucked in a private canyon just outside the town of Calistoga.

The wedding took place over Memorial Day weekend. Lauren wanted the wedding day to feel bright, summery and natural so we chose a palette of white and taupe with subtle green accents to keep it light and airy. We had a little weather scare with rain leading up to the wedding but in the final days the weather miraculously turned and they enjoyed temperatures in the mid-80s all weekend.

The traditional ceremony was intimate, simple and gorgeous. Lauren’s parish priest flew up from San Diego to perform the ceremony. Lauren looked absolutely stunning in an ivory, strapless Vera Wang gown. She carried a white bouquet of peonies, hydrangeas and garden roses that was finished with a vintage silk ribbon that her mother had found on a trip to France. Her bridesmaids wore full-length Kirstie Kelly dresses in a blush tone and the men looked very handsome in classic black tuxedos. Bunches of simple white hydrangea behind the altar and on the pews were the perfect accent to the gorgeous wood beamed ceilings and hand painted walls of church. A vintage lace French altar cloth given to the couple by Lauren’s mom graced the altar.

After the ceremony, guests were transported by shuttle up to Calistoga Ranch where they mingled over cocktails, sampled delicious bites of Calistoga Ranch’s spectacular cuisine and took in the 180-degree view of the surrounding lake and canyon. Designer, Nicole Sillapere blew everyone away with her absolutely stunning florals and event décor. In order for guests to savor every moment of sunlight and the natural surroundings, dinner was served under a soft and beautiful white Raj Tent with open sides. Nicole kept it clean and modern with contemporary white chairs, a mix of square, round and long tables with crisp white linens. Fluffy white peonies, Star of Bethlehem, lily of the valley, white tulips and white hydrangea were grouped separately in mixed sizes of white and glass vessels. The programs, escort cards, menus and place cards were gorgeous… each finished with taupe custom stitching. Place settings were accented with a taupe woven ribbon and a single gardenia leaf.

Guests enjoyed a delicious 3-course meal and listened to jazz standards performed by Ever Music Group. Once the sun went down and it started to get chilly, we ushered everyone into an underground wine cave that had been transformed into a chic, candlelit lounge for dancing. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Joe, a really talented singer/songwriter surprised Lauren with an original song he had written for her…. it was very romantic! They had a blast dancing the rest of the night to the sounds of DJ Goyo and enjoyed the chocolate wedding cake created by the pastry chef at Calistoga Ranch. It was such a fun and romantic celebration for such a fabulous couple. Congratulations Lauren and Joe!

Wedding Photography: Jose Villa / Wedding Gown (silver belt): Ivy & Aster, Sweet Pea/ Wedding Invitations: Tiny Pine Press / Other Paper Goods: Mira Aster / Event Planning: Rosemary Hattenbach of Rosemary Special Events / Floral Design & Event Décor: Nicole Sillapere / Wedding Ceremony Location: Holy Family Mission, Rutherford, CA / Wedding Reception Location & Catering: Calistoga Ranch / Wedding Cake: Calistoga Ranch / Tent: Raj Tents / Hair & Makeup: Darcy Hunt & Elise Newman of Primped Napa Valley / Band: Ever Music Group / DJ: DJ Goyo of Uptempo Productions / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang / Bridesmaid Dresses: Kirstie Kelly / Film Work: Richard Photo

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 36 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: CA, Calistoga, Calistoga Ranch, Classic, DJ Goyo, Ever Music Group, Green, Holy Family Parish, Jose Villa, Kirstie Kelly, Lela Rose, Modern Style, Nicole Sillapere, Northern California, RAJ Tents, Rutherford, Taupe, Tented Reception, Uptempo Productions, Vera Wang, Vineyard Wedding, White
Post categories: Casual Elegance