Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog

Jose Villa and Joel Serrato Wedding…a Heartfelt Congratulations

Abby Larson — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:30:44 +0000

Everyone knows Jose and Joel. Everyone knows them because of the crazy beautiful work that they do…which is favorited, pinned and shared like wild fire. They are two men whose raw talent shines through in everything they do. In every photograph captured. In every film documented. But what you might not know is that Jose and Joel also happen to be two of the kindest, loveliest of human beings we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. They are good. They are inspiring. They are in love. And that love makes Tait and I want to always do better, be better, work harder and dream bigger. So as you pore through the images tucked inside the Winter issue of Martha Stewart Weddings (with a sneak peek online), photographed to tear inducing perfection by Elizabeth Messina, remember that behind the utterly lovely wedding are two boys who we love dearly and who continue to make Style Me Pretty a better place to be. Congratulations to Joel and Jose…here’s to a life as beautiful as the work you produce each and every day. xoxo…Abby, Tait and the whole team at SMP.

And if you simply can’t wait to pick up your copy of MSW, you can check out the sneak peeks on Green Wedding Shoes, 100 Layer Cake, Jose’s blog, Joel’s blog and Elizabeth’s blog. Here is just one of the jaw droopingly beautiful images that made us go a little wedding crazy. A leather bound, hand calligraphed napkin wrap dreamed up by who else? Lisa Vorce. Wedding magician, Beauty Inventor and all around great girl.

Location: Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse / Event Design & Production: Lisa Vorce of Oh, How Charming! / Event Design and Flowers: Mindy Rice Floral Design / Catering: New West Catering / Stationery: Tiny Pine Press; and Papel Paper & Press / Calligraphy: Anne Jones / Cake: Sweet & Saucy Shop / Lighting: Bella Vista Design / Photography: Elizabeth Messina / Cinematography: Joe Simon Films / Ceremony & Cocktail Music: Bolero Soul / Reception Music: Michael Antonia of Flashdance / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Specialty Decor: Barker Decor Service

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Anne Jones, Barker Decor Service, Bella Vista Design, Bolero Soul, Classic Party Rentals, Elizabeth Messina, Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse, Joe Simon Wedding Films, Joel Serrato, Jose Villa, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice Floral Design, New West Catering, Oh How Charming, Papel Paper and Press, Sweet & Saucy Shop, The FlashDance, Tiny Pine Press
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

Aspen After Party by Aaron Delesie + Lisa Vorce + Mindy Rice

Emilia Jane — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:00:15 +0000

This is the party that can’t stop, won’t stop! After the sweet and serene wedding, guests ventured down the rabbit hole into something completely different! A psychedelic, Willa Wonka-meets-Alice in Wonderland after party where they got their sugar rush and their dance party on! Candy around every corner, vibrant lounge areas and, my favorite little touch, sparkly Toms for the guests to don before dancing, turned this already magical weekend into an out-of-this-world extravaganza! Aaron Delesie, Lisa Vorce and Mindy Rice definitely knocked it out of the park and raised the bar with this one. If you’re like me and you want to live vicariously through these lucky guests then check out the full gallery for even more!

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From Lisa Vorce… Bailey and Pete wanted a “Willy-Wonka-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland” vibe. How’s that for a theme? A blast for us! Barker Decor put in almost 2000 square feet of high gloss white flooring and built two 12 foot candy walls. We flew in 3000 bedazzled bonbons, an entire van small truck full of candy, and over 1500 macaroons. Pure heaven. Behind the main bar we had a 12′ high gloss lime manzanita tree that Mindy treated with oversized colorful florals. Mindy also created playful “forest” vignettes throughout the room with oversized colorful mushrooms, grass squirrel topiaries, and flats of grass. The entire tent was draped in a vibrant apple green color, and then we color blocked the 4 corners of the tent, so each corner had its own color themed lounge.

We truly had a blast on this event, and adore Bailey and Pete (and their amazing families!). We’re looking forward to creating an extraordinary vow renewal party for them in a a few years…(hint, hint…Bailey and Pete!).

Wedding Photography: Aaron Delesie / Event Production & Design: Lisa Vorce – Oh, How Charming! / Floral & Event Design: Mindy Rice / Event Lighting + Set Design + Flooring + Furniture + Specialty Dance Floors + Draping: Barker Decor Service / Catering: The Little Nell / Wedding Cake: d’Elissious / Event Rentals: Event Rents / Wedding Cinematography: Paper Tape / Welcome Reception Music: The Spazmatics / Ceremony & Cocktail Music: Supernova / Dinner Reception Music: Impulse / After Party Music: DJ Ig of RedShoe LA / Photobooth: Colorado Photo Booth / Celebrant: Reverend Bruce McNab / Makeup: Fiore Beauty / Hair: Marilee Albin / Wedding Dress: Amsale / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale / Wedding Venue: Private Residence / Paper: Papel Paper & Press and Yellow Owl Workshop

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Post tags: Aaron Delesie, After Party, Alice in Wonderland, Amsale, Aspen, Barker Decor Service, Candy Walls, Colorado, Colorado Photo Booth, d'Elissious, DJ Ig, Event Rents, Fiore Beauty, Green, Impulse, Lisa Vorce, Lounge, Marilee Albin, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming, Orange, Paper Tape, Pink, Red, RedShoe LA, Reverend Bruce McNab, Supernova, Tent, The Little Nell, The Spazmatics, Willy Wonka, Yellow
Post categories: Real Parties

Aspen Wedding by Aaron Delesie + Lisa Vorce + Mindy Rice

Erin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:00:18 +0000

I am sure at this point, you all are glued to your computer screens in anticipation of this all out wedding extravaganza. Because honestly, if the welcome party was that amazing, you can only imagine the swoon-fest we are about to devour as seen through the golden lens of Aaron Delesie. The gorgeous Bride (and adorably witty blogger) teamed up with dream team Lisa Vorce and Mindy Rice to create a day filled with natural, elegant touches and an under current of whimsy. It’s GORGEOUS and it’s all ours to pore over, pin, tweet, facebook, bookmark, shout from the mountain tops or all of the above. Find the whole Aspen fête here.

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From the Bride… From the beginning we had a pretty clear view of what we wanted for our wedding day. We knew we wanted to get married outdoors in the fall by the pond at my family’s place in Aspen. We knew we wanted the event to feel natural- but not necessarily rustic. We aren’t exactly woodspeople so we wanted more of a refined, natural vibe that would enhance the incredible surroundings without competing with it. I wanted our wedding day to feel reverent but not overly stuffy or formal. My wedding dress was a custom Amsale, who I chose because I felt like all of the sample dresses I tried on of theirs really fit and she understood my body. Like the decor I didn’t want it to feel overly fussed about- and the antique lace bottom and swiss dot top came together perfectly.

After working with Lisa for nearly 20 months planning the wedding it is hard to know where my ideas stopped and hers began. I think that is part of what makes Lisa such an incredible wedding planner – she doesn’t try to impose her vision or agenda on your wedding. She really listens and sort of adopts your taste and perspective so that even all of her amazing ideas feel like they could have been your own. Which is also a huge ego boost because who doesn’t want to feel like they created something so beautiful!

When I met with Lisa I had a binder full of ideas on specific aesthetic details I had been saving for years. She really took that direction into account but i think what we came up with was still entirely its own unique thing. One of the details that stands out to me still 6 months later is the music and readings we chose for our ceremony. We knew from the beginning that I would walk down the aisle to Til Kingdom Comes by Coldplay- a bonus track they originally wrote for Johnny Cash. Lisa reccomended the most incredible string quartet who played at the ceremony and cocktail hour and that was really special. We also spent a lot of time making our ceremony personal while still working within the traditional Christian marriage rite. Our readings, from a childrens book called I Like You and from the Bible about the importance of sacred space really reflected what we wanted our ceremony to be about- and our priest completed that with an amazing lesson on the importance of a childlike joy in love- which would really come into play at the reception and after party. My vision for the reception tent was that it feel like you were dining in the woods on a magical moonlit night. I wanted it to feel like you were under a tree canopy with the moon flickering through the leaves. I think Lisa took that idea and made it a hair less cheesy, and a bit more modern and sophisticated.

The whole night was full of special moments. I loved the way my bridesmaids and house party looked. Each one picked their style of dress from Amsale’s bridesmaid line and their color, and the flowers Mindy did for their hair were incredible. Truly everyone never looked better. I loved seeing how the tent came togethet, and we actually had a blast dancing to Ray LaMontagne You Are The Best Thing for our first dance. I mean- the dancing in general was hilarious and out of control. The band was on our flight out the next day and even they said they had never seen people boogie like our people boogied. Word.

By far the most incredible part of the night was the after party tent. I told Lisa I wanted a Willy Wonka/Alice In Wonderland, main tent magical forest on acid and for the love of Britney Spears, did we ever get one. But really everything was incredible- I still cant believe we pulled it off, and we are so blessed that we got to start off our marriage with such a lovefest- because that is really what the whole weekend felt like!

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Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Amsale, Aspen, Barker Decor Service, Colorado, Colorado Photo Booth, d'Elissious, DJ Ig, Event Rents, Fiore Beauty, Forest Inspired Wedding, Impulse, Lisa Vorce, Marilee Albin, Midsummer Night's Dream, Mindy Rice, Moss, Oh How Charming, Orange, owls, Paper Tape, Red, RedShoe LA, Reverend Bruce McNab, Supernova, Tabletop Trees, The Little Nell, The Spazmatics
Post categories: Whimsical

Aspen Welcome Party by Aaron Delesie + Lisa Vorce + Mindy Rice

A. Blaire — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:00:20 +0000

Oh do we have a day in store for you! An Aaron Delesie plus Lisa Vorce plus Mindy Rice kind of a day. I am just giddy thinking about it! Here’s the deal – today we’ll feature one amazing couple (the bride being the voice behind the darling blog Peppermint Bliss) and their three fabulous wedding weekend events by the talented trio. So get cozy and let’s get stared with the Aspen welcome party complete with a cowboy hat chandelier. Yes that’s correct, a cowboy hat chandelier, and that’s only the beginning! Remember today is a marathon of pretty images from Aaron Delesie, not a sprint – so go ahead a mosey on over to the full gallery for this beyond wonderful welcome party!

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From Lisa Vorce… Our Aspen event wins the prize for THE most fun event ever! Bailey and Pete were the most fantastically sweet and trusting clients…and by far the funniest. There was not one email from Bailey that didn’t have the entire office laughing out loud. She writes exactly as she speaks and she is full of life. You must read her blog (Peppermint Bliss) and you’ll see what I mean….

When Bailey came to us, she definitely had a clear vision for her wedding. She allowed us however, to take her vision and put our spin on it which was pure delight for us. For the welcome reception — it was cowboy kitsch at its best! Highlights included Barker Decor’s stunning high gloss red dance floor, Mindy’s amazing tablescapes of cotton centerpieces, charcoal glazed pottery and red ranunculus, and my personal favorite…our high gloss red cardboard “taxidermy” that we hung throughout the room…complete with thought bubbles. Mindy created two gigantic cowboy hat chandeliers, and an escort card wall that displayed cowboy hats with table numbers on them. An adorable, interactive, and thematic escort card wall all in one. It was incredible.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Amsale, Aspen, Barker Decor Service, Colorado, Colorado Photo Booth, Cotton, Cowboy Hats, d'Elissious, DJ Ig, Event Rents, Fiore, Impulse, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Natural, Oh How Charming, Paper Tape, Red, RedShoe LA, Reverend Bruce McNab, Rustic, Supernova, The Little Nell, The Spazmatics, Welcome Party, White
Post categories: Real Parties

Vintage Photo Shoot by Elizabeth Messina + Lisa Vorce + Mindy Rice

Abby Larson — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:14:35 +0000

I am a bit at a loss for words for this next feature. Which is rare considering that I spend my life coming up with just the right words to describe every perfect wedding detail that we share on SMP. But this one is different. It’s a collaboration between three people that are kind of like the Queens-of-All-Things-Gorgeous, and I literally dropped my jaw when I saw what they had come up with. Event designer Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming! , floral and event designer Mindy Rice and photographer Elizabeth Messina are the makers of this wedding shoot that is quite possibly the most beautiful shoot the world of weddings has ever seen…so beautiful, in fact, that you too might just lose the power of speech. And guess what. There is so much more right here.

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From Lisa Vorce… As if we don’t have enough on our plate…Mindy, Elizabeth, and I decided we simply must add something else to our list. We had spotted the delightfully gorgeous “tru luv” boat and it all started there. Our creative wheels were spinning, and we just had to do a photo shoot with it! So…. we created a little “tru luv” story…all because of a little boat!

Our bride was outfitted with the most thematically fitting gowns from Claire Pettibone, headpieces from Twigs & Honey, and gorgeous hair and make-up from Erin Skipley. For the dining table for our tru luvbirds…Mindy and I created a wonderful blend of all things vintage and weathered, and mixed them in with more traditional “estate” pieces. Details included a vintage collection of salt pinches and collected silver, weathered grape vines, zinc name tags hand calligraphed in cream by Lisa Holtzman, and an eclectic combination of ribbons and twines. Mindy’s extraordinary floral pieces included ranunculus, dusty miller, snow hydrangea, fresh green wheat , white anemones, German silk daisies and Pieris japonica. We chose a chocolate topaz linen from La Tavola and paired that with classic white linen napkins. The table was stunning and we could picture our luvbirds dining by candlelight with their closest friends. Deliciously sweet mini cakes created by Melody at Sweet & Saucy were set on the credenza behind the dinning table. They were such a gorgeous backdrop behind the table. It took all of our collective power not to devour them before we got to shoot them! For the end of our story…we secured a 1965 volvo as the get-away car… . So adorable and the color could not have been more perfect!

Photography: Elizabeth Messina / Event Production & Design: Lisa Vorce / Floral & Event Design: Mindy Rice / Hair & Makeup: Erin Skipley / Wedding Gowns: Claire Pettibone / Headpiece: twigs & honey / Wedding Cakes: Sweet & Saucy Shop / Calligraphy: Lisa Holtzman / Linens: La Tavola / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals- Santa Barbara / Heart Stoppingly Beautiful Model: Ashlyn Pearce – Vision Model Management / Oh-So-Handsome Model: Kyle Mullen – Heffner Management

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 54 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Claire Pettibone, Classic Party Rentals, Elisabeth Messina, Erin Skipley, intimate wedding, La Tavola, Lisa Holtzman, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Mini Cakes, Outdoor, Photo Shoot, Sweet & Saucy Shop, Twigs & Honey, Vintage Details, Wedding Photography
Post categories: California Weddings, Photo Shoot, Wedding Photography

Anniversary Dinner by Lisa Vorce and Aaron Delesie

Abby Larson — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:00:04 +0000

This anniversary party is 10 times more gorgeous than my wedding. But that pretty much goes for everything Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming gets her talented little hands on. Add to that some photography by Aaron Delesie and you basically have the recipe for a perfect event. So although I know you are going to love this little affair, I am warning you…jealousy may occur. From the insanely gorgeous white florals that R. Jack Balthazar crafted to the paper goods by Tiny Pine Press and Yellow Owl Workshop celebrating an around the world theme, every little detail tucked into this party is SO steal worthy. To see even more, click right here.

To see the full gallery of images, click right here!

From Lisa Vorce, of Oh How Charming!…

This was a 30th anniversary party for the parents of one of the bridesmaids of a former client. We had such a blast with her at the wedding, and were delighted to be called to produce the anniversary party for her parents. Tracy and her brother Teddy wanted to throw a “travel themed” soiree for their parents. We set the tone with an airline ticket inspired invitation by Tiny Pine Press where we asked the guests to “escape” for an evening of great food and great friends.

I ordered vintage luggage tags from eBay and used them to create the escort cards, table numbers, and details for our wraps for the evening. The menu was a global 9 course extravaganza created by Tracy, Teddy, and Jerry from The Food Matters. It was one of the most extraordinary menus I’ve seen!

For the decor — we paired La Tavola’s natural linens with some custom skirted linens I had sewn. I love the femininity of the skirted linens. They hang so beautifully. On the tables, we used vintage silver spoon napkin rings, hand painted stand-up menus from Yellow Owl Workshop, and mother of pearl flatware. R. Jack Balthazar did an amazing job of pairing fluffly white peonies with maiden hair fern, mercury glass, and grapewood. Was such a stunning combination. I asked them to do a “statement” piece on the center table of the dinner party, and they did the most amazing display of clear glass, mercury glass, and candlelight. It was so gorgeous! R. Jack also did stunning lounge set-ups for me complete with transfer ware vessels that had a magical glow. Barker Decor finished off the details by providing ambient lighting that mimicked a gorgeous candlelight glow. As guests dined under the stars, Supernova rocked contemporary tunes on their strings. It was a perfect evening!

Event Design: Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming! / Photography: Aaron Delesie / Rentals: Barker Decor / Invitations: Tiny Pine Press / Florals and Design: R. Jack Balthazar /Menus: Yellow Owl Workshop / Linens: La Tavola’s / Catering: The Food Matters

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Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Anniversary, Backyard, Barker Decor, Elegant, La Tavola, Lisa Vorce, Oh How Charming, The Food Matters, Tiny Pine Press, travel, Travel Theme, Yellow Owl Workshop
Post categories: Real Parties

Valentine’s Day Wedding

Abby Larson — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:15:54 +0000

It’s Valentine’s Day! Which to a wedding blogger means that it’s a day of total gorgeousness and unabashed romance. Not necessarily of the pink and red variety. When we laid eyes on this insanely gorgeous wedding, photographed by Elizabeth Messina, designed by Lisa Vorce and with florals by Mindy Rice, well. Let’s just say we begged them to let us feature a little tidbit of the beauty. The full wedding spread will be in the April issue of C Magazine (which is an AWESOME glossy by the way) and I just might be the first person to pick up a copy. I am that in love.

And to add a little bit of icing on the already gorgeous cake, one of our favorite cinematographers, Curtis Heyne of Living Cinema, has sent a vignette of the day our way. And it’s possibly the most beautiful love story you’ve ever seen IN. YOUR. LIFE. Seriously. It’s so lovely, the tears will be unavoidable.

So with this gift of gorgeousness, we wish you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day. Don’t forget to give your sweetie a kiss, give your mom a call, give your pups a pet and tell the friends in your life just how much you love them. Oh and let’s ALL give Elizabeth Messina a big congratulations, as she is celebrating the 1 year anniversary of her beautiful blog, Kiss the Groom.

XOXO

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 52 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Curtis Heyne, Elizabeth Messina, Kiss the Groom, Lisa Vorce, Living Cinema, Oh How Charming
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Abby’s Favorite Weddings of 2009

Abby Larson — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:30:30 +0000

For anyone that knows me and just how much I love the weddings that we get to feature here on SMP, they’ll understand completely when I say that there is no way in the world for me to choose a favorite. So I chose two favorites. First up, the wedding that will always be the most romantic affair I’ve ever laid eyes on. Planned by Lisa Vorce, flowers by Mindy Rice, paper goods by Yellow Owl Workshop and photography by Jose Villa…well, it was kind of a dream come true.

stunning photography by Jose Villa

This wedding was magic. Layers and layers and layers of magic. Lisa Vorce is always one of my favorite designers but for this particular affair, she completely outdid herself. She plans receptions as if they were rooms in her home being decked out for some really intimate, fabulous party. She uses materials that are so readily available, like thick silk ribbon and burlap runners, little brown bags filled with scraps of ribbon for confetti, oriental rugs that she finds at flea markets…and turns them into a space that is as romantic and elegant as it is completely chic. Lisa is basically a wedding God in my book and this particular affair, was high on my list of favorites for the year. Here is the rest of the perfect affair.

* * *

Second, is the lovely, lovely, lovely wedding that we debuted on Martha Stewart then featured the entire gorgeous spread (including a cute DIY) right here. This Jackson Hole wedding was perfection. The blend of bridesmaids dresses, all in varying shades of blue, the pretty pretty flowers against the rustic feel of the burlap runners. The chic simplicity, the organic elegance. Every little bit of this wedding is so “me.” You can see the rest of the wedding right here.

all of the gorgeous photos were snapped by Carrie Patterson

Other weddings that I fell hard for this year…The ridiculously gorgeous, modern and completely intimate affair that Jennifer and Christian held for $10,000. Mary-Kevin and Patrick’s super cute DIY affair. Sarah of Spruce’s lovely backyard wedding. And of course, Jessica Claire’s RIDICULOUSLY awesome wedding, filled to the brim with vintage gorgeousness.

That really doesn’t scratch the surface. As I was going through our archived real weddings, especially in the “casual elegance” and “traditional elegance” categories, I couldn’t believe how much goodness was tucked inside the pages. I love each and every wedding that I put up so choosing favorites was kind of like choosing my favorite kid. Whether it was that INSANE Monique Lhuillier dress in a wedding that you guys went nuts for, the absolutely perfect Jose Villa Santa Barbara wedding, Desiree and Ann’s gorgeous backyard affair, the incredible seaside wedding by Gia Canali and Yifat Oren or the millions of other perfect details, perfect photo shoots, perfect brides and grooms…I loved them all. Each and every one.

So, a HUGE thank you to all of the vendors, all of the artists and all of the readers who continually help to make SMP a place of total inspiration, of total magic. May 2010 be just as fun, just as inspiring, just as gorgeous. And may all your wedding dreams come true…

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Carrie Patterson, Favorites, Favorites 2009, Jose Villa, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Yellow Owl Workshop
Post categories: All Real Weddings, Real Weddings, Wedding Style