see more of this pretty wedding in the gallery!

After dating for 10 years and living in 3 major US cities together (Boston, NYC and San Francisco), Matt proposed on February 22, 2009 at my favorite hotel in New Zealand, Kauri Cliffs, located on the North Island near the Bay of Islands. My mother is from New Zealand (now living in Maryland where I grew up) and every year, we tried to plan a trip but life got in the way…finally, we were off in Feb ’09 to meet the extended family and much to my surprise, get engaged. Thoughts of the ultimate wedding began just a few days after the incredible proposal and little did we know, we would be embarking on 6 months of planning every type of wedding possible. We thought about getting married in Point Reyes, CA (just a short drive from our home in San Francisco), Palm Springs or Mexico for a destination soiree and Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD, for a formal east coast wedding, where I’m from. After researching multiple venues and planning very different events in my head, we had landed on Napa. As you can see from the photos, we didn’t quite make it there. While the Napa venue was incredible and we had come as far as having the contract ready to be signed, something didn’t feel right. Matt, a San Francisco native, and me, an east coast transplant who has fallen in love with San Francisco, realized that the city was our home and the home to tremendous friends and family. In an effort to make the event as fun and convenient for everyone as possible, we decided to get married at the church in our neighborhood and have the reception at our favorite restaurant, Foreign Cinema. While there were multiple iterations of weddings planned in my head, a San Francisco wedding was what felt right and just came together seamlessly.

Foreign Cinema located in San Francisco’s Mission district, is our absolute favorite restaurant. When the waitstaff know you by name, you know it’s home…therefore we decided to host our closest friends and family at a place we think of us as home. Planning the wedding along with my amazing event and floral designers, Priska and Lisa from Atelier Joya, was one of the most incredible yet stressful experiences of my life. To have all of the thought, inspiration and excitement built up for months happen over just a few hours was intimidating yet ended up being the most exciting project I had ever embarked on. On the day of the wedding, I was surrounded by my closest girlfriends with croissants, laughter and an excitement that I cannot even describe. The day of kicked off with pictures at a park in our neighborhood, Lafayette Park, with the wedding party and that’s when the relaxation and enjoyment of the moment set in. This was the only time I would be surrounded by everyone I love and at this moment, realized I was marrying by best friend and everyone we knew and loved was joining us for an incredible party! It was time to relax and enjoy every second of the evening…. The ceremony was beautiful and we had 2 readings that we cherished: Litany by Billy Collins and a verse from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres.

Photography: Nathanael Keck / Flowers: Atelier Joya / Event Design: Atelier Joya / Event Planning: Jennifer Janzen of MAP Events / Ceremony Location: Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin / Reception Location: Foreign Cinema Restaurant / Invitations: Mika78 / Shoes: Miu Miu / Spoons: Hammerman / Photobooth: Glass Coat Photography / Mustaches and Props: Paper and Parcel / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Bridal Jewelry: J.Crew

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Post tags: Atelier Joya, California Weddings, Forein Cinema Restaurant, Hammerman, J. Crew, MAP Events, Mika78, Miu Miu, Nathanael Keck Photography, Paper and Parcel, San Francisco
Post categories: California Weddings, San Francisco Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

click here for full wedding gallery!

Sarah & Jeremy were married August 7, 2010 in Newport, Rhode Island.  Sarah and Jeremy live in NYC and hired Raina Dawn Events to coordinate their destination wedding weekend.  The weekend kicked off with a rehearsal dinner at The White Horse Tavern on Friday night after guests checked into the Hotel Viking.  Newport was buzzing that weekend with the Jazz Festival in town and everyone was lucky because come Saturday there was the most perfect summer Newport weather!

Working closely with the bride and groom, the wedding day started early with all 75 guests arriving at 11:00 a.m. ceremony at The Kay Chapel.  Sayles Livingston, a fellow Little Black Book Member, designed all of the beautiful florals on the wedding day, while Carrie Rodman Wedding Photography captured every detail and moment with such beauty.  Sarah and I worked closely on both the wedding day events, as well as all of the fabulous details that were incorporated into the weekend.

Starting with a welcome galvanized tin of goodies representing Newport and Michigan, the bride’s hometown, the basket was full with everything from vintage postcards with history of all of the wedding weekend venues, custom designed maps of Newport, and much more.  They included muslin bags that Sarah hand stamped and filled with vintage style candies (i.e. “Eat at your own Risk” FireBalls, Lemondrops,  Fun Dip), along with vintage looking candles and matches.  In addition to the fabulous gift baskets in every guests hotel room, Sarah also had a number of other DIY projects she took on, like her vintage picture framed Menu Card Board and Escort card board.  Sarah also collects vintage McCoy vases so each table at the reception at OceanCliff had a large white McCoy vase along with a miniature animal McCoy vase that held the table number letterpress cards. Sarah also loves paper, so when it came to her invitations she had Mika 78 produce gorgeous letterpress invitations with a “Welcome to Newport- Wedding Weekend Events Guide” and Tara Jones provided the beautiful calligraphy.

Once the guests witnessed Sarah and Jeremy tie the knot at The Kay Chapel, the bride and groom got in The Hotel Viking London Cab and all the guests headed to OceanCliff for their afternoon wedding reception on the breathtaking coast of Newport.  As the sailboats went by, guests had cocktails out on the lawn and then were ushered into the ballroom for the wedding reception.  For something sweet the Sarah and Jeremy didn’t want the traditional wedding cake, so they opted for the fabulous whoopee pies from Cranberry Island Kitchen.  They were flown into Newport from Maine and Sarah had another DIY project, she color coated with adorable little flags  so guests knew which flavor of whoopee pie they were choosing on the whoopee pie buffet.

The wedding day festivities didn’t end there.  All the guests were then whisked away for a sunset sail on the Schooner Aurora.  Sarah and Jeremy met on Match.com, so when Sarah told me she saw this cute card by Snow & Graham that said “Perfect Match- Caution This Is One HOT ITEM”  I went right to work to have custom made napkins done up with this logo for their sail.

It was such a joy working with Sarah and Jeremy on their destination Newport, RI wedding.  Thanks to all the vendors, Sarah’s DIY vintage projects, and months of planning and coordinating with Sarah and Jeremy, the outcome was a beautiful, fun, intimate, personalized wedding with their own style and flair that truly shined through!

Event Planning and Design: Raina Dawn Events / Photography: Carrie Rodman / Flowers: Sayles Livingston Flowers / Ceremony Location: Kay Chapel Newport, Rhode Island / Reception Location: OceanCliff Newport, Rhode Island / Reception Sunset Sail: Schooner Aurora Newport, Rhode Island / Invitations: Mika 78 / Invitation Calligraphy: Tara Jones Calligraphy / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Dress: Carolina Herrera, Kleinfeld Bridal / Entertainment: Melissa Woolverton and Rick Costa Band / Hair: LaLaLuxe Salon / Makeup: Makeup by Maggie Leonard / Whoopie Pies: Cranberry Island Kitchen / Perfect Match Napkins: Snow and Graham; ForYourParty.com / Accommodations: Hotel Viking Newport, Rhode Island

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Post tags: Carolina Herrara, Carrie Rodman, Cranberry Island Kitchen, For Your Party, Hotel Viking, Jimmy Choo, Kay Chapel, Klienfeld, LaLaLuxe Salon, Maggie Leonard, Melissa Woolverton, Mika78, Newport, OceanCliff, Raina Dawn Events, Rhode Island, Rick Costa Band, Sayles Livingston Flowers, Schooner Aurora, Tara Jones Calligraphy
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance

First up is Julie and Ryan’s San Antonio Riverwalk wedding from this past October. The best wedding month in Texas!

On the Alesi’s blog, Stella says she has a theory. Her theory is that part of being a great wedding photographer is having the ability to attract great clients. And that, my friends is what we are hoping to do with Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book Blog! Developing relationships between the LBB vendors and the SMP readers. That’s what it’s all about!

She goes on to tell us a little about Julie and Ryan ~ how fun loving and creative they are, how lovingly they treated each other that day.

They were married at the Southwest School of Art and Craft alongside the riverwalk.

Congratulations Julie & Ryan on a beautiful day!

More wedding from Stella and Leon Alesi coming up in a bit!

We JUST learned that one of our fantastic LBB members, Mika78 did the stationery for Julie and Ryan! We knew we loved it … now we know why!!

Just checked Mika78′s website … looks like this invitation is named The Quote. “We had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches, we found that we were one tree and not two.” ~ from de Bernieres’ novel, Corelli’s Mandolin

The entire Mika78 ready made letterpress design catalog is on their website. LOVE. You should totally take a look {twenty-two ink colors} LOVE!

Florist: RTC Floristry, Bakery: Seventh Heaven Cakes, Caterer: Fresh Horizons, Ceremony Music: Marshall Ford Swing Band, Reception Music: T Bird and the Breaks, Videographer: Michelle Millette, Photography: Stella & Leon Alesi, Venue: Southwest School of Art and Craft, Stationery: Mika78

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Post tags: Fresh Horizons, Mika78, Riverwalk, Rolls Royce, RTC Floristry, San Antonio, Seventh Heaven Cakes, Southwest School of Art and Craft, Stella Alesi, Texas Weddings
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Photography

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I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to choose a winner (I think I read each entry at least 3 times!).  After a lot of thought, I want to congratulate Rosie!  I’m really looking forward to working with you and your fiancée on your wedding invitations!  For all those who participated in the giveaway, we’re offering a 15% discount on your entire order for all orders placed before June 15th, 2009.  I also want to thank everyone for participating; I really wish I could give the 78% to all of you!

Here is the winning comment…

So when I saw this incredible promotion I called my fiance over so we could decide which invitation we liked best. We were both in love right away and we oohed and awed over every one, until we got to the Quote. It was like it was meant to be and we just looked at each other, both exited and shocked. You see, we will be doing something very special on our wedding day, we will be planting a tree, in an extremely sentimental place, to symbolize our union, our strength, and the continued growth of our love. This has become a family tradition that started with my Grandparents on family land in Tennessee and I can’t wait for my fiance and I to plant our tree next to their 58 year old willow! We love the Quote and think it perfectly fits what the tree planting symbolizes for the both of us.

Our colors are pewter, cream, and shades of blush. Thank you so much for the awesome opportunity Mika78, I am constantly having to turn down things that I am in love with because of our college-student-budget,(2 grad students = a CZ engagement ring lol) and I can’t even imagine having invitations that are this incredible and sentimental- I am just astounded by the detail!

* * *

And from the SMP team, a HUGE thank you to Mimi Woo of Mika78 for guest blogging here today. I think that I speak for all of us when I say that we are leaving hugely inspired. Spend some time checking out Mika78 and her blog, Seven Eight, when you have some time. It’s more than worth the trip!

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Post tags: Mika78, Mika78 Discount, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Contests

* * *

For my last post, I thought it might be fun to share some of the inspiration boards behind Mika78’s most requested designs. This first board inspired the In Love design.  I wanted to capture the feeling of vintage Parisian glamour, but done with a modern twist.

I also wanted to create mood with just typography and nothing more… I love how the calligraphic flourishes just dance all over the page.  Calligraphy… gotta love it!

This second board helped to inspire the design The Quote.  I fell in love with the touching quote from Corelli’s Mandolin; his words on love are so truthful, inspiring, and beautiful… I just had to design a wedding invitation around it!

And here is the invitation that the board inspired…

This last board inspired the Romance design.  Soft, pretty, and simple.  Enough said!

And the invitation that the board inspired…

I’ve had such a great time guest blogging today and hope some of my tips from my earlier post were helpful.  Abby, thanks so much for having me on SMP today (I seriously think I’ll still be reading your blog when I’m old and gray!).  And to all you lovely brides and grooms out there, have a blast planning your wedding!!!

* * *

Stay tuned to find out the winner of the Mika78 Discount Giveaway!

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Post tags: Inspiration Boards, Letterpress, Mika78, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Inspiration Boards, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

* * *

Dilemma #3: I want ceremony programs, but I can’t afford them.
Solution: Order letterpressed labels instead of the entire program cover.

Letterpress escort sized cards with all your ceremony information instead of printing larger size program covers.  I’m working with a client now who’s doing this to save on costs.  We’re purchasing a variety of different printed paper to use as the cover and sewing the labels on to the front.  We can even letterpress the labels onto sticky paper, so all you have to do is stick them on.  This is a great way to incorporate letterpress, at a fraction of the cost.  It also has a great, handmade quality it!

Dilemma #4: I want to order escort cards, but I can’t fit it into my budget.
Solution: Moo cards!

I’m a big fan of Moo cards…the possibility of these are endless.  Moo is a printing company where you can upload photos or designs directly from your computer.  You can get really creative with these since you can have a different design on each card in the 100-pack box.  I love the Mini Cards since they’re such a fun, cute size… Especially for escort cards!  And at $19.99 for 100, you can’t go wrong!

One of my favorite uses of Moo Cards from Kelly & Terrell’s wedding shot by White Box Weddings. These were for Save the Dates, but they can work just as well for escort cards, don’t you think?

I hope these tips are helpful when trying to budget your stationery items!  I always tell my friends and clients: choose 2 or 3 things that you can’t live without for your wedding and go for it!  The important part is to balance your budget and take from the areas that you can do without.

For me, photography and music were my top 2 items I did not want to budge on, so I made it a point to get a less expensive dress and have the wedding on Sunday to make up for it.  It’s the same thing with stationery, you just have to find creative ways to make it all work!  At the end of the day, what’s most important is celebrating your new life together with family and friends.. but saving a little money along the way doesn’t hurt either!!!

* * *

More to come from Mimi Woo of Mika78 and Seven Eight!

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Post tags: Escort Cards, Letterpress, Mika78, Mimi Woo, Moo Cards, Programs, Wedidng Invitations
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

* * *

Solution #2: Order RSVP postcards or have guests RSVP on your wedding website

A lot of couples are choosing to forgo the RSVP cards in order to save on costs AND save on paper (love that!).  RSVP postcards are a great option because you don’t have to purchase printed envelopes or even envelopes at all!  Also, postcard stamps are 28 cents vs 44 cents to send an envelope (it’s a small savings, but everything adds up and it’s great to save where you can!).

One of my clients wanted their guests to RSVP on their wedding website, but wanted to include a little something for their guests as a reminder.  We decided to make RSVP bookmarks and guests really loved them.  Not only was it functional, but it was something that set their invites apart from the rest (and saved money – woo-hoo!).

Dilemma #2: I’d love 2 colors, but I can only afford 1 color.
Solution: Get a “wash”!

Use one color on your invites and another color on your reply cards.  With Mika78, you’ll pay a small “wash” fee ($50).  With letterpress, inks are laid on paper one at a time; so when you order a 2-color invitation, it has to go through the press 2 times (that’s why 2 color is more expensive, it’s more time and labor).  With Mika78, if you order invites in 1 color and rsvp cards in a 2nd color, it’s still considered a 1-color design since each piece is only going through the press once.  Another solution to this is to get your invites printed in 2 colors and your RSVP cards in 1 color.

Solution #2: Order colored envelopes

Order your invitation set in 1 color, but use colored envelopes to add the second color!

I have plenty more tips to share with you, so check back soon!

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Post tags: Letterpress, Mika78, Mimi Woo, Postcard
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

* * *

Hi everyone!  I’m so excited to be guest blogging for Style Me Pretty today!  I’ve been a longtime reader of Abby’s wonderful blog ever since I started planning for my wedding back in March of 2007.  I still visit Abby’s blog every single day, even though my wedding planning days are long over.  I think that just goes to show what a great and inspiring place Style Me Pretty really is.  (Yay for Abby and the gang at SMP!)

The one constant I hear over and over again from my clients is “I love letterpress, but it doesn’t fit into my budget”.  In this crazy economy, I totally understand the need to cut back where you can.  A lot of couples think they have to go with offset or flat printing because they just can’t afford letterpress and there’s no other option.  Well, I’m here to tell you there are options out there, you just have to get a little creative with how you mix and match your pieces.

I totally understand the want, even the NEED, for letterpress.  It’s such a gorgeous printing method; you can’t help but want to run your fingers across every single nook and cranny of each hand-pressed letter.  Simply put, there’s something about the feeling of a letterpressed piece in your hands that everyone just loves.  Today, I’m going to share with you some of my cost-saving tips:

Dilemma #1: I LOVE letterpress, but I can’t afford it!
Solution #1: Order your Invitation & RSVP card in letterpress with unprinted envelopes and purchase an address stamp/embosser.

The one thing many people don’t know about letterpress is that most of the cost goes into the labor, not the materials.  Letterpress is an artisanal printing method – everything is meticulously printed by hand and it takes skill to produce a great letterpress piece.

Because most of the cost goes into the labor, I suggest letterpressing your invite and RSVP card and ordering unprinted envelopes.  This will save you a good chunk of change, folks.  For return addresses, purchase an address stamp like the ones below.  These are from Lettergirl’s Etsy shop and are $34-$39 each. The great part about these is that you can use them over and over again – they’re especially helpful when it comes time to write your thank you cards!  Bonus: you get the look of calligraphy without the hefty price tag!

You can also use address embossers like these from Horchow (range from $24-$29). (link: )  If you go with this style, I recommend ordering your RSVP envelopes printed, but your Invitation envelopes unprinted.  The address embosser is great, but it might be too light for addressing your RSVP envelopes and we wouldn’t want those getting lost in the mail!

More to come from Mimi Woo of Mika78 so stay tuned!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: budget, Letterpress, Mika78, Mimi Woo
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery