Which is exactly what we are going to do with this PERFECT Lisa Vorce wedding.

photos by Megan Sorel

The easiest way to translate this wedding is through your color palette. Using layered shades of pink and orange, then letting natural greenery in your flowers bring in a bright green hue, your palette will have depth, dimension and total style. Bring in elements of rich wood to round out the palette and give it a gorgeous foundation and sophistication.

Next, really look at the details tucked inside this wedding. There are elements of whimsy, elements of charm, elements of total sophistication. Pick 2 or 3 and run with them…

1. Give candy take-aways instead of favors. Oversided lolipops (like these from Hammonds) and other whimsical goodies will leave your guests smiling. Use old wooden boxes (found at flea markets) to hold the candy which will give them even more charm.

2. Instead of giving pashminas or wraps to your female guests, just stack a few blankets near an outdoor seating area. Wrapped in pretty ribbon, this is SUCH a charming touch.

3. Bring a bit of organic style to your look with natural linen napkins, using a simple fold. Tie them with a pretty, rich pink ribbon and tuck a stem inside. Super easy, super beautiful.

4. Parasols can be found at pretty great prices through companies like Luna Bazaar. In a variety of colors, you’ll add even more texture to your wedding decor. Open a few of them up for even more of a pop!

5. Wrap mason jars with satin pink and orange ribbon then fill with one type of stem in a monochromatic hue. Carnations packed in tightly would even look pretty adorable and would save you a pretty penny.

6. Throw pillows. Toss some brightly colorful pillows on seating areas that you either made, or bought inexpensively through places like Target and IKEA. This will add instant warmth and style.

7. Ribbon, ribbon everywhere. You can buy ribbon in bulk from places like JKM Ribbon and Trim and it will go a long way in giving your look some serious pretty.

8. Cut your flower budget by alternating with wire baskets filled with tangerines or oranges. SO striking and guests won’t think that you were skimping.

9. Wire chandeliers are a genius touch and will add so much personality to your look. The great part is that they use candles so there isn’t really a lighting charge. Most of the wire chandeliers on the market are pricey but you could also get the same effect by using wire baskets that you hang from a chain and fill with candles like this one that I spotted over on Sunset. Birdcages spray-painted black would also be gorgeous.

10. Have your maids pick out their own little black dress to compliment your chic but effortless style. They’ll love your for it and will save THEM a lot of mula.

I know that we sometimes feature weddings that are outside of many of your budgets. BUT, it’s really the ideas that are tucked inside of these weddings that makes them special. Ideas and inspirations that can be translated into any affair, on any budget. With just a little bit of editing and creativity (and getting your hands a little dirty) a budget wedding can be JUST as beautiful as a luxury affair.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Barker Decor, La Tavola, Lisa Vorce, Megan Sorel, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Look for Less

More from Lisa…

For the dinner reception – the guests dined under the most extraordinary canopy of oak trees. Perfect rigging points for our bevy of chandeliers! In addition to the chandeliers – Mindy Rice provided stunning rustic wood shelves full of pillar candles for Barker Decor to hang in the distant trees. This created the most fantastic glow as the sun went down. We brought in comfy white couches, ottomans, and chairs and created a fabulous lounge in an abandoned barn structure close to the dinner reception. Additional lounge vignettes were positioned under oak trees along the perimeter of the dinner reception to provide cozy escapes.

For the table top, Mindy created fantastic displays using florals such as hot pink and orange garden roses, hydrangea, pincushion flowers, tulips, and cumquats. They were so stunning against Barker Decor’s wood tables. La Tavola provided the beautiful linen runners and chiavari chair cushions. So simple – but so perfect! We had an absolute blast with these clients. We miss y’all!!!

It seriously doesn’t get any better than this. Coming up next…a few more details and some ideas as to how you can translate this affair into your own perfect wedding!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Barker Decor, La Tavola, Lisa Vorce, Megan Sorel, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming
Post categories: Casual Elegance

From Lisa…

For our color story — we went with a combination of creams and taupes, and added accents of charcoal and black. For florals – the amazingly talented Mindy Rice paired gorgeous peonies, garden roses, maidenhair fern and mood moss, in aged charcoal clay vessels with more structured boxwood spheres.

For added drama and height, I had Barker Decor build Magnolia trees that “grew” out of the center of our square tables. I also had Barker create a custom taupe dance floor that matched our taupe glass chargers from Tabella. The dance floor served as the most beautiful “centerpiece” to our dinner reception.

La Tavola provided the perfect taupe linen underlays and chair cushions. The taupe cushions paired with our black chiavari chairs were beyond striking! Mindy and I had cream overlay linens sewn…and for a little twist, we added a fringe border to the overlays. It was the perfect little unexpected detail! For a little more quirkiness — we hung hand carved wood birds in the Magnolia trees. They were absolutely beautiful.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aaron Delesie, La Tavola, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming, Tabella
Post categories: The Blog

The bride wore an incredible Vera Wang…she’s a fashion designer and clearly has perfect taste! The entire wedding was a study in all things beautiful, but I have to say that it’s the flowers that really got to me with this one. They are so vibrant, so lush. They have that fresh from the garden feel while still being a bit lavish and clearly very special.

Oh and don’t you loooove the seating chart? It’s completely adorable!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alexandra Kolendrianos, Allyson Magda, Mindy Rice, Vintage
Post categories: Vintage Chic

all images by Jose Villa

The postcards were used in lieu of a guest book and the socks, well, they are just really great socks. Thanks to all for letting us share in this fabulous celebration!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amy Nichols, Jose Villa, Mindy Rice
Post categories: Traditional Elegance, Wedding Planners & Designers

Amy is going to stop by a little later this evening to answer your questions, so feel free to ask away. I am pretty sure that you are dying to know about those adorable bridesmaids dresses and the PERFECT wedding gown that Marissa is rocking.

We feature a ton of beautiful weddings here at SMP, but there is just something about this one. The warm, inviting style paired with the completely chic fashions. The ridiculously perfect details that aren’t overdone in any way. The everything really!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amy Nichols, Jose Villa, Marissa and Pat, Mindy Rice
Post categories: Traditional Elegance, Wedding Planners & Designers

The oh-so-talented Amy Nichols put such TLC into this affair, it’s hard to believe that it isn’t right off the pages of a glossy. Together with vendors like Mindy Rice and Jose Villa, the entire wedding, which took place at The Hahn Estate in Cali, was breathtaking! And it doesn’t hurt that the bride and groom are completely lovely!

I don’t have a ton of details from this affair (mainly because the second it fell into my inbox, I put it up on SMP…I get a little spaztastic that way), but I am hoping that Amy will stop by to answer questions and such. Plus, we have so much more eye candy on the way!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amy Nichols, Jose Villa, Marissa and Pat, Mindy Rice
Post categories: Traditional Elegance, Wedding Planners & Designers

But, it’s back to business (ha) here on SMP. And by business, I mean the most beautiful wedding you’ve ever seen shot by the brilliant Aaron Delesie. I honestly don’t have enough kind words to say for this husband and wife team so I’ll just say this…f you are lucky enough to hire them for your affair, you will be happier than you ever thought possible.

It’s no surprise that the genius behind this affair is the amazingly talented Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming! I have a major girl crush on Lisa and would honestly kill to be as chic and stylish as she is. Plus she just might be the sweetest girl you’ve ever met.

From Lisa…

Alexandra and Chris were such a treat to work with! When I first met with Alexandra, I asked her to send me some tear sheets of things she loved. She is a brilliant artist, and is extremely visual, so the collection of images she sent back told a perfect story. It was clear she gravitated towards things that were crisp, clean and simple (think Nantucket!) — yet she also loved things with an old world European vibe (think South of France!). So — we decided we were going to do both! We threw caution to the wind on this one and designed a Nantucket inspired ceremony, and a French inspired dinner reception. Two very different looks, but both wonderful expressions of Alexandra and Chris.

The incredible flowers were done by another of our favorite Little Black Book members, Mindy Rice. And let me say this about Mindy. Any time Lisa sends me a wedding and my heart does a pitter patter for the flowers, Mindy is usually the talent behind them. Her work is absolutely, positively flawless and her eye for all things chic is completely unmatched.

More from Lisa at Oh How Charming!

After the ceremony and cocktail reception, guests made their way to the Montage grand ballroom, which we transformed into an amazing European garden dining experience. We carpeted the ballroom in sisal and brought in hedging to mask three sides of the ballroom to create a lush garden setting. We used our gorgeous dark wood French farm tables and laid them out in a horseshoe formation with our dark wood dance floor in the center. Barker Decor built a beautiful dark rustic wood structure over the horseshoe formation of the tables which allowed us to hang a very simple drape above the guests. Tabella provided wonderfully simple buttercup yellow runners for the tables, and Mindy Rice did the most beautiful floral arrangements (they reminded me of Dutch still life paintings!). We accented the ballroom with a series of spiral topiaries and single ball topiaries to add to the garden look. The lighting was soft and romantic. It was such an amazing site to step back and look at the reception. It was stunning!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Barker Decor, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Montage, Oh How Charming, Tabella
Post categories: Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography

From Lisa…Barker Decor created two long feasting tables in an “L” formation for an informal “European” dining experience. Ryan worked with the San Ysidro Ranch to create an awesome tasting menu that we served on mixed patterns of Vietri china rented from Tabella. For our flooring, we used antique rugs from our friend Shaw at Summerland Oriental Rugs (who has the most fabulous collection of antique rugs) with newer rugs. We layered them in a perfectly haphazard fashion that was just gorgeous.

Along the tables, we had custom brushed velvet runners made. The chairs were accented with a “mud” colored cushion from La Tavola that were the perfect complement to our velvet runners. On each chair, we hand tied a collection of muted ribbons to create a “carwash” effect. The ribbons flowing in the wind were so beautiful on all the chairs lined up at the dinner table. In the tree adjacent to the dinner tables, we hung industrial chandeliers with the old “Thomas Edison” bulbs. We wanted to hang one of the chandeliers above the cake table as well – but there were no rigging points — so Barker Decor magically built a custom tree for us so we would have a rigging point! It was amazing. No one knew it wasn’t real!

Other beautiful details on the tables were the hand painted menus from Yellow Owl. Christine and Evan at Yellow Owl are another pair of creative geniuses. It was my first time working with them – and it was such a treat! Christine has an amazing ability to listen to a client and literally do an artistic translation of them. With just a few adjectives and a short conversation – she can create individual pieces of art for clients. It’s amazing to witness.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming, Yellow Owl Workshop
Post categories: Casual Elegance

From Lisa…Within the first 5 minutes of my initial phone call with Alissa, I knew it was going to be an amazing partnership. Alissa and her fiance Ryan wanted a wedding that was romantic, bohemian and quirky. Just our style! They wanted to incorporate elements of art, fantasy, whimsy, and fashion. They own a fabulous online boutique, Horne, and have extraordinary taste and an unrivaled database of artisans. It was a delight to collaborate with such creative forces as Alissa and Ryan and be able to incorporate special elements from their boutique into their wedding design.

The wedding was held at the San Ysidro Ranch, which is one of the most insanely beautiful venues to work at. The team there (headed by Willow, Tess, and Scott) are the most hospitable and professional in the business. If we could do an event there once a month, we’d be in heaven!

More from Lisa…The ceremony was in San Ysidro’s stunning garden. As an ode to Alissa’s mother (who wanted at Catholic ceremony) – we brought in gorgeous dark wood church pews from a local prop house. And…an added bonus of the pews was that they were able to showcase the insane programs Yellow Owl created (we tucked them in the back of the pews where you would normally put the mistlettes for church!).  It was adorable. We accented the pews with cozy pillows and throws — and used a beautiful antique rug as the aisle runner.

My favorite partner in crime, Mindy Rice, fabricated a simple “blooming” structure for Alissa and Ryan to stand under.  As a fun detail – Mindy stamped basic brown kraft paper bags with a bird woodcut, and used ribbon clippings in place of petals for a “petal toss”. It was so beautiful to see the confetti of ribbon in the air as Alissa and Ryan recessed down the aisle.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 1 comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming, Yellow Owl
Post categories: Casual Elegance

Granted, other bloggers discovered this wedding the minute that it went up, but we have the distinct pleasure of having Lisa here to share all of the beautiful details with us. Plus, we have TONS of photos by the fabulous Jose Villa that no one has seen yet! YAY!

photography by Jose Villa

The wedding was held at San Ysidro Ranch and was a lesson in all things gorgeous. Whenever Lisa gets her hands on a wedding where the adorable bride and groom let their personalities shine, she creates absolute magic.

all photos by the fabulous Jose Villa

We have so much more to come from this wedding…tons of incredible, charming details. With a bride and groom that are absolutely lovely. Does it really get any better?

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Jose Villa, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming
Post categories: Casual Elegance

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: La Fleur Weddings and Events, michele andersen, Mindy Rice
Post categories: Featured

But most of all, thank you so very much to Max and Day for sharing your beautiful wedding with us!

Oh but it isn’t over yet!!! Remember when I told you that Curtis Heyne of Living Cinema captured the whole event on tape? WELL…stay tuned to see a clip that will make you swoon!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Kay Unger, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Wedding Photography

If the wedding weren’t perfect enough…throw in the perfect dog and your done! So much more to come!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Wedding Photography

We have so many posts going up today…from the insanely gorgeous flowers crafted by Mindy Rice, to the perfectly exquisite details that Lisa so lovingly infused into every corner. I promise you, this is one of those weddings that you’ll want to store in your “favorites” file forever and ever.

Plus, I get a little thrill knowing that so many of our Little Black Book vendors participated in this wedding…just speaks to the quality of artists held in this great resource!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 1 comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Wedding Photography