click here to see the full wedding gallery!

When David proposed to me on the beach at my parent’s summer cottage on Lake Michigan, we immediately started to think about where we wanted to get married. David grew up in the Village in NYC, but has been a California boy since he was 19. I grew up in a myriad of places: Chicago, Boston, Boca Raton, etc…but have been happily settled in Los Angeles for 7 years now. So it made sense to us to celebrate the place where we found each other, instead of where we grew up and Santa Barbara was at the top of the list, both of us being big wine-lovers.

We knew we wanted to plan something outside and laid back, yet with a classy feel to it. We had spent many weekends up in Santa Barbara while dating and while we knew the area quite well, when we started looking, we found it challenging to find the perfect venue. Enter – Roblar Winery. The moment we walked in the door of this fairly new Santa Ynez winery, we were instantly in love! It was absolutely what we had been looking for. Once we had picked our venue, the rest was a fun creative process that we gladly shared with Rebecca from Duet Weddings. She helped us shape our wedding into an entire weekend of events that just felt like us. We started by designing our own monogram that we used throughout the year. Not only did it go on all of our wedding stationery and thank you cards, but we also ended up putting it on the market bags we filled for the hotel rooms and on the cover of the cd we made for everyone.

Both David and I love to cook, and at home, we are dedicated to eating locally from the various LA Farmer’s Markets. This ended up being a kind of theme for our wedding, as we decided to get herbs from our friend’s Agoura Hills Farm (Maggie’s Farm) and dry them and make our own herb mix to give out as favors. This went in our welcome market bag along with the cd, vineyard maps, itinerary, welcome letter, snacks, etc….

We didn’t have a very large budget for flowers and I knew I wanted to use flowers that grew locally and that were in season. So, when I met with Juniper to discuss ideas, we talked about using white and blue hygrangeas, along with simple white and green flowers, so as not to compete with the natural beauty of the vineyard. We also discussed adding the herb theme in that area as well, so we placed pots of herbs in various places. An idea I got from looking at countless Style Me Pretty posts over the last year!

We lucked out when my husband’s sister, Susan, offered to bake our wedding cake for us as a gift. She is an accomplished baker and had made a few others in the past and we gladly accepted. It turned out AMAZING. Definitely one of the tastier wedding cakes we had ever eaten and it was so special that she was able to make it for us.

Our wedding day was unbelievable…and very peaceful. At the winery, we served a red sangria for pre-ceremony enjoyment. There was also an atrium room adjacent to the cocktails where guests could, keeping with the herb theme, fill paper cones with rose petals, sage leaves,rosemary, lavendar, etc…to throw at us at the end of the ceremony. We also had a table of vintage handkerchiefs laid out for “tears of joy” and Rebecca had brought lots of snuggly brown pashminas to display by the fireplace for later in the evening. Rebecca and her team placed hand-painted wooden signs all over the property, so as guests walked in to the wedding, they passed sentiments such as “To have and to hold” and “From this day forward” which added to the romantic rustic feel we were going for.

Chef Ryan at Roblar catered our wedding and we decided to do a huge cheese and charcuterie station for the cocktail hour (he smokes his own prosciutto!) and then a heavy pass of hors d’oeuvres and a few stations. The whole menu was dedicated to fresh local ingredients and the kind of food preparation that David and I enjoy at home. Simple, fresh and seasonal. Local rock shrimp, baby lamp chops, grilled filet mignon, risotto, etc.. And after discovering that Roblar had an outdoor pizza oven, we decided to have 3 kinds of gourmet pizzas passed as well. We kept with our rustic theme using Roblar’s wooden tables and forgoing the white linens (another great money saver!).

Instead of a guest book, Rebecca had guests write little notes to us and drop them in large vases throughout the night. At the end of the wedding, we were presented with a beautifully wrapped box of notes to open on our 1-year anniversary!

One very special picture that I will cherish forever is the one of my mom putting my veil on me. She wore that veil 42 years ago at her own wedding and time had failed to alter it in the slightest way. Jenny Lee ( who made my dress) was nice enough to alter it to fit me, and also told me that the lace in her veil was from the exact same place as the lace in my wedding dress!

All in all, it was a beautiful night at a beautiful venue with our favorite people in the world. There was a lot of laughter, music, delicious food and wine…and I married my best friend. What more could you possibly ask for? I can truly say that if I could go back and do it again, I wouldn’t change one thing. And I’m a perfectionist, so that’s pretty huge! It’s an amazing feeling….

Coordinator: Rebecca Stone, Duet Weddings / Flowers: Juniper Designs / Photography: Amy Nave at MaryJane Photography / Venue & Catering: Roblar Winery / Band – The Martini Kings / Calligraphy: Little Miss Press / Strings – Diane Siminski’s Festival Strings / Hair & Make-up – TEAM Hair & Makeup / Dress: Jenny Lee / Tux: Hugo Boss / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Groomsmen’s Tux: Calvin Klein / Cake – Susan Sheinkopf

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, Calvin Klein, Duet Weddings, Herbs, Hugo Boss, Jenny Lee, Juniper Designs, Monogram, Priscilla of Boston, Roblar Winery, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, TEAM Hair & Maike-up, Wedding Brand
Post categories: California Weddings, Santa Barbara Weddings, Traditional Elegance

It’s time for our weekly round-up that our fabulous editor, Carrie, put together especially for SMP readers. This week, we are tackling bridesmaids gifts…gits that are as thoughtful as they are chic, as wearable as they are completely and totally special.

* * *

During our Bridesmaids Jewelry Round Up, one of our savvy readers was looking for a bridesmaid’s gift that was a little more personal than the often-anticipated earrings or necklace. I loved this question, particularly because it speaks so appropriately to the role we ask these ladies to play. Naturally, determined to find some good gift inspiration, I began to scour the web for all things, personal, practical and bit playful in the world of bridal party gifts. This first set is all about a modern take on the classic monogram, which is a brilliant choice if you want your memento to be perfectly customized to each of your maids.

Row One: A touch of gold and delicate silver, gives Anne Kiel’s gilded necklace just the right amount of modern sophistication. It is no secret that the silhouette has made a huge comeback, and the pendent by Le Papier Studio is a clever way to capture your maids personal style. The monogrammed envelope necklace, found on Etsy, makes it easy to tell your ladies how much they mean to you-not to mention the tiny letter inside the envelope is absolutely adorable.

Row Two: By far the sweetest little mirror I have ever seen, Anthropologie’s pocket mirror is a lovely memento to any bridesmaids gift. This delicate coffee mug will remind your ladies of your special day, everyday, and can double as a place-setting for the bridesmaids luncheon. Fill it with coffee beans and tuck a starbucks giftcard inside for even more charm. West Elm’s keepsake boxes are ideal for displaying a classic monogram and a great item to store jewels from the wedding day.

Row Three: I love monogrammed vintage hankies and it just so happens they are the best thing to have in hand while the bride and groom say their “I do’s.” I am so excited to have found this Etsy shop full of colorful renditions customized on vintage china. This gift is truly one-of-a-kind. Everyone can use a nice set of personalized stationery. Hello! Lucky has several delightful themes in a spectrum of bold colors.

So much more coming up in just a bit!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Anthropologie, Bridesmaid Gifts, Bridesmaids Gifts, Etsy, Hello! Lucky, jewelery, Monogram, vintage hankies, West Elm
Post categories: Bridal Party, Jewelry, Round-Ups, Wedding Favors & Gifts

Well, we think that Whitney and Marshall’s Lexington, Kentucky wedding will absolutely inspire you!

What perfect wedding colors for a springtime wedding! The flowers were designed by The Best of Flowers in Lexington. Just beautiful.

The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Headley-Whitney Museum.

Cute, cute, cute Kate Spade shoes! Whitney’s gorgeous gown was designed by Renella Defina and the bridesmaid’s dresses are by Jenny Yoo.

Wedding Cake by Martine’s

Whitney and Marshall’s monogram was woven throughout the wedding, a fantastic way to personalize a wedding. LOVE the monogram on their cake!

Very unusual and beautifully crafted place cards …

A little bit from the beautiful bride, Whitney … “Marshall and I actually met at the hospital the day after I was born. Our fathers went to High School together in Lexington and our families have remained close ever since. Our families have gotten together for years at Lake Cumberland but Marshall and I hadn’t seen each other for several years since he was living in Jamaica and I was in Italy. When we did, I fell in love at first sight (reluctantly). It took several years to get on the same continent but it is a blessing to have “in-laws” that we love like family!”

Congratulations Whitney & Marshall!

A huge thank-you to Melanie Mauer Photography for sharing this beautiful Kentucky day!

Oh! And just a quick reminder … you can find many of your favorite shots from Style Me Pretty weddings in our Photo Galleries. For example, if you love Melanie’s photograph of the bouquets (above), you can go into the SMP Photo Gallery by category (flowers) and then click to the last page (photos are loaded from oldest to newest) and you’ll find the beautiful shot of Whitney’s bouquets … along with the color palette! Pretty cool!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Headley Whitney Museum, Kate Spade, Kentucky, Lexington, Martine's, Melanie Mauer, Monogram, Place Cards, The Best Of Flowers
Post categories: Bouquets, Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Wedding Photography

Their wedding was sent to us by the extraordinarily creative Little Black Book team (Angie, Kristin and Sarah) at AK Event Design in Dallas. The gorgeous images are from fellow Little Black Book member Andrea Polito.

from Kristin …

Taylor and Mark didn’t want a traditional wedding full of whites and pale pinks. They wanted to have a party full of color!! Taylor, a modern bride, wanted to use bold jewel tones of navy, plum and raspberry throughout her wedding, which was held at the Dallas Museum of Art in downtown Dallas, Texas.

The wedding ceremony was held outside in the Sculpture Garden, also at the Dallas Museum of Art. During the cocktail hour, the groom’s brother serenaded guests with his incredible piano playing while they enjoyed cocktails around the reflecting pond.

The invitations were bold and beautiful on navy blue iridescent paper, while the other invitation pieces had the plum and raspberry colors incorporated. (Invitations designed by Simply Personal Designs)

The colors of this wedding really made the photos pop!

The cakes were another reflection of their personalities. The bride wanted to play with geometric shapes and designs in her wedding colors, while the groom wanted a cake that reflected where he was from, Seattle. We thought this wedding was a perfect event for the DMA because so many things were like artwork. 

The design process of this wedding was exciting and different and we enjoyed every aspect!

AK Event Design … Kristin, Angie & Sarah … y’all did a fantastic job on Taylor and Mark’s wedding!

And Andrea … wow! The photos are sensational!

Thanks to ALL of you for bringing our readers such dazzling inspiration today.

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AK Event Design, Andrea Polito, Confetti, Dallas, Dallas Art Museum, Geometric, Hydrangeas, Mermaid, Monogram, Navy, Plum, Rasberry, Simply Personal Designs, Special Lighting, Texas Weddings
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers

These invitations have such a similar look and feel to the originals, and best all the same great pricing as their luxe album (prices start at $583 for a set of 100 invitations and printed envelopes, $413 for 100 response sets). They are all printed on 100% cotton paper and are also available in letterpress if you’re a paper junkie like me.

Stay tuned to see the next absolutely gorgeous Wiley Valentine design!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Letterpress, Luxe, Monogram, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wiley Valentine
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

I think my personal favorite is the orange one (top, left). But honestly, I love them all! Be sure and take a look at The Frosted Pumpkin Gourmet. {I hear they specialize in gingerbread creations … mmmm}

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Atlanta, Georgia, Monogram, The Frosted Pumpkin Gourmet
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Style

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bridesmaids Gifts, La Plates, Monogram
Post categories: Featured