Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From Ellie Grover Photography…Mike and Abby were married on a sunny wine country day in Sonoma, California.  The wedding ceremony was held on the lawn of the Cornerstone Gardens — complete with a quintessential vineyard view.  Bold and playful colors popped, as bright pinks and oranges, blues, greens and yellows caught the summer sun; and vibrant chandeliers lit the barn into the night.

Wedding Photography: Ellie Grover Photography / Event Planning: A Savvy Events / Wedding Videography: STVS Wedding Videos / Venue: Cornerstone Gardens /  Hair + Make-Up: It’s a Date at The Powder Room / DJ: DJ Josh Dukes / Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen / Floral Design: Nancy Liu Chin / Cake Designer: Inticing Creations / Photobooth: Magnolia Photobooth / Ceremony Musicians: Laurent Fourgo Ensemble / Wedding Stationery: Card Girl Custom Invitations / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Specialty Rentals: Blue Print Studios

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Savvy Event, Blue Print Studios, California Weddings, Card Girl Custom Invitations, Classic Party Rentals, Cornerstone Gardens, DJ Josh Dukes, Ellie Grover Photography, Inticing Creations, It's a Date at the Powder Room, La Tavola Fine Linens, Laurent Fourgo Band, Magnolia PhotoBooth, Nancy Liu Chin, Sonoma, STVS Wedding Videos
Post categories: California Weddings, Whimsical

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

Five years after being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, I received the thrilling news I was officially in remission. Immediately I called my husband and asked if he would marry me again on our 2nd wedding anniversary.  I felt like it would be the perfect way for us to celebrate the abundance of life and more specifically, our undying love for one another. Of course he said, “YES!” so we quickly set out to coordinate a vow renewal in three weeks!

Lance and I met and married in San Francisco, but currently reside in Minneapolis where I have established PAPERISTA, a luxury stationery boutique and design company.  We knew we had to go back to the Bay Area for this momentous occasion and so for our venue, we chose the oldest winery in California, Buena Vista Winery, located in Sonoma.  We often frequented Buena Vista during date trips to wine country and knew how lovely the outdoor ambience would be.  The setting was so lush and green, a perfect fit for a stately English garden feel that I wanted to create with decor and paper designs.  The affair was set with lunch and a private wine tasting in their terraced garden area.  Wine Country Party & Events provided all the elegant furniture and decor pieces.  My bouquet, boutonnieres and the arrangement in the wine tasting lounge area were created by the lovely Nancy Liu Chin and accented the bright pinks and orange flowers on the table with hues of blue, white, and purple.  I designed all the paper pieces and through my company, PAPERISTA, had everything Letterpress printed in blue with the faintest pink details.  Minneapolis-based calligrapher, Rosann Konieczny, did the place cards and our marriage confirmation contract in her wonderfully written style.  The styling and remaining floral we did with the help of our Minneapolis-based photographer and close friend, Erica Loeks (Erica Loeks Photography).  The absolutely gorgeous white tiered cake was provided by Fleur de Lisa Cakes and was the most sumptuous carrot cake any of us had ever tasted.

I kept my look simple, wearing a Jean Paul Gaultier sun dress and my wedding shoes from Nina Ricci. My pink Mui Mui ballet flats were a must in the heat of the afternoon.  Also in attendance were our moms and two of our closest friends who were also our best man and a bridesmaid from our wedding. The vow ceremony was beautifully said and heartfelt from my mother who held our original wedding program and an engagement photo in hand. Personal touches were immenient and created a simple event to celebrate our love and commitment for years to come.

The following is the last bit of text from our marriage confirmation contract which we signed and now have framed in our home:

On our wedding day we pledged love and commitment. since that day we have created a home and a life together with promise for the future. Today we joyfully reaffirm our vows and once again promise to love, honor and respect one another through good times and in bad as long as we both shall live.

Wedding Photography: Erica Loeks Photography / Wedding Invitations: PAPERISTA / Floral Design: Nancy Liu Chin / Wedding Cake: Fleur de Lisa Wedding Cakes / Event Rentals: Wine Country Party & Events / Event Design: PAPERISTA / Wedding Location & Catering: Buena Vista Winery / Calligraphy: Rosann Konieczny / Bride’s Shoes: Nina Ricci + Miu Miu / Wedding Dress: Jean Paul Gaultier (Originally Worn During Couple’s Honeymoon) / Limo Service: Prestige Limo / Additional Florals: Spruce

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 28 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bay Area, Buena Vista Winery, CA, Erica Loeks Photography, Fleur De Lisa Cakes, John Paul Gaultier, Miu Miu, Nancy Liu Chin, Navy Blue, Nina Ricci, Paperista, Pink, Prestige Limo, Purple, Rosann Konieczny, Sonoma, Vow Renewal, White, Wine Country Party & Events, Wine Country Weddings
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance

click here for more dreamy images!

And because we know you need more modern ballroom goodness, here’s a little work of art from LoveSpun Films:

From Alison of Alison Ulshoffer Events…Ben and Amy’s wedding was an incredible collaboration between the couple, their florist and our staff. They had a very defined vision of what they wanted their wedding day to entail. Every detail was thought out, created and incredibly fun to bring to life. Most importantly it was a beautiful representation of the couple. Their wedding was subtle yet absolutely stunning! Ben and Amy choose some of Northern California’s best vendors. Each was handpicked by the bride and groom and every one of them helped ensure this beautiful day was a success.

After looking at several incredible properties in both San Francisco and the Napa Valley, Ben and Amy chose an incredible venue, The San Francisco Ferry Building. The Ferry Building which sits on the bay with stunning views, was the perfect spot to create Ben and Amy’s “eco-chic” affair.

Amy walked down the aisle where Ben was waiting under a custom made chuppah. Amy and the room were literally glowing! After the ceremony their guest were ushered into the Port Room to enjoy specialty cocktails, hand passed fares and enjoy the unsurpassed views of the San Francisco skyline and Bay Bridge. Their friends and family were catering to by the amazing fares of Paula Le Duc fine catering. We cannot say enough about Molly and her staff.

Nancy Liu Chin, as always, created phenomenal table scapes that were a perfect match to the white on white parson tables and leather banquets. The room was absolutely breathtaking! Hundreds of glass vases, beakers and candle lite centerpieces filled the room. Nancy and her team are a dream to work with! We decided to split the massive room with both large banquet tables and a handful of round banquettes we picked from Hartmann Studios. We designed a schematic so all of their guests we close to Ben and Amy and felt a part of the celebration. The result was stunning! Miosa Couture and R. Douglas Custom Clothier designed Ben and Amy’s wedding day attire, and as you can see their designs and craftsmanship are flawless.

Scott Andrew, who could not have been more of a perfect fit, once again captured the day beautifully! He is such an amazing talent. Ben and Amy also chose LoveSpun Films to work with. Jessica is truly amazing to work along side and her work speaks for itself.

Photography: Scott Andrew / Cinematography: LoveSpun Films / Floral Design: Nancy Liu Chin / Event Design & Planning: Alison Ulshoffer | Events, Nancy Liu Chin / Ceremony Location: San Francisco Ferry Building / Reception Location: San Francisco Ferry Building / Invitations: Inspired Goodness / Dress: Miosa Couture / Catering: Paula Le Duc Fine Catering / Cake: Perfect Endings, Napa / Linens: La Tavola / Tuxedo: R. Douglas Custom Clothier / Make up: Amy Branum, Glow Esthetic / Hair: Violet Vargas, Jane Salon / DJ: Will Becker

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 39 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alison Ulshoffer, Glow Esthetic, inspired Goodness, Jane Salon, La Tavola, Love Spun Films, Miosa Couture, Nancy Liu Chin, Paula Le Duc Fine Catering, Perfect Endings, R. Douglas Custom Clothier, San Francisco, San Francisco Ferry Building, Scott Andrew, Will Becker
Post categories: California Weddings, San Francisco Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

click here to see the full wedding gallery!

Helen + Hwa were married in a destination wedding (the couple lives in New York) at the glamorous San Francisco landmark, The Bently Reserve. Before the party got started we drove around the City on a cable car, and took some portraits at the beautiful Lyon Street stairs. This fabulous black-tie affair was created by Jubilee Lau Events, with floral and event design by Nancy Liu Chin. Soft pinks glowed against the marble of the Bently, in contrast to the elegant use of black & white.

Wedding Planner: Jubilee Lau Events / Floral Designer: Nancy Liu Chin / Lighting: Enhanced Lighting / Location: The Bently Reserve / Hair/Makeup: Armando – Get Your Do Up! / Cinema: Kevin Chin / Cake Designer: Sonya Hong of Butterfly Cakes / Catering: Componere Fine Catering / Officiant: Diana Morgan / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Transportation: Cable Car Charter / Band: Pop Rocks

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bently Reserve, Butterfly Cakes, Classic Party Rentals, Componere Fine Cateirng, Get Your Do Up, Jubilee Lau Events, Kevin Chin, Lisa Lefkowitz, Luxe, Nancy Liu Chin, Pink and Black, San Francisco
Post categories: California Weddings, San Francisco Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

{click here for more of this glamorous wedding}

At the time, the couple was planning a 500 guest wedding in Taiwan, but they had always wanted an intimate western style wedding with their close friends and family.  Carmel is a memorable place for the couple because it is where James popped the question, so ultimately it was also where they wanted their union to take place.  Given that they only had 4 months to plan this wedding before their bigger wedding in Asia, 8events came into the picture and dedicated itself to personalize a four day celebration where the couple could show their guests a great time.  It was a full wedding weekend, with guests checking into the estate on Friday afternoon with a barbecue welcome dinner at the Blacksmith Barn waiting for them upon arrival.  The main affair officially started the next day with a full day wedding celebration at the Stonepine Estate’s Chateau Noel, an all day Monterey and Carmel tour the following day, and a finishing departure brunch on the final day.  Guests were pampered and treated to the best of the best that Carmel had to offer, and it was a dream weekend for many of them.

On the wedding day, the weather was cooperating with the very in love couple, and the sun peeked through the clouds just right before the ceremony.  Joyce looked stunning in her designer gown with her hair and makeup done by Taylor Pham of Thi Cosmetics.  The formal ceremony took place in the garden, surrounded by tall cypress trees and a charming swimming pool.  The bride arrived elegantly in a vintage Rolls Royce, escorted by her proud father.  Floral designer Nancy Liu Chin created soft, romantic and picture-perfect floral arrangements that gave just the perfect touch to the space.  The guests enjoyed a cocktail hour at the Chateau Noel before heading into the greenhouse for the reception.  The greenhouse was decked out with billowing white chiffon drapery and hanging crystal chandeliers to create a luxurious but cozy setting, with a colorful mixture of lighting fixtures reflecting all over the estate.  From afar, it looked like a glowing light house.  The fabulous lighting and drapery were provided by Enhanced Lighting.  The white dance floor had style with white lounge furniture and gold accents supplied by Hartmann Studios.  Guests enjoyed music by the four piece jazz band, Magnolia Jazz Band, while dining on a five course meal paired with extraordinary selected champagne and wines.  The dinner could not have ended more perfectly with a beautiful and delicious cake created by Just Cake.  There were so many things I loved about this wedding, such as the couple’s personal vows, gorgeous stationery handwritten by Papineau Calligraphy, a displayed grand piano played by the couple’s best friend, open mic for guests to make speeches, and much more.  All of the beauty was captured by Anna Kuperberg Photography and Studio MSV.

Photography: Anna Kuperberg Photography / Event Design: 8events Event Planning & Design / Makeup and Hair: Taylor Pham of Thi Cosmetics / Florals: Nancy Liu Chin / Video: Studio MSV / Lighting: Enhanced Lighting / Rentals: Hartmann Studios / Music: Magnolia Jazz Band / Stationery: Papineau Calligraphy / Cake: Just Cake / Venue: Stonepine

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 8event Planning and Design, Anna Kuperberg Photography, California Weddings, Carmel Valley, Enhanced Lighting, Hartmann Studios, Just Cake, Magnolia Jazz Band, Nancy Liu Chin, Papineau Calligraphy, Stonepine, Studio MSV, Thi Cosmetics
Post categories: All Real Weddings, California Weddings, Carmel Weddings, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

{click here to see the full wedding}

My husband, Laurent, and I met in the 8th grade and were friends for a long time before we started dating in high school. We stayed together in college thanks to frequent flyer miles and daily skype conversations – he was in England and I was in New York. So, even though we’re only 23 and 22, our wedding felt like a long time coming and was all the more joyous for it.

The look we tried to achieve was fresh, romantic, and fun. Our color scheme was butter yellow, white, and pops of hot pink.  Preparing for the big day was so much fun and I loved spending way too much time in beautiful stores like Paper Source and talking with my floral designer (Nancy Liu Chin) for inspiration. I had a lot of time on my hands that summer and was able to get really involved and ended up putting together a few fun things myself. I made guest books that doubled as table numbers for every table by wrapping various pretty papers around plain notebooks and numbering them. Guests were able to write letters, poems, half-hourly updates, and draw pictures at the comfort of their table. My brother in-law flew in from Germany with our favorite German gummy bears (made with fruit juice) and we packaged them up in small monogrammed sticker-ed envelopes as guest favors. I made the flag garlands for the altar out of thick wrapping paper (the same as the guest book covers), made and hand wrote all the seating cards with appropriate meal choice stamp-stickers, and put together a large map and asked all the guests to place a pin with their name on it from where they traveled from. I kept a large moleskin notebook with all of my wedding projects and ideas in it which was very useful for keeping myself organized.

The reception was wonderful with delicious food, sweet toast speeches, and some good dancing at the end. But by far the best part of my wedding day was the ceremony itself. Laurent and the officiant (who was also my uncle) and my bridesmaids walked to the ceremony site with “Green Eyes” by Coldplay playing and I walked in with my father to “Do you remember?” by Jack Johnson. Both songs have been important to us as a couple and when the first chords of “Do you remember?” started playing, Laurent told me he got choked up before he even saw me! I was so excited and smiling so hard that my face started shaking (no one else noticed but I was sure my smile was about to jump off my face!) Our parents did readings and Laurent and I said traditional vows in addition to writing our own vows. I told myself I wouldn’t cry but when he read his vows to me and started getting teary-eyed and then I heard both our moms crying…I lost it. I never thought I was a corny person, but now I know I am because the only way to describe it is absolute joy. After we were pronounced man and wife we danced down the aisle to “Are you gonna be my girl?” by Jet and our wedding party, parents, grandparents, and great grandparents followed.

Venue: Cavallo Point (ceremony & reception) / Planner: Amy Nichols / Floral Designer: Nancy Liu Chin / Photographer: Matthew May Photography / Cake: Studio Cake / Makeup: Wow Pretty

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, Cavallo Point, Matthew May, Nancy Liu Chin, Sausalito, Studio Cake
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, San Francisco Weddings, The Blog

La-la-la-LOVE!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: e-session, engagement session, Kevin Chin, Nancy Liu Chin
Post categories: Wedding Photography

Oh my gosh! How precious are these?

So when you have killer invitations … killer shoes … a killer dress … hmmmm …you’ve got one fabulous wedding …

Chenin at Boutwell Studio shared Lindsey and Chris’ wedding with us, not just because she knew you’d love it … but also because Lindsey is a faithful SMP bride and she found Boutwell Studio in our Little Black Book.

If the invitations weren’t pretty enough, what about the vintage mailbox?

Enough oohing and ahhhing from me.

their story, from the beautiful bride, Lindsey …

Five years after meeting at a Halloween party, Chris asked me to marry him. He proposed in the snow at Lake Tahoe. As soon as I got home, I started planning the wedding. I knew I really wanted to have fireworks, but also wanted to get married in San Francisco, which was a little bit of a problem, until I noticed that the 4th of July, 2009 fell on a Saturday. Problem solved. Once I figured that out, everything else fell into place. We chose the Fairmont atop Nob Hill because it has a large reception area at the tip top of the hotel that has panoramic views and we would be able to see all the fireworks. It’s a beautiful and historic hotel. It lent itself to the overall look and feel of the wedding, which was “vintage charm”.

The wedding was beautiful. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and the fog didn’t even roll in (a rare thing in SF!). The entire day from start to finish could not have gone better.

I really had the best vendors in the world. The “A Team” I would call them. I actually found our photographer, Chenin, in the Little Black Book of vendors on SMP. Prior to the big day, we had a little bump in the road and had to switch photographers from our first one we hired. It all worked out and I could not be happier with our photos. Chenin was amazing to work with. She is so easy going and made it fun, and our pictures are killer. Our planner, Alice, helped to make the whole process-from start to finish-the best experience. I don’t know what I would have done without her. She made sure everything was perfect, and it was. Nancy did a wonderful job on the flowers, they were stunning. She went above and beyond to make my floral dreams come true, including surprising me with a second bouquet option of Peonies, which were out of season, but she tracked some down for me.

My favorite little items from the Big Day were:

Sign in Mail Box: I bought a vintage mail box (from a lady off ebay) and used vintage looking SF postcards for the sign in book. I had our guests “send” us their best wishes and memories.

Table Numbers: I saw some table numbers from a wedding (on SMP of course!) where they had scalloped cut table numbers and thought they were the cutest thing. I searched high and low for scalloped cards or a large enough punch cutter to do the job, but couldn’t find one. So I ended up buying a heavy duty die cutter and die cut each one. I know it may seem a bit silly for just some little scalloped table numbers, but I just fell in love with the idea. In the end I’m sure not many people really noticed them, but I just thought they looked so charming.

Invites and paper items: The vintage handkerchief invitations were a big hit (from Bird and Banner). Each guest received a different and unique vintage handkerchief. The other paper items (programs, menus, and candy bags) were designed by a friend of mine, who works in graphic design, and me. I loved the stripes.

Photo Booth with vintage props: are you sensing a theme here? but it was really cute. I bought a bunch of these vintage hats off ebay and a few little moustaches on sticks from etsy and everyone got really into it. The photos turned out really cute.

I thought I would be nervous or anxious, or even sad that it was going to be over, but I had a calm sense the whole day. I was just really really happy. It was a perfect day.

Wow! She’s right … just plain perfect!

Our special thanks to Alice at Grisez & Co. Event Design for helping us with all the details of the day.

The absolutely-unbelievably-drop-dead-gorgeous floral designs were by Little Black Book member, Nancy Liu Chin. Seriously, the flowers were amazing!!

And Chenin ~ your photos captured Lindsey & Chris’ wedding with a true sense of grace, charm and artistry. (ps… LOVE your website. super-cool graphics!)

Boutwell Studio has a GREAT BLOG … full of fantastic wedding eye candy!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 37 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bird and Banner, Boutwell Studio, Fairmont Hotel, Grisez & Co. Event Design, Kate Spade, Nancy Liu Chin, Nob Hill, Photo Booth, San Francisco, Vera Wang
Post categories: Centerpieces, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Vintage Chic, Wedding Decor, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Photography