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From Aharon Hill Photography…When stylist, Lauren Lee-Crane, was pondering our wedding shoot theme, she didn’t want to do the usual rustic charm wedding.  She wanted to create something natural and inspiring, but stay away from trends.  Instead, she drew her inspiration from one of her all time favorite movies: Out of Africa.

What I love most about how Lauren pulled this together, is how the images do not look at all like carbon copies of the movie, but how Lauren’s choice of colors and styling elements still evoke a strong sense of the movie.  Also staying true to the film, Lauren opted not to portray Africa using cliché safari imagery and animal prints. The result is stunning, and like no other wedding I’ve photographed.

Photography: Aharon Hill Photography / Stylist: Lauren Lee-Crane / Location: The Wren’s Nest / Flowers: Gardenia Floral Design / Paper Goods: Calliespondence / Calligraphy: Carol Gray Calligraphy / Wedding Cake: Miss Mamie’s Cupcakes, Cakes and Such / Models: Jackelyn Lynam + Miguel Myhrer

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Post tags: Aharon Hill Photography, Cakes and Such, Calliespondence, Carol Gray Calligraphy, Gardenia Floral Design, Georgia, Inspiration Shoot, Lauren Lee-Crane, Miss Mamie’s Cupcakes, Natural Elements, Rustic Chic
Post categories: Georgia Weddings

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From Ben Yew Photography… Astin & Ben Piper chose this venue because of the natural surrounds, rustic feel and great management. They were inspired by the theme romance and nature. The wedding reception and ceremony were held at a rustic old cider factory which was recently re-branded as “The Real River Company,” formally known as the “Old Goldfields Orchard.” Family members traveled from South Africa to attend the wedding. Ben, the Groom, composed and performed a song for the Bride during the reception. The ceremony was held in the orchard which was beautiful and most of the decorations were prepared by the venue. They will be honeymooning in Smith Beach Resorts down south. Both of them are teachers.

Wedding Photography: Ben Yew Photography / Wedding Reception & Ceremony Location: The Real River Company / Floral Design: Meg Rayner of The Real River Company / Wedding Cake: Little Gem Cakes / Rings: Nina’s Jewelry Bunbury / Wedding Dress: Ares and Graces / Bridesmaid Dresses: Studio Collections / Hair: Cody of Brooke Fiore

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Apple Orchard, Apples, Area and Graces, Australia, Ben Yew Photography, Blue, Brooke Fiore, Bunting, Candy Bar, Donnybrook, Lanterns, Little Gem Cakes, Mason Jars, Natural Elements, Nature Themed, Nina's Jewelry Bunbury, Outdoor Ceremony, Paper Lanterns, Picnic Tables, Pink, Rustic, Studio Collections, The Real Rive Company, Western Australia, White
Post categories: Australia Weddings, Casual Elegance

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When Ginny Estes and Randy Cadawaller got engaged they knew they wanted to get married in the Texas Hill Country and began looking at venues. When all was said and done, there was no place they loved as much as Ginny’s father and stepmother’s home at Settlers Crossing in Fredericksburg. They turned to Elizabeth Harris to bring their vision to life. The decision was made to have the ceremony at the charming and historic St. Barnabas Episcopal Church with the reception being a tented affair on the lawn of the main house at Settlers Crossing. The focus was on combining elegance with rustic elements in keeping with the setting’s refined country charm.  Ginny’s step-mother, Melissa, an interior designer, began collecting antique baskets and large wooden pieces that would later be incorporated as serving platters on the food stations set on farm tables throughout the lawn, so that they would have a homespun “bountiful feast” look to them. San Antonio designer, Besty Mortimer of Bye George, worked with Ginny on custom Save the Dates and invitations. The stage was set for a beautiful Texas Hill Country event.

Each member of the family had something to contribute to the the food stations.  The bride’s father, David, had one request, “He wanted beef tenderloin and he wanted it rare!”  Ginny, a notorious finicky eater, had her own “Ginny’s Comfort Food” station that was a nod to her mother Jamie’s Mississippi roots and served chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, crab cakes and other down home southern fare.  Delicious Details catering rounded out the food with a made-to-order pasta bar and a variety of salads.

Kristin Radicke Light of Urth Studio Photography captured the evening while Austin’s Ilios Lighting turned a beautiful setting into a truly stunning one.  After guests parked in a large field near the entrance they walked across a limestone bridge washed with golden lights and were met with trays of champagne and the music of a brass band.  The huge tent backed up to a creek bed that was lined with festoon lights while each of the tree groves along the creek was uplit with warm amber tones.  The limestone and stucco walls of the house were also washed in a golden hue. David and Melissa commented: “The only thing we really had  trouble envisioning was the lighting. We just trusted Elizabeth on that one. It wasn’t dark when we left for the church so driving up to the house after the ceremony we were awestruck. It looked like a fairytale land. We kept saying we couldn’t believe this was our house!”

Inside the tent, strings of festoons and warm colors washed the entire interior.  Heavy gold table cloths with a paisley inlay were topped with chocolate brown taffeta and jute overlays.  Sprout adorned half of the tables with giant glass cylinders filled with manzanita branches and fall leaves chock full of fall colored hydrangeas. Tealights hung from the branches of the arrangements and added to the warm glow of the tent. The other half of the tables had large pillar candle clusters wrapped with grapevine and bittersweet and more hydrangeas.  “Michelle of Sprout did a fantastic job taking the idea that we wanted tall arrangements with a bit of a wow factor but not in a ‘country club’ way.  We kept saying that we wanted them to look “messy” rather than stylized and she delivered just that,” said Harris.  Large fire bowls surrounded by wooden rocking chairs situated next to the Cuban Cigar Bar provided another vignette for the guests to relax and enjoy.  Situated near the oversized barn wood bar, a coffee and hot chocolate  station was stocked with various liqueurs in antique crystal decanters.  This added touch proved to be very popular with guests looking to take the chill off the fall evening.

“One of my favorite moments was at the end of the evening, after everyone had departed. The bride’s dog, who had been roaming the reception wearing a lace collar made by Ginny’s grandmother, put her front two paws up on the cake table and snagged one of the remaining cupcakes.  She was part of the celebration and wanted to have her cake too”.

At the end of the evening the bride and groom drove off in a vintage pickup truck amid a show of sparklers and after the last bus pulled away, the entire family went and sat in the tent, feet propped up amid all the beautiful lights, candles and flowers.  “We just didn’t want it to end.  Truly, it was magical. It was everything we dreamed it would be and so much more”.

Wedding Photography: Kristin Radicke Light of Urth Studio Photography / Flowers: Sprout / Event Design: Elizabeth Harris Event Design / Wedding Ceremony Location: St. Barnabas Episcopal Church / Wedding Reception Location: Settlers Crossing / Wedding Invitations: Betsy Mortimer of Bye George / Caterer: Delicious Details / Lighting: Ilios Lighting / Tent & Event Rentals: Illusions Rentals & Decor / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Bride’s Cowboy Boots: Custom

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Post tags: Backyard Wedding, Betsy Mortimer, Bye George, Delicious Details, Elizabeth Harris Event Design, Fredericksburg, Ilios LIghting, Kristin Radicke, Natural Elements, Olive Green, Orange, Rustic Chic, Settlers Crossing, Sprout, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Tented Reception, Texas Hill Country, Texas Weddings, TX, Urth Studio Photography, White
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Texas Weddings

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From the Bride… It all started with the venue. I’m from the Bay Area and Josh owns a wine shop/wine bar in Columbus, OH (where we currently reside) so it was only fitting for us to find a fabulous winery to set our wedding stage. We just fell in love with Cline Cellars for its gorgeous grounds, ease for our guests (no hills to climb, port-o-potties needed, or gravel roads for heels to get stuck in!) and fabulous reception space! We’d spent a lot of our engagement trip in Spain in barrel rooms and wine caves and the smell of Cline Cellars’ Barrel Room brought me right back to our trip. We loved the warehouse feel and knew we’d be able to make it glow on our wedding day.

I knew I didn’t want to go overboard on a “wine theme” wedding but did want to stay true to the nature of the space. As in all Jewish weddings, the chuppah (wedding canopy) was very important to me and I wanted it, and the rest of our décor, to feel really natural, textural and elegant. Milita, at Grant Avenue Florist in Novato, was amazing and she truly brought my vision to life! She went above and beyond with all the little details (mushrooms at the base of the branches, moss and twine on the candles, etc.) and was a joy to work with. I wanted to keep the centerpieces feeling eclectically elegant so did some tables with candles in large pillars on a slab of rustic wood, others with low green and white floral arrangements, and others still with tall Manzanita branches with hanging votives. All that, topped with natural wood chairs and champagne linens, votives up the barrels, uplights and amber strung bulbs (from ATL Events) and plenty of wine made for a warm evening for our closest friends and family.

I had the venue and a vision, now I just needed a dress! I shopped in California, Chicago and New York; must have tried on over 100 dresses. Then finally one day I popped into a new local boutique in my neighborhood (Big Rock Little Rooster) and fell in love with this Vera Wang. It came with a sash that I didn’t dig, but opted to get a Vera belt to go with it to add a bit of a pop and texture on what was such a simple gown. I loved the oversized buttons, the detail on the back, the simple lines and small train. It was easy, it was comfortable and Josh agreed, it was perfect!  (Budget Bride trick of the trade: little secret, it was actually a Vera Wang bridesmaid’s dress in ivory so it was a steal! Shhh no one needs to know!?)

It’s traditional for Jewish weddings to begin with a Ketubah signing – the Jewish marriage contract. We did ours separately from the wedding ceremony to have some quiet time with just our immediate families. The ceremony was lovely but what was particularly special for me was the actual Ketubah. My younger sister spent time in Israel and in her Chicago apartment working tirelessly on this unbelievable masterpiece in our honor. It’s gorgeous and incredibly special as it outlines the life Josh and I wish to live, surrounded by her stunningly detailed work of art.  It’s Jewish tradition to sip wine during the ceremony. (No complaints from us!) We decided to do the two cups of wine – the first to share among our families and the second just for us. We wanted to ensure that as many elements in the ceremony were meaningful to us as possible and therefore we used one Kiddush cup that Josh’s parents used at their wedding and has since been used by others in his family to pass around. Then for the cup Josh and I shared as we consecrated our union, was a special gift from my parents.  Also during the ceremony we are blessed by our parents and used the talis (prayer shawl) that my late grandmother gave to my father on the day of my birth.

My goal was for our guests to have a blast in the natural beauty that is California Wine Country. I wanted everyone to walk away thinking, not only was that a gorgeous wedding, but it was soooo Josh and Becca! Through the hard work of my incredible vendors and the love and support of my remarkable family and friends, our wedding day was more than I’d even imagined and as Josh and I stood back and watched everyone drinking and dancing and enjoying their time together in our honor, I turned to my new husband and said, bottle this up and remember just how amazing our wedding day was!

Wedding Venue: Cline Cellars / Flowers: Grant Avenue Florist / Wedding Photographer: John Decker of John The Photographer / Caterer: Park Avenue Catering / Lighting: ATL Events / Bridal Gown: Vera Wang via Big Rock Little Rooster / Bridesmaid Dresses: Monique Lhuillier / Wedding Invitations: Ink and Ivory / Wedding Coordinator: Jackie Jones Wilson of Enchanted Weddings / Table Numbers: John Horst, Friend of the Bride & Groom, johnroberthorst@gmail.com / Ketubah: Shira Ballon, Sister of the Bride, shira.ballon@gmail.com / DJ: Jeff Virzi of California Mobile Entertainment / Groom’s Suit: Tom James Custom Suits / Hair: Jenny Rabe, jkenney15@yahoo.com

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Post tags: ATL Events, Big Rock Little Rooster, California Mobile Entertainment, California Weddings, Cline Cellars, Enchanted Weddings, Grant Avenue Florist, Ink and Ivory, Jenny Rabe, John Horst, John The Photographer, Monique Lhuillier, Natural Elements, Park Avenue Caterer, Rustic Details, Shira Ballon, Sonoma, Tom James Custom Suites, Vera Wang, Wine Country Weddings
Post categories: California Weddings, Napa Valley Weddings, Traditional Elegance

I think that the muted colors and the soft sophistication of this board is just gorgeous. It seems like the look has really been edited to include inspirations that are cohesive and simple in their beauty. Love it!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Color Palette Muted, Natural Elements, Soft Sophistication
Post categories: Inspiration Boards