Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Brendan and I have known each other for almost ten years. We were introduced by our best friends from our separate high schools, who are now married. After dating on and off for a while, dating other people, living in different cities.. him in Charlotte, me in New York, we were finally in the right place at the right time. The friends who introduced us threw a barbeque right before the birth of their daughter and we were both in town. We had our first “official” date the next week, where Brendan wooed me with his homemade Chicken Marsala & Arrested Development on DVD. That night, I even brought Brendan, a member of Red Sox Nation, a bottle of “Big Papi” Celebrity Wine. As a die hard Yankee fan, I knew that this was a gesture not to be taken lightly. We were long distance for two years when we took a trip down to Brendan’s family’s beach house in Southport, North Carolina and he surprised me by proposing on a dock in Wilmington. (Yes, it was very Dawson’s Creek).

When we started planning our wedding last August, we knew we wanted it to reflect who we are together and who we are as individuals. We wanted to have a day that was “shabby chic” with a carefree, fun vibe. The venue for us was the most important thing and when Lighthouse Point Park came up on my google search for “Unique Connecticut Beach Wedding”, I immediately fell in love. With a beach for the ceremony, a covered historic building with a (working!) carousel for the reception and an outdoor area for cocktails, I couldn’t have dreamt up a more perfect location. Starting with the invitations and save the dates, we worked with Shadowboxer Ink and Wicked Bride to create the perfect prelude in stationery form.

Brendan, who studied art in college, created all of the signage using one of the fonts from the invitations- from sawing the wood to painting the letters- and the wedding canopy, which was so enormous, I burst out laughing in surprise the first time I saw it. Attempting to do our part for the enviornment and contribute to the style of the venue, I drew everything on chalkboards- the ceremony program, the menu and the table numbers. Each bridesmaid had a different flower that composed their bouquet and all three were in mine, along with the white roses to match Brendan’s boutoniere. I also tied my late grandmother’s wedding ring and family birthstone ring to my bouquet. The flower arrangements were casual and displayed in mason jars of different sizes and wine bottles that we had collected since our engagement. Even the champagne that we drank the night of our engagement was made into a floral arrangement on our table. Our cake topper was a symbol of our “mixed marriage”, as my father refers to it- and a perfect example of how we respect our differences.. just not in October.

Brendan loves to cook, and we both love to eat, so food was very important to us as well. We selected all of the food with the amazing Gina at A Thyme to Cook and could not have been more in heaven. Soft pretzels displayed on hot rocks? Really? We also wanted to give our guests something that they could cherish forever, so we created an e-mail account for our guests to send recipes to and we created a cookbook out of all of the recipes we received, along with some of our families’ favorites. Even our caterer chipped in and added the soup recipe from the first course!

As much fun as planning the reception was, we knew that the most important thing was the ceremony and we added lots of special touches to personalize it. I walked down the aisle to “I Will” by the Beatles- the same song that my mom and dad danced to on their wedding day. Our two ridiculously adorable flower girls were daughters of two couples who are very good friends- one of them being the couple who introduced us. We always say that she is “our age” since we reconnected a few weeks before she was born. We wrote our own vows to each other and had a “sand ceremony” to symbolize the joining of our individual lives.

I’ve never been the kind of girl who has dreamt about my wedding since I was young, but I did start dreaming about it the day I met Brendan. Our day could not have been more special- we were surrounded by wonderful friends, family, food and wine and an enormous amount of love.

Wedding Photography: Beyond the Lens Photography / Floral Design: A Victorian Garden / Event Design + Decor: The Bride / Ceremony + Reception Location: Lighthouse Point Park & Carousel House / Invitations + Dessert Signs: Wicked Bride Stationery / Save the Date Postcards: Shadowboxer Ink / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Wedding Dress: Pronovias / Make-up: Makeup by Marisa / Hair: JoBella Downtown Salon & Spa / Catering: A Thyme to Cook, Inc / DJ: DJ Alias of Scratch Weddings / Guitarist: Scott Samuels / Wedding Cake + Cupcakes: Sugarbelle / Cake Topper: CreativeButterflyXOX / Hotel/Getting Ready: The Study at Yale / Bridesmaid Jewelry: Kendra Scott / Bridesmaid Dresses: Dessy / Groomsmen Suits + Ties: JoS. A. Bank + Michael Kors / Signs: The Groom / Cookbook Favors: Morris Press Cookbooks / Guest Transportation: Premier Limousine

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Post tags: A Thyme to Cook, A Victorian Garden, Beyond the Lens Photography, Connecticut, CreativeButterflyXOX, Dessy, Jimmy Choo, JoBella Downtown Salon & Spa, Jos A Bank, Kendra Scott, Makeup by Marisa, Michael Kors, Morris Press Cookbooks, New Haven, Premier Limousine, Pronovias, Scott Samuels, Scratch Weddings, Shadowboxer Ink, Sugarbelle, The Carousel at Lighthouse Point, The Study at Yale, Wicked Bride Stationery
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From IRIS Photography…Stylish, relaxed European restaurant wedding in gentrified urban setting in New Haven CT.  The restaurant–Union League Cafe is on the site of the home of Roger Sherman, Revolutionary war patriot who entertained George Washington at his house.  The bride and groom were undergrads at Yale in New Haven so it was a homecoming for them…and bride also grew up in New Haven. Union League Cafe is owned by a French chef–great food & presentation, and they have a window-lit room above the restaurant for intimate weddings. We toured Yale’s campus and their college’s quad for photos. The bride and groom are a great couple at grad school in Boston now (he’s at Harvard Law, she’s at MIT for MBA). Their band–The Sidewinders–was a different choice–session musicians without singer playing instrumental music like Stevie Wonder…excellent. It had a homecoming feel with Yale and clubby, intimate restaurant was nice departure from bigger wedding venues.

Venue: Union League Cafe / Wedding Photography: IRIS Photography / Music: The Sidewinders / Flowers: Floral Affair

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Post tags: Connecticut, Floral Affair, IRIS Photography, New Haven, The Sidewinders, Union League Cafe
Post categories: Massachusetts Weddings

Clark totally surprised me on our first date when I opened my door and found him outside, smiling, and holding a beautiful bouquet of pink and purple tulips and a small black box.  I was totally flattered by the amazing flowers.  We had chatted on the phone on the days leading up to our date, and I had told Clark that I loved office supplies, which I chalk up to being an elementary school teacher.  I knew that this date was different and I knew that Clark really “got me” when I opened the box he brought for me and found a Staples “Easy Button!” We ended up talking the whole night at an Italian restaurant, and when they were getting ready to close, we took our date to an all-night diner where we shared dessert.  We had an instant connection and quickly realized that we were meant to be together.

Clark has the ability to make me smile like no one else can, and I am the happiest I have ever been in my life.  There are some ways that we are completely different; I have a type-A personality, and Clark is more laid back and able to calm me down.  Clark will also take time to think through his decisions, and I am much more spontaneous… which is why Clark’s proposal almost didn’t work!

In late June of 2009, Clark had purchased a beautiful diamond ring and decided to propose on a summer evening on the beach near our apartment.  The only problem is that when Clark decided it was finally time, it rained for an entire week!  When it finally stopped raining, Clark took me to the beach and brought a nice picnic.  We were enjoying ourselves, but many of my elementary students were there with their families and we kept getting interrupted.  We finally finished dinner and headed home.  Once we got home and got settled, Clark got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.

I knew that I wanted to incorporated pink and purple into our wedding, inspired by those beautiful tulips from our first date.  We decided that we wanted to have a wedding that was traditional, classic, romantic, and elegant but full of fun touches that it made it our own.

Photographers: Robert & Kathleen Photographers / Hair: Catie Bane from Dana Bartone & Company / Make-up: Amy Fiordelisi from Dana Bartone & Company / Flowers: Elisabeth Zemetis from Blush Floral Design / Bridal Gown: Modern Trousseau / Lace Bolero: Modern Trousseau / Ceremony Location: Assumption Church / Reception Location: New Haven Lawn Club / Event Planning & Design: Candice Coppola from Jubilee Events / Reception Lighting: Rob Alberti from After Hours / Reception Entertainment: Bales Gitlin Band / Cupcakes: Sweet Cakes

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Post tags: After Hours, Art Deco, Assumption Church, Bales Gitlin Band, BLUSH Floral Design, Color Palette Purple Pink, Connecticut, Cookies, Dana Bartone & Company, Jubilee Events, Mondern Trousseau, New Haven, New Haven Lawn Club, Robert & Kathleen Photographers, Sweet Cakes, Vintage Chic, Wedding Bouquet, Wedding Photographers, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Vintage Chic

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

I practically decided our wedding would be at the New Haven Lawn Club before I even stepped foot inside. I fell in love with the space – the art deco chandeliers, the black and white checked floors and the tiled mirror above the mantle in the ballroom – as soon as I saw pictures of it. Seeing it in person sealed the deal.

The location set the tone for the rest of my style choices: Elegant and romantic with vintage touches. I settled on a color pallet of blush, apricot and champagne. I wanted the room to be decorated in soft, monochromatic tones and accented with gold and ivory. We used a lot of lush blooms like garden roses, peonies, ranunculus and sweet peas. Dusty Miller added texture and gave all the arrangements and bouquets that vintage look I wanted. We decided to display the centerpieces on vintage cut glass cake stands that my mom spent over a year collecting. She found them in all sizes and patterns, which gave each table  a unique and whimsical display. She also collected footed compote bowls that were filled with small arrangements and placed on the bistro tables at cocktail hour.

We created a cake buffet with the extra cake stands. Mini cupcakes and eight 10’’ cakes in flavors like Mexican Hot Chocolate, Orange Creamsicle and Heath Bar Crunch were decorated in blush, apricot and ivory butter cream frosting, trimmed with gold ribbon and topped with large pink and apricot blooms. The cake we cut was a two-tiered lemon raspberry confection decorated with lattice work that matched a pattern from our stationary.

We jazzed up our paper goods by incorporating three different patterns: a gold floral trim, pink lattice work and a pink and gold damask print. Each table number featured a different print and the invitation suite featured all three.

My dress was an Anne Barge ball gown. I loved the way the waist cinched in and the top layer of the skirt floated out, always catching the light just right. I like to think that after spending my childhood dressed in tutus at endless dance recitals this dress picked me. It was the first one I tried on! I borrowed the veil from my new sister-in-law. My hairpiece was a pearl satin ribbon headband with pearl and rhinestone details I bought on Etsy. My something old was a lace handkerchief that both my mother and grandmother carried down the aisle of their wedding day.

A few other personal touches we added to the wedding were the “Mr.” and “Mrs.” letters tied to the back of our chairs with pink and champagne ribbon, a Mad Libs inspired guest book and a display of family wedding pictures. At the end of the night guests were invited to help themselves to freshly popped popcorn, our favorite snack.

The church also matched our color theme, but that was unintentional. We chose it, because the groom’s parents were married there. What more, the priest performing our ceremony married my parents. These personal tributes to our parents were one on the most important parts of the marriage for us.

Wedding Photography: Cynthia Brown Studio / Wedding Invitations & Paper Goods: Creative Montage / Wedding Ceremony Location: The Shrine of Saint Anne / Wedding Reception Location: The New Haven Lawn Club / Catering: The New Haven Lawn Club / Wedding Gown: Anne Barge via Kleinfeld / Bridesmaid Dresses: WTOO / Groom & Groomsmen Attire: JoS. A. Bank / Floral Design: Blush Floral Design Studio / Hair & Makeup: Dana Bartone & Company / DJ: Paul Hebert / Cakes: Sweet Maria’s

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Post tags: Anne Barge, Apricot, Blush, BLUSH Floral Design, Cake Buffet, Cake Table, Champagne, Connecticut, Creative Montage, CT, Cynthia Brown, Dana Bartone & Co., Gold, Ivory, Jos A Bank, Kleinfeld, Navy Blue, New Haven, Sweet Maria's, The New Haven Lawn Club, The Shrine of Saint Ann, Traditional Elegance, Vintage Cake Stands, Vintage Chic, WToo
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

photography by Carla Ten Eyck, Mike Romano and Rebecca Hales

See and hear ALL about Margy and Mike’s beautiful day right here on Carla Ten Eyck’s blog !

And have a super weekend!

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Post tags: Carla Ten Eyck, Connecticut, New Haven
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography

From Justin & Mary Marantz…

When we first started planning the workshop we had a completely different theme in mind altogether!  But the morning we were going to post the design board, we started our day with a quick peek at Style Me Pretty as we usually do!  Lo and behold, the gorgeous wedding being featured that morning was spot on for what we had put together. Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, we decided to head back to the drawing board and pow wow a quick redesign. We knew we wanted to keep the vintage southern feel of the original design so we kept the bride and groom’s attire and the mint juleps.  We love it when a couple uses fruit to compliment their flowers so we added a picture of lemons to the design board and the theme just sort of took off! We wanted to have a workshop full of DIY details that brides could easily put together for their own weddings so we looked for some fun projects to put into the design board, combined with some more lemonade-y details like crates, beverage jars, and a vintage sign. I think it turned out better than we ever could have hoped!  The design board ended up looking like this: click here.  

When we put together a workshop we want it to be as much like the real deal as possible.  We start with getting ready and move right through to the last dance.  When we plan the reception, we make sure to keep in mind all of the little details that make a wedding extra special. That means we plan everything from table settings to good night favors.   

The lemonade theme really let us have fun this time.  We started with the idea of an afternoon wedding and wanted to transform the carousel house into a southern lemonade luncheon. We wanted the tone set as soon as the guests walked through the door, so we decided to do a little something extra for the placecards.  We made them using lemons and small green envelopes, finished off with red bows to add a pop of color to the otherwise green and yellow pallet.   We enhanced the Summery, relaxed mood by decorating with home made paper flag garlands, tissue paper pom poms, and a lemonade stand that could double as a favor display and a desert table.  For favors, we had made candied lemon peels and put them in little burlap bags made by Stonington Paperie propped up with some lemon stick candy.  For a touch of unexpected whimsy we used miniature lemon merangue pies and key lime tartlets for dessert.   To enhance the scene even further, we made homemade lemonade in vintage looking bottles and placed them around the reception.  We also added  extra limes and lemons, mason jars full of wildflowers, and a few homemade signs that read, lemonade 5 cents.

We love it when our couples go the extra mile and plan something fun for portraits.  We added flags with fun sayings on them, cute polka dot glasses, and a lemon and lime bouquet so our bridal party had some extra things to work with. The lemonade stand was also a really great “set” for them to play with.  We attached the lemonade sign to dowels and used the stand for some of our portraits.   It was tons of fun!!  

Although we did most of the planning ourselves, (we even put together the flowers!!) we needed some expert help to complete our vision.  Stonington Paperie made us some amazing details including the menus, favor bags, and bottle tags.  Traci Romano jumped in and designed our table for us and it looked stunning!  We also had Purdy Hill Bakery put together some mini key lime tartlets and lemon merangue pies for us at the last minute and they were just perfection!!

We also owe a huge thank you to The White Dress by the Shore for providing the Bride’s gown and the Bride’s Maid’s dresses and jewelry.  To Larissa Lake who made the stunning hair pieces and necklace for the Bride, and to Professional Makeup by DiLieto who did a fabulous job for us!!  We also have to send a huge thank you to our friend, Alicia Candelora of No Eye Has Seen Photography and our bride Jil, whose help was immeasurable!

The posts for our DIY extravaganza are here: Candied Lemon Peels / Mint Juleps / Old Fashioned Lemonade / Pom Poms / Flag Garlands / Bridal Party Flags

A little info for newly minted photographers on how we shot the details…

The carousel house has amazing light so we used natural light to shoot most of the details.  When shooting details, we prefer to use side lighting to create depth and also try to get as close as we can to showcase unexpected angles. We’re also shooting those wide open (with the 50 1.4 or 85 1.4) for low depth of field and really creamy pictures. When we shoot the couple, we look for slices of life to capture. We look at the way a couple holds their mint juleps as they lean in to one another, or how his grandfather’s watch catches the light when he pulls her close.  For us, slices of life are just as important as the big picture!!  When it’s time to process our images, we try to keep it clean and simple.  Most of our processing actually happens in camera raw and then we season our images with minimal actions that are lowered to about 10 percent each.  We want all of our images to look clean and enduring.

The end results just blew us away and we can’t wait until the next workshop!!

Photography: Justin & Mary Marantz / Fashion + Styling: Beth at The White Dress by the Shore / Paper Goods: Stonington Paperie / Table Design: Traci Romano / Baked Goods: Purdy Hill Bakery / Hairpieces: Larissa Lake / Venue: The Carousel House at Lighthouse Point, New Haven, CT / Make-Up: Professional Makeup by Dilieto

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Post tags: Connecticut, Justin and Mary Marantz, Larissa Lake, New Haven, Professional Makeup by Dilieto, Purdy Hill Bakery, Stonington Paperie, The Carousel House at lighthouse Point, The White Dress By The Shore, Traci Romano
Post categories: DIY Favors and Gifts, DIY Wedding Decor, Photo Shoot, Wedding Decor, Wedding Details, Wedding Photography

From their totally awesome photographer, Carla Ten Eyck …

Tara and Mark are the nicest, sweetest, most smiley couple. We got to meet all of their friends and families ~ and this is the part I love ~ it’s almost like when the house lands in the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy opens the door, and it’s all color….. yeah. Saturday was a little like that!

And here’s just one of our favorite image sequences from Carla’s blog site … when Tara’s Dad first sees her …

Their wedding ceremony was at the magnificent St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Carla had two other photographers with her for Tara and Mark’s wedding day, Mike Romano and Katie Slater. These crazy beautiful shots from the balcony are by Katie.

Really spectacular! And the first dance kiss (below) was shot by Mike. Again, just beautiful!

The bridal party took a few post-ceremony shots at Yale University.

And of course, no wedding of Carla’s would be complete without a few of her classic detail shots …

Tara & Mark’s reception was at the gorgeous New Haven Lawn Club. The profusion of colorful sunflowers really lends warmth and charm to this elegant setting.

Don’t you just love the happy feeling that sunflowers evoke? Floral decor by Fleur De Lys.

Pure loveliness! Our congratulations to Tara & Mark … and to Carla, Mike and Katie … super! To see Tara and Mark’s super-cute engagement photos, click here.

We have another wedding from Carla Ten Eyck coming up … so meet us back here later tonight! {If you’re just too curious to wait … click here!}

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Post tags: Carla Ten Eyck, Catholic, Connecticut, Fleur De Lys, New Haven, New Haven Lawn Club, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Sunflowers, Yale University
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography

We asked today’s beautiful bride, Julia to tell us a little bit about their day …

There is so much I could say about our wedding. The days and nights we spent planning it together… The countless hours spent looking at/trying on dresses only to ultimately decide on a jcrew mail order… the family, friends, and vendors who helped out along the way… but when it comes right down to it, I think the one thing that defines the day is that it was perfectly us ~ and that made it perfect.

And the one thing that ALL of Justin & Mary Marantz’ couples agree upon … they have stunning proof that all of their hard work in planning their wedding was well worth it! A few more stunning photographs from Justin & Mary …

A huge collective sigh! Just beautiful!

Thanks to the awesome Marantz’, Sarah McCoy and most especially to Julia & Mike for sharing these great photos with us. And a HUGE congrats to Julia … the beautiful bride … who is now sporting the title “Apprentice” at the Marantz headquarters! Can’t wait to start featuring your work too!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

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Post tags: Connecticut, Invitations, J. Crew, Justin Marantz, Lighthouse, New Haven, Sarah McCoy, Sunflowers, Thank You Notes, The Carousel at Lighthouse Point
Post categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Photography, Whimsical