Click here for the FULL wedding!

What could make this day even better?  How about the highlight film by Mike Picard Videography!

From the bride… On July 16, 2011, Sarah and Zack were married at Belle Mer’s ocean-side lawn with one of the summer’s most beautiful sunsets as their backdrop. An event nearly two years in the making, Sarah and Zack’s vision of a romantically glamorous and chic evening affair came to life. With the help of an all-star team of vendors, Sarah’s love for all things pretty and Zack’s love of being near the ocean were blended together perfectly. Sarah and Zack did not need to look far for inspiration; from the start, they knew they wanted to welcome their guests to Newport with a fun-filled weekend they would never forget. Enter the pineapple, a traditional symbol of Newport hospitality that was delicately carried throughout the event, from the invitation suite to the refreshing signature pineapple mojitos. A beautiful blend of white flowers with fresh lavender and crystal accents filled the salon with a modern, elegant atmosphere, making for an evening that Sarah and Zack feel was nothing less than “pineapple perfection.”

Wedding Photography: SNAP! Photography / Wedding Venue: Belle Mer in Newport, Rhode Island / Wedding Invitations + Paper Goods: Paper Moss / Flowers: Village Arts & Flowers / Videography: Mike Picard Videography / Wedding Cake: Confectionery Designs / Bride’s + Bridesmaids Attire: Allegria Bridal / Entertainment: DJ Raffi Professional Music Production / Cigars: Boston Cigar Factory / Lounge Furniture + Linens: Rentals Unlimited / Hair + Makeup: Breanne, Kristen + Marie of All About You Salon and Day Spa / Ceremony Officiant: Honorable Frank Camera / Ceremony Musicians: Martha Niemiec with Upstairs Quartet (781-640-5980) / Wedding Gown: Judd Waddell / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bride’s Jewelry: Haute Bride / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jim Hjelm

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Post tags: All About You Salon and Day Spa, Allegria Bridal, Belle Mer, Boston Cigar Factory, Confectionery Designs, DJ Raffi Professional Music Production, Haute Bride, Honorable Frank Camera, Jim Hjelm, Jimmy Choo, Judd Waddell, Lavender, Martha Niemiec, Mike Picard Videography, Newport, Paper Moss, Rentals Unlimited, Rhode Island, Snap! Photography, Upstairs Quartet, Village Arts & Flowers, White
Post categories: Massachusetts Weddings

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… I scanned dozens of bridal magazines looking for inspiration but ended up finding my inspiration in a bit of an odd place — a dressing room! While I was bridesmaid dress shopping at J.Crew, one thing that really caught my eye was the room we were sitting in. It was was warm and traditional like our venue but also felt modern. I took photos of the dressing room and used the images as my inspiration. We didn’t follow the exact look but looked to the decor as guidance. The dressing room brought in crystal and gold for a modern feel. Similarly, we brought in black, white and pewter to complement the warmer tones of the venue.

Artie and I were married outside on a cliff overlooking the ocean. We lined the aisles with silver buckets of pink flowers and scattered white rose petals throughout. In the front, we added two large silver vases topped with wire spheres and light pink flowers woven in creating a unique and modern look. Cocktail hour also took place outside and we moved the ceremony flowers to our cocktail tables so to bring in a bit of color. We had custom gray napkins made with our names on them as well as wooden stir sticks with our initials. To make things even more personal, we had “Bride” and “Groom” specialty cocktails — mine was a spiked pink lemonade (with a purple flower as garnish) and his was a Dark and Stormy. As the sun set and guests entered the indoor reception, they were greeted by a more modern and elegant look. The room was lit with purple lighting and highlighted beautiful white floral centerpieces. We also used dusty millers to bring in silver into our floral arrangements. For our menus, table numbers and escort cards, we incorporated black and white by using black paper with white calligraphy. We also re-purposed the large silver wire spheres from the ceremony and placed them behind the sweetheart table. Following dinner, guests were surprised by a spread of desserts and candy. We tried to stick to our colors in the layout, using pink, black and white. As New Yorkers, we were excited to bring in some of our favorite desserts including Momofuku truffles and black and white cookies. Artie and I both have a big sweet tooth so we wanted to have items we loved and could share with everyone. We also love cupcakes and cookies so we had a huge display of various flavors. Design-wise, I wanted to keep the set up to look modern, so we found mirrors and lucite trays, which we thought would be an interesting touch.

Our goal was to throw a fun and beautiful celebration that truly represented us as a couple and most importantly, fit within our budget. Artie and I were paying for the wedding ourselves, and while Artie wanted nothing more than to give me the wedding of my dreams, we both agreed we wanted to start our life together on the right foot by making smart financial decisions. Most people we have spoken to have been surprised at how many ways we were able to save money by combining an element of DIY with help of professionals to create a more affordable version of what we were trying to achieve. A perfect example are our menus. They were round black menus with white script. Initially, I reached out to someone in the wedding industry to help me but when I received the pricing, I realized I would need to find another route. I went online and found a calligrapher who was willing to design a sample and then help me digitize the file. From there, I sent the file to an online printer, which was very affordable. The only problem was that they couldn’t do a round cut within my budget so I ordered a regular cut and then purchased a circle cutter. Sure, it cost me hours of sleep, but I actually loved the DIY projects, and they made the process that much more memorable. When else will I see my now-husband helping me with arts and crafts?

Wedding Photography: Kristin Spencer Photography / Wedding Venue: OceanCliff Hotel in Newport, Rhode Island / Wedding Cinematography: Newport Wedding Films / Wedding Flowers: Stoneblossom Floral & Event Design / Entertainment: Victor Events / Desserts: Momofuku Milk Bar, Cupcake Charlie + Fatulli’s  / Ceremony Music: Sukada Trio / Linens + China: Rentals Unlimited / Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew

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Post tags: Black, Cupcake Charlie's Fatulli's, J. Crew, Kristin Spencer Photography, Momofuku Milk Bar, Newport, Newport Wedding Films, OceanCliff Hotel, Pink, Priscilla of Boston, Rentals Unlimited, Rhode Island, Stoneblossom Floral and Event Design, Sudaka Trio, Victor Events, White
Post categories: Massachusetts Weddings, Traditional Elegance

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… We spent our first “real date” in Newport, Rhode Island, at a small, cozy bed and breakfast during winter. Newport in winter is truly a unique experience. Historic mansions, cozy restaurants, quiet streets and empty beaches create the setting for a perfect romantic getaway. It became a regular trip for us so when we got engaged, deciding on a location and a time of year to get married was easy. Selecting our venue was also easy. Belle Mer is absolutely stunning. We used white, gray and black accents to create our winter wedding theme. The bridesmaids wore soft gray dresses and the groomsmen wore classic tuxedos. To complement the tuxes, the girls wore black faux-fur shrugs purchased on Etsy. I found my vintage fur stole in my grandmother’s closet and thought it would tie in nicely with our winter backdrop. However to our amazement, we had an absolutely beautiful, fall-like day, which made our photos absolutely breathtaking. For our reception, we wanted to keep it elegant, romantic and most of all, fun! Our escort cards were attached to custom ornaments filled with personalized paper hearts. I used clear glass ornaments, card stock and a heart punch put them together. Flowers by Semia created several types of beautiful high/low arrangements using all types of white flowers illuminated by a variety of candles. In addition to the candles, we used up-lighting throughout the room to add color. The lighting changed color throughout the night to depict transition between cocktails, dinner, and dancing. Also, I added a little sparkle of my own by wearing an embellished belt for the reception, which was inspired by the gorgeous chandeliers at Belle Mer. As for dessert, we decided on cupcakes because it allows guests to select their personal favorite, and more importantly, I’m a cupcake fanatic! We wanted to be playful with the cupcakes and stick to our winter theme so we brainstormed flavor combinations and came up with fun types such as “gingerbread” and “sno-cap.” Confectionery Designs put their elegant spin on everything and created the most delicious cupcakes. If that wasn’t sweet enough, we also gave guests chocolate nonpareils as our favors because the white pearls reminded us of snow.   I have always loved DIY projects, and weddings are the optimal platform to create fun and unique items of your choice. A lot of my inspiration came from browsing through wedding and photography blogs such as SMP and Snap! I would save all of my favorite pictures to my own vision board, which inspired the design of our invitations, ceremony cards, menu cards and escort cards. Using fonts downloaded from dafont.com, products from Paper Source and the help of family and friends, we created our own unique designs for all of the printed items. I think back on how many hours went into these personalized items and how rewarding it was to see the final product – I wouldn’t have it any other way. Wedding Photography: Snap! Photography / Florist: Flowers by Semia / Wedding Venue + Catering: Belle Mer in Newport, Rhode Island / Cupcakes: Confectionery Designs / Wedding Gown: Angelina Faccenda via La Reine / Bride’s Belt: Enzoani “Fabi” / Brides Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bride’s Earrings + Fur Wrap: Antiques Owned by the Bride’s Grandmother / Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levkoff / Black Faux-Fur Shrugs: Alexbridal / Hair: New Leaf Salon / Makeup: Kristina Jones of Alayne White Spa / Invitations, Ceremony Programs + Holiday Ornament Place Cards: DIY by the Bride / Wedding Favors: Chocolate Delicacy / Transportation: Newport Wedding Trolley + Viking Tours / Lodging: Pearls of Newport

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Post tags: Alayne White Spa, Alexbridal, Angelina Faccenda, Badgley Mischka, Belle Mer, Bill Levkoff, Black, Chocolate Delicacy, Confectionery Designs, Enzoani, Etsy, Flowers by Semia, Gray, Kristina Jones, La Reine, New Leaf Salon, Newport, Newport Wedding Trolley, Pearls of Newport, Rhode Island, Snap! Photography, Viking Tours, White
Post categories: The Blog

And because we just cant get enough of this lovely wedding, we just had to share the GORGEOUS film from the fête by David Bettencourt…

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Nick and I both attended the same high school in Ridgefield, CT but we weren’t friends at the time. It was not until college that we would meet again through mutual friends and quickly become best friends and then in 2006 we began dating long distance (Nick in Pennsylvania and Maria in Florida) while in our senior year of college. We spent almost four years doing long distance until Nick proposed under the Brooklyn Bridge at The River Café and soon after moved in together in Jersey City finally putting an end to the long distance.

When I started planning the wedding I knew I didn’t want any kind of theme. I knew I wanted to focus mainly on the color pink and stick to a traditional and classic wedding. My mom and I did most of the planning together, ripping pages from wedding magazines, and of course often visiting etsy.com and of course stylemepretty.com for inspiration.  When looking for my wedding dress I knew I wanted a timeless look which I could look back twenty years from now and wouldn’t be out of style. The Lazaro ballgown was perfect because it was simple and elegant and the jeweled belt added sparkle without being too much. My veil which completed the look was made by Provnovias in Barcelona. My veil was one of my favorite parts of the wedding, it really made me feel like a bride!

Newport, RI is one of those most beautiful cities in the United States. It is surrounded by water and the cliff walk and mansions emit the classic New England charm. Nick and I both had many friends and relatives coming from all over the country and overseas so we wanted our guests to not only enjoy our wedding day but also enjoy our wedding location as they would probably be spending a few days in the area. We were married at Trinity Church, one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in Newport. When we visited Belle Mer I knew immediately it was “the one”. Three words describe Belle Mer: location, location, location! The views are breathtaking and it has a very modern and sophisticated feeling. The Island House at Belle Mer is surrounded by a sprawling lawn where our guests enjoyed cocktail hour looking over the Narragansett Bay. Belle Mer also provided croquet and bocchi ball. The lawn games were a great way for guests to relax and have fun. One of the best parts of the wedding reception was definitely the photolounge by Snap Photography. Our guests were taking photos all night long and they were able to take them home as a favor.  The photolounge pictures are also a great way for Nick and I to laugh and see how much fun our friends and family had on our wedding day.

Our wedding day was a dream and one we will never forget. We had beautiful weather, a beautiful location and celebrated with our loved ones. Who could ask for anything more?

Wedding Dress: Lazaro / Veil: Pronovias / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Hair + Make-up: Sandra Downie / Maid of Honor Dress: Jenny Yoo / Groom’s Suit: Hugo Boss / Ceremony Location: Trinity Church / Reception Location: Belle Mer / Wedding Photography + Photolounge: Snap Photography / Floral Design: Sayles Livingston Flowers / Cocktail Linens: Rentals Unlimited / Macaron Favors: Confectionary Designs / Wedding Cake: Scrumptions / Wedding Videography: David Bettencourt / Lighting: High Output / DJ: DJ Derek Holtie / Transportation: Viking Tours / Limousine: A1 Limo

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Post tags: A1 Limo, Belle Mar, Confectionary Designs, David Bettencourt, DJ Derek Holtie, High Output, Hugo Boss, Jenny Yoo, Jimmy Choo, Lazaro, Massachusetts Weddings, Newport, Pronovias, Rentals Unlimited, Rhode Island, Sandra Downie, Sayles Livingston Flowers, Scrumptions, Snap! Photography, Trinity Church, Viking Tours
Post categories: Massachusetts Weddings, Traditional Elegance

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride… He’s from small-town, Alabama, I’m from a not-so-small town in Arizona. We live in Washington, D.C. So, of course it made perfect sense to get married in Newport Beach, California! But really, when we set out to pick the location of our special day, the goal was to have a wedding that would be small enough so we could spend quality time with all of our guests during the celebration, but large enough that we could feel the love and support from those who are dearest to us. My extended family is HUGE, so while a wedding in Arizona would have been one BIG celebration, it wouldn’t have been the intimate atmosphere we were going for. Matthew and I are also very into all things artistic, so we REALLY cared about the quality of our wedding pictures! Getting good wedding pictures was of premium concern when we set out to choose the location of our wedding and our photographers. Since Phoenix averages about 115 degrees in August, taking pictures outdoors at a Phoenix wedding would have been…well, not very enjoyable. We also wanted our guests to enjoy every part of the wedding, not constantly having to wipe the sweat from their foreheads. We wanted no distraction from the heat. We considered Alabama and D.C. venues for about half a minute before we decided to start looking at beach weddings in California. The day of our wedding was 73 degrees…perfect!

I grew up vacationing with my family in Newport Beach, so that was where we first started looking. We really liked the idea of doing a wedding cruise because that meant our guests would be with us 100% of the time! No cutting out after the cutting of the cake! Everybody had to stay and party with us until the boat re-docked at the end of the night. Since Matthew and I were both living in D.C. during the planning of the wedding, we also knew that if we did the destination wedding, it would have to be at a place where they handled most of the details (linens, catering, DJ, bartenders, etc.). So Electra Cruises was exactly what we were looking for. They had a list of vendors to choose from, but they were also really flexible with letting us use our own vendors too (we brought our own pastors, and used Session Nine as our photographers).  A huge plus to having our wedding with Electra was that all of the vendors had worked on the ship before, so everything seriously ran like a well-oiled machine. Electra also gave us a day-of coordinator for our wedding who really helped with making sure everything followed the timeline of events (and making sure the bride and groom actually get to eat!). Once we decided on a beach wedding, we knew we wanted a venue that would be beautiful on its own, so we wouldn’t have to travel with a lot of decorations or stress out about setting things up ahead of time. The ship we had our wedding on was called The Destiny (how perfect), and it was so beautiful on it’s own, we really didn’t stress out about having a lot of decorations to add to it.

For flowers, we really wanted to add some color to the black dresses and suits, so my florist actually suggested the gerbera daisies. And they’re pretty inexpensive, as far as flowers go! I essentially told my florist what I wanted to spend per bouquet, and she told me I could have a lot of gerbera daisies, or a small amount of other fancy flowers. I opted for the fuller bouquet for the bridesmaids, and I am SO happy with how they turned out!

A lot of the stuff we used for tables (like name place cards and table numbers) we found at Hobby Lobby. For printing, we saved a TON by designing our own programs. Matthew and I formatted the programs in a Word document, then sent them off to this ma and pop printer shop, with instructions about how we wanted them printed. I used a hole puncher to make holes, then tied the pink and orange ribbon on every one. We had a friend design the “AMMP” logo, and used it on the invitations and the programs to kind of make it the theme. (We’ve called each other “AM” and “MP” since we became friends three years ago.)

We also like shoes…a lot. For the love of Viv… I saw the Vivienne Westwood shoes I wanted like a month after we got engaged—they were perfectly pink and orange! We wanted a little southern flair in there somewhere, to match Matthew’s accent, so that’s why MP chose the Dan Post cowboy boots. They looked SO good! And we both have worn our wedding shoes again since the big day!

Wedding Photography: Session Nine Photographers / Wedding Ceremony + Reception Location: Electra Cruises / Wedding Dress + Veil: David’s Bridal / Flowers: Marina’s Flowers / Wedding Cake: Cinderella Cakes / Bride’s Shoes: Vivienne Westwood / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew / DJ: DVS Mobile DJ Service, DJ Von / Catering: Electra Cruises / Wedding Invitations: Papyrus / Logo Design: Tyler Sanderson / Officiant: Pastor Robert Russo / Party Bus: A Private Limousine / Groom’s Shoes: Dan Post Boot Co.

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Post tags: A Private Limousine, California Weddings, cinderella cakes, Dan Post Boot Co., David's Bridal, Destination Wedding, DVS Mobile DJ Service, Electra Cruises, J. Crew, Marina's Flowers, Newport, Papyrus, Session Nine Photography, Tyler Sanderson, Vivienne Westwood
Post categories: Destination, Destination Weddings

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…John proposed one year to the day after our first weekend away together at our favorite NYC hotel. I was completely surprised and over the moon happy. On our way home from celebrating our engagement that evening I found myself in front of an all night news stand buying wedding magazines. I couldn’t believe it was my turn to not just pass by this section but to finally start the fabulous adventure of planning our wedding. Being that John and I are both originally from NY but currently live in Boston we decided on a location that was half way between our two homes and Newport, RI was the perfect fit. We decided to do a mini-destination wedding in this beautiful seaside town. Belle Mer was our first appointment and we fell in love.Our wedding theme came easily to us since the venue was on the ocean and we booked a summer date, we wanted a modern seaside chic wedding filled with lots of personal touches that reflected our style. After securing the color scheme and choosing the bridesmaid dresses we went with a navy, bright purple and white color palette with accents of aqua.

Following Style Me Pretty religiously throughout the planning process I was inspired by so many beautiful weddings and took details that I liked and then put our own spin and style on them. I learned what I wanted our photographs to look like and knew I wanted both photos and film to capture our emotions on the big day. Lisa Rigby and Still Motion were the two best vendors who really understood that. Flowers and paper goods were my next obsessions. I wanted peonies & hydrangea everywhere an Stone Blossom seemed as giddy as I was planning out an all white floral palette with the only color being my wedding bouquet. Miss Pickles Press worked with me over the course of a year designing all the paper items and dreamed up the exact look we wanted for our modern wedding. Details were so important to us and we really felt made the wedding special to John and me. I envisioned beautiful pillows, frames, apothecary jars, mirrors, vases everywhere and was able to find them all on Etsy. Every Etsy vendor I worked with was amazing and really gave me custom items to match our wedding. I was constantly surprised when everything came out better then I had imagined.

On the day of the wedding we had the most beautiful weather and everything went as we exactly as we had planned. It was the best overwhelming feeling of love and happiness we have ever felt and will always remember. We will be forever grateful to everyone who helped make all of our dreams come true on our special day!

Wedding Photography: Lisa Rigby Photography / Film Makers: StillMotion / Venue: Belle Mer / Floral Design: Stoneblossom / Wedding Cake + Groom’s Cake: Confectionery Designs / Wedding Dress: Anne Barge via Kleinfelds / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale via L’Élite / Band: Night Rhythm / Cocktail Hour Band: Steel Rhythm / Save the Date: Cheree Berry Paper / Wedding Invitations + Day of Paper Items: Miss Pickles Press / Navy + Aqua Pillows: Willa Skye Home / White + Navy LOVE Pillow: Wrap it Up LLC / Table Frames: Frame it by Jill / Hammered Silver Items: West Elm / Bridesmaid Rings: Toosis / LOVE Dishes: Say Your Piece / Wedding Mugs: Timeless Creations / Ring Pillow: Giggle Room / Silver Urchin Escort Card Holders: Gallery 360 / H&J Wood Letters: Compulsive Collection / Vases for Drink Stirrers: CB2 / Tote Bag Design: QA Design

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amsale, Belle Mer, CB2, Cheree Berry Paper, Compulsive Collection, Confectionary Designs, Frame it by Jill, Gallery 360, Giggle Room, Jimmy Choo, Kleinfelds, L'elite, Lisa Rigby Photography, Massachusetts Weddings, Miss Pickle Press, Newport, Night Rhythm, QA Design, Say Your Piece, Steel Rhythm, StillMotion, Stoneblossom Floral and Event Design, Timeless Creations, Toosis, West Elm, Willa Skye Home, Wrap it Up LLC
Post categories: Massachusetts Weddings, Traditional Elegance

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From Lexi Photography… Marthé and Ryan were married on a beautiful June day at the fabulous Belle Mer in Newport, RI. They got the most stunning weather and the pops of fuchsia in the bridesmaids dresses and bouquets were beautiful against the modern white facade of Belle Mer’s Water Salon. Marthé wore an amazing Vera Wang belted gown and Ryan was in a traditional black tux with a pink tie and suspenders. The girls wore pink Amsale dresses and donned silver shoes, the guys were in the same black tux/pink tie attire as the groom. The reception room was decked out with amazing florals done by Lauren Perkins of Raspberry Bouquet, out of Charlestown, MA. The chairs were dressed with pink leis and the tables each had one of three exquisite centerpieces. The guests carried takeout boxes with their names on them filled with candy that doubles as both a seating card and their favors.

Wedding Photography: Lexi Photography / Wedding Gown: Vera Wang / Jewelry: One World Designs / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale / Hair + Make-up: Sara Faella / Groomsmen Attire: Read & White / Flowers: Raspberry Bouquet / Wedding Cake: Sweet Tooth Boston / Venue: Belle Mer / DJ: Victor from Party Time / Uplighting: Boston Uplights

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amsale, Belle Mer, Boston Uplights, Lexi Photography, Newport, Party Time Entertainment, Raspberry Bouquet, Read & White, Rhode Island, Sara Faella, Sweet Tooth Boston
Post categories: Contemporary, Massachusetts Weddings

So many beautiful shots from Taylor and Jeff’s wedding at Belcourt Castle … Studio Foto continued it right here!

See you later with the full feature on Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book Blog!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Becourt Castle, Newport, Rhode Island, Studio Foto
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography