Ok, back to the cute, cute nautical inspired wedding that we are featuring.

More from the lovely and HUGELY talented Candice Dowling, the planner behind the day…

The tablescapes were gorgeous and filled with SO many details. We used navy linen as a base, and brought in beautiful beech wood chiavari chairs with white pads from Party Rentals, Ltd out of Greenwich. Centerpieces were of one tall, French galvanized bucket filled with white peonies, ranunculus and hydrangea. They were fluffy and tightly filled — so gorgeous! There were three satellite arrangements of yellow and white gerbera daisies in smaller galvanized buckets. Each bucket had the same yellow and white polka dot grosgrain ribbon from Kim’s bouquet wrapped around them. The taller, French galvanized buckets had thick red grosgrain ribbon.

Each place setting had a rattan charger with an accompanying blue polka dot plate and clear glass saucer for the chilled gazpacho, all rented from Party Rentals, Ltd. Their navy napkins were rolled and tied onto them was a menu “tag”, which we created in the round. It had a seersucker boarder and a cute little yellow grommet, tied together with white grosgrain ribbon. Each guest received a cute little galvanized bucket filled with red Swedish fish. We created red and blue favor tags with lyrics to their first dance song by U2 and tied it on with red grosgrain ribbon.

Each table was named after a New England town that held special significance to the bride and groom. Places like Westport, Newport, Nantucket, Block Island, Bar Harbor, Mystic…. we even inserted the GPS coordinates of each location onto their table sign. A fun little detail we carried throughout the event — like on the custom stamp we made for their invitations!

Guests dined on chilled gazpacho, surf and turf with filet mignon and lobster tail with steamed red potatoes and corn on the cob. There were even toothpicks on the table for pickin’ corn out of your teeth! The entire event was catered by the Club’s restaurant, Riverview Restaurant. Chef Danny and his team did a fabulous job!

More on the way!

to see the full gallery, click here!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blue Hill At Stone Barns, Candice Dowling, Connecticut, Events Jubilee, Nautical, New York Weddings, Paul Rich Studio, Pocantico Hills
Post categories: Casual Elegance

Photographs are courtesy of Kelley and Todd Whittaker (website coming soon)

More details from Candice…

After their beautiful ceremony at Assumption Church in Westport, Matt and Kim went to the spot that was very meaningful and sentimental to them. A place where they spent many nights watching the sun set as a couple. They love Combo Beach in Westport and try to visit at least once every weekend during the summer months. Her love of rowing and his love of the water really drew them together. After the ceremony, Kim took off her gorgeous veil and pinned a fabulous little white flower in her hair. Doesn’t she look STUNNING?

The reception was held at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport. The views? Stunning. It was obvious to them that it was the perfect location, which would marry her love of rowing and his love of the water. Guests were greeted on the blue slate patio overlooking the Saugatuck River and the docks that lead out into the water. They enjoyed Matt and Kim’s signature cocktail, the Pimms Cup, served from large sea glass canisters into high ball glasses which were garnished with a lemon wheel, cucumber spear, and a seersucker swizzle stick. Heaven.

We displayed escort cards on a red linen wrapped cork board with some retro metal pushpins. It was perfect! We also had custom napkins, swizzle sticks, and coasters made for the event. The beautiful calligraphy was done by Lisa Ridgley of Pen and Ink Calligraphy out of Westminister, Maryland. I LOVE Lisa. She is so good to our brides and does AMAZING work!

to see the full gallery, click here!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blue Hill At Stone Barns, Candice Dowling, Connecticut, Jubilee Events, Nautical, New York Weddings, Paul Rich Studio, Pen and Ink Calligraphy, Pocantico Hills
Post categories: Casual Elegance

Here’s Janet and Ethan’s menu …

Greenhouse Greens and Herbs ~ With this morning’s farm egg
Asparagus Soup ~ American sturgeon caviar, mushrooms
Alaskan Halibut ~ Pistou of spring vegetables
Loin of Lamb ~ Quinoa, cracked wheat, spring parsnips

Is this not incredible??

On his blog, Paul said that he was walking around the exterior of the buildings to catch some evening shots of the property when he came across one of the chefs kneeling in the garden. Paul asked him what he was doing. The chef replied that he was “working on the asparagus soup going on for the wedding meal inside!”

This is such a gorgeous site for a wedding! Gourmet … Green … Simple charm …

Congratulations Janet and Ethan!

Paul Rich and Holly Andres are a husband and wife team based in Portland, Oregon. They work with their brides and grooms to capture the moments that are unique to each wedding. As you can see from the images above, they are story-tellers! Their personalities and talents award them with the highest praise from one and all!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blue Hill At Stone Barns, New York Weddings, Paul Rich Studio, Pocantico Hills, Wedding Menu
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Wedding Photography

Up first, a fabulous nautical inspired wedding that the forever talented Candice Dowling of Jubilee Events sent me…

photography by Whittaker Photography

From the lovely Candice…

Matt and Kim were married on May 30th, 2009 at 2:30 in the afternoon at the Assumption Church in Westport, Connecticut. Immediately following, guests enjoyed a gorgeous preppy and nautical inspired fete at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport. Kim and Matt were an amazing couple to work with! At our initial meeting I knew we’d be a good match — they wanted a preppy, tailored, and nautical wedding in blue and yellow with pops of red.

Matt and his Groomsmen wore gorgeous seersucker jackets from Brooks Brothers with a navy brooks brothers tie and khakis. The groom wore a head of ranunculus as his boutonniere and his groomsmen wore a single yellow rose.

Their delicious cake was made by Sweet Cakes out of Fairfield, Connecticut. Suzette did a fabulous job bringing Kim and Matt’s vision to life. The guests REALLY enjoyed the cake and complimented on how delectable it was!

So much more on the way!

to see the full gallery, click here!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blue Hill At Stone Barns, Candice, Fourth Of July, Jubilee Events, Nautical, New York Weddings, Paul Rich Studio, Pocantico Hills
Post categories: Casual Elegance

Hawaiian inspiration … in Sandy, Oregon!

It never ceases to amaze me that once you know the ‘who, when, and where’ … the design, colors and style just seem to happen.

Love the leis for the guys…

Floral design was provided by Adria at Lavish.

from Adria … talk about having someone’s personality shine through in their event! This wedding was so fun to work on because Kristin was such a hoot – totally colorful personality. Her father is from Hawaii and she has spent a lot of time there, so they really wanted to bring some tropical elements into their day. We used lots of bright flowers and lush foliage, but we also wanted a modern feel so we went with clear square glass vases with submerged blooms and bamboo for the centerpieces.They also went with the traditional maile leis for the groom and his men as well as leis for the gals.

The story about the plane is great! The wedding was held at her parents home. A few months before the ceremony they had noticed a bright green crop duster circling the area, so on a whim they hopped in the car and spent about an hour following it around until it landed. Then they asked if the pilot would be willing to fly over the reception and drop petals! This is a gal who gets stuff done. I love it! Flowers we used: Flame callas, cymbidium, dendrobium and vanda orchids, Lotus pods, Tropical fern curls … Lots of fun foliage!

In Colin Cowie’s fabulous new book,  Wedding Chic, he says, “Today, we live in a world where the boundaries between cultures are blurred and it’s not unusual to find people of one group borrowing and blending the rituals and traditions of another. ..The very idea of borrowing resonates as an openness to exploring spiritual meaning.” The point being … whatever inspires you, whatever makes you smile … embrace it!

and from the bride, Kristin …

When Eric and I were thinking about what kind of wedding we wanted to have, we started by discussing all of our similar interests and what we thought would tell the story of our relationship. We both have a special connection and love for Hawaii. My father is from Hawaii and Eric spent a summer in Maui during college, learning how to surf and loving the island vibe. So, we decided to use elements from Hawaiian culture in our ceremony as well as in our music (ukulele player), flower choices, and decorations. It was really special to be able to have our wedding at my parents’ house because we wanted to create a close family feeling. Many of our friends and family were traveling from all over the country and we were able to have both the rehearsal dinner/southern bbq and our wedding at my family’s house. It truly brought people together in a comfortable beautiful atmosphere. The fireworks show my dad put on after the rehearsal dinner will never be forgotten! Our theme extended into wedding party attire as well. The groomsmen wore fidora hats, seaweed leis, Cuban wedding shirts, and flip flops and the bridesmaids carried tropical bouquets. I designed and made my jewlery and hairpiece as well as the jewelery for the bridesmaids. It was really fun having the fidora hats for the boys, the boys sort of took on new personalities with them on! Probably the most important thing to us was the music for the reception. After trips to Jazzfest, we fell in love with New Orleans culture and music, so we were honored to have The Devin Phillips Band play the wedding. Devin is a Portland transplant who moved here after Katrina. The band was awesome, mellow jazz for dinner and New Orleans funk for dancing afterwards. I didn’t know that some of my relatives could move like that! We chose Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” as our first dance and I felt like I was floating on air when Eric swung me around at the end of the dance!

Thanks so much to Adria, Kristin & Eric, and of course the very talented Holly & Paul for sharing these photos and stories!

Holly Andres and Paul Rich are yet another of Style Me Pretty’s fabulous Little Black Book husband & wife photography teams! Check out their website and blog for more of their fantastic work!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Colin Cowie, Color Palette Orange Green, Fourth Of July, Hawaiian Inspired, Oregon, Outdoor Wedding, Paul Rich Studio, Portland
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog

Kylene (today’s bride) wrote … We are so excited!!  I have been a long time reader of Style Me Pretty, long before I was even engaged.  The style and inspiration I found on the site matched so closely with my dream day.  The Little Black Book feature was also such a help as I trusted the recommendations I found there, saving me tons of time and energy. I am absolutely thrilled to share our wedding with other Style Me Pretty readers!

The wedding…..Literally within a week of getting engaged, my groom and I had excitedly finalized many of the important wedding decisions including the location, the day, and the caterer.  It was easy, as we both knew exactly what the day was about—celebrating with our family and friends.  We wanted the day to feel inviting and relaxed, and most importantly wanted our guests to truly enjoy themselves.  In a sense we wanted them to feel like they were at a big, fancy picnic!  It also helped that I’m a bit of a wedding blog fanatic and have been reading blogs and magazines for years just waiting for my day!

It was so easy to picture our perfect wedding day thanks to so many of the inspiration boards and real weddings I had been swooning over on wedding blogs like Style Me Pretty.  We chose Kruger’s Farm, a small farm we adore, for both the ceremony and reception as Jacob and I had spent many afternoons there picking berries, taking hay rides, and strolling through pumpkin patches.  The farm provided all the elements we were looking for: a quaint farm house to spend the morning in, a century old oak tree to have the ceremony under, flower fields and berry patches for guests to wander through, and a large field to accommodate our lawn games.

We wanted our wedding to be very personal and meaningful and planned and arranged the majority of the elements ourselves.  My mother, who passed away 5 years ago from breast cancer, was an amazingly talented and whimsical decorator and florist.  As a child I spent my days in her flower shop making bouquets out of dried up flowers from the floor so it was very important to me to design and make many of the details myself.  I designed and printed all the invitations and paper products; created little details like cocktail flags and a personalized coloring book for the kids; used vintage table cloths for the tables and a collection of new and antique dessert platters for the dessert bar which had mini cupcakes, tarts, and cakes; and sewed a floral backdrop for our Polaroid guest book and personalized labels into all the wedding attire.  With the help of several important women in my life, we also made all the floral arrangements and bouquets with flowers ordered online and hydrangeas and roses from my grandmother’s garden.  The whole affair was a true labor of love as I found meaningful ways to incorporate my mom’s spirit in our day.  I also wore earrings and a bracelet from her vintage jewelry collection and shared several other pieces with my aunts and grandmother.  Attached to my bouquet was a locket with her picture.  Many of our guests remarked at how the wedding celebration was “so us,” exactly what Jacob and I had hoped for.

Most importantly, our wedding day did end up being so much fun!  My bridesmaids and I arrived on a tractor driven by Farmer Don, the farm owner, and the over 20 children had a hay ride after the ceremony and then their own play area.  Our adult guests enjoyed cocktails on the lawn while playing croquet, bocce ball, horseshoes and cornhole.  It was a blast to see people actually playing on the lawn!  Our friend’s soul/R&B/funk band, Excellent Gentlemen , also played late in the night.  There wasn’t one detail I’d change!

Our guests were able to enjoy many of the farm’s specialties including boysenberry jam favors, homemade farm salad dressing and honey in their out of town gift bags, and blueberries to pick right off the vine as they walked from the old oak tree to the field for the celebration.  To carry on the picnic theme, and celebrate my Texas upbringing, we feasted on cedar plank salmon grilled on site, BBQ brisket, potato salad, and a slew of other picnic worthy treats from Vibrant Table Catering and Events .  It was delicious!

And this is the part of Kylene’s story that we loved …

When it came time to select our photographer I instantly turned to the Little Black Book on the Style Me Pretty site.  From months of reading the blog, I knew that SMP fit my wedding style.  It was such a helpful way to narrow down my choices.  I called up Paul Rich Studio and quickly had a meeting with Paul and Holly.  The Little Black Book was spot on!  In fact, I signed a contract with Paul Rich right then, before meeting with anyone else, as I knew it was a perfect match.  Paul and Holly Rich were so warm and personal but also extremely professional.  They understood the personal elements of my wedding and ensured me they would capture every detail.  They also work as a team and could offer double the coverage.  I am so impressed with how their photos captured the feel of our day.  They’re dreamy in my opinion!  Thank you Little Black Book!

Thanks Kylene & Jacob … and Paul and Holly! For us, this is what it’s all about !!

PS: Just a quick postscript to the details that Kylene shared with us today. The wedding location, Kruger’s Farm & Market is located on Sauvie Island, 12 miles from downtown Portland at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. It is owned by “Farmer Don” who writes: I own and operate an eighty acre farm … visit my farm and you’ll find a busy farm store, u-pick berries, u-cut flowers {you can cut your own wedding flowers!} concerts, weddings, birthday parties and a wonderful pastoral place to dream away a summer day.

We also noticed that right now Kruger’s has farm-raised Christmas trees, baskets, jams and jellies and 20% off everything in their store! Wish we lived near Portland!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Excellent Gentleman, Kruger's Farm Market, Oregon, Paul Rich Studio, Picnic-Style Wedding, Portland, Vibrant Table Catering and Events, Wedding Inspiration
Post categories: Budget Beautiful, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Little Black Book Blog