“… vintage velvet bowties for the groom and groomsmen … homemade jam favors … homebrewed beer … vintage photo booth with fun props … beautiful handmade boutonnieres and headpieces … custom made chandelier (from metal recycled from a local winery’s oak barrels) … the food stations … burgers, fries, whiskey and coke, cotton candy … delicious tacos, aguas frescas or mojitos, chile rellenos … pizza, and more … vintage window frames with chalkboards listing the stations’ menus … tons of beautiful flowers … kids’ area with pillows, coloring books, hula hoops, fun toys … vintage getaway car and “just married” sign with cans … romantic country-esque cake arranged on cut logs … blue glass jars with vintage family photos on display …”

Again … whew! So ~ for some of the credits …

Jess Flood was their wedding planner and helped them pull all these sensational vintage elements together!

The girls’ hair accessories were from a local designer, Andrea Mota.  Melissa and her friends hand-made the boutonnieres.

The men’s ties were purchased at Aubergine Vintage Emporium in Sebastopol and the mason jars were from the Summer Cottage Antique Store in Petaluma. The cake was from Costeaux French Bakery, catering by A La Heart Catering, and flowers by Barbara Vakassian Florals.

Jessamyn brought along her vintage 1920’s camera for some fun shots. And ~ Melissa & Brett bought a vintage photo booth for the occasion! (ps…they now rent the photo booth out for other events!).

Oh, did we mention that they had 3 cakes? These two (above) represent Melissa’s love to garden and the fact that Brett is a volunteer fireman!

Melissa’s dress was designed by Linda Horn of One White Dress, Windsor CA – the dress is called “Blossom.”

Of ALL their fantastic and fun elements, I’ve gotta’ say … I LOVE the cotton candy!

Bunches of thanks to Jessamyn Harris and Melissa & Brett for giving us a peek into this VERY special day at Healdsburg Country Gardens!!

And for more of Jessamyn’s fantastic weddings be sure and spend some time on her blog and website!

One of our FAVORITES that we featured on The Little Black Book Blog was Amy & Brent’s 2008 October Wedding …

And more recently, Rachel & Giancarlo’s Wedding at Nestldown, Los Gatos: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

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Post tags: Barbara Vakassian Florals, Cutie Dynamite, Hair Accessories, Healdsburg Country Gardens, Jessamyn Harris, Linda Horn, Mason Jars, One White Dress, Photo Booth
Post categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Little Black Book Blog, Vintage Chic

Hollye Schumacher Photography and Victoria Canada Weddings & Events shared these awesome images with us!

How beautiful is this shot? Such an incredible memory from the day.

Hollye is an award winning photographer … and from these photos, you can definitely understand why!

* * *

A few details of the day from Victoria, Laura & Brian’s ever-so-talented wedding coordinator …

The adorable couple wed at The Royal Palms Resort & Spa on a gorgeous Arizona fall afternoon. Before the ceremony, Laura surprised guests with root beer, green apple, and orange cream Jones Sodas adorned with photos of Laura and Brian’s long history together.

The ceremony décor was soft and elegant with brilliant colors of red, orange and brown. Rose petals covered the aisle spelling out the letter “S” with a pop of color. At the end of the ceremony, guests tossed rose petals to Laura and Brian’s “rosy future” and for the cocktail hour, the vintage photo theme continued … the guests seating was indicated when they picked up chocolate brown boxes. On top of the custom label was the guest’s name. When they opened the box, their table number was nestled in a bed of orange rose petals and the lid of the box showed photos of the bride & groom’s dating history … the prom, a trip to Paris, their first date…

The gorgeous cake design was based on Laura’s Ramona Keveza wedding gown and the brooch that sparkled on the top tier was taken from a formal dress Laura wore on a date with Brian.

The reception exuded warmth and matched the elegant feel of the Royal Palm’s Salon with different shades of taupe, brown and gold.

Guests were treated to a delicious plated meal, and then the party started! Laura changed her hair and the music picked up. Guests were able to change out of their high heels and into flip flops as the dancing began because “happy feet are dancing feet!” A photo booth provided fun favors for all of the guests and more vintage photos were displayed throughout the reception.

As the night went on, guests indulged themselves in a chocolate decadence bar for some tasty treats to take with them. Laura and Brian started their rosy future while surrounded by family, friends and spectacular memories.

Just one more perfect example of combining pure elegance with classic fun!  Congratulations Laura & Brian!

A HUGE thank you to Victoria Canada Weddings & Events for sending us Laura & Brian’s wedding to share with our readers.

{By the way, Victoria has a pretty great blog of her own.}

* * *

And to Hollye Schumacher … your sensational talent never ceases to amaze us! We can literally spend HOURS on your site looking at your images (brides, babies & the charming pooches!).

We featured Laura and Brian’s engagement shoot, a while back on the LBB blog  -or- you can see it on Hollye’s blog.  Hollye LOVES to travel so definitely check out more of her amazing weddings even if you’re NOT in Arizona … (reminds me of a George Strait song) …

Here are just a few more gorgeous weddings from Hollye’s blog ~

Colette’s fantastic dress!

Anna & Wes’ dramatic October wedding!

Renee & Justin’s fun-filled wedding (with super-cool green tennies)!

* * *

Additional wedding vendors from today’s featured wedding ~ Serendipity Videography, String Serenade (ceremony music), The Hamptons (band), Royal Palms Resort (cake), Table Tops, Etc. (Florist), BBJ Linens, Corinna Cooke (Make-up), Photo Booth AZ, and Celebrations In Paper (all paper pieces).

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Post tags: Arizona, Cake, Candy Station, Chocolate, Hollye Schumacher Photography, Phoenix, Photo Booth, Romona Keveza, Rose Petals, Royal Palms Resort & Spa, Serendipity Videography, Table Tops Etc., Victoria Canada Weddings & Events
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers

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!

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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

from Heather: The ceremony was in Rittenhouse Town, part of the Wissahickon woods. We could only invite immediate family and a handful of our oldest friends. To see every one’s smiles after the ceremony was the best part of the day!

My stepfather, Paul, drove me up to the ceremony in a 1932 Ford pickup he built himself from pieces. I was so proud to ride in it and loved that it matched the time period. He started building it while my mother was still alive and she never got to take a ride, so getting into it for the first time on my wedding day was an emotional roller coaster, so happy, but also sad. We were both bawling when I arrived to the sounds of the bagpiper playing “Here comes the bride.”

Did I mention everyone was crying at the ceremony!? My best friend Sarah read a passage from the Velveteen Rabbit about what is “real”. Jason, Shawn’s brother, read the last paragraph from “The Road” by Cormick McCarthy. After the ceremony Jason said a beautiful toast about how I have always been a part of the family, but it was good now to make it “official” and again I cried!

The reception was at the Sedgwick Theatre on Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy. It is an art deco movie theatre built in 1928. I love the fashion and styles of that period so it was really important to me to have “vintage” hair and a cocktail dress.

The reception was a blast! I did not want a formal wedding reception, just a big party. It was a representation of us and our loved ones. We had a pool table and games for the kids. I also had a dress up photo booth for guests to take their own photos. On the center stage, there was a slide show running of my photographs from the past 14 years of our friends and family. The kids had fun jumping around on the stage and dancing in front of the photos! There was theatrical lighting to add to the ambiance. We had an Irish trio play at the cocktail hour who actually knew my mother, she played traditional fiddle in her life time. I also had the redware pottery she made put out on the tables. After cocktails the dj took over with a great assortment of country, indie rock, 80’s music videos played on the screen, hip hop and lots of dance music from our generation. It was overwhelming seeing every person I know and love in one room, all there just for us! I am so lucky to have met Shawn 14 years ago and gained so many friends and family.

These fabulous photos were taken by Sarah Miller, her friend and frequent second-shooter. For more of Sarah’s work, check out her website and blog!

LOVE the vintage-styled wedding touches that Heather executed flawlessly! Isn’t she totally gorgeous!!?

Heather has written about her wedding on her own blog and has provided a list of recommended vendors. It’s a really comprehensive list with great comments about each one. She’s also included the sources for her veil, shawl, dress, etc… There are a few photos taken by other photography friends of Heather’s and their names are also credited on her blog.

True vintage glamour ~~~

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Post tags: Art Deco, Bagpipes, Birdcage Veil, Hair Accessories, Heather Fowler Photography, Mt. Airy, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Photo Booth, Sarah Miller Photography, Vintage Hairstyle, Vintage Style
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Vintage Chic