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From the bride… Brandon and I met about five years ago when we were both working at Ledson Winery and Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley. We immediately hit it off, having many things in common including our adventurous sides: my love of competitive horseback riding and Brandon’s love of back trail snowboarding. After four years, Brandon proposed to me on a flight to Philadelphia with my sister and mom as witnesses.

Once home, I immediately started planning our large wedding! We assumed our wedding site would be in Sonoma — after all, that is where we met. After setting a date and finding a location and a wedding planner, we thought we were all set. Well, unfortunately Brandon’s adventurous side got the best of him in Tahoe on New Year’s Eve. While snowboarding, he went off a jump and landed incorrectly, rupturing all three ligaments in each one of his knees. We were told Brandon might not be able to walk down the aisle in June. I called our wedding planner to tell her that we would most likely need to cancel our wedding. Kate helped us rethink our wedding options. Instead of a big wedding in Sonoma, we decided on an intimate wedding in San Francisco where Brandon could be wheeled down the aisle, if necessary. Kate not only found Brandon a terrific surgeon, but she was instrumental in applying my vision for our wedding to a new venue in San Francisco. We could not have done it without her.

We kept all of the little personal and handmade details, colors, flowers, and the overall feeling we wanted to have on our big day, but we scaled everything down considerably. Brandon and I got married in the Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco, the same place my parents were married over 25 years ago. Our transportation paid homage to my father, who collects vintage cars.  Our reception was at Waterbar, which is right on the San Francisco Bay! I loved having an intimate wedding with my closest friends and family. I could not have asked for a better day! Who knew that a snowboarding accident would lead us to a perfect wedding in the city?

Wedding Photography: Lisa Farrer Weddings / Ceremony: Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco, California / Reception: Waterbar in San Francisco, California / Event Design + Planning: Kate Siegel Fine Events / Flowers: Cherries Flowers / Linens: La Tavola Linens / Wedding Dress: Christos / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Groom’s Suit: Ralph Lauren / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alfred Sung via Bella Bridesmaid / Cake Topper: Garden4Arts / Calligraphy: Pomodoro Papers / Wedding Invitations: Burns & Associates Fine Printing

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Post tags: Alfred Sung, Bella Bridesmaid, Burns & Associates Fine Printing, California, Cherries Flowers, Christos, garden4arts, Gray, Kate Siegel Fine Events, La Tavola Linens, Lisa Farrer Weddings, Pink, Pomodoro Papers, Ralph Lauren, San Francisco, Swedenborgian Church, Waterbar, White
Post categories: California Weddings, San Francisco Weddings, Vintage Chic

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Oh, we’re not done with all of the lovely just yet.  We have one amazing film by Siberian Pictures below. Enjoy!

From the Bride… Vince and I have known each other since high school and were best friends throughout college — despite the 1,100 mile distance between our schools. He proposed at a quaint bed and breakfast overlooking the Puget Sound in the heart of downtown Seattle. For our wedding, we both wanted to celebrate love, family, and cultural traditions with an intimate, stress-free fete. We initially considered a destination wedding in Cinque Terre or Paris, but decided to save Paris for our honeymoon. Our guests’ experience during our wedding weekend was our top priority. We wanted everyone to feel welcome, loved and relaxed. All our guests stayed at a resort on the same beach that the wedding ceremony took place on. We had a lot of fun putting together welcome baskets that included champagne, hand-made soaps, German gummy bears, Belgian beer and a variety of other things that highlighted special places throughout our relationship.  Because the majority of our guests came from out-of-state, we gave them a taste of Florida by treating them to a visit to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine the day before the wedding. Afterwards, we had our rehearsal dinner outdoors on the water where we were able to watch the sunset as we enjoyed our meal.

Our wedding day was perfect. We were surrounded by a dozen of our closest friends and family for a quaint ceremony on the beach. I walked down the aisle as a string quartet played, and I completely surprised myself when tears began falling and blurred my vision — thank goodness I had my dad to help navigate me! There were so many special parts to that day … hearing Vince say his vows, sharing with my (step)dad that I planned to change my middle name to his family name, taking pictures in my Korean dress (han bok) with my sister and mom … the list could go on. One of the most special moments was when Vince and I planted a Magnolia bonsai to symbolically represent the beginning of our family tree as the quartet played “Married Life” from the Disney/Pixar movie “Up.”

The second priority for the wedding was to have it captured in photographs that we could treasure for the rest of our lives. We are so thankful to have had wonderful photographers in Julie and James. Every time I look at our photos, it brings me back to that day and I’m filled with the same giddy, care-free happiness.

Wedding Photography: Julie Cate Photography / Wedding Ceremony: One Ocean Resort and Spa in Atlantic Beach, Florida / Wedding Reception: Ruth’s Chris in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida / Flowers: Publix / Wedding Dress: Kenneth Pool via Solutions Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Vince Camuto / Hair: Cortello Salon / Makeup: Kimtasha / Groom’s Suit: Ralph Lauren / Music: Belle Fleur String Quartet / Wedding Cinematography: Siberian Pictures

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Post tags: Atlantic Beach, Belle Fleur String Quartet, Cortello Salon, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Florida, Julie Cate Photography, Kenneth Pool, Kimtasha, Lavender, One Ocean Resort and Spa, Publix, Ralph Lauren, Ruth's Chris, Siberian Pictures, Solutions Bridal, Vince Camuto
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Florida Weddings, Jacksonville

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From the bride… Our wedding was my dream combination of my past, present and future. My husband and I met in ski academy high school in Vermont but fell out of touch for over 10 years before we literally ran into each other on the streets of Manhattan, where we were both living. We fell in love with each other as friends and then he became the love of my life. Our photographers were also friends of ours from high school. My bridesmaids are the family I found when I moved to the big city from Vermont. The wedding was in Watch Hill, the town where I want my grandchildren to play on the beach in, as my cousins and I did as children.  The gorgeous church across from the Ocean House holds memories of my grandparents and now my wedding. I was left my grandmother’s engagement ring after she passed away, and my husband also was given his grandmother’s ring when she passed away.  I wore them both along with a cross given to me by my parents on a chain my husband gave me before the wedding.  It was a way to have our loved ones that could not be there close to our hearts. I feel so blessed to have this wonderful town in my life and it was the perfect place to get married.  

The theme was inspired by the colors of sea glass.  The focus was on having a wonderful weekend.  Incredible food, bright and sunny drinks and amazing company made it the best weekend of my life.  

Special thanks to Carla from Elements Flowers who was not only an amazing help with the flowers but everything else we did, and to Geoff who made sure our photo booth was a huge success! We custom-ordered our frames from Etsy after trying for a month to find cute photo booth frames and I was thrilled with the result.  The bridesmaids’ dresses were custom-made by the extremely talented and sweet Katie Ermilio. Our parents were the most amazing support team during the entire wedding process. It was amazing to have our wonderful parents, incredible friends and beautiful memories made during our sunny wedding weekend in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

Wedding Photography: Lauren + Abby Photography / Flowers: Carla of Elements Flowers / Wedding Planning: The Bride’s Family / Ceremony: Watch Hill Chapel in Watch Hill, Rhode Island / Reception: Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island / Photobooth: Photobooth Planet (401-316-1423) / Wedding Invitations: Mr. Boddington / Save-the-Dates: Julie Holcomb / Wedding Dress: Oscar de la Renta via Bergdorf Goodman / Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Earrings: A Gift from the Maid of Honor / Bracelet: Borrowed from the Groom’s Mother / Bridemaids’ Dresses: Custom by Katie Ermilio / Bridesmaids’ Shoes: Halston Heritage / Flower Girl Dress: Ralph Lauren via Saks Fifth Avenue / Photobooth Frames: Custom by 2DogsWoodWorking

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Post tags: 2DogsWoodWorking, Bergdorf Goodman, Blue, Christian Louboutin, Elements Flowers, Halston Heritage, Julie Holcomb, Katie Ermilio, Lauren + Abby Photography, Mr. Boddington, Ocean House, Oscar De La Renta, Photobooth Planet, Ralph Lauren, Rhode Island, Saks Fifth Avenue, Watch Hill, Watch Hill Chapel, White
Post categories: The Blog

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From the bride… Brandee and Christian have always loved to travel. As they started talking about getting engaged and where they would go on their honeymoon, Italy was a strong contender. As Brandee was looking at an online gallery of pictures of Europe, she came across a colorful market picture and she thought planning an Italian Market-themed wedding would be a fun way to get excited for an Italian honeymoon. Christian loved the idea as well. When it came to location, they knew right away what the perfect backdrop for the wedding would be: Christian’s family property in St. Charles, Idaho, where they had spent a lot of time exploring and having some down-time with each other. The sunny, golden fields, tree-lined mountains and the sounds of the creek around the field set the scene for a classy, romantic, Italian market wedding in an outdoor setting.

Food was very much a part of wedding festivities and decor. Brandee and Christian both love authentic Italian food and wanted there to be an assortment of food to thank their guests for their involvement in their lives. The market place displayed the food and drinks for the cocktail hour and was an affordable option for decor. The colorful and earthy fruits, vegetables and market flowers blended perfectly with the adjacent early autumn woods and fields that housed the Italian-themed market.  The caterer brought in a wood-fired pizza oven to cook Margherita, Italian sausage and Mediterranean artichoke pizzas and served a variety of handmade pastas, fennel meatballs, deli meats, caprese salad, plenty of bruschetta, cheeses and asparagus-wrapped prosciutto, along with Italian sodas and San Pellegrino to drink. Luckily, their pastry chef was Italian and baked an assortment of pastries, including cannolis dipped in chocolate and pistachios, almond fruit tarts with a poached pear, zeppoles with chocolate and fruit dipping sauces, not to mention the Italian cannoli wedding cake and two other delicious cakes. To compliment the pastries and cakes, selections of gelato were available, including chocolate, pistachio and lemon.

The dinner was amazing and it was fun to hear family and friends say a few words to the bride and groom, but then came the first dance. Brandee and Christian had been looking forward to dancing under the stars and lights with each other as sweethearts in a place that holds so many special memories for them. They were really in their own little world at that point. They didn’t realize their first dance was so emotional to others as well.  Brandee’s good friend told her afterwards that she couldn’t help crying at the sight of Brandee so happy with her soul mate. Thank you to the vendors and especially Ken Kienow. You captured a wedding photographer’s own wedding day perfectly.

Photography:  Ken Kienow Photography / Ceremony: LDS Temple in Logan, Utah / Reception: The Groom’s Family Home in St. Charles, Idaho / Dress: Anne Barge via Alta Moda Bridal / Bride’s Belt: Modern Trousseau / Bride’s Shoes: Grazia / Bride’s Hair Accessory: Twigs & Honey / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bill Levkoff via The Perfect Dress / Men’s Suits: Ralph Lauren / Bride’s Hair: Mindee Soto (Bride’s Sister) of 987 Studio Salon / Makeup: Cynthia Dean of Enizio / Getting Ready Location: Riter Mansion / Catering: Culinary Concepts / Cakes + Pastries: Grace Harvell of The Graceful Baker / Pizzas: Jack’s Wood-Fired Oven / Dining Tables & Tents: Diamond Rental / Market Chalkboards:  Sweet to My Heart / Sign-in Book: Emerson Bindery / Dance Floor, Sign-In Table, Cake Table, Crate Dining Tables, Market Stands + Event Layout:  Groom, His Brother + His Father / Raspberry Jam Favors: The Bride + The Groom’s Mother / Market Baskets + Berry Containers:  Texas Basket Company / Wedding Invitations + Blackberry Design: Laurie Robison

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Post tags: 987 Studio Salon, Alta Moda Bridal, Anne Barge, Bill Levkoff, Culinary Concepts, Cynthia Dean, Diamond Rental, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Emerson Bindery, Enizio, Etsy, Grace Harvell, Grazia, Idaho, Jack's Wood-Fired Oven, Ken Kienow Photography, Laurie Robison, Logan LDS Temple, Mindee Soto, Modern Trousseau, Pink, Ralph Lauren, Riter Mansion, St. Charles, Sweet to My Heart, Texas Basket Company, The Graceful Baker, The Perfect Dress, Twigs & Honey, White
Post categories: The Blog

Engagement photos were such and important part of the wedding planning process to me – when else in life do you have an excuse to be professionally photographed in a stylized, romantic, intimate setting with the person you love? Since our wedding (this summer) is going to be a super casual, nautical affair on a marina, I wanted our engagement photos to be the opposite: indoors, more formal, and a little sexy.

As I brainstormed about possible themes and locations, I found myself drawn to classic-Hollywood photo shoots and Mad-Men era sleekness and style. (This came as no shock to my fiance, since I’m a big classic film nerd AND made him dress up as Don Draper to my Betty last year for Halloween.) I just love the richness and darkness and vintage feel of that time, the simmering elegance of men in suits and women in cocktail dresses meeting in hotel lobbies.

With this idea (and an unbelievably good sport of a fiance), I started shopping for photographers. Heidi Geldhauser of Our Labor of Love (based here in Atlanta, but traveling all over the place if you’re interested!) had photographed a friend’s wedding and her photos were some of the loveliest I’d ever seen. As you can tell, we are extraordinarily lucky to have found Heidi — she took my little kernels of ideas and locations and made them into these fantastically beautiful photos. She suggested things we’d never have thought of in a million years, like abandoning the marble staircase to take tons of photos in an empty office in front of some white plastic vertical blinds! It totally worked, and those are the best photos we have.

As a final note, since we were paying homage to a bygone era, I wore jewelry in each setting owned by either my mother or my grandmother. The white bracelet, the black beaded necklace, and the tri-color gold necklace are my little tokens of the women who lived (and dressed) like classic movie stars for real.

Photographer: Heidi Geldhauser, Our Labor of Love / Orange Dress: Zara / Black Dress: Ralph Lauren / Green Dress: Studio M by BCBG

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Post tags: Atlanta, BCBG, engagement session, Georgia, Mad Men, Old Hollywood, Our Labor of Love, Ralph Lauren, Studio M by BCBG, Wedding Photography, Zara
Post categories: engagement session, Little Black Book Blog

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From Shari of As You Wish Events… Allison and Wes Swank’s goal was to astound their guests in every aspect of their wedding. They started by creating a special save-the-date that had a personal touch by incorporating a hand-drawn image of their beloved cocker spaniel, who played a part in Wes’ proposal. The two had been together for eight years before deciding to tie the knot so they wanted to celebrate BIG. Where better to do that than the big city of Dallas? The couple married at First United Methodist Church right downtown. Family and friends gathered in the beautiful sanctuary, which was decorated with large blooming dogwood branches. After the ceremony, the guests made their way to the historic Adolphus Hotel. The soft pinks and creamy vanilla floral with gold accents created a romantic entry and area for guests to mingle before dinner. After cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, guests found their escort cards, which were each calligraphed by hand, and made their way into an inviting room washed in blush lighting with soft, flowy fabric draped throughout. The table tops were drenched in low, creamy floral arrangements that allowed for easy dinner conversation among guests. The menus were carefully tucked into silk napkins that sat on top of gold chargers to add sparkle and depth to the tables.   After a fun night of dinner and dancing, guests grabbed individually wrapped boxes of Tagalong Girl Scout cookies as their favors. They then made their way out the Adolphus lobby doors to send the newlyweds off by waving hand-painted streamer wands. The Swanks spent the first night of their new life just the way they wanted to, in a beautiful place with great food and entertainment, but most importantly, surrounded by their loving friends and family. Wedding Photography: Stacy Reeves / DJ + Lighting: Marcus Rollins / Wedding Reception + Catering: Adolphus Hotel / Florist: Stacey Murdoch of The Wildflower / Wedding Coordination + Event Design:  Shari Johns of As You Wish Events / Wedding Cake: Lauren Kitchens of Fancy Cakes by Lauren / Wedding Gown: Monique Lhuillier via Neiman Marcus / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale via Bridal Collections by Stella / Groom’s Attire: Ralph Lauren / Calligraphy: The Left Handed Calligrapher

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Post tags: Adolphus Hotel, Amsale, As You Wish Events, Bridal Collections by Stella, Dallas, Fancy Cakes by Laura, Gold, Lauren Kitchens, Marcus Rollins, Monique Lhuillier, Navy Blue, Neiman Marcus, Pink, Ralph Lauren, Shari Johns, Stacey Murdoch, Stacy Reeves, Texas, The Wildflower, White
Post categories: The Blog

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From the bride… Since the day John and I got engaged, he pretty much gave me free rein over everything once we found our venue, Carillon Beach. Although both of us are from the Washington, D.C. area, a destination wedding fit us as a couple perfectly. This beach community, nestled along Florida’s Emerald Coast, was inviting, beautiful and layered with notes of authentic beach-like charm. It was the easiest decision we could make, and it set just the right tone for our wedding weekend. Once the setting was decided, capturing the “feeling” was a combination of taking the snapshots I was collecting in my head and listening to the expertise of the area vendors I was lucky enough to work with. A few things for me were sure: I wanted the day to be elegant without stuffy, stylish without “over the top,” more modern than traditional and full of special touches. All that said, creating a concept that reflected that in a setting that already sold itself, was a bit challenging. Luckily, our wedding planner, Victoria of Carillon Weddings by Victoria, expertly guided us. We soon met with Christina at Events by Nouveau Flowers who refreshingly organized my thoughts, reeling in my inspiration.

We kept the ceremony simple. Both John and I knew we wanted to get married with sand between our toes, so it was a given that the ceremony would be on the beach. I had always envisioned this for us, and I knew I wanted to keep the scene organic. Let the beauty of the backdrop speak for itself and make this moment all about “us.” The crepe myrtle trees with light fabric canopy were natural and breezy, framing the spot we would exchange our vows. This, coupled with the whitewashed benches and lone yellow tulips lining the aisle, painted the perfect picture. There was something so intimate about how it all came together with the waves crashing in the background. To this day, this setting is my most fond memory.

For our reception, playing off a yellow/gray color scheme, Christina helped to bring the vision to life arranging solids, stripes and patterns, monochromatic floral displays and an array of textural contrasts. I loved the three signature glass and steel chandeliers hung from our clear top tent set amongst the dome shade lamps, just one of the many unique touches throughout the space. Outside the tent, we offered our guests lounge areas, where textures from burlap and rope to linen and glass gave the modern space a vintage undertone. Everything else was all about the details. Those special touches I sometimes obsessed over. This was really a wedding weekend to us, so from the welcome totes filled with homemade Florida Key lime and pistachio cookies and postcards for home, to monogrammed throw pillows, flip flops for dancing, framed photos, after-dinner cigars for the guys and all the paper details, every part of the weekend was considered. I made an Etsy discovery with 2BSquared, whom I worked with to design all the paper details like itineraries, escort cards we pinned as tags on hanging vintage frames from nearby trees, signage (for our gelato station — yum!), fan programs and menu cards. Even my bridesmaids wore custom-made yellow and gray statement necklaces.

Wedding Photography: Pure 7 Studios / Wedding Cake: Confections on the Coast / Flowers: Events by Nouveau Flowers / Catering: Townsend Catering / Event Planning: Carillon Weddings by Victoria / Ceremony: Meeting House in Carillon Beach, Florida / Reception: The Village Green in Carillon Beach, Florida / Wedding Paper Goods: 2BSquared / Wedding Dress: Romona Keveza / Bridesmaid Dresses: B2 by Jasmine Bridal / Groom + Groomsmen Suits: Ralph Lauren / Hair + Makeup: Solace Salon (Now Called Vivo Spa Salon) / Reception Music: Jones and Company

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Post tags: 2BSquared, B2 by Jasmine Bridal, Carillon Beach, Carillon Weddings by Victoria, Confections on the Coast, Emerald Coast, Events by Nouveau Flowers, Florida, Gray, Jones and Company, Meeting House, Pure 7 Studios, Ralph Lauren, Romona Keveza, Solace Salon, The Village Green, Townsend Catering, Vivo Spa Salon, Yellow
Post categories: Contemporary, Florida Weddings, Panhandle

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From the bride… When it came to planning I knew right away I wanted to have it at the Round Hill hotel. The hotel, a former pineapple plantation had the exact style I wanted. It was a glamorous but carefree, a place that housed icons like Babe Paley (my favorite is the Slim Aarons photograph of her in her villa!), Grace Kelly, Noel Crawford and Jackie Kennedy. It was small enough that you can see everyone and large enough that all my guests could stay there. Growing up, my family loved the 1950’s — loved Frank Sinatra and the casual elegance that surrounded that time, so when I saw the place, I fell in love. We actually stayed in villa 25 where is where JFK practiced his now-famous inaugural speech.

We tried to include as much of our family in our ceremony. I wore my grandmother’s vintage diamond chandelier earrings and was married in my other grandmother’s wedding band. Our kiddish cup was used in David’s brother’s wedding, we had two tallis’ on the table under the chuppah. One was David’s and one was my grandfather’s whose name was also David. It was to symbolize the old and the new. The ceremony was located on the other side of the Infinity Pool on a cliff overlooking the ocean. There was a candle lit passage way spanning the entire hotel that led to the reception! My mom and I had a stamp created with myself and David’s monogram that Neither Snow made. All three of us stamped each muslin bag with it, and then we restrung the bags with linen and white butchers’ twine. Instead of favors, we wanted to incorporate our dog Frankie — who is the love of our lives — so we donated money in everyone’s honor to an animal charity and wrote it on the menu! My mom hand made all the happy tears hankies – she had a stamp made on etsy that said “B+D” like david’s cufflinks and hand-stamped each of them.

The most special moment was at the rehearsal dinner when all the guests lit Khom Loy lanterns. Khom Loy lanterns are meant to bring good fortune and also represented where we would be going on our honeymoon… Thailand!

Wedding Photography: Raquel Reis / Venue + Catering: Round Hill Hotel & Villas in Montego Bay, Jamaica / Calligraphy + Monogrammed Stamp: Mara Zepeda of Neither Snow / Save the Dates: iomoi / Postcards + Postage Stamps: Designed by Bride and Her Mother on Zazzle / Vintage Stamps: Precious Owl / Flowers: Paulette of Tai Flora / Wedding Gown: J. Mendel / Butcher’s Twine: The Twinery / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dolce & Gabbana via Net-a-Porter / Shoes: Custom Christian Louboutin / Groom’s Outfit: Ralph Lauren / Groom’s Cufflinks: Jeneri Jewelry / Wedding Stationery: Anita Katz Forster Design (Owned by bride’s mother, artfulwall@aol.com)

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Post tags: Anita Forster Design, Christian Louboutin, Cream, Dolce & Gabbana, Etsy, Green, Iomoi, J. Mendel, Jamaica, Mara Zepeda, Montego Bay, Neither Snow, Net-A-Porter, Ralph Lauren, Raquel Reis, Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Tai Flora, The Twinery, White, Zazzle
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog