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From Mike Colón Photographers…Growing up, the Fourth of July was one of my favorite holidays.  From sparklers, to picnics, to running barefoot in fields, to watermelon juice dripping off my chin and down my arms, my memories are deep and rich. To me July 4th is a celebration of fresh new beginnings.  And isn’t it the same thing with marriage?  This is the day that you begin a new life together; in so many ways and for so many reasons it’s a fresh start.

For Rachael and Henry it was about capturing their All-American style and making it come to life.  What better way to make this All-American couple come to life than to celebrate their love on the 4th.  We didn’t want anything to distract from Rachael and Henry so for wardrobe we kept with a neutral color palette, and decided to add our pops of color with the décor.  Red, white, blues, strawberries, blueberries, coca-cola, candied apples, and popcorn gave the finishing touches to a memorable day.

So here’s to staying up late to watch fireworks with the people you love the most, to getting your fingers dirty and your shirts stained with barbeque, to midday picnics, and most of all to love.  To new love, to old love, and to fresh new beginnings.

Photography: Mike Colón Photographers + Visual Exposure Photography + Richard Lam Photography / Stylist:  Kat Harris of Mike Colón Photographers / Hair + Makeup: Remba Productions / Floral Design & Stylist: Susanna and Mary French Buckets / Linens: Designer Specialty Linens / Pies + Desserts: Jays Catering / Models: Rachael and Henry / Bride’s Attire:  Cocoe Voci + Madewell / Jewelry:  J.Crew / Shoes: Calvin Klein / Groom’s Attire: Zara, J.Crew + Gap / Paper Goods and Signs: Typologie and Co.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California, Calvin Klein, Cocoe Voci, Designer Specialty Linens, Fourth Of July, French Buckets, Gap, Jay's Catering, JCrew, Mike Colon Photographers, Orange County, Photo Shoot, red white and blue, Remba Productions, Richard Lam Photography, Typologie and Co., Visual Exposure Photography, Zara
Post categories: California Weddings, Photo Shoot

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From La Belle Fleur Wedding Designs & Events…While wearing a navy blue dress with white polka dots and a red belt wrapped around my waist, I thought to myself how patriotic I looked.  I quickly thought about how fun it would be to create a photo shoot around a Fourth of July wedding in Southeast Texas.  I contacted a photographer, an invitation company, make-up artist, hair stylist, baker and salons for wedding attire for our models.  Within one week of contacting these vendors, we managed to create a casual, yet elegant backyard Fourth of July wedding.

Allen Ayres of Bellafotografica provided his talents in capturing the images of the shoot for us.  Glenda Little of Dressy Designs and I quickly decided that her backyard was the perfect location for our shoot. Once we made the decision where the photo shoot would take place, all the vendors worked their magic to bring the vision we had together.

The overall look that I was going for was an all-American casual Fourth of July look that was classy, elegant and not too gimmicky with a twist of vintage.  I asked the make-up artist (Erica Strazz) and hair stylist (Ashley Smart) to create a look that was reminiscence of old Hollywood glamour/50’s pin-up for our models.  We even carried the theme of celebrating America in the selection of our models.  These girls truly represent what America is all about; beautiful, full of life and full of cultural differences.

When I set out to do this shoot, I also had in mind of showing brides an alternative style to the same theme (from casual elegance to formal sophistication).  The main shoot was based on an outdoor wedding that was casual yet elegant.  By changing up certain things, we were able to transform the setting to a more upscale and sophisticated setting.

Floral & Event Design: La Belle Fleur Wedding Designs & Events / Invitations & Paper Goods: Dressy Designs / Photography: Bellafotografica / Cake & Cupcakes: Artistic Confections / Makeup Artist: Erica Strazz / Hair Stylist: Ashley Smart of Beautique Salon & Spa / Wedding Gown: Mori Lee Blue Collection via Marcy Messer of The Classy Peacock / Shoes & Veil: Marcy Messer of The Classy Peacock / Bridesmaid Dresses: Anna Tran of Mommy Dearest + Dillards / Bridesmaid Hair Accessories: Melynda Tran of Love, Chloe Boutique / Location: Private Residence

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Artistic Confections, Ashley Smart, Beautique Salon & Spa, Bellafotografica, Chloe Boutique, Dillards, Dressy Designs, Erica Strazz, Fourth Of July, La Belle Fleur Wedding Designs & Events, Love, Mommy Dearest, Outdoor, Photo Shoot, red white and blue, Texas Weddings, The Classy Peacock
Post categories: Photo Shoot, Texas Weddings

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From Isari Flower Studio + Event Design…After working together on a wedding last May, La Vida Creations Photography, Taylored Occasions, and Isari Flower Studio were excited to collaborate on a stylized shoot featuring a gorgeous local venue in San Diego. With a vintage American feel, The Condor’s Nest offers the perfectly unique character to inspire the theme “Americana”. The property is home to a family of animals that mimic the characters of Charlotte’s Web… horses, exotic chickens, pigs, and even two goats. Vintage accents take guests back to a simpler time, creating a very relaxed vibe. The peaceful setting boasts sweeping views of rolling foothills, lush valleys and glimpses of the Pacific Ocean in the distance. From the sun-kissed red barn, to the vintage red farm vehicles parked around the perimeter of the ranch, we highlighted the bold beauty of these property features and carried that through our design and details. This was at the center of the inspiration for Americana, a modern twist where American Apple Pie meets Rock ‘n’ Roll with a whimsical modern flair that breathes new life into these American traditions.

In lieu of a traditional place card table, a stampede of paper horses greeted guests on one wall of the barn. Eight different breeds of horses were hand-painted and cut-out to correspond with eight tables. Guests would move on to the interior of the barn for refreshing cocktails served in mason jars, accented by fresh local strawberries and mint.

The main table was set with Russian linen tablecloths resembling bags of grain. The casual folding wooden chairs and the vintage farm trucks parked around the main lawn complemented the sun-kissed red barn. This barn served as the main character and unifying element throughout the three vignettes we created. Brightly colored hand-woven table runners provided a pop of color and added a West meets Mexico flair. The color palette for the floral accents echoed this flavor and drew inspiration from the area surrounding the barn, a blend of succulents with a casual floral mix. Hand-stenciled napkins and a casual menu reflect the relaxed style of the dinner that would presumably be ranch beef and fresh, local produce. The dinner menu was printed on the backside of grocery bags to give a natural texture and the paper was sewn to red cardstock for a hand-made touch. The menus were inspired by old west posters using a combination of wood type and script typefaces.

A retired farm wagon was put to work once again holding a collection of cupcakes and pies made from old family recipes. Handmade tags on vintage paper and popsticks help guests navigate their way to their favorite flavored treats. The models donned a variety of modern and classic clothing, floral headbands, and cowboy boots to represent the feel of Americana.

Event Design, Styling + Props: Taylored Occasions + Minted Condition / Floral Design: Isari Flower Studio + Event Design / Photography: La Vida Creations Photography / Linens: Wildflower Linens / Napkins: Emerson Made / Invitation, Menu, Paper Products: Minted Condition / Stylist: Stylish Silhouette / Dresses: Sky Couture / Desserts: La Concha Bakery / Venue: The Condor’s Nest / Hair + Makeup: Shlomit Arviv

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California, Emerson Made, Fourth Of July, Isari Flower Studio, La Concha Bakery, La Vida Creations Photography, Minted Condition, Photo Shoot, red white and blue, Rustic Chic, Shlomit Arviv, Sky Couture, Stylish Silhouette, Taylored Occassions, The Condor's Nest, Wildflower Linens
Post categories: Photo Shoot, Traditional Elegance

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From Catie Ronquillo Photography…I love to travel, especially if it involves France! After seeing a travel inspired invitation on Southern Fried Paper’s website, I approached Chelsea about doing a travel inspired shoot. I knew that I wanted some French accents and travel elements, and use the classic airmail stripe colors of red, white, and blue as inspiration. So we merged the two together and created a French Travel Inspiration shoot with a hint of vintage.

For the cakes, Heidi of Sugar Bee Sweets created five coordinating cakes each with its own special element. We displayed the cakes separately, paired with suitcases and cake stands at different heights, to create something different from a traditional tiered cake. For flowers, Kate of Kate Foley Designs created a beautiful bouquet and centerpiece with assorted red flowers and greenery to perfectly complement our color scheme. We used vintage books as part of the centerpieces and used suitcases to accent our design. A few French inspired accessories topped it off.

For the couple’s attire, we thought that the bride would look perfect in a short dress, perfect for a small ceremony or elopement, or for leaving straight away for the honeymoon. She wore the Pins & Needles 3/4 Sleeve dress from Urban Outfitters. The groom wore a seersucker coat from his personal collection with a red striped bow tie – perfect to infuse a bit of Southern into this shoot!

From Southern Fried Paper…Guests received a “wedding passport” save the date tucked inside a hand-lined snap close envelope and a boarding pass wedding invitation with a red airmail envelope. The travel inspired wedding showcased individual menus wrapped around each napkin, airmail escort cards pinned to a vintage map, and kraft travel journal favors accented with custom “Bon Voyage” stickers.

Photography: Catie Ronquillo Photography / Floral Design: Kate Foley Designs / Event Design: Catie Ronquillo Photography + Southern Fried Paper / Wedding Cakes: Sugar Bee Sweets / Stationery: Southern Fried Paper / Makeup: Kay Castro / Location: White Rock Lake, Dallas / Dress: Urban Outfitters

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Catie Ronquillo Photography, Dallas, French, Kate Foley Designs, Kay Castro, red white and blue, Short Wedding Dress, Southern Fried Paper, Sugar Bee Sweets, Suitcase, Texas, Travel Theme, Urban Outfitter, Vintage, White Rock Lake
Post categories: Photo Shoot, Texas Weddings

all photographs by Misti Layne

From the girls at Hello! Lucky…For this affair, we did the Classic Cowboy design in Bluebell and Lucky Red which complemented the wedding’s rustic Americana style. We created a custom band with a repeating Western star pattern in red to hold all the pieces together.

Maggie is a furniture designer/maker so the couple decided it would be fun to incorporate that into the details in a creative yet subtle way. Stacy McCain, the planner, asked Maggie if she had any wood scraps from the shop (piece that would likely get thrown away and that she would not be able to use for anything) which she did. The table numbers were created using the wood scraps, this also played into wanting to recycle and reuse. She also had some leftover materials which she constructed her escort card board from.

all photographs by Misti Layne

What screams Summer more than BBQ?!? The menu was fun and a nice change of pace from typical “wedding” food. The guests really enjoyed the feeling of a home cooked meal (Salmon, beef, chicken, vegetables, potatoes and sweet corn slaw). The cake was a citrus flavor with fresh berries served on top. This was a nice way to end the hot day with a refreshing and light dessert.

Mary Lois of Loop Flowers did a wonderful job of collecting various cups and containers to use for the centerpieces, this really spoke to our vintage/rustic feel for the wedding. Also keeping with the recycle and reuse idea Maggie collected vintage napkins so that each guest had one at their place setting. She tied ribbon with each guests name, this worked as their place card.

all photographs by Misti Layne

Thank you so much to the girls at Hello! Lucky for sending this over. We are in love! Stay tuned to hear who the big winner is from our Bluefly Giveaway!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ, Fourth Of July, Hello! Lucky, red white and blue
Post categories: Casual Elegance